Bought a used Panasonic TH-P42X30D

[Vinod.R]

just an update that the TV was not working for sometime. As it is a old model as usual parts were not available.

Now the TV is repaired and the repair story is very interesting. If someone is interested, I will elucidate. Thanks

 

[Oxy]

just an update that the TV was not working for sometime. As it is a old model as usual parts were not available.

Now the TV is repaired and the repair story is very interesting. If someone is interested, I will elucidate. Thanks

I have the same model, running strong since the last 11 years. No service done ever.

Yes please share the repair story.

 

[Donivlapog]

just an update that the TV was not working for sometime. As it is a old model as usual parts were not available.

Now the TV is repaired and the repair story is very interesting. If someone is interested, I will elucidate. Thanks

Did u tape a ribbon cable or something and boom! Picture works?

 

[Vinod.R]

Did u tape a ribbon cable or something and boom! Picture works?

Nothing so easy. Damn difficult and effort of almost 3 years.

 

[mbhangui]

Do let us know what was done to repair it

 

[Vinod.R]

Well here goes.

One weekend in 2019 I pop in a disc to watch a movie. In between it suddenly the TV goes to standby.

I first think the power is gone, then notice that the AVR and the player are still working and there is still power in the house. The CVT should have gone on standby but it was still working too.

So switched off everything and gave it a good half an hour for the entire system and then powered again. Now the reality sinks in. TV is going on standby. Trying to go on and then direct standby. Did not know about blink codes then.


Since I am a bit of a DIY, I open up the TV and check for burnt boards or bulged caps, or shorted wires or anything out of the ordinary. NOTHING.

I realize that I am out of luck and try the TV direct through the power outlet. Still standby. Now comes the searching part.

Since I am in Thrissur with very limited resources, I first try out the official service centre. They send in a Tech checks it from outside and says the main board is gone and has to be replaced. Rough estimate Rs 16,000-18,000. I am shocked and not willing to spend so much on an old TV when a similar sized LED can be had for the same money.

But then I love my plasma and did not completely trust that Tech diagnosis. So after a lot of searching I find a local guy whose son repairs plasma's and who also takes difficult ones to Bangalore for service.

So he comes and picks my plasma, as he is going to Bangalore (so he said ) and says he will first check it locally. Now the wait begins. Every time I call him he says not yet, not yet. This goes on for about 4 months.

One fine morning, he says I cant repair this TV, the main board and Y sustain board is the problem and he cant get parts. So I go searching for his shop, find it and pick the TV up in auto , also pay him Rs 1,000 as service charge in the bargain.

Come home and take the TV apart, and find that apart from outside missing screws not much has been done or boards have been removed for checking. So realize that he would have done some basic diagnosis and left the TV to sun out and charged me for it. LESSON LEARNT. DO NOT TRUST THESE LOCAL FELLOWS COMPLETELY.

For guys in Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai or any other big city service is not an issue and parts can somehow be had. But trust me here in Thrissur, parts is difficult and Kerala is horrible in terms of service.

I will continue this in the following post. Office time now.

 

[mbhangui]

I will continue this in the following post. Office time now.

Will wait for the contination. IME most of the time such things go bad are either some leaky capacitor or the SMPS supply board. So curious to know that happened and how it was fixed

 

[Donivlapog]

Will wait for the contination. IME most of the time such things go bad are either some leaky capacitor or the SMPS supply board. So curious to know that happened and how it was fixed

Will wait for the contination. IME most of the time such things go bad are either some leaky capacitor or the SMPS supply board. So curious to know that happened and how it was fixed

He has put us in suspense and has gone to office! I gotta talk to his boss and relieve him of today's duty so he continues the tale of the magical DIY repair work.

 

[sbg]

...and we have been reading in our office time!.

Oh... office time? forgot what this words means now.

 

[Vinod.R]

Hi Guys,

It is not complete DIY actually. Now to continue the story, I made friends with one of the Panasonic Tech and told him that if he managed to "SOURCE" directly at a better cost, I don't mind paying him. He of course took the bait ( ) and came once more and checked the TV. He said it looks like it is not the entire board which is a problem but a single IC chip just above the input connectors which is the problem. He would look into sourcing the part and get it soldered (what is the technical word for IC solder? I forgot that word now!)

Anyways I was not completely trusting him and started searching YT videos for any hints or clues. Got in touch with Shop Jimmy for spares and parts and they were like, you tell us what you want and we will ship it to you. Now to get a competent Tech to do the proper diagnosis is very difficult here in Thrissur. Mostly board replacement guys with very less technical knowledge but with Jumbo Jet sized egos in tow.

Found a office college who had a Tech friend repair guy, so took the TV to him by auto and delivered the TV to him. His house is like way deep down in a ravine sort of location, and the only way to go is to walk. With rains and everything the way was quite slippery and I though my TV are going to be buried together there itself. Luckily we did not fall (me and my friend) and gave this chap the TV.

Now he takes another 2 months to make a diagnosis that the Main Board is gone. Replacements are not available and it is best that I dump this TV and buy a "NEW LED" which is the latest technology.

