PDP-42BK Black vertical lines

Comment by stanpok, posted on Aug 07, 2008I had problems with my Planar PD42ED Plasma TV. The picture was messed up. As Planar was not a popular brand, there was a reluctance by most repair shops and technicians to look at my TV. I called Planar and tried to get some help from their technical support folks. I was told by a Planar rep that they no longer carried my type of TV because the company that manufactured it for them had gone out of business. They also no longer carried replacement parts. But they were nice enough to send me the Service manual which also included circuit diagrams.

I had the TV looked at by a repair shop authorized by the major brands to service their products. After doing their diagnostic tests, I was told the problem was caused by a defective X-Main board. They said they couldn't get a replacement board and as a result, were unable to fix it. I told the clerk who called me to give me the number of the part that had to be replaced. He gave me the incorrect part number which sent me off on a wild goose chase. I found it strange that I could even find a used part. So I went to the repair shop and had them show me the defective board. I wrote down the part number I read off the board. At that point I realized the part number he had given me was wrong.

After I got home I went online and googled the part number and found it. I ordered the part from shopjimmy.com and received it in about a week. At that point I was going to switch it out myself and save $100 in installation fees but changed my mind in case the replacement part was defective. That was a good move because after the technician installed it, there were problems. He ended up have to make adjustments to some voltage settings somewhere else in the TV to get it working properly.

This whole experience has taught me a few things:

- Not all technicians know how to repair Plasma and LCD TVs. For Plasma and LCD TVs, it seems that a place authorized by the major vendors will have technicians with the experience and training to do the job properly.

- The part list included in the service manual may not always show the correct part numbers. This is because there could be different configurations of the panel and the panel in your TV can have another configuration not specified in the Service Manual. If replacing a part, always use the part number found on the actual part to be replaced in the TV.

- You may wish to validate the part number provided by the repair shop. Although the technicians really seem to know what they are doing, the clerk who called me to tell me what the problem was, gave me the wrong part number. He also told me to scrap the TV because parts were no longer available. If I had followed his suggestion, I would not have my TV today.

If your TV continues to give you problems, I'd suggest contacting Planar and getting the Service Manual for your TV. The problem you are having with the set may be described in it along with a possible solution. Unless you have the technical skills and knowledge necessary to do proper diagnostic testing, bring your TV to a reputable repair shop. I contacted the folks at LG and they gave me names of some of the repair places near my home. If you endup need to replace a part, go to a site like eBay.com and see if somebody is selling it.

Good luck!