Zenith TV - no red color

[Mike S.]

I have a Zenith tv (model Z19A02) that's about 11-13 years old. Today,
the red color went out suddenly. There was no indication that anything
was wrong. Everything else seems to be normal. Does anyone have any
idea what the problem(s) could be? Would it be worth taking it in to
be repaired and how much might it cost to be repaired?

 

[[email protected]]

I have a Zenith tv (model Z19A02) that's about 11-13 years old. Today,
the red color went out suddenly. There was no indication that anything
was wrong. Everything else seems to be normal. Does anyone have any
idea what the problem(s) could be? Would it be worth taking it in to
be repaired and how much might it cost to be repaired?

Likely the walk-in cost of the repair will exceed the cost of a new
flat-screen 19" TV these days. Sadly. I have seen such go for less
than $100.

I will, however, ask a silly question: You have gone over all the
controls and suchlike? Have there been any sudden impacts?

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

 

[Art]

At that age it may be the crt, connections in the video circouts, or other
devices within the processing circuits. May be worth while offing it and
getting something more updated.

 

[Mike S.]

Likely the walk-in cost of the repair will exceed the cost of a new
flat-screen 19" TV these days. Sadly. I have seen such go for less
than $100.

I will, however, ask a silly question: You have gone over all the
controls and suchlike? Have there been any sudden impacts?

The TV seems to be working normally now. It was turned off for about
seven hours and when it was turned back on in the morning, everything
was normal. I wonder if maybe it overheated?

I did check the color controls when it wasn't working. I even hooked
it up directly to the antenna to make sure something else (like the
cable box or VCR) wasn't causing the problem. There have been no
sudden impacts to the TV. It's connected to a surge protector but we
haven't had any storms recently. I know nothing about electronics so
I'm not going to open it up.

It was hot yesterday and the room it's in reached 80 degrees
Fahrenheit. The back of the TV is a couple inches from the wall but
the vents are on the sides and are unobstructed. The TV had been on
for a couple hours when the red went out.

 

[[email protected]]

The TV seems to be working normally now. It was turned off for about
seven hours and when it was turned back on in the morning, everything
was normal. I wonder if maybe it overheated?

That is a safe bet if it came back afterwards. I expect you might have
a single component on one of the boards that does not like heat.
Troubleshooting it might be a bear unless you are familiar with the
circuit and could go right to the general location of the 'red'
section on the board. If it starts to happen sooner and sooner and at
ever-lower temperatures, that would be indicative of a failing part.

Look at it another way... if it limits your use of the television
somewhat, that is not a bad thing, is it?

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

 

[Meat Plow]

That is a safe bet if it came back afterwards. I expect you might have
a single component on one of the boards that does not like heat.
Troubleshooting it might be a bear unless you are familiar with the
circuit and could go right to the general location of the 'red'
section on the board. If it starts to happen sooner and sooner and at
ever-lower temperatures, that would be indicative of a failing part.

Look at it another way... if it limits your use of the television
somewhat, that is not a bad thing, is it?

Yeh get out and enjoy the nice weather

 

[James Sweet]

That is a safe bet if it came back afterwards. I expect you might have
a single component on one of the boards that does not like heat.
Troubleshooting it might be a bear unless you are familiar with the
circuit and could go right to the general location of the 'red'
section on the board. If it starts to happen sooner and sooner and at
ever-lower temperatures, that would be indicative of a failing part.

Look at it another way... if it limits your use of the television
somewhat, that is not a bad thing, is it?

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

This is a perfect one for the novice to practice with. Poking around with a
plastic stick (bic pen works) with the set on can usually track down this
sort of issue.

 

[AJ]

There may be three descrete video driver devices near the Video Jungle IC.
Probable that one of the devices has failed. Easy to check without any
current attached to the tele, check each one with your DMM. The defective
device will definately have different f/r resistance readings.

 

[Mike S.]

Likely the walk-in cost of the repair will exceed the cost of a new
flat-screen 19" TV these days. Sadly. I have seen such go for less
than $100.

The red color went out again two days ago. I called a few repair shops
and they tell me that if it's the tube, it will cost $100 to $200 to
fix which isn't worth it. If it was something that only cost $50 to
fix then I'd probably get it repaired. Unfortunately, most shops won't
diagnose it for free, they charge about $100. It's really such a
shame. I just wish I knew if it's the tube or something small and
simple.