On Mon, 14 May 2007 20:57:48 -0700, Smitty Two
wrote:

I always take my TV porblems over to sci.electronics.repair. But don't
go over there claiming that your experience with copiers is relevant,
unless you can back up your statement that you have "some idea" what
might be wrong. They might challenge that assertion.


Oh yes it helps. It means he knows how to open up machines without
killing himself, without causing more damage and knows what to look
for if given directions. He will also know how to put things back
together.

Always unplug the TV when working on it. Look around for any smoked
part. You likely have a single board PCB that won't be repairable by
other than the dealer's agent. It will cost you at least $100 for the
shop to look at it and, with even the tinniest fix, end up costing
more than a new TV. They aren't interested in making repairs at this
level (smoked part). It is either a whole board swap or a lot of shop
storage while waiting for a unsourceable part to come in. In any case
service guys don't make parts repairs any more as how do you unsolder
and resolder a component that is smaller than a pen nib point. How do
you place the multimeter probes on micro-traces protected by a
conformal plastic coating to measure anything in the first place to
troubleshoot the failed part?

Next power it on and see if there is any glow in the CRT gun. The
first obvious place to test will be the fuse and then test the output
voltrages from the transformer. Check also the Vcc of a few ICs,
resistors and caps. With the power on use a wood dowel (or something
similar) and move the wiring around to see if anything is alive. Go
from there. The only two fixes you can do is to clean the parts and
reseat them firmly. With a bit of luck your problem may be a cold
solder.

It will be an educational experience. Its unlikely a smoked TV is
worth repairing if a new one costs under $400. Don't worry about
being zapped. Its unpleasant but its not even as powerful as a taser.