A friend of mine has a supposedly rare Sony plasma set... An early model PDM-5510 with the separate receiver box. Cool looking case; whole front of TV is a slab of thick glass, and is clear around the edges. It's in very nice shape, but has a few things wrong with it. He has the paperwork, and it cost $16,000.00 in 2001. And Sony, I guess, only made plasma sets for a short time.

It weighs tons, and I really don't want it, but do any of my fellow TV collectors think it's something that should be saved? Is there any such thing as a future plasma collectable TV? I'd have to buy it (not a freebie), because he's going to keep all the boards out of it if he sends it for scrap.

Charles

Interesting, I would love to the build date. Yes Sony made plasmas for only a short time before pioneering the big LCD market. Although I believe it was either Hitachi or Pioneer that produced the first consumer plasma in 1995.
Would be cool as a piece of nostalgia im sure but the early plasmas lack the black level and high contrasts that the newer plasmas have. If it's dead I can guarantee that the ysus, buffers or power supply are dead.

Let it go to the dump, Sony should have stuck with the Trinitron.

$16k, yikes! Some depreciation!

My thought is, if it were free (or almost free) it might be worth saving if you have the space, but I'm not sure if would make a worthy investment for the future. I don't doubt that they will be collectible someday but that looks a long way off right now.

...

Let it go to the dump, Sony should have stuck with the Trinitron.

AMEN, Brother !!! Never WILL forgive them for dumping it...

If it dosen't cost much, save it.
It will be funny to show the friends that you payed 160 bucks for a tv set that costed 16,000 bucks.
Off-topic: talking about depreciation: I bought in 2005? for my collection of old mobile (celular) telephones and 1996? "Benefon" Delta N.M.T. 450 phone. I payed for it about 5 bucks ... in the '90's it was salled in Romania for about 1.200 dollars! (or if we compared the prices and the sallaryes in Romania of 1996 with the ones from 2005 I think the equyvalent price in 2005 would have been around 4.500 dollars!)

If you could get it for a couple hundred bucks I'd get it, if it still works it'll still make a good spare room set, the look of it alone is awesome!

Is this considered an XBR model? Being a Sony it probably still has a better picture than some of the new cheapo sets out there, and at 16k it was probably built like a tank, first generation stuff usually lasts forever.

Someone on Audiogon was apparently selling one, I borrowed a picture of it.

Document heavily. Take pictures inside and out for history. We need to see what it is like inside.

Cheers, Wizard

You want to see the innards of plasmas. I have a 1999 model pioneer 50" that has a bad panel. I'll take some and post.

If it is repairable, and the price were right I think I would grab the set.
I personally do not think any flat panel will ever be collectable in my lifetime, but the "coolness" factor of having a really expensive and early plasma screen makes it appealing to me anyway. Sorta like a KV 3000r, neat as hell to have one - even though there are better sets out there. And...Eric is correct...it probably produces a better picture than most of the current crop of wall hanger sets.

It has a problem with the display; two black vertical lines as if drawn with a Sharpie pen vertically from the top to the middle. Not feasibly fixable, unfortunately. The new display is $7500, and no longer available. So it works, but it doesn't....

Eric's pic is the one! It's a thick (3/4") hunk of clear tempered glass, with the TV mounted behind it. I'll go get it next week, if I can.

Just to be clear; it has been "spoken for" by a fellow collector.

Charles

Yep. Vertical black or thin colored lines spell death for a flat panel. Those damn ribbon cable mounted drive ics.:thumbsdn:


It has a problem with the display; two black vertical lines as if drawn with a Sharpie pen vertically from the top to the middle. Not feasibly fixable, unfortunately. The new display is $7500, and no longer available. So it works, but it doesn't....

Eric's pic is the one! It's a thick (3/4") hunk of clear tempered glass, with the TV mounted behind it. I'll go get it next week, if I can.

Just to be clear; it has been "spoken for" by a fellow collector.

Charles

You never know with early plasma panel this might have replaceable parts for column drivers?!

Please do document with plenty of pictures.

Cheers, Wizard

That has a B&O sort of vibe to it....and I ain't talking about the railroad either!