Back to browsing for parts in the internet and YT finding and looking and asking in shops if they will repair a plasma. Most of them said OLD and FAILED TECHNOLOGY and cant repair.

In the meanwhile I get a lot of hard words from my family members that dump this TV and buy another one. Wifey was the only one who was supporting. Other members were like dump this and buy a new one. Could not afford a new one at that time.

I was almost about to give up as the TV was a wall mounted show piece (and a piece of teasing in the family) like big tech guy (ME) cant get a TV repaired! Cant even buy a new TV.

My relative in the meanwhile bought a spanky new Sony LED 50 inches and was advising me also to buy one and dump this TV. He is rich and I am not, though my passion is no less than his.

Anyways while browsing thru the net and YT one day, found a video by "PLASMA TV TRAINER YOGESH SINGHAL" based in Thane. Decided to take a chance and called them on their number. Expected it to go un-answered but one named Aman answered.

I was surprised and told him about the TV problem. He said no problem sir, let us do a video call and see the problem. So at a convenient time to him and me did a video call with the TV back open and ran thru the steps for him to check the problem. He wanted me to check it with a volt metre but I am not that well versed to check voltages etc.

He then said the most shocking thing. It is not the Main Board but the Power Supply board which is the problem. Luckily he had the same TV panel in his shop so asked me to pack the Main Board and the Power Supply board and send it to him.

So looked around for a cardboard and bubble wrap which I did not have at that time and somehow managed to send it to him by DTDC courier to Thane. Packing was done by me and fragile stickers etc were stuck and sent to him. He had asked me one week's time but got back to me the next day itself (Maharashtra guys zindabad!!! very fast!!!) and showed me a video call of my Main Board with a new power supply board working on his shop TV. I could make out my board because I had written my name and mobile number on all my boards to avoid confusion.

Then asked him if my power supply board could be repaired. He said it could but the error would recur again after some time as the IC, Mosfets etc were defective and it is problem where the board replacement is the best option.

So bought a used PS board from him and got my Main board back also.

In week or so the parts came back and I installed the boards on my TV. It worked for about 40 minutes and then went on standby again.

to be continued.......

 

[mbhangui]

Will wait for the contination. IME most of the time such things go bad are either some leaky capacitor or the SMPS supply board. So curious to know that happened and how it was fixed

Ha Ha. So I was right about the PS board having failed. That's the reason I was curious to know what had failed. The failure is always the controller IC or the Mosfet or electrolytic capacitor on the board.

 

[Vinod.R]

In week or so the parts came back and I installed the boards on my TV. It worked for about 40 minutes and then went on standby again.

Now I call him again the next day and tell him the TV status. Now another long video call and diagnosis shooting thru the call. Now the TV goes on complete standby and he says now that he cannot diagnose thru the call and that......

I will have to remove all the boards (Main Board, Power Supply, Y sustain Board, Z sustain Board) and re-pack it and send it to Thane for checking. Now for people who have opened this TV up, that Y Sustain Board is a very long board on the left side of the TV when viewed from behind. Difficult to pack and easy to crack, and once it is cracked or damaged there is no going back. Now the search for the packing materials began. Nothing at home and I had to go to the main market for a roll of bubble wrap and construct a cardboard which would fit the Y sustain board.

So two parcels were made one just with the Y Sustain board and the next parcel with the main board, PS board and Z sustain board and this time I was told by Aman to send it by Speed Post to save courier costs. With my heart in my mouth I checked with the nearby Post Office and was told that I need to enclose a letter saving that it was going for service and was not for sale.

Got that letter typed and packed sent off the two items to Thane.

It took about 7 days for the parcels to reach Thane and next day I get a call from him saying that all the boards are okay except the PS Board which has conked off again. So he gives me another old new board which has been tested with all my boards. I tell him to test the TV on and off for at least 10 days before sending them back to me. He agrees and leaves all the boards for testing for about 10 days and then tells me that the boards are fine. So I lose money on two PS Boards, 1st one costed me Rs 2800 and second Rs 2200 (some bargaining !) and then parcels me and sends the boards by courier. I get the board and re fix them on the coming Sunday.

While attaching the boards I notice nominal damage to the MB but luckily nothing serious. Now comes the moment of truth. Will the TV work after 3 years ?

I attach all cables ties and connectors. By now attaching and detaching the boards has become a by heart affair for me. I attach it and at last I have a picture! I leave it took cook for 12 hours as advised by Aman from Thane and do this in the night. TV works alright but Houston I have a problem!

I have vertical black lines all across the TV right from the top to the bottom and it mars the picture for obvious reasons. I am totally disappointed and have almost given up hope of fixing the TV completely. But as a last resort I call Aman again and he tells me that there are only two reasons that this happens. One is that PANEL IS GONE and, TWO Panel Connector Strip Problem. I said that the chances of the panel going bad is very less as it was working with the previous PS board. He said if the panel is gone best to throw the TV away, however, if it is a strip problem then he teaches me the method of cleaning the strip connectors of the Y Sustain Board. I try that method for about 10 times in the next 3 weeks with no results. TV works but with lines all across the panel. Wherever there is no line the picture is very clear. Now at last on a Sunday, I sit with dedication and clean each every strip with ink rubber and insert, connect, test, re-connect and clean each of the 8 strips. I manage to clear quarter of the lines but still 3/4 of the lines are still there.

