Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

[SlickClick]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

Engineering; Yes I'd get a degree in that...

but people often forget schooling is a business now too; so when I see "college"s selling tech degrees i second question them...
certain degrees arent worth the paper they are printed on -versus experience- and others are worth the "institutional" debt...
-I wont say higher education because there is nothing high about regurgitating information back at test time to buy a report card; we can do that on google lol-

Its sad that they predict to get a secretary job one would need a 2 year degree in the least... talk about slavery at all levels; now you have to go to our institutions to get a job to pay us back and pay taxes and whats left live on; not my cup of tea but it works for the bulk of human beings in the world today...

[audiofreak19]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

Yea I'm goig for electrical engineering degree. I debated between that and the two year AAS degree but most jobs that pay decident would like a engineering degree. An the jobs around me that want a AAS degree only pay like 12-16 bucks an hour.

[tom66]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

freak, if you are going for an engineering degree, you must answer a couple questions yourself:

Do you genuinely want to engineer electronic systems? Do you enjoy working with, or designing electronics in your spare time?

If you say yes to both, you're probably a good fit. But if you're going into it for pay: don't. You do get well paid, but you will be working 9am to late (the company I'm working for wants up to 8pm occasionally!), you'll burn out very quickly.

[Ltank]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

Pay depends on the feild of electronics. I worked for Oceaneering Int. they do ROV. its offshore oilfeild but pays very well. starting at 16 up in to the 20s for good techs. If your not afraid of getting dirty. Electronics/Electrical/Hydraulics/Mechanical
I tetired.28 years.made alot, wasted alot.

[tom66]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

Anyway...

The TV is now fixed.

Initially, I put the IC on but bridged two pins. Pic came up, but was far too bright, colours were OK though (just everything looked to be behind white film.) Tried another time, but missed another bridge(!) With these QFPs with leads which extend quite far from the package, it's possible for them to trap solder under the legs and that's only visible looking with a loupe.

Third time lucky and it's working.

Will note voltages shortly for future reference.

[tom66]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

Gamma voltages

Before/After comparison

1. 14.91V -> 15.25V
2. 14.55V -> 15.05V
6. 10.36V -> 10.52V
7. 9.56V -> 9.80V
8. 9.42V -> 9.53V
10. 7.63V -> 7.75V
11. 7.42V -> 7.48V
12. 10.77V -> 6.71V
13. 10.35V -> 6.44V
15. 7.53V -> 4.71V
16. 7.07V -> 4.44V
17. 6.22V -> 3.91V
21. 6.02V -> 0.52V
22. 0.37V -> 0.38V

It appears then, that the block from 12-21 is the failure on this, and the other voltages were actually OK.

[budm]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

Thanks for the follow-up. BTW, do you have the IC seller name or the link to EBAY seller? since some people did have some problem with the replacement IC.

[tom66]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

I bought mine from a UK seller, not sure if he ships elsewhere "11galaxy"
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1309972886...84.m1439.l2649

£2.85 for the chip, purchased TV for £30. Picture quality is actually quite nice... been doing a lot of plasmas recently so it's refreshing to look at an LCD now and then... colour OK, but contrast isn't great and motion is a bit blurry. I don't think I'd want to keep one of these as my main TV.

Also good Sony build quality very high quality PSU & good caps. PSU looks like it belongs in a 47"! It's huge...!

I can confirm AS15-F will substitute AS15-U. The AS15-F has a thermal pad and the AS15-U does not.

[budm]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

That makes me wonder about the AF-15G for green package, and wonder too if the -F will run cooler due to the thermal pad and can be used in place of the -G.

[tom66]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

It wouldn't really matter on this board as there's no thermal pad on the PCB. Maybe on other boards.

The IC runs at about 40°C now, screen back is 27°C, so it's not that hot, and I only think you'd get a few degrees drop. I don't think that's going to make too much difference.

BTW: runtime 8,900 hours from service menu. To access press i+, 5, VOL+ in standby, power, then type 99 on service menu. (To exit power TV off. Sony service menu is cryptic, too easy to change stuff accidentally.)

For an IC to last less than 9,000 hours, something is seriously wrong with its design or manufacturing. I doubt it's an implementation bug as it's a problem on AUO, Chimei, Chugwha and Samsung boards.

[audiofreak19]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

Hey Tom I like working with electronics for example when I'm working with tv's I like knowing or learning what each component does and how it does its function. I'm using the tv repairing to venture more into the component level because I have 8 years experience with car electronics installing and troubleshooting. I really enjoy troubleshooting electronics. Beig able to sit there and thinking about how each component works and figuring out what would happen if this component wasn't working or what could be causing this issue and looking at all of the options and testing to find the answer. It's kinda like solving a math problem. So I figured the engineering would allow me to work with electronics and design something and if it malfunctions ican troubleshoot it because I know how it works. And I figured I would go with the electrical engineering degree because I would be able to get a job working with electronics that would pay more then just a electronics technician job with a AAS degree making about 16 an hour. Most engineering jobs around my way are paying 70k and up in the govt.

[budm]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

Heck, I know 3 people that just got the job as tech for MUNI in San Francisco, MAKING SIX FIGURES + OVERTIME!, and MUNI's always complaining about not having enough money to run the system. One person told me that when he starts working there he was about to rebuild 5 motors a day, then a bunch of co workers that has been working there for a long time come up to him and told him that he is making them look bad and lazy, so now he is only rebuilds one motor a day, his boss could not careless what is going on since there is no accountability.

[tom66]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

You may get paid a lot to work in SF, but isn't the cost of living crazy? I heard $3,000/month for a two bed apartment. For that kind of money in Leeds I could get a 12 bedroom house.
It would be nice to move to CA at some point, it's on the list of things for me to consider. Maybe in 5 yrs time. I have a few good friends there.

[budm]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

They do not live in the city, they commute about 45 minutes to work so it is not that bad, They also get great benefit better than lots of people in private company that if you do not perform your job, you will get fire. They told me the bad workers get pay the same as good workers so they do not care if works get done on time or not. The average pay for ENGR. in Silicon Valley does not even get pay that much.

[tom66]

Re: Sony KDL-37U4000 solarised picture due to Gamma IC AS15-U faulty

That sounds like typical government employment there. Huge, inefficient bureaucracies. Or, if you hire private companies, profiteering, corruption and theft.

You can't win! We have more of the private companies problem here in the UK.