Skip to main content

TV - failed repair

I wasn't going to post this because the repair failed but what the heck, maybe someone can learn from it. I have a 30" widescreen Sony WEGA TV, a really heavy picture tube TV. Several months ago it wouldn't come on and the light on the front flashed 7 times. I googled it and found out that this meant there was something wrong with the high voltage board, specifically two chips. After debating rather to bring it somewhere to fix it (probably $200 range), replace the board (also $200 range), or replace the two chips ($70 for the parts and a new soldering iron with a small tip and a couple other supplies). I finally decided on the $70 option even though I was leery about being able to unsolder the chip's pins, get them out, and then replace with new ones.

So I ordered the parts, got a new iron, took a bunch of pictures of the inside of the TV so I could remember where all the connectors went, and disconnected everything. I actually did a good job of getting the old solder out and after some delicate prying without breaking other stuff I finally got them out. The new ones went in easily, which means I got most of the solder out - a good thing. I got all the pins soldered with help of a magnifying glass. I then screwed the board back in, put all the connectors back in place held my breath and turned it on. But it wasn't to be. Now I get 3 blinks on the power light. Searching again showed that it was not uncommon to have this as a secondary problem after fixing the original problem.

I added this one on this blog even though it wasn't "successful" because there were some successes. Even though I was concerned about being able to get the TV apart, with a lot of help and advice from my older brother, I got that accomplished. I was also able to get these little pins on the chips unsoldered and soldered, which was my major concern. And I have never worked on a TV before besides the old days when dad and I would take the tubes out of our TV and bring them to Sears to the tube tester and get replacements. So even though the overall project was a failure I did get up the nerve to try to fix it and had a couple of small successes. Moral - don't be afraid to try, you can learn from success and failure.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fixing Weber-type Charcoal Grill Legs

Do you have a charcoal grill? After awhile if you have moved it around do the legs come out? I have two of these grills and they both have this problem. But then again I did get both of them out of the trash! I suppose they were in the trash in the first place because their owner was tired of dealing with the legs coming out. The problem is that the legs are typically just crimped as you see below instead of firmly attached. Well, we are going to fix this! First, what you will need is a drill, a small-ish drill bit, and either 3 screws long enough to go all the way through the leg with nuts to go with them, or 6 rivets and a rivet gun. The drill bit naturally will be sized to fit the size of the screws or rivets. I like rivets because with screws there is a chance the nuts will come loose and then you are going to have wobbly legs again. Rivets are a permanent fix. So now that you have everything you need, drill a hole through the leg where it attaches to the grill. Make sure ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shovel Handle Repair

Don't you hate when this happens? There you are digging in the garden and try to pry out a sapling stump and SNAP! If you can part with an old friend it is time to go buy a new shovel. If not (can you tell how much I have worn down the tip on this shovel?) it is time to replace the handle. Step one: Remove the Handle Notice where the rivet is installed through the handle.  Find the pre-formed end.  Look at the other side.  If it has been flattened much bigger than the hole through the shovel you will need to cut it off.  A Dremel tool with a cut-off wheel is the way to go.  Don't forget the safety glasses.  Now take a punch and hammer and knock the rivet through the shovel shaft.  Now you can knock the piece of the broken handle out of the shovel shaft. Step two: Fit and Drill the Hole in the New Handle But where to get your new handle?  I just read an article that mentioned the House Handle Company (http://househandle.com/index.ht...
Post a Comment
Read more

Doing a Jig

One of my hobbies is beekeeping . Unfortunately it is quite expensive to buy all the wooden-ware needed. As a result I decided to make my own hive bodies. But the problem is pushing a 2 x 10 of any length through the table saw and keeping a straight edge is challenging. I was talking with a workmate who recommended making a jig and using my circular saw. So this is what I came up with: The base is a piece of 1/2 inch plywood about 12" x 12". There are 2 1 x scraps of wood on the sides sized to the 1 x 10 that hold it when the saw is pushed through. The top is another piece of plywood that is screwed down. Now I use the edge of this to piece of plywood as the guide for the circular saw. So I force the 1 x 10 as far back into the jig as possible and it is the right size for the long ends of the hive bodies. Once I cut a few pieces off it is much easier to push it through the table saw for the small sides. I could always make another jig for the small sides if I wanted...
Post a Comment
Read more