My TV was dropped a very small distance and ever since the picture has a kind of smearing on certain colours. Also the Standby light now flashes a special pattern to tell me something is wrong. It was a high end Sony, about 11 years old. Everything was perfect until it got a drop a few months ago.
Any idea what the problem is?
In nontechnical terms, behind the screen is a plate with lots of holes in called a shadow mask, it probably shifted and the picture tube is toast now.
Some sorts of things disappear with time, because of automatic degaussing But if yours isn't getting better, forget that.
Try to find out what the code means.
Gremlins.
Also try sci.electronics.repair .
If it turns out to be the shadow mask, personnally I don't give up till I've tried everything, and hear I would get a friend and shake it a little and turn it upside down and sideways, and face down and back down, and shake it just a little each place and see if the mask springs back into place. If you hear a klinkle, turn it on and see if is working better. I've often wondered how they are able to keep the mask in the right place, and I broke a color tube apart last year. It was pretty firmly in there. I don't if this is your problem or not, but if nothing else works, I'd try jiggling.
My guess is the electron gun(s) or the magnets that deflect the beam are out of alignment now. I'd say it's not really cost-effective to fix; if it's even fixable. Most electronix today are throwaway.
Chuck the TV and get one of the new ATSC (digital, high definition) units. By 3/1/09 all analog TV transmitters in the USA must be turned off by FCC mandate, so your TV was on the way out the door anyhow.
The 'Yoke' has probably shifted or broken when it was dropped. Just remove the back and look for loose stuff around the neck of the tube. Use epoxy to glue it back.
Shadow mask inside the CRT has shifted slightly. Sometimes a bump in the opposite direction can reverse this. Not something I'd advise the average Joe to undertake.
Sony Trinetrons use an aperture grill.
Yes, Sony does, but it serves the same purpose. As I said, nontechnical terms.
Anyway for an 11 year old tv, it is time for a replacement due to the cost of repair.
Of course this applies to OTA broadcast only. Cable and satellite won't be affected by that law. Also, they don't use ATSC. An ATSC tuner will be useless if you just use cable or satellite.
Really? Then why can I receive hi-def signals on my ATSC TV that's hooked to cable with no converter box?
(Its hot melt glue and you can get that stuff from the dollar store.)
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TV set problems are no longer worth taking to the repair shop. But there is something you can try.
Always work with an unplugged set (no power).
Remove the cover. Reseat all the connectors especially the one that goes to the CRT tube. Its highly unlikely the CRT mask or the yoke would have been shifted. But grab the yoke (coils around the neck of the tube) and see if it is loose. It moves when you wiggle it realign it with the hot glue globs that the factory uses to secure the yoke.
After reseating all the connectors power back on and see it that fixes it. If not use a wooden dowel (or artists paint brush handle, a chopstick) to jiggle the wire harnesses and see if any problem turns up. SONY is well known for having cold solder joints. An invisible hairline crack on a solder point is enough to give weird intermittent problems. Reflow the solder if that is the cause. Beyond that you will need some knowledge and experience in electronics to troubleshoot. The very tiny parts and conductor traces, the unavailability of integrated IC chips, the coating of the PCB in protective plastic, etc. makes manual repairs close to an impossible exercise. What passes for repairs these days are complete board swaps.
That's all great advice except the part where you say a set isn't worth taking to a shop. Granted some aren't worth it because of the age but there are plenty that need repair in the 5-10 year age bracket. For high end items I always advise to buy a service plan. I had one on my 53" Panasonic and let it expire after 5 years. Wouldn't you know it that shortly thereafter it developed a problem in the convergence driver that would have cost the average Joe 3 or 4 hundred to fix. Being a former tech for a major brand warranty station I was able to troubleshoot it and replace the failed parts for 50 bucks plus a 15 dollar service manual to guide me through a convergence alignment. The total time I spent from start to finish was about 2 hours including the alignment.
The presence of an ATSC tuner in that TV makes no difference (for getting cable), since cable doesn't use ATSC but an incompatible standard called QAM. Some TVs can tune QAM, you need one of those or at least some HD-compatible input such as YUV (component) or HDMI and an appropriate converter provided by the cable company or use CableCARD.
The point is that you (as a cable viewer) are not directly affected by the 2009 law.
Some cable companies can be expected to quit using NTSC, and will be going to QAM (not ATSC). The law has nothing to do with this.
The problems I anticipate. One is to lug that hernia box to the repair shop. You need two guys and a truck. For the repair shop to look at it will cost close to $100 and that's is charged regardless of whether its repairable. A smart shop will also charge for eco-friendly disposal of unwanted TV sets and appliances. Any fix that takes more than an hour is a business loss so there is no incentive to fix anything other than the simplest troubles. Consumer electronics circuitry change by the seasons (aka manufacturing batche cycles). Its highly unlikely they will carry parts older than 5 years old. I believe they stock parts (PCBs) based on statistical probability and once that initial stock is gone, that's it. I used to enjoy fixing things including electronics. Electronic as a hobby is a no win game these days.
I'm sure you'll find shops that exhibit the qualities you describe but there are also those that still find it profitable to work on sets in the
5-10 years old bracket. And your basic CRT set hasn't changed that dramatically in the past 10 years so a good tech can usually pin down problems quick enough. Also ordering parts really isn't a problem, most can be had in 2-4 days ground shipping if there is no local supply. What's really important is having the right test gear and someone who knows how to use it. I spent a decade doing it for warranty and worked for a company that had all the latest test equipment, service literature/TSBs.HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.