Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

[fluxthat]

I have a Samsung UN50H6201 that stopped working for no obvious reason. There is backlight but no picture. I replaced the power and tcon boards since it cost me less than $20. (Please spare me your lecture on "throwing parts".)

The replacement tcon board the three lights came on, as normal. When I looked at the screen it was operable but there were many lines in it near the center. A minute later the VREF light on the tcon board then went out and it went back to backlight and black and no picture. So I obviously blew something on the tcon board but I can't figure out what.

One thing I did figure out is that if I have right LCD ribbon disconnected and left connected that half the screen works (no lines) and the other half turns white, and the VREF light on the tcon board comes back on. OTOH if I have left LCD ribbon disconnected and right connected it is backlight and black and no picture on either side.

I read another post in here last night about a similar issue and the response was a brief "panel problem". Does anyone have more information about common problems in that area or how I might diagnose or repair the board going into the LCD (that is, the board that takes the LCD ribbon, I don't know its name). It doesn't look like something I can just order.

[Andrew F. Ali]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

Bad Panel

[budm]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

Bad panel, start looking for shorted capacitors oN the Tab bonding board.

[fluxthat]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

Ok. I've checked the board twice for shorted capacitors and can't find any. Do you have any other ideas?

[budwich]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

post a picture of the full screen when you get the "half working screen" situation. That will indicate more about the panel problem.

[nomoresonys]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

A panel problem can take out/destroy every tcon you put in.

[Andrew F. Ali]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

The Tab Bonding Bd. or the Source Bd. is the long board/s at the edge of the Panel. There are ceramic capacitors that fail by shorting and blank out the picture information to the screen but since the screen is being powered it shows as white.

[budm]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

Ok. I've checked the board twice for shorted capacitors and can't find any. Do you have any other ideas?

Which did you check? The tab bonding boards?

[fluxthat]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

Which did you check? The tab bonding boards?

I checked the boards that the ribbons from the tcon goes into. There are two boards, one for each side of the screen. They are hidden under the bezel. They have the ribbons going into the LCD. In the pic I posted they would be at the very bottom.

I don't suppose anyone has the service manual for this model? I will take a picture of the boards and the screen and post it when I have a chance. Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

[fluxthat]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

I haven't had time to work on the TV this summer. I'm thinking about listing it for free to see if someone wants it. Just to confirm I did check the tab bonding boards for capacitor shorts but didn't find any. I took pictures of the TV which are attached.

They show when only the ribbon for the tab bonding board on the right side of the screen (left in the pictures) is connected. (Otherwise the TV is all black and the VREF light on the T-Con does not come on.) Note also I was testing a different main board (UN50J) when I took this pic so the picture is flipped but it otherwise the same with the UN50H main board.

If I flex the tv at the bottom (the top in the pics) like from side to side a little the white bars will disappear while that side of the screen will slowly fade to black on its own and then after a second come back to white with the bars. Do you think this is worth any more time?

[budwich]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

IF there are tabs along the side, then it might be possible to save the set by removing those as they potentially have a problem with them based on your "cable removal test".

IF there are no side tabs, you might still get "lucky" using the "tape cutoff method" which uses a bit of tape on the tcon connector to block some of the pins that are driving that side of the screen.

[fluxthat]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

IF there are tabs along the side, then it might be possible to save the set by removing those as they potentially have a problem with them based on your "cable removal test".

IF there are no side tabs, you might still get "lucky" using the "tape cutoff method" which uses a bit of tape on the tcon connector to block some of the pins that are driving that side of the screen.

Can you show me what you mean by side tabs and tape cutoff method. I googled it but did not see anything relevant. On my TV there is basically a cable from the main to the t-con, two from the t-con to individual driver / tab boards and a bunch from the tab boards to the panel. All the tabs (and by that I'm assuming you mean the actual bonds of the ribbons to the panel) run along the bottom.

[neilc6]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=50646

[keats11]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

I had a similar TV (model UN50H6203), uses the same Tcon board (and hence the same panel). Same issue, no video with backlight on power on. In my case the right half of the screen had the fault. I took the tcon out and looked at the multiple traces that run to the panel on the Tcon board. All of them have a reisistor in series before they hit the pins on the connector to the flat cable. I removed the first resistor corresponding to the corner of the TV (In this case right corner) and installed it. Vola, TV fired up with a picture and played for over an hour without any problem before I shut it off. The only minor issue is that if you look carefully on some scenes, the right top of the TV shows faint horizontal lines. I have attached a picture of the TV as soon as it worked, although you cannot see the lines in this picture.

[fluxthat]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

All of them have a reisistor in series before they hit the pins on the connector to the flat cable. I removed the first resistor corresponding to the corner of the TV (In this case right corner) and installed it. Vola, TV fired up with a picture and played for over an hour without any problem before I shut it off.

Cool thanks! I still have the TV and I will try that this spring.

[nwcs]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

Keats11 may I ask how you determined which resistor to remove? I tested every resistor and they all have the same value except one towards the middle that is lower.

[neilc6]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

Check the thread I posted #13. There is a problem in the panel and the workaround is to either block pins on the ribbon cable, cut the tab bond (youtube link in that thread) or in this case remove resistors on the tcon board. Blocking pins on the ribbon is at least reversible.

[DoctorCueNC]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

Check the thread I posted #13. There is a problem in the panel and the workaround is to either block pins on the ribbon cable, cut the tab bond (youtube link in that thread) or in this case remove resistors on the tcon board. Blocking pins on the ribbon is at least reversible.

Hi, just picked up a tv with this issue for free and thought of troubleshooting it. Is there a YouTube video or post that shows how to perform the tape block method?

[neilc6]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

Disconnect the ribbon cables from the tcon to the panel one at a time to determine which side is bad. You need to flip the lock up to remove the cable. Power tv off between attempts. You should get a good picture on one side. On the side that is bad, block the metal contacts of the ribbon on the outside edge with scotch tape or shipping tape. I would start with blocking 2-3 pins and increase if it doesnt work. Again power off the tv between attempts.

[DoctorCueNC]

Re: Samsung UN50H6201 panel problem, half screen

Disconnect the ribbon cables from the tcon to the panel one at a time to determine which side is bad. You need to flip the lock up to remove the cable. Power tv off between attempts. You should get a good picture on one side. On the side that is bad, block the metal contacts of the ribbon on the outside edge with scotch tape or shipping tape. I would start with blocking 2-3 pins and increase if it doesnt work. Again power off the tv between attempts.

Thanks!