Panasonic plasma won't come on

[rustfarmer]

I have a TH-42PZ85U that has the 10 blink red light symptom and in checking for bad caps I find two large 820 uf 250 volt caps that have very slightly bulging tops, and two other large ones that are not absolutely flat. However, when viewed from the side, none appear to be bulged up, but rather it is as though when they were made the vent creases are pressed down into the cap with the result that the surface seems depressed at the lines and thus seems a bit bowed around the lines. I will try to send photos which I hope are clear enough for someone to comment on. This unit began to fail and unplugging it would reset things and it would then power up, but finally it became unresponsive and tries to fire, clicks and goes to red blinking light mode.

[rayrod81]

Re: Panasonic plasma won't come on

Panasonic plasmas rarely have capacitor problems and the caps in your pictures are fine. The 10 blink code could mean that any of a handful of boards could be bad. I have seen 10 blinks code on this generation of Panasonic very often lately. Some have been power supply issues, some have been A Board, K board, S board, G board, GH board, and/or GS board. If the TV blinks as soon as it is plugged in without the power button being pressed then it is a problem on the 15V standby line either on the P board or further on down the line on the A board or a board plugged in to the A board. If the TV blinks after you press the power button then it is a problem on the P15V line either on the P board or one of the other boards mentioned. It could also be a problem on the 3.3V, 5V, or 9V lines on the A board or one of the other boards plugged in to the A board. There are some training manuals on Scribd that may help but it is a very involved process and could take a couple hours or more to pin down the problem. Also, it is very general as it tries to cover every 11th Generation Panasonic and not just the 42". So while the procedure may apply to one model it may not apply to all models because the larger sets often times have extra boards the 42" may not have. Service manuals can be found through Elektrotanya but they are honestly not very helpful until you need the schematics.

[rustfarmer]

Re: Panasonic plasma won't come on

Thanks very much for the quick and detailed answer. It would appear that I am over my level of knowledge in attempting to repair this problem. I will seek the services of a pro although finding competent help for any video device has been a problem where I live. Anyway, thanks for your help.

[rayrod81]

Re: Panasonic plasma won't come on

Honestly, there is no reason you couldn't repair the TV but it will be very involved and will take some patience. You will need a DMM and a bit of patience. The training manual is here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/24963802/1...Plasma-Display There are two sections which describe the troubleshooting of the 10 blink error code. The first section covers the troubleshooting for a 10 blink code at plug-in. That is if the TV blinks immediately after plug-in without pushing the power button either on the TV or the remote. The second section deals with the 10 blink code at power-on or after the power button is pressed to turn on the TV. This means that the TV will not immediately blink when the TV is plugged in but only after you try to power it on with the remote or power button.

[rustfarmer]

Re: Panasonic plasma won't come on

Thanks so much for the encouragement and best of all the link to the manual. My problem occurs at plugin without any attempt to power up and based on that, the troubleshooting appears quite straightforward. I will begin testing soon, perhaps this PM, and let you know what I find. Might also inquire about best parts sources and brands, but I will search the forum first. Kindest regards, RF.

[rustfarmer]

Re: Panasonic plasma won't come on

I believe I have correctly back-probed the P6 connector at pin 8 and other test lead to a board mounting screw which I assume would be a ground. At plug in I get relay clicks but no voltage shown, not even a blip. This would seem to indicate a failure of the P board. I do not see further troubleshooting info to repair the P board, so is it normal to simply replace the entire board? Am I choosing a proper way to ground the meter? Should I be unplugging P6 to make this test?

[rayrod81]

Re: Panasonic plasma won't come on

It could be the power supply but you will need to go through the full procedure of unplugging the K board, GS board, and GH board from the A board one at a time to confirm that neither of those boards is the problem. At that point it, if you still have not found the problem, it could still be the A board but until you test the power supply independently you won't know. To test it independently you will need a 2.7V supply applied at pin 6 of P7 on the Power supply. This will turn on your F_STB15V line without connectors being connected at P6 or P7. A 3V supply should work and you can buy a simple one that uses 2 AA batteries at Radioshack or make one yourself. If the problem proves to be the power supply then you will most likely have to replace it unless you are comfortable using a schematic and have the proper knowledge and equipment to check the circuit. Sometimes it will be an obvious fix and can easily be fixed if you can find the parts. If I remember correctly the power supply is going to run any where from $120 to $150 so it is well worth the time to go through everything checking for obvious shorts or blown fuses on the power supply. The service manual can be found here and it should have the schematic: http://elektrotanya.com/?q=showresul...oria=&kat2=all