Can Toshiba tube TV be repaired now days?

[me]

My brother has a nice 27" tube TV (flat screen) that has gone bad. The unit is only abt 6 years old.

They were watching it Sat night and the picture shrank down to one thin horizontal line that stretches across the screen. In other words. it has no vertical scanning I think.

He said I could have this TV if I wanted it but I live in a rural area and no where to take it to have it fixed!

So.... questions:

1. What is the part that has failed in this set given its symptoms?

1. Is it worth fixing it? If yes, where can I get the part and could I install it myself?

Thanks!!

[gfretwell]

TVs are like Bic lighters. You can fix them but it is seldom worth trying.

[Jeff Wisnia]

I'll second that....There could be any number of "parts" which have failed, or perhaps just became disconnected because of a cracked solder joint.

It ain't like the olde vacuum tube sets of the 50s I used to repair back then. yYu could at least see all the components without a magnifier, and they had easily read identifying part numbers/values marked on them.

Give it up...

Jeff

[me]

Ok thanks

I was hoping that everything would be "modular" inside...so would be a matter of just puling a module out and sticking a new one in there.

But sounds like its not.... so will just shit can it I guess. Too bad

[Pete C.]

Yes, the cracked solder joint is about the only thing worth looking at or fixing. A common issue with Sony stuff, where stress cracks form in the solder around component pins due to thermal cycling. Easy to identify with a magnifying glass and if found the fix is to just resolder every connection and the item normally works fine for another decade.

[Joseph Meehan]

No. They are not really designed to be repaired. If you find a good (older) local TV repair tech, they likely can repair it. It may take some time as they may not have the parts handy. Frankly I would not bother. You might get that fixed and then the HV might go out the following week.

[amdx]

It's probably a simple repair, especially for someone that has fixed that same tv a dozen times. The tech would look at the symptom and say, oh it's that 100uf 250v capacitor again or the vertical drive transistor. That will be $110.00 for the repair. The repair is usually simple, knowing the part to replace is the hard part. Get the model number and put your question on some of the electronic repair groups. Maybe you'll get lucky. Mike

[John Keiser]

Post your question with the exact model number to "sci.electronic.repair" [I've changed a single capacitor with the advice given there and restored TV sets. The key being knowing exactly the probably component.] Since you aren't electronically inclined, you possibly won't want to pursue this unless it is a well-known or easily diagnosed fault.

[Bob M.]

Considering that analog over-the-air TV will shut down on 2/17/09, I would chuck it and buy a new one. 6 years old isn't new because it's an analog TV and it will be a boat anchor on 2/18/09.

[gfretwell]

That is onlty true if you get your TV over the air. I think most people have satellite or cable these days.

[Don Klipstein]

I use over-the-air TV. So does my mother. I got the converter box so that my analog TV (4 years old) won't turn into a pumpkin on 2/18/09.

Cable is not worth it to me. I think satellite is a better value but still not worth it to me - I hardly watch TV except for news, a couple game shows and Dancing With the Stars.

My apartment complex prohibits satellite dishes. I wonder if that is legal.

- Don Klipstein ( [e-mail])

[Mikepier]

Tell your brother to treat himself to a nice HDTV. At least now he has a reason since his TV died.

[Al]

I had a fairly new set die, I took it to the repair guy too look at. I told him if he could fix it for $75 or less, fix it. He did, now I have a nice extra set. I also told him to junk it if it was more than $75 to fix. In my case it worked out good to fix it.

[Art Todesco]

Having just gone through the same process with a 3 year old

36" RCA, I thought I would chime in here. My TV just shut off one day, by itself. A friend told me about a place that did free estimates and he thought they were pretty good. So, we loaded up the boat anchor in the car, did the 10 mile trip and dropped it off. Later that day I got a call from the repair guy .... $129. I said of course, do it. If you can find a good repair guy with free estimates, it's worth a try. I didn't want to replace the TV yet because of an impending move and I figure the flat screens will still come down a bit more. It also fit real nice in the present entertainment cabinet. BTW, I got the TV back in 3 days and am very happy with it. After the move, in maybe 8 months or so, it will probably be replaced or moved down to a bedroom TV or such. But for now I don't have to fool with it. If you live in the Chicago suburban area (Countryside, IL), the guys at Fox Electronics are real good and fair.

[SteveB]

[gfretwell]

I guess news is one of the best reason to have cable. The local news is just fluff around here. I seldom watch anything on the networks. D list celebrities dancing and morons eating bugs is not entertaining to me.

[Gary H]

No it won't. There are (and will continue to be for a long time) many sources of NTSC (analog video), such as cable and satellite receivers, DVD players, etc...

[Mark Lloyd]

And DVD players, VCRs, etc...

BTW, I do know someone who has no broadcast TV source, and uses the TV only to play tapes and DVDs.

[Ron]

Only if you are using an antenna. How many ppl don't have sat or cable these days?

[me]

How is that working out for them?

I've considered doing that as well as I'm in an area that is VERY difficult to get over air reception