Friends RCA Tv Problem…?
Ok, first of all I’m a huge tinker person. So far everything big or small appliances (mostly computers, microwaves, washers, dryers) that quit working, I tinker with and I get them running again. I’ve only tried fixing one TV but it had something wrong with the diode and I thought that was out of my knowledge range to mess with. I also didn’t have an electric meter and didn’t want to get shocked messing around.
So anyway my friend has a 1994 RCA-Model number F27731Bk, Serial # 448457510T and SMF-5A125V. One week ago it just quit working on her. I finally made it over there to look at it, cause my first thought was to check the fuse. The fuse wasn’t blow but could it still have went bad? I’ve never heard of this thats why I’m asking. Also, what about a reset button and is that located on the circuit breaker? I’m also wondering if she has a bad cord. Her cord is a removable one. Can the cords go bad? The Tv does nothing. No beeps,chips, talk backs, nothing, lol. I really would like to put in a new fuse and check the reset button or circuit breaker. I’ve checked out RCA.com but can’t find the manual to be able to find the location of all this or a diagram. Can anyone help me? This will be as far as I go to check on this Tv. If none of this fixes it then I don’t think I will tinker any farther. If anyone has any idea’s then please advice. They can’t afford a new Tv, so I’m just trying to help. So anyway, yes the TV is old but still I wanted to tinker and see what I may be able to do. Thanks everyone in advance. Appreciate all answers that are not rude.
i bought my mom a 27″ rca tv back in the early ’90’s and it had problems right after the warranty expired. i couldn’t afford to buy her another one after just 14 months, so i took it in to a repair shop to be fixed. i couldn’t believe it when i walked in and saw over a dozen of the exact same tv on the shelves waiting to be repaired, i’m talking identical tv’s. tv manufacturers will brand sets for other company’s, so some were labeled ge, or sony, but they were exactly the same as my rca, because rca made them all. the owner told me that rca was “pumping” them out so fast at the factory, to meet demand, that they were not making good solder joints on the ground connections. he quoted me $100. at that time to go in and fix them, but said he couldn’t garranty how long the set would last, since it would cost more than the set cost to find and fix them all. after the repairs, the set lasted us another couple of years before it started to do the same thing that it had done before, so we had to buy another tv, not an rca this time!!
i told you about my experiance because i felt you should know that your friend was probably lucky to have had her tv last as long as it has. the “fix” is most likely beyond both yours and my repair abilities, and would be cost prohibitive for a tv set this old. ask your friend if the picture on the screen had started to shrink around the edges a bit, before it went on her completely. that’s how ours ended up going both times it died, a simptom of those bad ground connections that i mentioned earlier. your friends best bet, since she can’t afford a new tv at this point, would be to check the newspaper for a used one, since lots of people are upgrading to new ones these days. good luck.
14/01/2010 @ 12:43
Dear
Finding the portion of electronics that is bad is time consuming but simple. De-energize. Isolate. Test. But before you do all that….. For safety and preservation of human life. After removing the back cover from the set you must degause the set. This is the method by which the stored charge is dispelled. Using a jumper wire with aligator clips on both ends attach one end to the bare braided ground cable and the other end to a probe with a double insulated handle. ( Klien Screwdriver, electrical probe .. you get the idea) At the top center rear of the picture tube is the main energizing cable covered with a wide flat silicone boot. Slide the probe under the boot until it comes in contact with the metal clip. If the tube was recently energized you will hear a spark gap to the probe. It is now safe to touch any part of the electronics. No “pop”? Probe until you are certain you contacted the metal clip. A simple tester for continueity will indicate a “go” or “no-go” status. Replace any part not showing continueity. Start at the power cord and work your way along the flow of the circuit boards. Power board, sound boards etc.
17/01/2010 @ 19:46