Samsung PN50C450 with multi-colored bar

[northwestdad]

I'm including some photos of my 50" plasma and would like to know what you all think. The bar appears randomly...sometimes for a few seconds, sometimes for longer, but always the same width. It's been pure white and/or pure black before but usually pulsates with multi-colored lines especially when playing games. Today i replaced the T-CON hoping that might be an easy fix, but alas it did no good. I've disconnected and reconnected all the cables, applied pressure to the ribbon cables secured to the panel (non-removable), and nothing seems to have any effect on the image. I will say different colored backgrounds tend to set it off more then others, but sometimes it will go a week with no issues and other times it starts to happen immediately. Before I spend any more money on trial-and-error board replacements, I'd appreciate your feedback.

[tom66]

Re: Samsung PN50C450 with multi-colored bar

Three main possibilities:
- bad plasma panel driver, non repairable
- loose/contaminated connection on ribbon cables, panel interface or on panel boards
- bad/broken ribbon cable.

I'd inspect the ribbon cables for tears, breaks, worn contacts and dirt.

[northwestdad]

Re: Samsung PN50C450 with multi-colored bar

Tom66...thanks for the quick response. Are there specific ribbons/cables you recommend or should I just disconnect them all? And is there an effective way to clean the connectors without damaging them?

[northwestdad]

Re: Samsung PN50C450 with multi-colored bar

Well...the issue has gotten progressivly more frequent. I've disconnected and inspected the cables with no luck. Ribbons are fused to the panel so not replaceable. I've manually applied pressure to the welds holding the ribbon in place with no change. It's been a great TV and I was really hoping it was repairable.