Panasonic Plasma Electrical Woes

Watching TV this morning (Panasonic THD-42PWD6UY 42" plasma), an odd thing happened. The picture suddenly went blank and the power light (green when lit, red in standby) was flashing red. Attempting to turn it back on via remote control. I cycled power from the front (remote goes in and out of standby while the front panel actually turns it off) and nothing happened. Finally, I left it off for 20 seconds, turned it on and everything was back to normal. 10 minutes later it happened again. And then again.

So I'm contemplating that my plasma has failed and I'll be fighting for a warranty replacement. A visit to my toolkit proved me wrong. Using a simple circuit tester showed that the outlet was ungrounded, along with the other three outlets on the string. The power strip also indicated not grounded (although it only flickers elsewhere in the house that the tester says is grounded). An extension cord from another outlet solved the problem. Apparently the Panasonic plasma automatically shuts itself off if it detects an electrically unsafe condition and starts flashing the red standby light.

So I'm buying a Ideal 61-155 SureTest Circuit Analyzer from mytoolstore.com. I haven't experienced their service but they have a great selection of high-end and specialty tools at very good prices. I've wanted to buy a high-end analyzer for a while so this was the perfect excuse. It's unclear what it will tell me -- I'm hoping one of the outlets will read differently (and need replacing). Or I can troubleshoot at the breaker panel. Otherwise its down to the crawlspace (difficult in the depths of winter) to take apart the electrical junction for the string of outlets. Probably corroded or nibbled by critters.

Just a contribution to googlespace. Couldn't find anything similar.

Edit: About 2-3% of all Panasonic plasmas manufactured between June and August have this problem. It has to do with an out of spec component in the power supply. It's exhaustively documented on avsforum though Panasonic has not acknowledged it publicly or with a service bulletin. It's amazing how big 2-3% of people can sound when they're perturbed and have all gathered in a specialist community -- sounds more like 80% (which would be ten thousand posts instead of several hundred). I'm wishing I hadn't bought the broadcast model now -- warranty requires delivery to a service center.

Comments

[Erin]

Having the same issue with my panasonic 42" plasma screen (model TH-42PWD6UY). I've had it for 3 and half years and it just started shutting itself down a couple of weeks ago. The TV repairmen took it away this morning and gave me a $500-600 estimate.
I think I would be just as happy if not happier with a new Tube TV for that same price, but I don't want to contribute another broken television to America's wastepile. So I'm doing this for the good of the environment, but I'm not entirely happy about it!
I called Panasonic and the person I spoke to said they didn't "know anything about any problems with this model on the internet." Whatever, Panasonic! Sure sounds like a canned response to me. I'm not happy with them at all.

[Kate Simenas]

I just bought a 58" Plasma (Model TH-58PX60U) six weeks ago, yes I did say 6 weeks ago. I turned on my TV went on for about 3 seconds and then shut down and has the 5 blinking red lights flashing (screaming throw me in the garbage!)on the front. I have unplugged the TV for about 20 mintues and then replugged in and it goes through its cycle then off again! Hmm I am sensing a problem with Panasonic TV's. Lucky me gets to have someone come out to see it now because Best Buy wont refund my money on it. Manufactured August 2006, should have spent more and bought a Sony I see.

[Alex Torello]

I have a Panasonic TH-50PHD7UY plasma purchased 18 months ago manufactured July 2005. Lately it has been shutting down (blinking 7 times). I have found that I can get it back online if I continually power up and down the monitor (using the botton on the unit, not the remote). It usually takes about 3-5 minutes of continually pressing the button on and off but eventually goes green again. For now I'm keeping the monitor on all the time until I get it fixed. I've heard that seven blinks means a power supply issue. I had an estimate of $500 to repair. I'm going to see if I can buy the part and replace it myself. I guess extended warranties are vital with plasmas for the time being.

[mike williams]

I own two Panasonic HDTVs, one 32 CRT and 42 plazma. Both have the shutoff glitch. The plazma, just outside or warranty won't stay on more than 3 seconds. They blink red codes apparently used in unpublished technical service manuals.

TV power supplies don't fail within a year or two. What's failing here is more likely a combination of quality control and customer service.

Please visit/post this blog: ShutOffPanasonic, it should be indexed on google in a few days. We'd like to get to the core of this problem with Panasonic televisions.

We deserve better.

Best of luck,

Mike

[Lisa]

I have a Panasonic TY-ST05-S which shuts off into standby. It's also turned itself on in the middle of the night. The shutting off seems to be 'heat' related. It will happen at 19Celcius indoors, but never when the aircon is set to near freezing. Frequency gets to every 5 minutes, progressively the longer the screen has been on. No flashing red light. Can anyone offer other solutions than wearing coats and scarves to watch TV?

[Doug]

I have the same issue. I Found this fix on AVSForum -

Problem: Upon turning on TV, loud hissing noise could be heard. Once the TV was on and running, when the power was interupted the TV would shut down. Either 5 or 7 blinks will occur depending on unit. It would take 15min to 4hrs to be able to get the TV back on, followed by it shutting down once again.

Fix: Order the new transistor (Part# C5HABZZ00123) from Panasonic for $20.02 plus shipping, comes up to about $30 total.

Remove the back off the unit, find the IC551 on the power supply board. The board is located near the top and off center to the right. The transistor your looking for is located to the far right on the board, attached to a cooling bar. You'll notice most the IC's on this board begin with the number 5, you've got the right board.

Find IC551 and the black transistor with a screw through it, this is the transistor you want. This part number should be CXA1315P, but don't be worried if you don't find it printed on the transistor. Remove the board by unplugging everything and unscrewing the board (5 screws I believe). I wraped the board and

I went to a Local TV Repair guy (a friend) and had him replace the old transistor (CXA1315P) with the new transistor (C5HABZZ00123). Took about 15min with no charge. If you were charged, I'd estimate maybe $20 for his time.

