Fixing a Flat Panel Tv or Monitor

When your flat panel TV or monitor goes out it may be similar to the feeling you get when you lose your wallet or purse, for some people anyway.

If you ever went to turn your TV or monitor on and it quickly shuts off again you could have bad capacitors; If this happens and the TV or monitor is at least a year old I would bet 8 out of 10 times the capacitors on the circuit board have went bad.The reason I say at least a year old is because capacitors will tend to go bad after extended use. If your TV or monitor is new and you experience the monitor shutting off after you switch it on, chances are it’s not the capacitors.

Just so everyone knows I’m not an electronics tech, but I would say I’m an avid troubleshooter/tinkerer. I’m the type of person that has to know why something is broke, and what the reason is.Im also a firm believer in the right tools and the proper approach to fixing anything.There is always a right way.Don't take short cuts.I also can’t stand to see perfectly good items tossed or thrown aside because of a possibly simple fix. Perhaps if it isn’t so simple as long as it doesn’t cost a lot of money, why not fix it? Also at the time of this article the state of the economy does not seem to be getting much better;and it seems like more and more people are holding off purchasing new items in exchange for fixing what they have,or just going without non-essentials altogether.It also appears we have enough electronics and appliance in the local dumps around the world why unnecessarily ad to it?

Anyhow I have ran across this problem many times and have fixed several electronics items such as TV/monitors, and computers just by knowing the symptoms and going right to the problem.People have tossed some really good items away thinking they were broke or unfixable and I have taken them home and fixed them for less the 5 dollars, most of the time. Here is a short video that I thought was well done showing the condition of bad capacitors. Some are barely noticeable while others are leaking and decomposing.

1. So now you know what bad capacitors look like. Your first step is to unplug the TV/monitor, then remove the back cover and access the power supply. Now you can get a visual of the capacitors in order to see what shape there in; I say to unplug the TV first not just because of the electrical hazard but also the newer TVs sometimes have a kill switch installed. If you try to open the back with it still plugged it will shut the TV down indefinitely; and you will only be able to turn it back on with a special field service code. YOU DID WHAT!!!. Some Pioneer plasma TVs are known for this.

2. After the back panel is off, look at the capacitors in and around the power supply. Mark all those with a marker that need replacing. Now look at the side of the capacitor to see what type it is. There are many types and strengths. The type you will be replacing is “electrolytic capacitors” these are usually made of aluminum casing that have a small amount of fluid in them to allow them to hold a charge. They will have two small wire stems coming out of the bottom that will be used to solder it to the board. The important numbers are the UF and the voltage; for example I just replaced some capacitors that were 820uf and 16volt. Yours will more than likely be different.

3. After you know what you need to purchase, buying online is usually the only way I found what I needed in the area of electronic components. I have gone to radio shack for capacitors in the past and they have never had what I needed off the shelf. They usually carry very general, low capacity items,such as you would find inside a radio...imagine that Radio Shack carrying components for radios... preposterous!!!

http://www.radioshack.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=electrolytic%20capacitors&origkw=electrolytic+capacitors&sr=1

Or you can try www.Newark.com they have fairly inexpensive components.

http://www.newark.com/capacitors?isRedirect=true

Capacitors don’t cost very much, for this type of thing it is usually a dollar or two each, plus shipping.

4. Ok ,I posted another video that shows the process of how to go about removing and soldering in new capacitors. I did not make these videos myself but found them really helpful yet simple.

Let me know how it all goes…Thanks for reading.