Topic: The death of my Panasonic TH-42PV70

[fnvillafuerte]

Mine died last night with the dreaded "12 blinks of death".

A few months before it happened, the panel showed "green dots" randomly scattered in the viewing area.  These green dots appeared for a few second and dissapear, with no pattern of the time it will reappear.  Then last night the sad news; my plasma shut down and the power lamp in front blinked red for 12 times in repeating pattern.  I googled this blinking pattern and I found out:

"All Panasonic Plasmas feature a protection circuit that will force the TV to shut down in case of a problem. _The malfunctioning part can be identified by the numbers of blinks of the power light."

*BLINKS PROBLEM CHECK POINT*
 
1 blink STB 5v SENSE Time Out DG-Board
2 blinks 15v SOS D-Board
3 blinks 3.3v SOS D-Board 
4 blinks Power SOS P-Board
5 blinks 5v SOS D-Board 
6 blinks Driver SOS 1 SU-Board / SD-Board / SC-Board (SC Energy Recovery Circuit) 
7 blinks Driver SOS 2 SU-Board / SD-Board / SC-Board (SC Floating Voltage Area)
8 blinks Driver SOS 3 SS-Board SS Energy Recovery Circuit
9 blinks Panel Config SOS
10 blinks Sub 5v SOS / Main 3.3v SOS DG-Board DTV 9v SOS / Tuner Power SOS
11 blinks Fan SOS PB-Board
12 blinks Sound SOS H-Board
13 blinks Communication Error with DG-Board IC8001 (Pesks Lite 2)
  
I bought my unit Dec 2006 from the late Sonny Tuazon of The Home Theater in Makati.

I already contacted Panasonic Phils and arranged for a home service.  I will post later the diagnosis and cost of repair.

[Verbl Kint]

Bookmarking this thread. 

[pao9307]

it's a good thing you had the presence of mind to count the number of blinks..sakit talaga ng Pana ang ganito?

[toys4geeks]

considering its 2006-2012, that's a really good run for the model. Hope to hear good news kano repairs niyan.

[joko11]

looking forward for good results in repair

[fnvillafuerte]

considering its 2006-2012, that's a really good run for the model. Hope to hear good news kano repairs niyan.

For me, im disappointed with my unit's lifespan considering that Panasonic is one of the better brand. Im expecting 10 years or more useful life from this unit since i invested 60k++ at the time i bought it! Today, a plasma tv with similar specs will set you back around 26k. See how much I lose here thats why im so pissed with Panasonic! I remember owning Sony and JVC crt tv's before and they both lasted well over 15 years! I estimate that I used my plasma tv for only about 7k hours before it died, based on my average 3 hours daily use for 6 years. Panasonic and other plasma tv brands claims that their panel will last 60k hours but if their electronic  components is only good for a few thousand hours that claim is now moot and academic. Another marketing ploy that went pfffttttt....

[sientobente]

sorry to hear what happened on your 42pv70, i hope panasonic philippines can fix this asap. i'm now fearing for my seldom used pv80. this has been the most expensive tv i bought and it will seriously piss me off if that happens to me too.

[pekspert]

With flat panel tv's these days, trust me, 6yrs is a really good run. A lot dont even make it to 5yrs.  Ako din swerte dun sa syntax lcd tv ko which is still alive and kicking after 7yrs.

The panasonic guys will simply replace the sound board. It is up to you if its worth the cost to do so or just simply buy a new set.

[fnvillafuerte]

...i'm now fearing for my seldom used pv80....

Just watch out for the appearance of green dots, ito yung green speckles na at random kung mag appear. Pagnagkaron nito ang panel mo its a warning na malapit na katapusan ng plasma mo. Its based on my experience, though, your milage may vary.



 

...The panasonic guys will simply replace the sound board. It is up to you if its worth the cost to do so or just simply buy a new set...

Ouch! I just hope its just a capacitor, diode or other simple parts that need to be replaced. I know that replacement boards costs several thousands. Since my unit is no longer under warranty, Pana Phils will not fix it by themselves, i was referred to their authorized 3rd party service center shop located in Mendiola, Manila. Home service is ouright 1.5k, but will be deducted to the total cost of the repair if it will exceed 1.5k. If the unit will be brought to the shop, service charge will be 7h, same rule apply. I will know within this week the cost of repair, will update this thread accordingly.

