Solved! Unresponsive TV ?

[FREESTYLER_LB]

Hello all ,
I’ve tried almost all the recommendations I found but no joy . I’m stumped .
My XBR43X800e suddenly out of the blue wouldn’t turn on . It was working perfectly without a single issue ever since I bought it . I purchased it along with 2 other TVs at the same time and they’re working flawlessly .
Please bear with me , I checked the socket voltage , I checked the power adapter voltage , I checked the remote batteries and confirmed remote working on another TV , I checked if there’s a hidden power button that may have been pressed by mistake , I shut it off completely and held the power button to drain any leftover power and perform a fresh reset , I checked the condition of every single CAP all look good , and finally I ordered another power board and installed it . Nothing works . No status lights at all . It’s just dead . To note , the TV is well taken care of , never been dropped or damaged or spilled on or anything and it’s running time is very low compared to the other 2 TVs in the house . Is it maybe the larger PCB board that’s busted ? There’s nothing else to replace inside the TV set . I’m using my multimeter but I’m not exactly sure what to check for and where to place the leads .
Please can anyone recommend something that I may have missed ? Is it time to trash it ? Or is it worth sending it in for repair ? Thank you in advance .

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

It's great you have a meter.
So you have a external power supply? Is that right?
If so. leave it plugged in at the wall and measure it's DC output at the plug that goes into the TV. (TV unplugged)
It should be close to whats rated on the P.S. block Usually a couple volts more as it's unloaded. Then get back to me. I am VERY TV repair experienced.
What country are you from?

 

[FREESTYLER_LB]

Thank you for the answer . I’m in the good’ole USA in the DC area , an American with half French and half Lebanese descent ( my Lebanese dad met my French mother when he used to work in Paris ) .

I checked the 120 watt external power supply ( SONY ACDP-120E03 ) and it’s about 19.5 volts which is what the TV is rated for if I’m not mistaken . It’s unloaded obviously so I guess maybe it should be like 21.5 volts or so ? I’m only taking guesses here . Thank you again for your help .

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

FREESTYLER,
Your welcome, Hope we can get this figured out.
OK, that's a start, sounds good to me. Next have you traced back the voltage from the 19 volt input? Are there markings on the power supply board internal to the TV at the connectors
that read 12V, 5V, or 3.3V? Those are the most common, set aside the LED backlights, which are somewhere around 80- 130 or so volts, depending on screen size, hence number of LED's. The actual LED voltage will be 3 (volts) times the number of LEDS on the backlight circuit.

One big thing about measuring voltage. you need to find a good ground point to take your DC measurments. Does your External power supply have a 3 or 2 pin plug to the wall?
At some point on the TV power supply, internal OR external, it will be isolated from the wall. If you don't understand this, ignore it. My point is there will be a spot somewhere where you can just keep the negative lead of the meter, and just move around the positive lead to take your voltage measurements.

Considering the TV is dead however, it would be a good idea to leave the TV unplugged and look for any and all fuses on the P.S. board. There will be at least one very close to where the 19V comes into the TV. (On the P.S. or power supply board. set your meter for Ohms, and in this case put the meter leads directly across the the fuses, AFTER the TV has sat unplugged for about an hour for safety of mainly your meter, not you. It will be common to find fuses that are different looking then the standard glass tube fuses. Look for markings on the board for anything labeled F(some number) they should measure zero, or something very close to it. Attached is some pics of what you may find for fuses. CLICK ON FUSE LINKS IN BLUE.
fuse OR FUSES
Get back to me with results. Including if you see any voltage markings on circuit board.
Oh, and send pics of opened up TV if possible. Post to imgur.com

I might as well add, you should be able to put your negative lead in any hole in the metal chassis to put your negative lead, then probe for voltages with the positive lead.
There should be either a 3.3 or 5.0 Voltage source on at all times, even with the TV off, it's there so the TV can sense a input from the power button or the Remote control input.

