Author - Kristin Hurst

CE Professional Tech Tip Sharing
July 2017

**NOTICE**

Due the danger and complexity of electronics repair, the following shared technical tips are intended for professional reference only. Please refer to manufacturer’s recommendations as Encompass does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or safety of this information.

Emerson TV, LC321SS9
Reason for Service:  Set shuts down
Solution:  Replaced D637, FR154, used NTE580.

Hitachi TV, 57UWX20B
Reason for Service:  Convergence goes bad after customer does manual adjust and turns the set off
Solution:  Clear DCU Adj centering magnet for correct offset for RD, GRN and BLU according to the service manual.  Read old ROM, touch up and save.

LG TV,  42LG50-UA
Reason for Service: Dead set, red LED blinks continuous.
Solution:  Unplugging the inverter stopped the LED blinking.  Found a shorted C58 on the inverter board.  Replacing restored the set. 

Samsung TV, LN40A630M1
Reason for Service: Won’t start or very slow to start.
Solution:  Found bad DC to DC converter on the main board. IC101.  MP2363DN-LF.

Sharp TV, LC37HV4U
Reason for Service:  Set will not turn on unless it’s cool
Solution: Replacing IC4303 on main board fixed the set. 

Sony TV, KDL46HX820 (LED backlit)
Reason for Service: When turning set on, bottom part of screen is darker than the rest, then set shuts down with 4 blink error.
Solution:  Replacing backlight control board fixed the set.  LJ97-03357B.

Vizio TV,  E420VO
Reason for Service:  Shutdown
Solution: Replaced main board.

Zenith TV, Z56DC1D
Reason for Service:  After about 15 seconds, set shuts down, with lamp flashing
Solution: Replacing color wheel fixed the set.

**NOTICE**
Due the danger and complexity of electronics repair, the following shared technical tips are intended for professional reference only.
Please refer to manufacturer’s recommendations as Encompass does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or safety of this information. 

As the summer months approach and temperatures rise, customers may notice that their refrigerators will be running a lot longer than usual. Refrigerators may be warm, if not
hot to the touch. These symptoms may be caused by a dirty condenser or faulty condenser fan motor caused by a dirty condenser. We recommend checking the condition of the
condenser regardless of the customer complaint.

These types of issues don’t just happen in the summer months; in fact, they can happen at any time of the year especially when there are pets in the home. The condenser is part of the sealed system and is designed to expel heat from the refrigerator. We recommend that customers clean the condenser every 6 months. If you have pets, we recommend checking every other month since hair clings to the condenser.

To clean a condenser coil:
● Use a vacuum to clean. A brush also works but cannot remove all the dust; it will just move it around.
● If the buildup will not come off with a vacuum, use three towels to cover the front and sides of the bottom of the refrigerator.
(Ensure that you get the customer’s permission before attempting this more extreme measure.)
● Take compressed air and blow the dust from the back of the unit. The air is being pulled in from the front bottom of the unit.
● Some condensers can be accessed from the front, but the back will still need to be maintained.

By keeping the condenser clean, the unit will run more efficiently and the life of the refrigerator can be extended. Techs should always offer to clean the condenser on every job regardless if they are there for a different service call shows that the tech cares and is willing to offer above and beyond service.

Special thanks to Fred’s Appliance Academy for these valuable tips!

**NOTICE**

Due the danger and complexity of electronics repair, the following shared technical tips are intended for professional reference only. Please refer to manufacturer’s recommendations as Encompass does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or safety of this information.

Hitachi Plasma,  42HDS52A
Reason for Service:  Low sensitivity, (short range) for the remote
Solution: Replaced  Led/IR receiver:  X480310.

Insignia TV,  NS-55E560A11
Reason for Service:  Dead
Solution: Check the following Shotkey diodes on the power PCB:  VD838, VD839, VD840, VD841.  Replace any that are defective. 

Mitsubishi DLP TV, WD62527
Reason for Service:  Too much green in picture
Solution: Remove, clean and reseat the DVI cable between the chassis and optical engine.  If this doesn’t work, you may need to replace the optical engine.

Philips TV,  27HT7210D/27
Reason for Service:  Set will not power on, but relay clicks
Solution: Found a bad cap, C7, on side board: 220uF/25V.  It would be time well spent to also check all connections for bad solder.

Samsung TV,  LN-S3241D
Reason for Service: Bottom half of the picture is dark
Solution:  Replacing the T-Con fixed the set.

Sony TV,  KDL40V4100
Reason for Service:  Picture very bright, and Bright control has no effect
Solution:  This one was a bad panel.

Vizio TV,  E230VL
Reason for Service:  Dead, no Vizio light
Solution:  Replaced F601, Q706 and Q707, both on the power board.  KF5N50DS

Vizio TV,  E322VL
Reason for Service:  When you turn set on, the logo goes from amber to white, but keeps alternating amber, then white.  Set won’t start.
Solution:  Replacing main board didn’t seem to fix the set.  This set has built-in Wi-Fi, and requires a couple of minutes to initialize the boot up.   Set okay after that.

