BIGmog's BIGblog's Journal

Bad caps

https://bigmog.livejournal.com/220559.html

My TV started to fail last week when it wouldn't power on at first. After a few minutes or so, eventually it would turn on. I learned this is a common problem so much that a class action lawsuit was filed against the manufacturer for the defect. They settled and offer to fix all the broken TVs. Unfortunately that offer expired last year so I was out of support.

A local TV repair shop quoted me $150 to fix it but as the issue is well known and well documented, I felt I could fix it myself. There are even kits sold specifically for this job. Capacitors on the power board had faulted and started to bulge and leak. I swapped these for 2 new ones and that solved the issue. The hardest part was taking apart the TV to get to the innards. Not because it's complicated, just big and heavy.

Modern TVs are made to be replaced more frequently than before. For a bit I considered just buying a new set. My current TV is 8 years old now which is is nearing a replacement anyway. Something I use almost daily might be worth upgrading soon. Well, it's working again now so I can continue to watch movies and play games.

The top right two capacitors are faulty as indicated by the bulge on top and the brown ooze.