Now Aman says that there is nothing more that he can do and it has to be with the strip cleaning only. I check YT videos and most people say that strip cleaning is nonsense and it does not work. I am talking international Techs with lots of service exposure etc. But our local guy Aman insists that it is a strip cleaning problem.

After almost another 1.5 months I get a CVT Tech who comes to our office who also does Plasmas!!! yahoo! I request him for cleaning the strips and he promises me that he would come next Sunday, but I would have to keep the TV open and ready to save time. I agree and first thing in the morning do that.

He come in about 12;30pm after he had promised at 10:00am. I dont mind as I just want to get this TV fixed. After almost 4 hours of effort in strip cleaning and fixing and re-fixing the back panel all the lines disappear at last! My starts working again!!!!!! Cost for this service Rs 1000/-.

Total Cost about Rs 7000/- including courier, board cost and the strip cleaning cost.

With the hope that this post is useful for people who give up on their plasma televisions too fast.

Vinod

 

[Donivlapog]

In week or so the parts came back and I installed the boards on my TV. It worked for about 40 minutes and then went on standby again.

Now I call him again the next day and tell him the TV status. Now another long video call and diagnosis shooting thru the call. Now the TV goes on complete standby and he says now that he cannot diagnose thru the call and that......

I will have to remove all the boards (Main Board, Power Supply, Y sustain Board, Z sustain Board) and re-pack it and send it to Thane for checking. Now for people who have opened this TV up, that Y Sustain Board is a very long board on the left side of the TV when viewed from behind. Difficult to pack and easy to crack, and once it is cracked or damaged there is no going back. Now the search for the packing materials began. Nothing at home and I had to go to the main market for a roll of bubble wrap and construct a cardboard which would fit the Y sustain board.

So two parcels were made one just with the Y Sustain board and the next parcel with the main board, PS board and Z sustain board and this time I was told by Aman to send it by Speed Post to save courier costs. With my heart in my mouth I checked with the nearby Post Office and was told that I need to enclose a letter saving that it was going for service and was not for sale.

Got that letter typed and packed sent off the two items to Thane.

It took about 7 days for the parcels to reach Thane and next day I get a call from him saying that all the boards are okay except the PS Board which has conked off again. So he gives me another old new board which has been tested with all my boards. I tell him to test the TV on and off for at least 10 days before sending them back to me. He agrees and leaves all the boards for testing for about 10 days and then tells me that the boards are fine. So I lose money on two PS Boards, 1st one costed me Rs 2800 and second Rs 2200 (some bargaining !) and then parcels me and sends the boards by courier. I get the board and re fix them on the coming Sunday.

While attaching the boards I notice nominal damage to the MB but luckily nothing serious. Now comes the moment of truth. Will the TV work after 3 years ?

I attach all cables ties and connectors. By now attaching and detaching the boards has become a by heart affair for me. I attach it and at last I have a picture! I leave it took cook for 12 hours as advised by Aman from Thane and do this in the night. TV works alright but Houston I have a problem!

I have vertical black lines all across the TV right from the top to the bottom and it mars the picture for obvious reasons. I am totally disappointed and have almost given up hope of fixing the TV completely. But as a last resort I call Aman again and he tells me that there are only two reasons that this happens. One is that PANEL IS GONE and, TWO Panel Connector Strip Problem. I said that the chances of the panel going bad is very less as it was working with the previous PS board. He said if the panel is gone best to throw the TV away, however, if it is a strip problem then he teaches me the method of cleaning the strip connectors of the Y Sustain Board. I try that method for about 10 times in the next 3 weeks with no results. TV works but with lines all across the panel. Wherever there is no line the picture is very clear. Now at last on a Sunday, I sit with dedication and clean each every strip with ink rubber and insert, connect, test, re-connect and clean each of the 8 strips. I manage to clear quarter of the lines but still 3/4 of the lines are still there.

Now Aman says that there is nothing more that he can do and it has to be with the strip cleaning only. I check YT videos and most people say that strip cleaning is nonsense and it does not work. I am talking international Techs with lots of service exposure etc. But our local guy Aman insists that it is a strip cleaning problem.

After almost another 1.5 months I get a CVT Tech who comes to our office who also does Plasmas!!! yahoo! I request him for cleaning the strips and he promises me that he would come next Sunday, but I would have to keep the TV open and ready to save time. I agree and first thing in the morning do that.

He come in about 12;30pm after he had promised at 10:00am. I dont mind as I just want to get this TV fixed. After almost 4 hours of effort in strip cleaning and fixing and re-fixing the back panel all the lines disappear at last! My starts working again!!!!!! Cost for this service Rs 1000/-.

Total Cost about Rs 7000/- including courier, board cost and the strip cleaning cost.

With the hope that this post is useful for people who give up on their plasma televisions too fast.

Vinod

Nice instructive post. Your perseverance paid off.