[Waxx]

Just watch out for the appearance of green dots, ito yung green speckles na at random kung mag appear. Pagnagkaron nito ang panel mo its a warning na malapit na katapusan ng plasma mo. Its based on my experience, though, your milage may vary.



 Ouch! I just hope its just a capacitor, diode or other simple parts that need to be replaced. I know that replacement boards costs several thousands. Since my unit is no longer under warranty, Pana Phils will not fix it by themselves, i was referred to their authorized 3rd party service center shop located in Mendiola, Manila. Home service is ouright 1.5k, but will be deducted to the total cost of the repair if it will exceed 1.5k. If the unit will be brought to the shop, service charge will be 7h, same rule apply. I will know within this week the cost of repair, will update this thread accordingly.

'

if you have the guts to do a DIY. replacing capacitors is easy and cheap... since alam mo narin ang source ng problem and which board.. just open it up.. look for bloated capacitors and replace them..

raon has tons of capacitors minsan piso minsan 5 pesos minsan 30 pesos...

and you have the expert sir jojo to help us out.

hopefully capacitor lang ang problem.

[fnvillafuerte]

if you have the guts to do a DIY. replacing capacitors is easy and cheap... since alam mo narin ang source ng problem and which board.. just open it up.. look for bloated capacitors and replace them..raon has tons of capacitors minsan piso minsan 5 pesos minsan 30 pesos...

...and you have the expert sir jojo to help us out....

You gave me an idea para makatipid, thanks! I called up the service center and retracted my home service request.  Susubukan ko munang buksan yung unit, to see if some parts can be serviceable. I already downloaded the service manual for this model. Nasa service manual yung correct sequence ng pagtanggal ng mga screws to remove the rear cover.  Napakadami ng screws, bale 35 pcs lahat just to remove the rear cover.  Its good that I got hold of the service manual kasi nandun na lahat ng procedures, pati pag identify ng placements of the circuit boards and schematic diagrams.

Sir Waxx, please post here or PM me the contact details of sir Jojo.

Thank you very much.

[Stagea]

Yup, the H-Board is just the rear input board. Hopefully dun nga ang problema para relatively madali.

Tighter na ang tolerances ng electronics ngayon kaya pag may nagfail na part eh makikita mo talaga ang difference or titigil gumana ang unit usually. Unlike mga CRT dati pwedeng madami nang sirang components inside pero tumatakbo pa din.

Yung cost-optimization din sa manufacturing minsan naco-compromise yung useful lifespan ng components (or the entire unit). I don't know of any CE company that designs their TVs for 10 years of trouble-free use pa in this day and age. If you get 10 years sa current flat panels, medyo maswerte ka nun.

Sa engineering stage pa lang, they normally have a target life na more or less. You can often cut corners at paikliin ang overall lifespan nung part basta within target pa yung MTBF nung component at maliit ang deviation sa production. Each component only has to meet the target life of the device, and desirably at the lowest cost to the maker. Grabe na din kasi ang pressure sa makers when it comes to pricing, specs and features that they have to cut down on this to remain profitable (or to maximize profits kung profitable na).

Because of this, kapag mahal ang quoted repair sa older unit it might be better to purchase a bnew unit na lang.

[babed95]

sir same tayo pv8 ko 4 blinks naman which means power board ang diperensya tyak pag pinatignan ko to yun buong power board ang papalitan expected ko na ang mga 10k na gastos, wat if capacitor din kya ang sira lang nito hindi yun buong board? ksi tinignan ko na rin eh sobrang dali lang palitan ang power board kung isang buo mo papalitan ksi parang board lang ng p.c me slot lang na dun nakalagay yun board then pag hinugot mo lang ok na walang komplikadong pyesa yun mga panasonic plasma, ang tanong lang eh makit ako kya ang sirang capacitor hehehe!

