Samsung PN51F5300 Vertical Pixelation Issue

[kca]

Hello all ~

I picked up this 51" Samsung Plasma the other day and am trying to figure out a few things about it. I have read several dozen posts here on Badcaps and other forums, and have also viewed quite a few videos that were related and tangentially related.

I'll try to be succinct with my questions.

1) I have familiarized myself with the Tab Bond Repair first explained by budm and thought I could do something similar with this Samsung plasma. But, I am wondering if this Tab Bond issue is related to LCD's only?

I ask because I took apart most of this Samsung Plasma (exact Model # is PN51F5300AFXZA) earlier today and it is so thin (only 2.2" deep) that I don't think it utilizes the tab bonds. I can't see any bonds or boards on the top. The front, black bezel popped open off of there easily when I took the back panel off so I could get a good view of this entire top line (Please see image in my Post #2).

There do not appear to be any tab bonds on the bottom either.

There are bottom buffer boards (sometimes called E and F boards?). But, I could not see any evidence of tab bonds down there either and it looked as though the metal framing was, more or less, adhered extremely close to the plasma panel at the factory. So close that it helped give me the impression that the tab bonds really do not exist on this set.

The bezel did not initially come off the bottom fully and I really don't want to take the speakers off to get at these bottom boards if that is a futile act. I will, of course, do so if it will help with the fix.


So .... Is it indeed the case that this Samsung plasma (circa early 2013) does not utilize tab bonds at all?

And, if so, what else would be causing these multi-colored, pixelated lines that run vertically from the top of the screen to the bottom when dealing with a relatively new plasma of this nature?

Could it be the Main/Control Board that needs to be replaced? Seems unlikely because the screen is only affected in that one, relatively small, and congregated section on the far left-hand side. Another potential fix I thought of was to replace this lower buffer board, if that is possible. Question is, can that be done or is it bonded or tab bonded to the panel in a way that prohibits?


2) Since the vertical lines exist only on the far left-hand side of the screen, does that make it more likely that the problem can, in fact, be isloated and repaired? It seems so. I have seen several videos where problems of this type exist all over the majority of the screeen. Here, 95% of the screen or more is absolutely perfect. It's just those pixelations that are "pocketed" on the far left that cause any problems whatsoever. There are approximately 20 of these vertical lines.


Other facts:

• These lines sparkle and give off a glow. They are not completely solid nor static.
  
  
• The sound is perfect. No problem there. Kept working no matter what tests I did.
  
  
• When I removed the flat, white cable that runs from the Main Board / Logic Control Board (the two seem to be combined into one board) to the lower right-hand buffer board (as viewed from the back), ..... the entire left-hand side of the screen (viewed from the front) goes black as one would expect. But, somewhat surprisingly, the vertical pixelated lines remained over and through the black). Please see the related image of that 1/2 black screen. This appears to indicate that the problem is not originating in the Main/Control Board. Is that the case?
  
  
• When I removed the small white connector that runs from the X-Buffer board on the right (again, when viewing the back of the set) to this same lower buffer board in question then the entire screen goes black. I would have expected this also. Once again, though, the pixelated vertical lines remained on the screen. And, therefore, this appears to indicate that the problem is not really related to the X-Buffer drivers. Is that the case as well?

Okay. That's where I am at the moment. Any and all insights will be greatly appreciated.

[kca]

Re: Samsung PN51F5300 Vertical Pixelation Issue

Here are some more images of the boards in question:

[kca]

Re: Samsung PN51F5300 Vertical Pixelation Issue

Hello ~

Wondering if anyone has any thoughts / answers to the questions I posted up above. I’ve left this 51” Samsung plasma set untouched for a couple of weeks, but ready to get back at it. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Here are a few more pics that I hope prove helpful (see below).

The first three show that the pixelation flaw rests “over” any menu that may appear on the screen. And the last four images are showing close-ups of how the lower buffer board (the E board) looks as it exists in the lower-left hand corner of the set (when facing the screen from the front).

[tvtimmy]

Re: Samsung PN51F5300 Vertical Pixelation Issue

Vertical lines on a plasma is very, very, bad. You can expect to have a 4 inch black line in a while as the panel fails. No chance of repair.

[kca]

Re: Samsung PN51F5300 Vertical Pixelation Issue

Hello all ~

I am getting back to this tv after putting it aside for a while.

It doesn't look real good, from the response here (thank you, tvtimmy, who replied before) and from what I've found online. These vertical lines seem to be the beginning of the end for a set like this Samsung I am dealing with here and most others.

But, I am still wondering if it is worth me buying and installing a new lower-right hand buffer board (the "E" or "F" board .... not sure which it is called exactly) in this particular scenario since the vertical lines are completely isolated to that related edge of the screen. The remaining 90% or more of the screen is absolutely perfect in both appearance and function.

From the front, the lines are on the left. From behind the set. it's the lower-right hand board that I think may be the issue.

Here is the best pic I could take of it. They aren't that expensive. Maybe $15 or $20.

Has anyone ever had any luck replacing that singular board and getting rid of these isolated, but problematic, vertically pixelated lines? Is it worth a shot?

[mmartell]

Re: Samsung PN51F5300 Vertical Pixelation Issue

I would say there's only a very slim chance replacing the corresponding lower buffer would fix it. If it was cheap enough it might be worth a try for your piece of mind. Otherwise...

[dick_barton]

Re: Samsung PN51F5300 Vertical Pixelation Issue

Is it worth checking the lower buffers to see if they have suffered water damage from screen wiping?

[kca]

Re: Samsung PN51F5300 Vertical Pixelation Issue

Yes, that’s pretty much what I’m finding. That the panel itself is likely faulty.

I still don’t quite understand how a panel can be to blame as an isolated entity when the signal must first traverse through the boards and ribbons. Meaning, in this particular circumstance, with the vertical lines at play it would seem to be more driven by a faulty signaling than panel damage. But, I read a few forum posts where folks were saying that Samsung replaced the panel under warranty still and it fixed the problem.

Question for dick_barton ... Do you mean that someone physically wiping down / cleaning the panel could have put too much pressure onto the screen and that, in turn, might have shorted or otherwise damaged that lower buffer board? Or, just that water may have leaked down and just a few drops of it have been known to trigger these vertically pixelated lines?

The previous owner didn’t mention that, or anything else related to the screen being struck or taxed, but I suppose it’s possible something akin to that occurred.

[dick_barton]

Re: Samsung PN51F5300 Vertical Pixelation Issue

Question for dick_barton ... Do you mean that someone physically wiping down / cleaning the panel could have put too much pressure onto the screen and that, in turn, might have shorted or otherwise damaged that lower buffer board? Or, just that water may have leaked down and just a few drops of it have been known to trigger these vertically pixelated lines?

LCD set can have their panel pcb boards badly damaged when liquid is used to wipe the screens and it runs down between the screen and the plastic surround.

Grasping at straws here but the fault looks like a E-Buffer fault but I would check that no contaminant is on the buffer board.

[kca]

Re: Samsung PN51F5300 Vertical Pixelation Issue

Gotcha. I’ll be taking it further apart soon, and getting more directly at that E buffer board.

Will post any progress I make or insights I find.