 

[FREESTYLER_LB]

Hello again ,
Yes I use the metal VESA mounting points on the TV for the black lead on the multimeter . Here’s a link with some pics I took . The power supply board that is by itself in the pic is the original . I removed it and installed a replacement but sadly nothing changed . https://app.photobucket.com/u/freestyler_lb/a/5d277185-d807-40cd-8528-75f9df24facd

There’s a bunch of marking on the PCB with many of them indicating different voltages . I’m sorry I’m unsure which one is of interest to us .
The power supply is 2 prongs and the big fuse that is right next to the power input port reads 00.4 ohms (200 sensitivity on the meter) . All the other small fuses I found also read the same value .

I’m going to keep tinkering with the multimeter checking fuses and voltages . Your detailed instructions are greatly appreciated .

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

OH! The power supply has been changed! Did I see that before and forget it? Hmm, Oh well, you can rule out the power supply board then.
Next step, find your standby voltage. Even if the main board is bad you should looking for your 3.3v or 5v standby voltage.
It will be between the power supply board and the main board. It may be 12 V (Maybe higher?) on your TV , regardless, look for the standby voltage!
The pics helped me know whats inside your set, so thanks for that.

After looking at the cable points that go between the 2 boards, let me know what voltages you find there, and report back, I will be online for some time yet to answer you.
I'm central time, and usually am up late, midnight your time. I work from home.

1. power supply board.
2. Main board.
3. TCON board
4. IR receiver board

 

[FREESTYLER_LB]

Yes one of the first steps I took was to change the power supply board .

I continued probing around everywhere . The grey cable connecting the power board to the big central board has only 1 pin with 14 Volts .

The much smaller cable going from the power board and disappearing behind the metal also has only 1 pin with 6 Volts .

The wide black flat cable or I think ribbon cable has no voltages at all . I couldn’t detect anything across the pins on both sides of the cable and also at the connector side of the 2 boards involved .

I also wish to note I kept hearing a clicking sound coming from the area where there’s that white square heat sink is what I think it is .

Indeed a curious case . I mean I could spring for a new set but for some reason this one got me scratching my head . I just never had anything break down out of thin air like that and I hope we find out the culprit .

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

OK, now we can start making some sense of things. I'm betting you have a bad LED or LED's. Sounds shorted, not open,
which is dragging down the the LED backlight voltage. Lets find out.
Disconnect the cable that goes from the power supply though the chassis, (looking at the pictures you sent), the connector at the TOP
of the P.S. board with grey and white wires. as this would be the LED backlight power connector.
After the connector is off, look for the best spot for you to measure the voltages on that connector. TRY REAL HARD to net let your meter lead slip and
touch 2 pins at a time. While you hold your positive meter lead on each pin, if you don't get a high, 80- 120 Volts, (refer to red text below) push the power button. You should definitely
see that DC voltage on probably multiple pins, the rest will be chassis ground or zero volts. If this is the case, (you find the LED high voltage with the TV on CONGRATS!!
You just trouble-shot your TV all by your lonesome, and found that all your LED strips need to be replaced! It's like having a car with bald tires, and replacing only the 1 flat one. You replace them ALL for multiple reasons. Another reason is that it's very hard to test each LED to find the bad one's, and the old ones are on there way to going to heaven as well.
Another reason is you don't want to do this twice, It's a time consuming job. It MUST be done right!
Let me know what you find, if it is the LED strips, you can replace them all for probably $25 or so.
I just replaced all of my own LED's on a 55" Vizio, it was alot more LED's than yours will have, And mine was around $35 + tax.
I'll be waiting with baited breathe to hear your findings.
If you DO get a reasonable voltage, don't put that connector back on, lest Ye might damage the Power Supply board.

Good News! Found what you (hopefully) need, and boy was I close! HERE THEY ARE >>Replaement LED strips

Yours is a bit different than most TV's, it only has 2 side-lighting strips. And because of this, your voltage may be well south of 80V
it COULD be about 30 - some volts. Which is a voltage I see on the power supply board itself. So don't think we don't have it nailed if
you only find 32 Volts on 2 or more lines on that disconnected plug.
Lemme know!

 

[FREESTYLER_LB]

Hi buddy , thank you so much for your patience and instructions . I’m learning a lot .

