My flat screen (LG 47LE5400) stopped outputting in 1080p a few months back. Yesterday, the HDMI ports stopped working. Apparently, this is common for this brand/model of TVs. The main board needs repair. Is anyone here familiar with such a repairs? Is it usually something routine like capacitor replacement, or is reflow usually involved? I saw a post where someone successfully "baked" their main board. Is there any long-term harm from trying this baking method?
no hdmi usually means a failed controller, or could be damaged protection (I believe diodes) on the inputs. 1080p is odd, although most 1080p stuff is on HDMI, do you have VGA? You'll have to troubleshoot, swapping out components willy nilly won't do you any good..
That last video was hilarious: "Zip bag?! Why a zip bag?!" But like, yeah, I sweat bullets (and make mistakes) replacing a capacitor, no way I'm attempting that! Wish there was some local community college workshop where I could learn proper soldering. I'd love to blame my Radio Shack equipment, but it's a poor hobbyist that blames his tools. (Or was it: a hobby is an excuse to buy lots of tools.) 1920x1080 resolution over VGA works fine, but 1080p over HDMI -- the info screen reads 1080p 60Hz -- is garbled when first using it, like when you would be adjusting tracking on a VCR. At the same time, if audio is unmuted, there will be popping sounds. Then the screen will just go blank. If I switch the Fire TV to 720p (also confirmed with a PS3), it will work fine.
Actually you can blame your radio shack equipment. I proper soldering iron makes a world of difference. I have the same problem on one of my TVs. There was only 1 HDMI port that worked and after a power surge, it fried the HDMI on my Xbox and the last working HDMI port. I'm also interested in a fix without having to buy a main board.
The board is about $300. At that point I'd buy a new TV. There are repair services on eBay for $100. The one I'm looking at is all positive feedback, 1 year guarantee, and if they can't fix it, you're only out the cost of shipping. Unfortunately, they won't reveal details of how they'll fix it. Trade secret, I guess. (I asked how they'd fix the 1080p issue -- specifically, if it was a reflow method.) If I end up using one of these services, I'll post back here.
It's not hard. I do everything with a cheapo 25W weller iron, with a bare copper tip. None of that 'protective coating' nonsense. It tins better, and in all these years hasn't corroded. The key to everything is just flux paste, and plenty of it. And never use wet things to wipe a burning hot tip.
Sure. In fact I just did this. http://imgwiz.com/images/2016/01/13/Wzp1r.jpg Smeared a little flux on the de-solder braid and it sucked right up.
TV (or any electronics) repair shops in my city aren't that skilled. From what family living there has told me, in Europe you have apprenticeships, and that usually means a higher average quality of work.
We have trained engineers, just as you do. Just search for authorized LG service centres. http://www.lg.com/us/support/repair-service/find-repair-provider
Thanks for the link. I sent it to an eBay provider this time. Next time I'll try one of these authorized centers. Looking at the list for my town, I know one of those shops, and believe me they are neither "trained" nor "engineers". Just to get an idea of cost, I'll call the others and see what they say.
So, to get an idea, and to provide some information for others who might find this thread, I called the three authorized LG service providers that showed up in my area. (One is actually a 50 minute drive, but I called them anyway.) All three just swap out the main board. They don't attempt any sort of diagnostic or repair like in the videos above, or like with eBay services. That's a cost of $240 right out the gate. One shop quoted me $450 with labor, another just said "it's a main board replacement, it'll cost too much", and the third I'm still waiting to hear back on a quote. The most reasonable by far was LG's own Out-of-Warranty service. They will send someone to my house, take the TV down, replace the main board right there, and put it back up. If it still doesn't work, they won't charge me. I asked three different ways and they confirmed the main board will be brand new, not refurbished. All for $260. One caveat: They only give a 60-day warranty. Still, if I made more money, I'd consider it. On average, I think in Europe it's easier to find specialists who can diagnose and repair. I know of two skilled repair shops in New York City who could likely do the repair, but in my small town, good luck. I imagine there's that one true skilled repair person sitting in a shop somewhere waiting to be appreciated. Wish I knew how to find them. EDIT: Received a quote from the last authorized center: $330 if I bring the TV to them, $425 if they come out to me. I feel a bit sad for these businesses because LG is undercutting their own authorized centers.
