I hate to ask a “new´ TV question on this forum but here goes:

For morning news I watch an RCA 621-TS, but for evening news I have a Sony KDL-46V2500, which is a 46” flat panel LCD set.

The 621 has been operating perfectly as long as I have owned it (1997) and restored it, but the Sony only made it three years.

It switches off at random and a red “standby” light on the front blinks four times and pauses then blinks four again. I can pull the plug and give it a minute or a day and it then works again for a minute or a day.

Poking around the free advice on the web discloses a blink code of four indicates a failed Backlight Inverter (four separate PC boards) so I found a set on eBay and have the board set coming in the mail.

This set has fluorescent tubes for backlight and the inverter makes high voltage at high frequency to power the backlight. It makes sense this could be a problem spot considering the life of capacitors in the Arizona hot and dry.

I don’t have a service manual for this set so I don’t know what the blink codes mean and I don’t have the secret password either.

So in the belief some of you on this forum are still in the TV repair Biz, I thought I would ask if I am on the right track.

If you have any questions about the broadcast side feel free to ask me.

Jim

I'll look it up in my service lit friday and post back for you.

This was an expensive tv! Yes, you are on the right track, 4 blinks means a inverter problem on this model, but, there is always a but! The service lit gives the part number for a kit of the inverter boards, and it also says if the new inverter doesn't fix the problem then the panel needs replacing, most likely a lamp is failing. There is a place called Shopjimmy that sells boards they get from damaged tv's they sell for about half to 2/3 the cost of a new board and will take the boards back for a restocking fee if they are not needed. Good luck! Steve.

I bought this Sony TV for its 1080P capability. Through the magic of modern electronics my DirecTV DVR (leased) crapped out about four times and the latest replacement won’t make 1080P, they of course don’t care.

I found a guy on eBay who apparently sells salvaged parts and I bought the two sets of inverter boards which if the second set shows up this weekend I will put in. If that doesn’t fix it, may be time for an LED backlight TV.

I thought possibly one of the tubes but I don’t see a change in the backlight before it clicks off.

Interesting this TV has “TUBES”.

I have a brand new 46 inch Sony LED at the office that arrived with a damaged panel, maybe I can pull off a retrofit.

These flat TV’s have certainly gotten better and less expensive to buy.

Thanks for the help.

Jim

ShopJimmy is a decent outfit.

Jim... be careful when removing/replacing the four (?) inverter boards. It is all too easy to break one of those small diameter flourescent tubes. (Don't ask me how I know).

I used to run a service shop for a video products dealer and I came to hate those little connectors used in Sony stuff.

I have pulled apart several smaller flat panel TV's and those little fluorescent tubes are tiny diameter.

I received the two sets of boards in the mail from the eBay dude but I haven’t pulled the back off to do an operation, I have had the back off this set once. So assuming I have the proper board set I will pick a bright sunlit day and dig in.

The set has been working all the way through to fall asleep on the couch time since I posted this so I may never know if I fixed it or it was really those Sun Spots 

Jim