Re: Samsung LE37A656 - half a picture for half an hour

There is a PCB assembly mounted on the upper rear of the LCD panel under a metal cover. It is connected to the T-CON board by two wire bundles. It is also connected by two ribbon cables to two long, thin PCB assemblies mounted on the top edge of the LCD panel. Each of these, in turn is connected to the LCD by four flexible printed circuits mentioned by Budm. (Sorry, I couldn't find the official name for each of these PCAs.)

So I removed, cleaned and reinserted the ribbon cables at both ends and used electrical insulating...

Re: Samsung LE37A656 - half a picture for half an hour

Tom66 -- excellent! Well, more objectively, your diagnosis aligns with my own feelings that the culprit is a cracked solder joint and thermal contraction/expansion. Now, my question is what's the minimum replaceable unit? Is this flexible PC removable and available, or is it permanently bonded to the LCD panel? Anyone know?

Re: Samsung LE37A656 - half a picture for half an hour

Thanks for the quick response! However, I doubt that overheating could be the cause. The problem is worst when cold. After 30-60 minutes operation we get a normal (full) picture with no artefacts.

When first switching on, the left half of the screen is black. Over the next half hour it changes to vertical stripes, then flickering. Even after an hour, the left half shows occasional artefacts. The behaviour is sensitive to mechanical shock. A judicious 'thump' on the top right area of the bezel can change the patterning and occasionally will clear all flickering. After a couple of hours, the picture is stable. Switching off, and then on again after 10 minutes causes the flickering to restart.

I have opened it up and have tried nudging each connector and each wire in each harness...

Re: New Members - please post your introductions here

Hi, I'm Noah, from London, UK. I started in electronics as a kid with a crystal radio receiver and haven't stopped since. Nowadays I find myself dealing mainly with computers and networks, but there are plenty of electromechanical gadgets that need attention too. I am currently trying to diagnose (and fix!) a Samsung LE37A656 TV and will post details when permitted. Great to find a place for serious sharing of knowhow!