“I use the same password for everything, how can I expect to remember all these different logins otherwise?”  Does this sound familiar?  Many folks use the same practices for Internet security that were employed during the 1990s, but in today’s modern environment, these methods are inept.  Just think about the number of websites that you and your business deal with that require separate logins and passwords:

• Nearly every Parts Distributor has their own platform requiring a login to order parts
• Every manufacturer, assuming you are authorized, has their own login/password to look up technical documentation
  –Some have separate apps requiring a login/password to access educational material
• If you are working on warranty calls, the platform to submit your claim
• Third party directories that list your business like Yelp and Yellow pages
• Your accounting software and bank accounts
• Your credit cards

The list goes on and on, and it’s not going to get any simpler.  Many of you may think this doesn’t apply because you call in parts orders or don’t bank online.  However, you are still at risk.  Your banking information is online, your credit card information, your warranty claims, and your part orders are all stored online.   All that information is available to hackers whether you agree to use those services or not.

Let’s lay out a scenario that has happened already.  You have a credit card with Target. You decide not to use any online features, but Target as a company gets hacked.  What hackers tend to do is seize login information.  They are banking on the fact that you use the same login and passwords for other accounts.  Once they have your “master password,” they start trying to use it on other websites, like your bank or social media accounts or your email.  This is how an identity gets stolen, and the ones most at risk are the folks who do not use online features.  They are not getting notifications that someone just accessed their online account and are not being alerted that money has moved from one account to another until it’s too late.  Now you have an uphill battle to recover anything that was stolen, along with having to prove your identity to each affected account.

So what do you do? If you use the same password on everything, you may have a problem. Although nothing is 100% secure, you may consider a password manager service such as Lastpass​. Here are a few of the Lastpass features you receive for a monthly fee:

• Sets up a Master Password for your account.  Even LastPass doesn’t know what it is.  There is a lengthy process on recovering the password if you forget it, but it’s designed to prevent a hacker from accessing your information.
• Helps you generate unique passwords with various characters like C42$%!asdRTW492
  –Now if your Target account is hacked like in our scenario from earlier, there’s no need to panic.  Each password in your LastPass account is different.  Just update to a new password and go about your day.
• The tedious part is adding each website you use to the LastPass Vault. But once you do, you launch every site you want to access from the vault.  It takes you to the page and, in some cases, auto-logs you in.
  –If you are a service manager, this is a HUGE benefit.  You can set up a folder in your vault with all the login/passwords your technicians need (tech support websites, part lookups, etc.) and share the entire    library in a couple clicks.  You can even restrict your employees from seeing the password so they can access the account but not change the password.
  –If you have to let an employee go, you simply unshare the folder. Simple, fast, and the peace of mind knowing your accounts are secured from a disgruntled employee.

Getting a password manager configured is just the first step.  Look for future articles from us as we continue to discuss appliance repair and ways to keep your online accounts secure.

Special thanks to Fred’s Appliance Academy for this valuable tip!

CE Professional Tech Tip Sharing
May 2017

**NOTICE**

Due the danger and complexity of electronics repair, the following shared technical tips are intended for professional reference only. Please refer to manufacturer’s recommendations as Encompass does not guarantee the accuracy, reliability or safety of this information.

Emerson TV,  LC320EM1F
Reason for Service:  Takes many tries to get the set to start
Solution:  Replacing Q1970 and D1979 on the inverter board fixed the set.

Emerson TV,  LC320EM2F
Reason for Service: Dead set, no LED
Solution: Check and replace as necessary:  Q600, K10A50D,  Q601, 2SC2120,  R608, 0.18ohm,  D604, 27V zener, D607, NTE177,  D610,  36V zener,  D640, SK2B 

Hitachi TV, 60SDX88B
Reason for Service:  Shuts down
Solution: Q777, Q657 and EP98

Mitsubishi TV, WS55413
Reason for Service: Shuts down when you power on with error 2-2
Solution: On the main board, replaced open fuse F9B01, IC9B02, 270P668020 and D9B07,  264P484030.

Philips TV, 42PFL3704D/F7
Reason for Service:  Set clicks when you plug it in, but won’t turn on
Solution:  Replacing the Digital Main Board fixed the set.  A91H5MMA-002 

Sharp TV, LC32D47U
Reason for Service: Set requiring password, but customer has forgotten it.
Solution:  Initialize set to out-of-box state. While holding down the volume down and input on the set, plug it in.  When you see a ‘K’ on the screen, let the buttons go, then hold down volume and channel on the set.  You should see initialize on the second page. When you see a green screen, unplug the set. 

Sony TV, DA4
Reason for Service:  Shuts down intermittently or will not power up at all
Solution: Was not the MCX3001DB repair.  Replacing the inrush relay, RY6502 fixed the set.

Westinghouse TV, LD-4655VX
Reason for Service:  No backlights
Solution: Set known to have short problems on the ribbons to the LED strips.  Disassemble, inspect and insulate anywhere the ribbons are touching metal.