DIYbanter - View Single Post - 32 inch Panasonic-DEAD

(Ken G.) wrote in message ...
Take the back off and check the fuse . If it is blown black inside the
glass then the set most likely has a part shorted .
If the fuse is good it could be just the horizontal transistor wend bad
.

I agree with the posters who advised you not to go into your set
unless you know what you're doing. Thirty-odd years ago, I worked on
tube-type TV sets and was able to correct many if not most or all
problems with them. Today, however, I own two late-model solid-state
color sets which I would not dream of repairing myself--my knowledge
of TV repair techniques is too far outdated.

I would take that set to a repair shop and have technicians who are
well-versed in solid-state repair techniques fix it. These people have
had years of training and experience repairing solid-state sets, and
can get your TV working as good as new, albeit at a price. TV repair,
like everything else, is not cheap, but in most cases (and if your TV
isn't too old) it is worth it.

I would not, however, spend more than your set is worth to have it
repaired, but this has been said here (and elsewhere) many times
before by others besides myself. Television sets today, especially CRT
models of all screen sizes, are coming down in price drastically. I
don't know how much you paid for your TV when it was new or how long
you have owned it, but if you are quoted some sky-high figure to have
your set repaired, by all means junk it and get yourself a new one.
The new set will have a factory warranty and will likely perform even
better than your present set, unless you get a Zenith or an RCA, both
of which are very troublesome--more trouble than they are worth,
anyhow, but I understand the RCAs are very good sets which will serve
you well for years once a few bad joints are resoldered around the
tuner. My 19" RCA, purchased new over four years ago, is living proof
of that; I've only had it repaired once so far. The technician
resoldered all joints around the onboard tuner after repairing the
problem I called him in for. The repairs cost me something like $120
or thereabouts, but it was well worth it. The TV has a beautiful
picture on cable now. Would not and will not replace it until or
unless HDTVs become a lot more affordable.

I'd avoid Zenith like the plague. Time was when Zenith televisions,
stereos and other home-entertainment gear were top-of-the-line
(remember their former slogan, "the quality goes in before the name
goes on", in the '50s and '60s?). Not anymore. Today's "Zenith"
branded televisions are made by Gold Star, and are about as unreliable
as they come. The CRTs are junk (they go bad, usually by shorting,
within two years; when they short they usually damage the chassis
severely as well), the picture quality is nowhere near as good as
genuine Zeniths made by the original Zenith Radio Corporation of
Chicago, the new sets have had HV regulation problems, and if all this
weren't bad enough, some Zenith HD projection sets have been subject
to massive recalls because of a defective gasket which caused coolant
leakage onto the circuit boards, not to mention other problems which
caused safety hazards as well.

Panasonic is a good make of TV, as are Sony and several other
offshore brands; they haven't had nearly the problems RCA and the new
"Zeniths" are running into--in fact, Panasonic and Sony are two of the
most reliable offshore brands around, from what I have read in this
group. (I have a great-aunt who owned a Sony 15-inch color portable in
the late '60s; the set worked flawlessly for her, with a good picture,
etc., for about the next 20 years or so. When that set finally gave up
in the early '80s, she bought another Sony which also worked well, and
probably still does today. If that doesn't speak volumes for Sony
quality, I don't know what does.)

If you like how your Panasonic works, sounds, etc., by all means get
a new one. With new CRT-based sets coming down drastically in price as
I mentioned above, you can get new CRT-based sets almost dirt-cheap
these days, so I would say don't put too much money into your present
set (unless it is still new enough to be under the factory warranty,
in which case I'd say go ahead and have it fixed, of course).

Good luck and very kind regards,

Jeff Strieble, WB8NHV (mailto: )
Fairport Harbor, Ohio