Benq plasma salvagable or write off?
 

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Does anyone here work on plasma displays?

A friend of a friend got a "deal" and a faulty Benq 46W1 plasma display and I've been asked to fix it. I know nothing about plasmas. So far I've had a quick look at the image on screen and it's not looking promising.

There is section of the screen extending in approximately 4 inches from the left side that is completely dead. The edge of the dead area is an irregular shape, not a straight line of pixels. Approximately 4 inches in from the right side there is a blue vertical line 1 or 2 pixels wide. The Benq logo is burnt into the center of the screen. There are random flickering red pixels visible against the black background with no source connected. When a source is connected a red snow takes over most of the image (other than the dead section).

I'm guessing that that short of replacing the panel there is nothing that can be done about the dead section, blue line and screen burn. If the red snow can be dealt there may be enough screen area left for a 4:3 image which is better than nothing.

Any suggestions?

Should I build the world's first plasma fish tank? :)

The biggest service issue I hear about with all flat panel TVs is parts availability. Can you get parts for this set? I've never even heard of that brand. I don't really know anything about plasma sets either but it sounds like the display or its driver circuitry is bad. Has the set been dropped or suffered other impact damage? You should probably replace it with a tube type color console.

Plasmas would probably make a better ant farm than a fish tank. :scratch2:

99% of the time from what I have heard a bad display is unrepairable.

Bet it was dropped or whacked on that side. From some of what I hear, these things make CRTs look like bridge abutments, they're so blasted fragile. But they're BETTER, doncha know...Grrrrrrrrr....

It could be louse soldering connections or bad caps, I hear those plasma sets get really hot, but I'm not sure where you should start looking...

:lmao: I like this suggestion here. These old sets will probably outlast the sets they're making today anyway.

Well, hell, they DO have a 40, 45 year head start on 'em...(grin)

With the burnt logo on the screen, it is not worth repairing. That cannot be fixed (other than replacing the panel, which would cost more than a new plasma TV, and an LCD would be a better buy), so the rest is not worth troubleshooting. If you want to just try things, see if you can get a service manual from Benq for it. I have not yet done any plasma or LCD repairs, but I expect/hope to start learning on-the-job soon enough.

A bit of googling suggests that red (or green) snow isn't an uncommon fault with plasmas, especially various Philips/LG models. A couple of sites do say which board needs to be replaced in various models, but they don't actually say what is wrong with the board. I guess they aren't repairable at the component level.

I will probably have a closer look at it if for no other reason than I haven't seen inside a plasma yet. I won't be spending any real time or money on a lost cause though.

Is anyone interested in pictures of a plasma disassembly?

...

They say a fool is born every minute :nono:

Charles

Yes, I would like to hear about (and see) your experiences if you do pull it apart and/or try some repairs.

Now, why would anyone pay several hundred $$ for a broken Plasma TV? Are these buyers unaware that it will cost more to repair than what a new set would cost? Heck, someone would about have to PAY ME to haul one off! Several hundred $$ will buy me a great deal of vintage stuff!

Answer: someone who needs a powersupply, an outer plastic frame, rear case, feet etc would pay decent money for it on ebay. Never forget the person who needs a dead one to fix his own.