We have a Samsung HDTV 55″ inch LCD TV which is showing lines (vertically) and getting extremely hot. At times it powers on at only half of the brightness for a 20 seconds or so and then goes completely black like it is turned off. I do not know what I should be looking for or how to diagnose these TV problems. Do you think that replacing the power boards would be a good place to start? Maybe I need to open up the TV and start to check to see if the capacitors are okay? Where do I even get these TV repair replacement parts? Please help.
The issue could be related to a bad capacitor or capacitors. Maybe 10 years ago there was a Chinese capacitor supplier company selling faulty and low quality caps. Your TV may have these.
THINGS TO TRY TO FIX YOUR TV FAST:
- Try to connect all connectors including HDMI, coax, etc, to be sure all inputs are producing same issue.
- Push the HDMI connector firmly into the back of the set.
- Be sure your actual cable is not bad and causing the issue.
First: Open up the TV case (unplugged of course) and look for a bulging or leaking capacitor. If you see any that are leaking or fat and bulging, replace them. If you find no bad caps, you could replace the complete circuit board but that may be more than the TV is worth. Some of these issues are common on Samsung, Sony, Vizio, and Toshiba. Here are some places to buy caps and circuit boards for replacement HDTV parts.
2 Types of lines on a broken LCD TV screen
Possible Components That Could Be Bad:
Bad T-Con Main Control Board can cause vertical lines or half of the screen is black. Horizontal lines usually indicates a defective screen not a bad t-con board.
Bad Power Supply (Bad Capacitors, Blown Fuse, Bad rectifier) This means that the TV won’t turn on or shuts off randomly.
TV repair – Vertical lines on flat panel TV
- You have to find out, are the lines vertical or horizontal?
- Are the lines a certain color or black and white?
- What section of the TV, do the lines show up in?
- The top half?
- The lower half?
- The right side?
- Or the left side
- Is your screen discolored?
- Do the lines always appear on the screen when using different inputs?
- If you switch from HDMI-1 input to HDMI-2 input, are the lines still there?
- Do the lines on the screen show up over the menu or behind the menu?
- Do the lines always appear on the screen or are they intermittent?
HOW TO FIX LED TV VERTICAL LINES ON SCREEN
Do you have experience in fixing these types of TV issues? Please leave a comment below.
Written by Keith Schneerer
Certified Appliance Tech · Founder, RemoveAndReplace.com
Keith has spent 30+ years repairing machines, starting as a military mechanic and later maintaining food processing equipment before moving into appliance repair. He founded RemoveAndReplace.com to share field-tested repair advice.
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Mike Vitucci,
When you took your Samsung 40 inch TV apart, did you check to see if the screen had visible damage?
Check ribbon cables for damage or not connected secure?
Checked boards for bad or popped caps?
Checked wire harnesses for damage or not connected secure?
Where is the black line located exactly, absolute middle?
How wide is the black line?
Does it appear no matter what INPUT you have the TV switched to?
-RR
I have a black line going down the middle of my screen. Don’t know how to fix it. Took apart the tv three times. It just gets worse. Samsung 40 inch.
Aaron Burke,
Just so we do not give you the wrong part numbers… can you tell us the complete model number and serial number of your TV?
-RR
Thank you. Do you by chance know what those boards are called? I can find t-con and main boards but nothing close to what I need.
Aaron Burke,
You can type in your TV model number + REPLACEMENT PARTS in Google, find a reliable site that sells parts.
Find your exact model number TV.
Once you do, did deeper and see if they sell the 2 small boards that you need.
You may need to look on eBay as some parts are very difficult to find.
-RR
Ok so I was finally able to pull it apart and I found 2 circuit cards on the bottom of the tv inside the bezel that goes around the outer edge of the tv. Both of the cards have corrosion and verdigris on them. They are very small about 1 1/2 inches wide but long and each is connected via a separate ribbon cable. It’s there any way to replace them?
Chali Andy,
You need to let the soda that was spilled on the TV to completely dry out.
If you turn the TV on it may damage the screen permanently.
Let it sit for a few days to dry.
The only issue is that the substance that was spilled was soda.
The soda contains sugar and other substances that when it dries, it will leave residue.
This residue will leave marks on the screen if not properly removed.
You may need to open the TV and remove the residue to be sure there is nothing left in the TV when you turn it back on.
The TV may be permanently damaged depending on how long you left it on after the spill occured.
-RR