Technika LCD22-218 DVD Combo unit

[Kristoflampie]

Normally participate in the Gas Combustion Chamber section but hopefully 1 of you guys can give me an insight into the murky world of cheap Tesco tellys.
Basically it switchs on manually via the buttons on top but will not change from the DVD screen, will not play a disc and does not respond to the remote at all. Changed the batteries to no avail , can get menus up via buttons but it will not select anything and is just sitting on the blue Technika initial screen with Eject or Read if a disc is inserted.......
Its behaving as if the software has paused, I know its a piece of cheap junk but being an engineer you always wonder if its something simple and the kids miss it for an extra tv away from our main set...... any thoughts anyone??

 

[Sam Gangee]

It will be something simple but how good is your knowledge of electronics and what test equipment have you?

About the only thing the home hobbyist can do is check inside for loose connections and bulging capacitors.

See http://www.satcure.co.uk/accs/television_capacitors.htm#caps

Sometimes the fault is even simpler - just a failed crystal. But determining whether this is so is almost impossible without test equipment and knowledge. Occasionally, the presence of a warm finger on top, or on its connecting wires, will jerk it into life. However, if you can't tell the difference between a crystal oscillator and a 450 volt electrolytic capacitor, I recommend you don't try it!

Sometimes the fault is a crappy solder joint, so small that you can't see it without a microscope. I use one of these:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-0-Mega-...744?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ace8c8d0

(If the eBay listing has gone, search eBay for "USB Digital Microscope". I paid around £30.)

However, even if you can see the faulty connection, you may not have the skill or equipment to solder it.

If you want to learn more about this stuff, start buying books:
http://www.The-Cool-Book-shop.co.uk/electronics.htm

 

[Kristoflampie]

Thanks for the reply, I am a boiler repair technician so I deal a fair bit with electronics but usually in a dingy cupboard or loft!....
Did take the back off it and examined all the Pcbs with a torch , straightened out a few capacitors etc that had leaned into each other checked all the solder I could ,not with a microscope though.
Tend to think as it only cost us a £100 it may be a bit past putting effort and expenditure into as it is a Tesco cheapy but as an engineer you think you can have a wee bash at most things whilst recognising your limits.
I have all the usual multimeter, clamp meter and soldering stuff amongst other tools and Google is amazing for identifying stuff.
I guess I was just hoping some common issues with these would be tossed up that I could centre on , Ive managed to fix my kids Wii and DS like this with a bit of pooled knowledge , hey you never know!!

 

[Sam Gangee]

The leaning capacitors might be a sign that internal pressure is forcing out their rubber bungs.

The cost price is irrelevant. What matters is the replacement cost. If a repair costs less than £100 and is likely to last 2 years, it's probably more cost effective than buying a replacement. So you need to find someone who can give you a guesstimate, such as http://www.digifixltd.co.uk

There's at least one free TV fault database and one subscription database. However, there are hundreds of TV models and the same fault is reported twice for modern TVs, fairly rarely. Part of the problem is that TV repairers are a dying breed. Nobody wants to pay for a repair - even though it's quite often the cheaper and "greener" solution.

 

[Kristoflampie]

Thats not a bad idea , we have a repair guy close by , I think I may pop in and see if he can give it the once over , see if its financially viable. Like you say it may be something simple or it may be out the window cost wise.
Thanks for your input, Ill add a bit if it gets fixed or otherwise, always interesting to know outcomes....