Panasonic tc-p55vt30 - 7 blinks. Now what?

[B-Rad]

Hello all. I realize there have been posts about this issue already, but I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for.

My Panasonic 55' plasma tv shut off the other night and now it won't turn on. Instead the red light blinks seven times over and over. I understand that this is most likely a bad sc board, but I want to be certain before I order a new one. I also want to know if the other two boards are bad, so I know whether to order those as well. That's why I started this thread. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

I took the back cover off and inspected the three boards and I don't see any burn marks or anything else abnormal, but I don't know exactly what to look for. None of the screws were very loose, but I made sure every single screw Is tight. I don't recall hearing any buzzing before the tv shut off either. The service manual states that I need to use an SC jig to connect to the SC50 connector on the sc board. However, I do not have an SC jig, so my questions here are;
is there another way to determine if the sc board is indeed bad, if the problem is with one of the other boards, or if it's something entirely different? Can the 7 blinks only be the result of a bad sc board? If someone can please tell me how I can figure out the exact issue, I will be most grateful. Then I can order the parts that I need and hopefully be able to watch some exciting college basketball this weekend without having to spend too much more money on this tv, considering I paid $2200 for it brand new only three years ago.

I called Panasonic and of course they refused to pay for any of the repairs and even had the nerve to deny that this is a manufacturers defect or even a known issue. I was so upset that I had to apologize to my children for the language I used and for yelling so loud. Hopefully I can get it fixed soon so we can all enjoy watching tv again...

I just remembered that my tv was running very hot lately and I read somewhere that having the contrast set too high could cause that. Now that I think about it, I did have my contrast set really high. Could this cause the 7 blinks? Is there a way to reset the contrast and get my tv to turn on again?

[Shinju]

Re: Panasonic tc-p55vt30 - 7 blinks. Now what?

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=44315

[B-Rad]

Re: Panasonic tc-p55vt30 - 7 blinks. Now what?

Thank you for the fast response Shinju. I did read your thread before and I saw that you jumped the SC50 pin to determine your sc board was bad. I don't have the SC jig tool. Is there another way to jumper that SC50 pin? I pulled a jumper off of a computer motherboard, but it doesn't fit.

[Alastair E]

Re: Panasonic tc-p55vt30 - 7 blinks. Now what?

Typical Corporate denial of a well known issue!

SC boards of more recent Panasonics are known to fail--There's even an upgrade 'screw-kit' for the sets!
--The original screws lose pressure on the mounts, the board earth return points then become intermittent, start to arc and the pulsing and arcing causes destruction of the IGBT devices on the board and giving the fault you have...

Failing the screw issue, the heat those devices run at is surely to reduce their expected life-span....

Average time of failure is around 4 thousand hours use IME,--WAY below their advertised 50,000 hours of Panel life!

So--Yes, It IS a manufacturer error--which they know bloody well, but admitting it would cause a huge inrush of claims and replacement SC/SN boards--They cant afford at the moment, their shareholders would go tits up!!

[Alastair E]

Re: Panasonic tc-p55vt30 - 7 blinks. Now what?

SC 50 'jig' is merely a shorted plug. You can use a jumper from a hard-drive or even (What I use....) a small croc-clip,--just make sure its not touching anything else.

Just short the two pins of SC50 and there you go--ready to test.

[B-Rad]

Re: Panasonic tc-p55vt30 - 7 blinks. Now what?

Ok I finally got a chance to disconnect the three connectors between the SC board and the SU/SD boards. I also jumpered SC50. When I plugged the tv back in and hit the power button, the same exact thing happened - a solid red light for 2 or 3 seconds and then 7 blinking red lights over and over. What does this tell us? Should I do some further testing? Thank you everyone for your help.

[Shinju]

Re: Panasonic tc-p55vt30 - 7 blinks. Now what?

Sc board is dead, Google moduslink tv parts and in their search box put in the SC board part number including the suffix at the end, once you find it click the return/repair option buy it, get the packing instructions, pack the SC board for safe transit, wait for the repair to complete, get the part/parts and installed them (make sure to get the new updated screws from shopjimmy THIS IS A MUST DO or you will blow your newly repaired SC board.

Shopjimmy sells the screws under the TC-P55GT30 model but they use the same boards as the VT30 and I am using them in mine. Replace them all for the SC/SS SD/SU and the 2 for the SS sub board attached to the SS.


If I was you I would select the package deal they offer for 275.00 and send your SD/SU Buffers with the SC board too chances are when the SC short it could have took out or damaged your buffers.

[B-Rad]

Re: Panasonic tc-p55vt30 - 7 blinks. Now what?

Thanks Shinju. How long did it take for you to get your board back? So there's no way to test the SD and SU boards myself? Also, I've seen SC board repair kits for sale. Is it really difficult to repair the SC board? I'd rather do it myself so that I can save some money and get it fixed faster, but if it's too difficult then I'll go your route.

[Shinju]

Re: Panasonic tc-p55vt30 - 7 blinks. Now what?

Are you good at difficult SMD soldiering and have a hot plate or good heat gun? I have seen guys destroy their SC boards trying to DIY repair these.

Plus with MosusLink you will know it's a solid repair and you have a warranty.

[MEMOFER]

Re: Panasonic tc-p55vt30 - 7 blinks. Now what?

Hi, my first post here, shinju do you have experience with ModusLink, are they reliable?, I have the same plasma model and my SU board is dead, it has a short, my SC board is now good, after I replaced 3 shorted transistors and the SD seems good when I do resistance check.
I can not find any SU board anywhere on the net for a reasonable price. sorry to intrude on this post.