For this tutorial, I will be addressing a common problem experienced by many Samsung LCD, flat panel TV owners these day... "My Samsung TV keeps clicking for 20 minutes before it comes on" or "When I press the power button on my Samsung, nothing happens" or "When I turn my Samung TV on, there are white dots on the screen" or "When I turn my Samsung TV on, there are multi-color vertical lines on the screen"... there may be more, but these are the most common I know of. The models are numerous and seem to stretch from 08' - 09'. If you are having this issue and want to fix it yourself, read on.
TOOLS: #2 Philips Screwdriver, Wire Cutters, Soldering Iron, Desolder wick (with Rosin), Rosin Core Solder, Replacement parts (will be determined after disassembly).
The first thing we need to do is unplug the TV and move it to a good work location. You will need a soft place to place the TV, perhaps on a carpeted floor or on a blanket placed over the kitchen table ;).
Remove the 4 screw for the stand (RED area) and then pull the TV off the stand and place the TV face down on you soft work surface. Remove the 4 large screws (GREEN area) and the rear cover screws (YELLOW areas). Now remove the rear cover (screw location may vary depending on your exact model, so please make sure have them all out first).
Depending on your model, you may have a metal shield covering the boards. If not, you can skim ahead...
There are 2 major boards that will be front and center inside your TV. On the left we have the SMPS... this is where we will be working. So, we need to remove the shield cover to get to it.
Now that we have the cover off, we are able to take a closer look and locate the faulty parts. Have a look at the upper right corner of the SMPS (Switch Mode Power Supply). You will see a cable going over to the main board on the right... in this area you will find the problem.
The faulty parts are capacitors. The tops are generally swollen and often have blackened material exposed or leaking from their bulging tops.
You will need to identify the electrical value of the parts and locate suitable replacement parts (try Radio Shack). The values may be 1000uF 10v, or 2200uF 10v... whatever they may, you replacement part have an identical uF value but a higher v value... ex: Original, 1000uF 10v -> Replacement, 1000uF 16v. This will help prevent this problem from reoccurring.
Once you have the replacement parts, you are all set to install them. So, unplug the connection on the SMPS and remove the screws from the board. Heat up that soldering iron and remove the capacitors. Use the Desolder wick to clean up the pads, this will allow you to insert the new capacitors with ease. Be careful, these parts have polarity. This means that they need to be installed the same way you removed them... positive to positive and negative to negative. Each capacitor has a negative terminal, each mount location has a negative hole and it is indicated by the wide black band. After you insert each part, fold the legs over on the solder side of the board so that the part does not fall out and stays in position. Once you have all the parts reinstalled, solder them in. Make sure you make a clean electrical connection. Now use your wire cutters to trim the excess legs. Be sure to trim them close so that they don't touch any other electrical connections on the board.
Your SMPS is now fixed and ready to go... reinstall it into the TV and connect the wire harnesses back up to the SMPS. Double check your work. Are all the connectors back in place? Ok, now you should test your work before putting the whole TV back together. Prepare the AC cord, use an extension cord if needed. You will need to flip the TV up on to its top edge (upside down, screen facing you). Plug the AC cord into the TV and press the power button. Do you see the Video/Input indicator or RF snow on the screen? If so, well done! If not, unplug the TV and check you work.
You are now ready to reassemble the TV and return it to service.
** If you need some assistance in the soldering area, please have a look at my Tip "Soldering on the kitchen table, Class 101". I cover the actual soldering of a capacitor in more detail there.
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