I recently 'found' two flat screen TVs that neighbors had put out for the trash. They look to be in good physical condition (no obvious cracked screens or other visible damage).
Googling the model numbers indicates that they are both about 3-4 years old. One is a 40" Sharp LED and the other is a 60" LG Plasma.
I'm wondering if these might be good hobby projects to repair, so I can learn a bit about flat screen TVs. I am a MechEngr by training and can do basic unsoldering and soldering, swapping out electronic parts like computer memory, etc. I can troubleshoot as long as I have a detailed guide to follow. I am not trained in electronics, by any means.
I've found a handful of youtube videos about repairing flat screen TVs. The guys who posted them seem to be repair techs, so, of course, they go through things sort of quickly and seem to skip some details (which might be critical for me to know).
I'd love to fix these at the component level (pop off the back covers, spot a few swollen capacitors, replace them and call it a day). If the cost of a replacement board is relatively inexpensive (assuming I could figure out which board is causing the TVs to not work), that would seem to be a relatively straightforward repair for me to do, also.
Several minor issues right off the bat: The 60" Plasma is missing a power cord (looks like nearby TigerDirect has a 6' one for $1.39.) I don't have the remote controls for either set (these can be purchased online for about $15-$20.)
I also don't know the reason why these TVs were discarded. I plugged in the 40" Sharp and the red power light came on and stayed on. Depressing the built-in buttons (input, channel up/down, etc.) didn't change anything. Without a power cord, I can't determine anything about the LG TV at the moment.
I'm looking for thoughts/opinions as how to proceed. Should I abandon any thought of working on these? Or should I just look for a possible easy fix (pop off the back covers and look for "bad caps" and try to replace them)? Or find a guide to troubleshooting (any suggestions?) and pursue that? Anyone know if a TV repair place (do they still exist?) might troubleshoot the issue for me (for a fee) and then I can order the needed part(s) online and do the repair myself? OR In the interest of keeping these out of a landfill, is there an easy means of getting these into the hands of someone who can use them for parts or whatever?
omni
Googling the model numbers indicates that they are both about 3-4 years old. One is a 40" Sharp LED and the other is a 60" LG Plasma.
I'm wondering if these might be good hobby projects to repair, so I can learn a bit about flat screen TVs. I am a MechEngr by training and can do basic unsoldering and soldering, swapping out electronic parts like computer memory, etc. I can troubleshoot as long as I have a detailed guide to follow. I am not trained in electronics, by any means.
I've found a handful of youtube videos about repairing flat screen TVs. The guys who posted them seem to be repair techs, so, of course, they go through things sort of quickly and seem to skip some details (which might be critical for me to know).
I'd love to fix these at the component level (pop off the back covers, spot a few swollen capacitors, replace them and call it a day). If the cost of a replacement board is relatively inexpensive (assuming I could figure out which board is causing the TVs to not work), that would seem to be a relatively straightforward repair for me to do, also.
Several minor issues right off the bat: The 60" Plasma is missing a power cord (looks like nearby TigerDirect has a 6' one for $1.39.) I don't have the remote controls for either set (these can be purchased online for about $15-$20.)
I also don't know the reason why these TVs were discarded. I plugged in the 40" Sharp and the red power light came on and stayed on. Depressing the built-in buttons (input, channel up/down, etc.) didn't change anything. Without a power cord, I can't determine anything about the LG TV at the moment.
I'm looking for thoughts/opinions as how to proceed. Should I abandon any thought of working on these? Or should I just look for a possible easy fix (pop off the back covers and look for "bad caps" and try to replace them)? Or find a guide to troubleshooting (any suggestions?) and pursue that? Anyone know if a TV repair place (do they still exist?) might troubleshoot the issue for me (for a fee) and then I can order the needed part(s) online and do the repair myself? OR In the interest of keeping these out of a landfill, is there an easy means of getting these into the hands of someone who can use them for parts or whatever?
omni