On Nov 21, 6:26 am, "Mark D. Zacharias"
wrote:
"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message

...

"jango2" wrote in message
...
While most servicing is done that way, it's certainly not the "only" way
to
do it. I've heard quite a few reports right here in this group of people
doing component level service on flat panel sets.

Bang on ! I may take 15 days to fix an lcd or plasma but i'm doing it
component level.
Some of the faults i've seen:
100k chip resistors that measure 100 k with a meter but measure
lower in circuit when powered up causing SOS ...power trip.
Broken track from one controller going to another , that too mid
layer in the pcb.
Dry electrolytics , thats a normal one.
Busted MOSFETS
Defective panel blowing precious panel driver ics and a hole
in my wallet
Bad optocouplers in PS

I love the fact that most authorised service centres are strictly
prohibitted from carrying out chip level repairs. Gives us a
competitive edge. Better pricing and quicker delivery. They have
to wait 6 weeks for those boards.

I admire someone with the patience to track down these problems to the
component level. I enjoy servicing equipment, but I don't have quite that
much patience.

We most often get the boards the next day. We're a Sony SES warranty center,
and they really get those things out fast. 2nd day air is standard shipping,
but since we're only about 200 miles from Kansas City we still usually get
them the next day, at no charge for freight.
Out-of warranty repairs will be a problem down the road however.

The rush-rush nature of warranty repairs means we wouldn't have time for
component-level troubleshooting of plasma or lcd in most cases. We're
required to get those things done fast. Even extended warranty companies
are really pressing us on the time issues. Sometimes it is necessary to
order all the boards and return the ones that didn't fix it. Panels take
longer though, since they come by freight carrier and not DHL or UPS.

Still mostly component level for audio repairs however...

Mark Z.

PMFJI, but I am curious: years ago I worked for a "factory authorized"
service center, where we performed warranty repairs for many major
brand names.

We found that most of the time, the hourly rates the manufacturers
paid for warranty repairs were ridiculously low. Most of the time,
the overall effect of providing warranty service on the repair shop's
financials was a loss.

So providing factory service *cost* us money. We only did it because
we were privately owned by one individual who also owned and ran a
huge, mid- to upscale electronics store - he maintained the service
department as a sales tool.

I'm wondering, have things changed? Or does providing warranty
service still represent a loss?