I unplugged the grey and white cable that goes behind the chassis from the power supply board and I measured the voltages on all the pins very carefully .

I only got readings on the far left two pins and the far right two pins . They read 14 volts DC each . I then switched to AC mode and they read 30 volts each . Pushing the power button doesn’t do anything at all . The remaining pins read zero volts on both AC and DC .

I honestly don’t know what this result means . Is it the LED strips or something else ? It’s weird that they would fail out of the blue considering the TV is in the guest room so it’s almost never used .

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

If you want to know for CERTAIN, plug in the connector again, and measure where you found the 30 volts. If it drops when plugged in, it's CERTAIN there's a SHORT, and it's the LED strips.
But really if ANY LED is OPEN, you will still have the 30 volts but no backlights, because they are in series, not parallel.
I have found when the backlights go bad, it can make the TV act illogical. Not all the time, but enough.

OH, and by the way, if the 30 volts stays there when the plug is in, Do the "Flashlight Test" . Simply make sure you test while the (backlight connector is unplugged) pushing the power button about every 30 seconds or so, while pointing a flashlight at the screen where you know the initial SONY logo appears,
and if you can see ANY very dim but sharp picture at all, it is also the backlights. MY VIZIO FAILED THE FLASHLIGHT TEST, but I knew it was the backlights anyway. (It's happily running great right now, after replacing the LED strips.)
I honestly think it's safe to just order the LED's and be done with it, but do the above testicles so we know what is going on fer sure.
Let me know the outcome, and if you order the parts, lemme know before starting the work, as there are a few common ways to screw up the TV innocently, making all this work pointless.
Signed,
-The dude from Wisconsin.
(No, I've never tipped a cow not a 4 legged one anyway) HAHA

 

[FREESTYLER_LB]

I tried the flashlight trick but I honestly couldn’t see anything .

I checked the connector voltage again and it’s 30 Volts . While keeping the positive probe on the pin and my eye on the multimeter , I plugged in the backlight connector however the voltage didn’t fluctuate . It remained at 30 Volts . The other pins had the same result . It’s as if I didn’t plug in anything at all .

What do you think should I still order the backlight LEDs ? Have you lost interest yet lol ?

Much appreciated !
MOE .

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

Well no, I haven't lost interest because we are just getting done. From what you have said, you have an open LED / LED's on your TV.
Plus you have verified a different board doesn't fix it.
The fact that you get nothing on the flashlight test would bother me more, but my Vizio also failed the flashlight test, but it WAS the LED's .
I believe that the TV may be sensing something wrong in the backlights, and is not producing a picture because of it. Thats the only explanation
in both your TV and mine. I would be concerned about the low LED voltage of 30 Volts, but your LED strips have 6 pin connectors, and the literature
(I checked the spec sheet on the TV from the Sony site), says it uses dynamic picture processing, AKA it is multiplexing banks of LED's ) It is only using 1/3
of the LED's at a time, and your LED strips have 30 LED's per strip. 3 volts times 10 LED's is 30 volts. which also accounts for the 6 pin connectors, 2 lines per bank.
I am babbling to myself at this point. WHAT I MEAN IS........
If you have voltage going to the LED's but they are not lighting up, then it's a fact that they are bad.
Order them.
You can get them HERE. But they wont get here till the beginning of November, or you can find them here in the USA and get them much faster, but pay a bit more.
Your call Ace.

By the way, this is a VERY high res, SMART TV with LOADS of features. ( I would use the built in Bluetooth for a wireless headset) It could not have been cheap, and is well worth repairing.

 

[FREESTYLER_LB]

The TV price was 600$ brand new so it wasn’t that bad for a late model Sony set .

I found this listing . Looks like it ships from the USA and the price is good . Anything else I should order ?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sony-XBR-4...937074&hash=item1cf97c98ba:g:i48AAOSwbdNftIYd

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

Yikes. I would never order used parts for a TV. At least not in this case. Period. Considering the time and the care that goes with this repair Just no.. This is my opinion,
but your TV. Only buy new! You have no idea how many hours are really on those LED's or how many power surges seen. It's completely
an unknowable roll off the dice.

