Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

[MeNaCe316]

I hope I am doing this the right way, I have never used forums before.

I have a Hitachi 50 inch plasma tv model number is P50H401A
It was not working at all when I got it, after reading some posts on the forums and taking the back panel off I discovered that there were 2 bad capacitors 100v 3300uf, which I ordered and replaced. The tv had no picture on the upper half of the screen which led me to look into the buffer boards and the upper board had a scorched chip in it. I was able to order and replace the part and now have a picture. Problem is that about 5 inches of the top display shows on the bottom of the screen and no matter how many times I reseat the ribbon cables into the buffer boards I cannot get rid of the black lines. If i manage to get rid of them in one section, they are always present in another area. Any help with this at all is greatly appreciated.

I tried uploading pictures of the screen but it gets stuck uploading

[freakaftr8]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

Sounds like either it's still a bad connection on the buffer board. Possibly a damaged cable clamp connector? Or worst case there is something wrong with the ribbon on the panel. Inspect carefully for micro cracks on the cable.

Also if you installed a repaired buffer board the IC may not have been properly soldered to the board as in some pins may not be connecting properly to the pads. This to me would be the most likely scenario

[MeNaCe316]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

I have inspected the cables, no damage whatsoever. They all look brand new and I can get the lines to go away sometimes with the right amount of movement, the problem is that when I get them seated right and go to clamp them they move a little bit and mess up again. I was also told that moving them while the tv is powered on is not advised but I could not imagine trying to do it without power, as it would be more tedious. The real problem is having a portion that should be at the top of the screen on the bottom. what would cause this to happen?

Both of the buffer boards were tested in another tv and worked fine.

Also, am I restricted from uploading images? When I try to do so, it says uploading images and never stops loading. I let it sit for about 30 minutes twice. Can i email the pictures to someone who can post them on here?

Thanks again for the help

[freakaftr8]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

First of all that's probably your problem right there. Never ever connect or disconnect the ribbon cable going to the panel while the power is on. You could have damaged the IC already. Also you can cause damage to the panel this way as well. Plus there is a heck of a lot of voltage going through those cables if you were to touch one while messing around with it you can get a good whack

[MeNaCe316]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

I put them in another tv since and they are still working perfectly, but that is noted I will not be messing with them while powered on anymore. I am new to plasma so I was unaware of this.

Is there another board I should be looking in to?

[MeNaCe316]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

Cool, got pictures to upload finally

[freakaftr8]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

This is clearly a y sustain problem. The image is shifted and the buffets are not getting full data.

[MeNaCe316]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

So I need to order a new y sustain board as well I would assume?

[ReeceyBurger123]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

I would say its not a sustain fault tbh.

[ReeceyBurger123]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

The sustain boards job is to address the rows on the screen buy sending impulses to all the lines, I would say your buffer board is either shot which is common on these plasmas or your control board is faulty. Also do you have any blow caps on the Psu ?

[awyatt2]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

looks like a y sustain to me. does the pic have shadows or dark spots in it. both buffers would have to share the problem exactly and that's why I say sustain

[ReeceyBurger123]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

Only way to know is to start checking some voltages and to check the buffer Ics ! To me it looks like the sustain board isnt being told to address them rows and is skipping them meaning a Cntrl fault.

[ReeceyBurger123]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

Do you have a DMM and know how to check for S/C ?

[MeNaCe316]

Re: Hitachi 50inch Plasma black lines

I have a fluke, but it broke a few months ago. Someone told me that Fluke is kind of like Zippo, as they will fix and repair Flukes free of charge if you just send it in to them.