Sirius LCD repair part II

Back in Dec 2009 I repaired a Sirius LCD TV. This thing uses Teapo/cheapo (Japanese probably pronounce it that way) caps in multiple places. When I bought the replacement capacitors I forgot to check the temperature rating and bought new ones that are lower than what the Teapos are rated, so instead of all the capacitors I just replaced the single one that has obviously failed. It brought the TV back to life so I just left it like that.

Despite the lower temperature rating for a capacitor placed right next to a heatsink, the capacitor lasted more than two years.

A few days ago, the TV finally decided to go psycho flickered the backlight vigorously. I feared for the backlight and its inverter, because if either of them is dead it is virtually impossible to repair or replace.

Checked the power supply nonetheless. On first inspection nothing seemed out of place. But many times a capacitor can appear fine (no bloat, leak) but the inside has dried out. And these are Teapo caps. So I proceeded to change them anyway.

And after removing the capacitors, the cause of failure became clear -

Yupz, capacitors can pop from the bottom too, and it's hard to see when you're usually viewing from the top.

The ideal thing is to order new parts fit for the job, but today is Saturday and I need to know if the TV can be repaired like now so I know if I need to buy a new one. So I dumped the 1000uF 35V Panasonics that I have lying around inside.

At the same time I also removed the previously installed Panasonic and went totally overkill - Rubycon ZLH 2200uF 25V, bitch. If this (10000 hours @ 105°C and more than double capacitance and voltage ratings) doesn't last I dunno what will.

Problem solved, lets see how long this TV can last.

Repairing a Yamaha keyboard

So my family's keyboard had a few keys that didn't make sound when pressed. It is not a good keyboard in the first place (though it did accompany me or mostly my bro to various performances and competitions) and very old (>10 years), so I didn't want to repair it. But my mom was asking me to.

So on a free day, I took it apart to try my luck.

Cost of repair (+ Sirius LCD TV repair)

Something just struck me

I'm going to spend $20 on a case and that's considered stingy.

Previously I spent $30 on a spoilt NAD 3225PE

Case, transformer, knobs, pots 'n' all, plus precut holes.

Then I spent $40, and lots of time, to repair it.

I could've just spent a bit more money, buy a new working amp board, and put it inside.

Unless one can convince me that that thing repaired is worth $300, there is no point. Since, the Sure, after a bit of modding, does call $300 for a finished product.

That's why some things are just not worth repairing.

So that's part one of today's entry.

Onto part two

My house's LCD TV was acting up right after its warranty period of one year. The symptom of unable to power up right after the wall socket is switched on indicates a failed cap - what I deduced from experience with many cheap computer PSUs with this problem.

Taking the thing apart finds me a bunch of TEAPO (read as CHEAPO) caps, with one slightly bloated.


Another angle.


As I was ordering some things from Farnell I "tong pang" the caps with them - Panasonic M 1000uF 16V (to replace the original 10V; I bought over to increase reliability) and 1000uF 35V.

Turns out the original TEAPOs are rated 105 degrees while the Panasonic M series is rated for 85 only, with this in mind I decided against replacing all the caps until necessary. But knowing how TEAPOS fail when exposed to 60+ degrees inside computer PSUs anyway, I decided the Panasonics are still more reliable.

Then I also learnt that I should've gotten EPCOS MKP over WIMA MKS4.

Nvm, I can use all these caps for future small things.

Replacement part: $0.78
Knowledge to take things apart and analyse: Unmeasurable, but not a lot
LCD TV when I paid for it: $700
Revenue of entire industry operating in the conspiracy of ensuring things break down right after the warranty period thus forcing you to buy a new one: Priceless

There are some things money can't buy
For everything else, there's

PayPal

Which requires MasterCard.