Well it would make a heck of an Ant Farm anyhow. :D

i saver an rca 42" plasma they only sold 2 models i believe. this one has a hitachi/fujitsu panel and some fitjsu boards in it. it had a burned connector. fixed that it has a great picture on it. i just liked the looks of it. steve

i saver an rca 42" plasma they only sold 2 models i believe. this one has a hitachi/fujitsu panel and some fitjsu boards in it. it had a burned connector. fixed that it has a great picture on it. i just liked the looks of it. steve

p.s. and it is also very heavy.

Well it would make a heck of an Ant Farm anyhow. :D

Or an Etch-A-Sketch :banana:

My friend who has the set, called and left me a NASTY threat on my voicemail last night... He said I can't have it, unless I take the other three with it :yikes:
The "other three" are the 32" version of the set (also rare, I guess). I still need to negotiate with him on the boards from the 55". He took them out to keep, but I won't take the set with no boards, as the other collector who expressed interest, probably wants a whole set. I'll get it with boards sooner or later. Phooey on taking all this stuff... I might have to sneak over there (if I can find the key to his store, which he gave me years ago for emergency purposes), and deposit a load of big heavy CRT TVs in retaliation.

Charles

Wow! A war between plasmas and CRT's! I have a garage full of old BPC CRT sets! I'm in! Lol

Dump a bunch of Target store house brand sets on him LOL

Darn, if we're going to play "Dump-the-junk-CRT" game, I am a little too late. In the last few months, I could have brought lots of them. Anybody want 200 Sony 27" Trinitrons, all with bad (and burned) CRTs? :)

Well, shit, Charles, you could go 'n' "Exercise" yr Doomsday Horn outside of his shop or somethin'...It DOES need "Exercisin'" now, doesn't it ?!? Mbwahahahahaha...

Wow! A war between plasmas and CRT's! I have a garage full of old BPC CRT sets! I'm in! Lol

A so-called "BPC" CRT is actually an upgrade from a plasma, junk the plasmas instead.

Very true but these sets all have been scavenged for parts and most have bad crt's and flybacks.

A so-called "BPC" CRT is actually an upgrade from a plasma, junk the plasmas instead.

It looks like I might go down to Los Angeles tonight, and grab those sets. My friend has a scheduled pickup from the hazmat recycling truck for tomorrow, so I want to get a look at what all is going. I'll get the 55" plasma, and the 3 smaller ones, and I'm tempted to pick up a mint/working Sony KV-2602 rare NON-REMOTE wood console, which is going on the truck tomorrow. I don't want it, but if I rescue it, maybe I can railroad some poor sap (oops; collector I mean), into taking it later... I've only ever seen a handful of non-remote Sony consoles.

I know I don't have enough self-discipline when it comes to free TVs, so I think I'll get my little '79 Toyota 4x4 shortbed out of storage, and drive it down there. That way, nothing besides the planned rescues will fit!

Charles

Right on Charles! Good luck getting the sets.

I have zero self discipline myself when it comes to rescuing tv's.

Postponement due to a busted water pipe in a rental I had to go fix last night... The sets are safe 'til next time I go down there, so asap....


Charles

I move like molasses in January, but I finally began to haul those sets home last night... I took the three 32" sets first, and a box of extra boards. I didn't get the big one yet, as I need to take a glass rack to safely move it. I have been advised by a few people in the know, that it's safe to move one carefully lying flat, but I just don't want to take a chance. 200 lbs of thin glass lying flat and supporting its own weight, going over a bumpy, winding mountain road just doesn't sound so good.

Also the umbilical cord (from the control box to the display) is mislaid, and I can't even fool with the TV without it. He says it will be found, and he'll put it with the set for me. The 32's are KZ-32TS1, KZ-32TS2; 2000-2002 year models, and evidently they cost $5000 each new!!! OUCH! I should have guessed it since the 55" one was $16K.

According to the searching I did, and word-of-mouth from my friend (Sony-authorized tech since 1977), and others, this is a very rare set. I guess they had problems, as these all died in less than a couple of years for one failure or another. Maybe these will be the CT-100 of 2025? Several people had no idea Sony ever made a small plasma (vs. LCD) set. Note that they don't say "Bravia or WEGA anywhere... Just "FLAT PANEL COLOR TV" on the top of the case.