 

[FREESTYLER_LB]

I agree . I thought they were new . I’m going to look for brand new ones that don’t ship from China hopefully .

 

[FREESTYLER_LB]

I found this site but there’s 2 separate listings for the LED strips . Can you tell which one I need please ?

https://www.shopjimmy.com/search.php?search_query=Xbr43x800e

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

Shop Jimmy is a great choice to get the strips from, too bad they are so expensive.
But SJ won't steer you wrong. They have earned a great rep.
I did some legwork for you and found.....You MUST get the original part numbers off the strips. I don't know if you can do that or not without pulling the strips.
I am about to pass out from lack of sleep here, so I'll keep it short.
SJ is not open till Monday. So no time is being lost here. With TV's often you need to know the exact part number, because they change things during
production. This is one of those cases. If pulling the strips (to get the part #) means a complete tear-down, wait for me to wake up today.
If you can find the #'s by just removing the back, great. Do That. Still have to wait till Monday though to call SJ to order.
If you need a complete tear-down, WAIT. You can still order Monday. There are a few things to know before you forge ahead.
While you wait for me, you can connect a flexible wire, (speaker wire, or whatever you have, connect to the screw on a wall outlet (AS LONG AS IT SCREWS INTO METAL, NOT PLASTIC) and make a loop of insulation free wire to go around your wrist.
(Anti static wrist strap.) I'll get back to you ASAP

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

Shop Jimmy is a great choice to get the strips from, too bad they are so expensive.
But SJ won't steer you wrong. They have earned a great rep.
I did some legwork for you and found.....You MUST get the original part numbers off the strips. I don't know if you can do that or not without pulling the strips.
I am about to pass out from lack of sleep here, so I'll keep it short.
SJ is not open till Monday. So no time is being lost here. With TV's often you need to know the exact part number, because they change things during
production. This is one of those cases. If pulling the strips (to get the part #) means a complete tear-down, wait for me to wake up today.
If you can find the #'s by just removing the back, great. Do That. Still have to wait till Monday though to call SJ to order.
If you need a complete tear-down, WAIT. You can still order Monday. There are a few things to know before you forge ahead.
While you wait for me, you can connect a flexible wire, (speaker wire, or whatever you have, connect to the screw on a wall outlet (AS LONG AS IT SCREWS INTO METAL, NOT PLASTIC) and make a loop of insulation free wire to go around your wrist.
(Anti static wrist strap.) I'll get back to you ASAP

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

So whats the news? You found the problem, fixed it, and now am going to start your own TV repair shop, right?

 

[BEAUFORD_SAVAGE]

Crap, my last response did not go through.

You are going to need the part number off the LED strips.

Sometimes the companys change parts in mid production, this is whats happened here.

Shop Jimmy is a great place to get parts (always great quality) , but WOW, those are expensive strips!

They won't be taking orders till start of business monday, so you have time to pull the strips. (if you need to for the numbers)

Hopefully with side lighting like you have, you won't have to do a full teardown to see part #'s.

If you DO have to do a teardown, make yourself a groundstrap first, use speaker wire or whatever flexible wire you have

connect one end to the screw of an AC outlet plate screw, as long as that screw goes into metal and not plastic. Then strip the insulation

off the other end and wrap around wrist or ankle. If you have to remove the screen and diffusors, KEEP THEM ALL TOGETHER, don't

let them separate. That screen is about 1/16th of an inch thick GLASS and will break easily. When it comes to the ribbon cables, look at exactly

how they sit with the lines on the flat cable perfectly parallel and the lines on the cable go right where the connector starts. BE VERY GENTLE when lifting the lockdown

bar for the ribbon cables. You only get one chance to get that right, and on a 4K set, there are a ton of connections that have to be perfect per cable. Be slow and gentle.

Take a close-up pic of how the connector looks before doing it if you want. Try not to touch any conductors on cables.

I have never done a TV with side lighting, and it may be way easier than I'm making it sound. The non side lights are tough to do especially on a bigger screen than yours.

Thats what I just got done with. I took my time. Hope yours are easier.

If your not sure on which strips, call SJ on Monday, They will make sure you get the right ones.