Picture abnormality


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Picture abnormality

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b-jones
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May 4, 2006, 7:03 PM

Post #1 of 7 (1587 views)
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Picture abnormality	Can't Post

hello. I have a few questions about my Samsung 47" projection TV.
As I've read through some of the postings on this website I have become very aware of how little I know about home theater and TV terminology. I am an auto mechanic by trade. I've gotten a good chuckle from some of the posts and the replies from the obviously qualified few. I experience the same kind of thing in my job. I'll do my best not to ask any ridiculous questions. I did not find any postings here that addressed my issues and subsequently brought these questions to mind.
The symptoms that I am experiencing are:
The top and bottom edges of the picture are bowing towards the center of the screen in the middle. The corners appear to be more or less where they ought to be (horizontally, anyhow).
The left and right edges of the picture are too long resulting in the picture being cut off. Not by a lot, probably around 1 inch on either side.
The colors are off. I don't even know enough about this topic to say by how much or which colors. I am guessing it's not that important anyhow.
the picture became dark. I was watching Harlem Nights and all I could see were eyes and teeth. I was able to brighten the picture up and get it to where I could, at least, still use the TV.
I have absolutely no interest in attempting to repair this thing myself. (i must admit I briefly considered opening the cabinet up and taking a peek. I would have, in effect, been looking for a big red switch marked ON/OFF). I live in Houston, TX and have no doubt that there are hundreds of qualified repair people in the area. I pulled a few numbers from the yellow pages and made some phone calls and that's where my unease begins... I had very little in the way of requirements. Speak english such that I can understand what's being said and fix my TV. One fellow I spoke with told me that this is a very typical problem and that he will repair it "in home" for $255, the others said they would have to look at it.
My questions are:
1. Is this actually a common problem? It doesn't appear to be based on the posts of this website.
2. Numerous posts urge to call a qualified repairman. Is there any way to identify the qualified from the not qualified prior to giving them my money? I sincerely doubt that any would admit to not being qualified simply because I ask them. Instinct warns me away from the individual that quoted me a price, sight unseen but perhaps he is the only qualified tech that I chose from the phone book?
Perhaps I've been living right and will luck enough to have someone in southwest Houston read this and refer me to someone they know to be a competent repair person (that will repair in home)
thank you for any consideration that you've given this.
brad

(This post was edited by b-jones on May 4, 2006, 7:05 PM)

techchris
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May 4, 2006, 7:41 PM

Post #2 of 7 (1581 views)
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Re: [b-jones] Picture abnormality [In reply to]	Can't Post

I suspect the STK.... convergence ic's are faulty. if you can solder then you can change them yourself. its a common fault. as with cars ,if you cant DIY (and who can on a car these days?) then you have to pay someone to do it. why not swop a 20k service on the guys car for a repair on your tv?

b-jones
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May 4, 2006, 8:07 PM

Post #3 of 7 (1578 views)
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Re: [techchris] Picture abnormality [In reply to]	Can't Post

Thanks for the info. I am not opposed to doing it myself, I suppose. I know how to solder in an automotive context (copper wire, radiators tanks etc.). It was a stretch for me to spend 1400 on the TV 2+ years ago. now another 250. If you'd be kind enough to indulge me for a moment, I'll ask a few questions. my ignorance in this matter gives me a new perspective on dealing with my automotive customers... I may indeed attempt at labor swapping. Does $250 sound like a reasonable price to repair what you suspect to be the issue?
If I were to attempt this myself:
Would I need to purchase a service manual of some sort to attempt this?
Can I just go to Radio Shack and tell them I want stk (what does stk stand for?) convergence ICs (what does IC stand for?)?
would a standard soldering pencil be sufficient for this or would I need a smaller / special soldering iron?
Is there a specific type of solder that I would need? Flux?
thanks for humoring me.

techchris
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May 4, 2006, 10:11 PM

Post #4 of 7 (1577 views)
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Re: [b-jones] Picture abnormality [In reply to]	Can't Post

Look in the back of the tv. the ic's(integrated circuits) are screwed to big finned heat sinks and the number on them starts STK followed by some numbers. its best to order them from a samsung dealer as generic chinese copies dont tend to last long.a good tech should be able to do the job in about 1 hour, here in the UK that would cost about �60-�70, plus parts,about�35 each ic,(there are a pair).a good pencil soldering iron or preferably a temperature controlled one will do the job along with a steady hand. you also need solder mop to remove old solder and standard electronics solder available most places.If youre not 100% happy to do it I would try the labour swop idea. Sadly unlike most cars the electronics world has not become more reliable.Just be glad BMW and Porsche dont build in China!!!!

mikemaiertv
Enthusiast

May 12, 2006, 9:40 PM

Post #5 of 7 (1558 views)
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Re: [b-jones] Picture abnormality [In reply to]	Can't Post

No No No heres what ya want to do...... first rip the back off and use a shop vac and smash it around the boards in there,,,,,, then change all the caps in the vertical section,,,,,,,,, test the 30,000 volt anode lead for voltage with the neighbors cats tounge,,,,,,,rip the crt's apart and spill fliud all over the boards, clean this off in the dishwasher and don't tell no one,,,,,,,spin all the magnets on the crts,,,,,,,use some fender washers from a '69 Buick to "realighn" the crt's,,,,,,,,And finaly (And this always works ) Find the service codes on the internet and jump in to the convergance alighnment section and toss all these values around, but make sure not to write down the orginals . The run it to the shop and wonder why they are charging you thosands of dollars to fix the damm thing.
But it does sond like the convergance Ic's craped out certain models are real simple with a plug in module thats easy to replace e-mail me with a model number and we'll look it up
Mike Owens Owner Competition TV Spokane WA.

b-jones
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May 15, 2006, 2:45 PM

Post #6 of 7 (1550 views)
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Re: [mikemaiertv] Picture abnormality [In reply to]	Can't Post

thanks Mike. I needed a good chuckle today. the neighbor's cat is way too fast for me to catch. How about their 14 year old schnauzer? I'm tired of hearing it yip anyhow. I'll get the model number off of the tv and email that to you.

vcrdr12
New User

May 15, 2006, 11:44 PM

Post #7 of 7 (1540 views)
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Re: [mikemaiertv] Picture abnormality [In reply to]	Can't Post

finally i saw mike lose it (worth a thousand words) Sly

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