Charles

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m174/kx250racer/th_SonyPlasmasets.jpg (http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m174/kx250racer/?action=view&current=SonyPlasmasets.jpg)http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m174/kx250racer/th_SonyPlasmasets1.jpg (http://s104.photobucket.com/albums/m174/kx250racer/?action=view&current=SonyPlasmasets1.jpg)

32" plasma sets do exist. I fixed one few week ago (generic). 32" and smaller were popular with people in western countries where space is a premium.

Cheers, Wizard

According to the searching I did, and word-of-mouth from my friend (Sony-authorized tech since 1977), and others, this is a very rare set. I guess they had problems, as these all died in less than a couple of years for one failure or another. Maybe these will be the CT-100 of 2025? Several people had no idea Sony ever made a small plasma (vs. LCD) set. Note that they don't say "Bravia or WEGA anywhere... Just "FLAT PANEL COLOR TV" on the top of the case.

Charles

Last year a coworker gave me a KE-32TS2 that just needed a power supply - it also was marked "FLAT PANEL COLOR TV" on the top of the case. I could not get any documentation or help regarding repairing the power supply, which was not built by Sony - it was a third party unit that Sony used. I attempted to repair the power supply - which someone already attempted to make repairs on, but could not find some replacement parts, so I bought a NEW power supply that had all the latest upgrades on eBay for $135. The set works perfectly, and was well worth the investment. I am keeping the old power supply as a parts donor to make future repairs if necessary.

Last year a coworker gave me a KE-32TS2 that just needed a power supply - it also was marked "FLAT PANEL COLOR TV" on the top of the case. I could not get any documentation or help regarding repairing the power supply, which was not built by Sony - it was a third party unit that Sony used. I attempted to repair the power supply - which someone already attempted to make repairs on, but could not find some replacement parts, so I bought a NEW power supply that had all the latest upgrades on eBay for $135. The set works perfectly, and was well worth the investment. I am keeping the old power supply as a parts donor to make future repairs if necessary.

Two of these sets have blown power supplies, and one of them, evidently has a problem elsewhere in the set which caused a brand-new power supply board to blow. I'd be curious how to troubleshoot a problem like that, at the risk of blowing new boards. In the old days, we'd just look for a load on a line by measuring resistance to ground, and if none found, then slowly bring up a supply on the Variac and watch which line is being pulled down. That's almost impossible with these sets, and even if one WERE to find the problem, these multi-layer boards are a son of a beehive to work on. And this one has a whole load of BGA chips, which require a $50,000 projection soldering machine and an X-ray verifier to replace the chips. I think I'll chicken out on buying any new boards, at least for now.

Charles

I was afraid to invest in a power supply for a 7 year old plasma because I did not know if the panel was shot. I also did not know if there were any other issues with the rest of the electronics. The power supply had a lot of SMD resistors that were buried under globs of silicone - these resistors would burn up as part of the board failure. The previous person that tried to repair it removed the silicone and replaced a lot of the SMD resistors with incorrect value standard resistors. He also made a mess out of the soldering on several power transistors.

The new power supply was a higher revision board, and most of the SMD resistors were replaced with standard resistors. Curiosity and the desire to have a working plasma forced me to take a chance and buy the power supply. I rationalized that this was an expensive set in it's day, and that it should be high quality considering that it is a Sony. I also did a search for reviews, and most of them were favorable.

I also noticed that the panel was not original because it was dated 2004, while the set was manufactured in 2003.

I was looking for a used one at half the cost, but those deals kept falling through because of screwy eBay sellers - 1 seller angered me so much that he received the first and only negative feedback that I ever gave in my 12 years on eBay.

Charles, unplugf the Y and Z sustain boards from the power supply. Probe from ground on the connector of both boards to VS and VG, etc. if there is a dead short, goodbye power supply. Shorts are most likely residing in those IPM modules under the big heat sinks on the Y and Z boards. These boards ate to the left and right of the power supply. Z fires the plasma gas, Y gives the screen data.

Oh yeah. Check vscan to ground onthe left board (ysustain)
This voltage input goes right into the y buffers ( 2 boards on the left connecting from the y board to the screen via ribbon cables. Look at the bga soldered chips. Do any of them have cracks or bubbles? If so most likely shorted and loading down the power supply something fierce. If the smps does not have a protection shutdown circuit ( visually you can tell if it does not if there are no opto-isolators (4 prong dudes with 2 prongs each side) then your power supply is toast. These sonys were most likely manufactured by nec.