[toys4geeks]

sir same tayo pv8 ko 4 blinks naman which means power board ang diperensya tyak pag pinatignan ko to yun buong power board ang papalitan expected ko na ang mga 10k na gastos, wat if capacitor din kya ang sira lang nito hindi yun buong board? ksi tinignan ko na rin eh sobrang dali lang palitan ang power board kung isang buo mo papalitan ksi parang board lang ng p.c me slot lang na dun nakalagay yun board then pag hinugot mo lang ok na walang komplikadong pyesa yun mga panasonic plasma, ang tanong lang eh makit ako kya ang sirang capacitor hehehe!

basta may ambok or lobo or sunog yung ulo ng capacitor, eh likely yun yon.

if board talaga and decided ka to DIY repair, baklasin mo board and bring to your repairer. they usually replace capacitor and or resistors na bumigay/nadamay. fuse din if meron man, basta when replacing same rating lang.

sana nga magawa mga units nyo, pero ang tumagal din ha?

[JojoD818]

Sir Waxx, please post here or PM me the contact details of sir Jojo.

I'm here bro.   

If ever you muster the cojones to open up your plasma, locate the problematic board (based on the blink codes) and post photos here. In different angles may also help.

!!! Make sure the darn thing is unplugged and left un-powered for at least 30 minutes before you do. !!!

Good luck.

[titopepe]

considering its 2006-2012, that's a really good run for the model. Hope to hear good news kano repairs niyan.

actually pv70 una kong nakitang magandang plasma...

alam ko sinasabi pa noon atleast 20years life expectancy nito...

[Stagea]

actually pv70 una kong nakitang magandang plasma...

alam ko sinasabi pa noon atleast 20years life expectancy nito...

Yep, I think projected lifespan yun ng phosphors in the panel based on LTHB rating (life to half brightness). 60000 hours ang claimed ng most makers that time (including Panasonic), which should be about 20 years nga for daily use ng 8 hours a day. Calibrating the panel to achieve maximum contrast can reduce this to 20000 hours or so, but that would still be a fairly long time. The thing is, they're just saying that the panel won't dim too much within that period. They're not saying that the panel won't fail.

To make things worse, it's unlikely na i-design nila for a 20-year average life yung panel (and far less pa yung the rest of the TV). Maraming variables, pero in general TVs these days are no longer designed to last (at least not last as long as yung mga lumang CRT na kinasanayan natin noon).

Tighter manufacturing tolerances now allow makers to optimize production --- reducing production costs to a minimum without rolling out too many defective units (units that fail within the range of their intended life), even without rigorous quality control. This is the reason why they can cram so many features at ever lowering price points. This also means na fewer ang susuwertehin with very long-lasting TVs dahil maliit ang deviation sa production.

[ck_kent]

I think it's what you call "Planned Obsolescence."   

I just want to share a video about "Planned Obsolescence Conspiracy."  It's 52mins. long.  It's about how manufacturing companies supposedly limit the lifespan of a certain product so consumers will have no choice but to buy a new one even though they can make a product last much longer than they do now.  Depending on whose point-of-view, it may be good or bad.  Apparently, the first victim of this was the light bulb.  We may have light bulbs today that promises to last for 8,000hrs or 20,000hrs but there's a light bulb that's been going on for 110 years! -> http://www.centennialbulb.org/

If you have the time do watch it and learn some more about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bxzU1HFC7Q

[Stagea]

I think it's what you call "Planned Obsolescence."  

I just want to share a video about "Planned Obsolescence Conspiracy."  It's 52mins. long.  It's about how manufacturing companies supposedly limit the lifespan of a certain product so consumers will have no choice but to buy a new one even though they can make a product last much longer than they do now.  Depending on whose point-of-view, it may be good or bad.  Apparently, the first victim of this was the light bulb.  We may have light bulbs today that promises to last for 8,000hrs or 20,000hrs but there's a light bulb that's been going on for 110 years! -> http://www.centennialbulb.org/

In the case of most CE products like TVs, it may be a higher form of planned obsolescence. They do not generally shorten the life of components for the sake of reducing the life, but are willing to do it if it saves them costs (both up front and in the long run).

They don't want products that fail too soon that they'd be spending more in warranty services and would be losing market share because of poor brand perception. They can only sacrifice life and reliability upto a point (this becomes a design constraint), and they'd normally do all the savings that they can apply up-front in manufacturing as long as they can meet that target. Component specifications are often selected with this design constraint factored-in, as this is a performance expectation from an engineering standpoint.

Finally, the Marketing gurus have more to do with the design than you may think. They generally feed the engineering team with many of the constraints (like how much a product can cost, what features would be desirable, how long the product should last, what finishes sell, etc.).

Back to the lightbulb. Our manufacturers can make long-lasting lightbulbs if there is a demand for it. It's just gonna cost more and won't be as energy-efficient. Running a bigger and cooler filament will extend service life given the same metallurgy, at the expense of brightness, efficiency and cost.

[Stagea]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bxzU1HFC7Q

I just watched the video. This is true. That is how the consumer economy works.

This is also why many Soviet-era goods are so durable, no matter how undesirable they are. The Finnish countryside still has a lot of aged and running Soviet cars, tractors, etc.

[erwin111]

suggest ko lng kung tutuloy sa pag DIY, kung pwedeng mapalitan yung mga e-caps, palitan na lahat.. kasi yung failure ng e-cap malamang nasagad na yung life nya.. kung may target life yung mga manufacturers, malamang nasa five years lng yung calculation nila (malamang calculated pa yun sa ambient na 25degC, eh pagkainit sa atin ngayon, mas bababa pa ang life ng e-cap), so baka yung nagfail na unang e-cap, masundan na ng iba... malapit ng "matuyo" kung baga.. so kahit walang sunog or lusaw or ambok yung e-cap, mas magandang mapalitan na.. kadalasan naman ang nagpapababa ng life ng electronics design ay yung e-caps, kaya yung part na papalitan, hindi lang rating ng voltage at capacitance, pati rin life hours...

[Stagea]

suggest ko lng kung tutuloy sa pag DIY, kung pwedeng mapalitan yung mga e-caps, palitan na lahat.. kasi yung failure ng e-cap malamang nasagad na yung life nya.. kung may target life yung mga manufacturers, malamang nasa five years lng yung calculation nila (malamang calculated pa yun sa ambient na 25degC, eh pagkainit sa atin ngayon, mas bababa pa ang life ng e-cap), so baka yung nagfail na unang e-cap, masundan na ng iba... malapit ng "matuyo" kung baga.. so kahit walang sunog or lusaw or ambok yung e-cap, mas magandang mapalitan na.. kadalasan naman ang nagpapababa ng life ng electronics design ay yung e-caps, kaya yung part na papalitan, hindi lang rating ng voltage at capacitance, pati rin life hours...

Your rudimentary numbers are actually pretty close. They normally target the lifespan using typical conditions (usage pattern, environmental conditions, etc.), while still trying to make sure that the products won't fail within the warranty period after the sell by date as long as the conditions within the operating range is maintained (the operating range is normally pretty wide).

The idea is that the majority of consumers would have replaced their units with newer and more attractive models before the end of life is reached. Products that are often upgraded tend to be designed with shorter useful lives.

[ninjababez®]

@TS
na-check na yung internals bro?

[disturbed]

our PV80 gone bonkers na din 2 weeks ago..and I will just start my research on it..and this is on the 1st page hehe

the display is grainy/hazy, colors not correct anymore, even the native menu color are different, magenta, pink, etc..its disappointing..the thing is I watched on the plasma before I went back to Manila..when I reached Manila..mom called me that the plasma is broken..

bought it Dec 2008..its just 3 yrs old plus

to the TS..can you provide contact info? or the location of the shop..I might go there personally and I am hoping that they have service center in the pampanga area..can't find service center numbers on the pana ph website..

[disturbed]

^ any help mga sirs?

[halvert]

nakakatakot na balita naman ito for me. i just bought a plasma and while mas mura na...i'm hoping to get at least 10 years from this tv.

[Stagea]

nakakatakot na balita naman ito for me. i just bought a plasma and while mas mura na...i'm hoping to get at least 10 years from this tv.

You might need to adjust your expectations sir. Medyo bihira na ang ganyang mga TV ngayon.

[wetworks]

 Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I wanted to know from the OP--were you able to repair your 42PV70? Mine recently lost it's picture (but with sound)--I already brought a replacement (bigger of course :-D), but wanted to know options if I can still get the old plasma repaired.

TIA!

[Macmon]

Wow, just read this thread now. Lifespan of 3 to 6 years. Seems very short for such TVs

[nerveblocker]

I presently have 4 Panny plasmas (PV70, PV8, X50, UT30) and 2 of these are of the same models that were posted. I fear of the early demise of these TVs as well. If this thread report more dead plasmas, I would consider buying LCD/LED TVs in the future.  I have observed that computer monitor LCDs last long. Would this also apply to LCD TVs?