Replace the board, plug everything back in, screw everything into place, and your ready to go. I ran my TV for hours on end to make sure it wouldn't quit. After three weeks of testing the TV through everything that would shut it down, I have yet to experience anything. The TV is NEW AGAIN!!! I am confident this was the issue and has been solved with the new transistor.

The Panasonic Authorized Repair Center in Denver, CO quoted me $500+ for the repair. Another posting showed a bill of $519.19 for his repair from Denver, and he was without his unit for nearly a week. With a little research online, I fixed my Plasma for $30, and it took about an hour from off the wall to back on the wall!!!

I don't check these posts regularly, but figured I owed it to these forums to post this considering this is where I received most of my research. I hope this posting helps.

You can buy the part here: http://www.partstore.com/GetModel.aspx?MfgName=Matsushita&BrandName=Panasonic&ModelNumber=TH42PA20&PartCategoryName=&Keywords=C5HABZZ00123&x=17&y=15

[Dean Thompson]

Has anyone tried the above? I am about to try it out myself and will post back when I have completed the work.
I hope this works, I don't want to have to get another Screen, works fantastic for what I need it for, opps, I mean worked! lol

Thanks for the info guys, this has been a great help and I hope $30 later it will fix it :)

[spr]

Hi, I attempted the install and screwed something up it just flashes now and doesn't even attempt to power on green. HELP! I checked where the part connects to the traces via an ohm meter and it appeared I did it correctly but don't know. HELP!! thanks Sean

[Chris Sunseri]

Just bought a Panasonic TH-58PZ700U 58" plasma HDTV for $4300+ 4 days ago from Circuit City. Took delivery 2 days ago, worked beautifully right out of the box. Tonight, after 1.5 days of use, it suddenly shut itself off, no rhyme or reason why, and the power light began to blink in increments of 7 flashes. Unplugged it from the wall for a few minutes, even unplugged the HDMI cable that was connected to it from the digital cable converter box, but no dice, it still just started blinking at me when I tried to power it up again. I was told, before I decided on this plasma unit, that no one in my area (Gulfport, MS) services plasma or LCD's locally. Searched the internet for information on the problem and found this website. Will call the Panasonic "Plasma Concierge" service tomorrow. If I have to ship this unit out for repair, this piece of s--t is going back to Circuit City for a full refund and I will hunt down the Pioneer 50" Elite series model I wanted in the first place. It's a damn shame that you can't expect to get a quality product when you spend such a large amount of money, and even a bigger shame that Panasonic, instead of fixing their KNOWN manufacturing defect, chooses to, instead, sweep the problem under the carpet by creating this "Plasma Concierge" baloney to fix the problem in post-production, probably because they have some long term contract with the manufacturer of the faulty voltage regulator circuitry. Contact me when the class action lawsuit is filed against these criminals. I'm just glad it did this within the first 4 days of purchase AND right before I had it professionally mounted above the fireplace!

[spr]

OK so make sure that you solder both the top and bottom of the part or it wont work!! I soldered the top and everything is perfect! sweet!!!!

[Dean Thompson]

Just in case you are having trouble finding the part like I did (On BackOrder) from the crappy company mentioned somewhere else, try these guys, and its cheaper.
https://www.vancebaldwin.com/webwiz/wwiz.asp?wwizmstr=WEB.SEE&partnumber=5644488

$27.07 with shipping! and they are in stock.

I will try again, rather then waiting over 9 days to find its on backorder.

[Alan]

after reading all the problem, now concerned me wether i should buy the panasonic TH-58PZ700U. or should i just buy the 52inch sony lcd 1080p? i know lcd uses much lower watts consumtion which will not have this problem. i don't wanna spend $4300 on a panasonic if they will not resolve the problem. need advice pls?

[Dean Thompson]

Got my new transistor and did the repair myself.
Works like it did when it was new! thanks to all you guys for the tips and information relating to the repair.
I can vouch for the above information, it does work, it works fantastic.
Saved me a lot of money buying a new one that I don't need.

[Henryk Kramek]

I just took delivery of a 58 Plasma and got the blinking power indicator light after one day ! Unplugged everything still no resolution. Called Panasonic this morning and the warranty hunt is on. More later

[Joan]

I purchased the same 50" Panasonic TH42PX600U alot are posting about 2 days ago..yes 2 days ago(!!) for my hubby on Father's Day. Same darn thing is happening..no picture..blinking light..CRAP! We even talked to a Panasonic rep that was in the store pushing the product and how GREAT it was! Now this. I am just a BIT upset as most of you sound like you are. We did call the service..as soon as we read the Model #'s to her she immediately said, "You will need service on that Model!" No trouble shooting talk at all..she knew immediately that we bought a darn lemon. Now why didn't the rep tell us about this issue?? What was he doing at the store anyway pushing Panasonic?? Since it is still under warranty they are sending out a tech to fix the issue. I just wish we had known about this before hand..we would have gone with a Sony instead. Which is what I was looking at in the first place..til the guy started talking his "talk" about how good Panasonics are. Geeesh I just feel like I have been blindsided. Once this problem is fixed..is there anything else going to go wrong with it?? Good thing we bought the extended warranty plan..but if we need our TV replaced..I guess we are screwed out of another 300 for the extended warranty. Geesh.

[Greg]

I'm in the same boat with everyone else. I purchased my Panasonic TH-42PX50U about a year and a half ago and 2 days ago I had the same problem as my OSU Beavers were in the middle of routing UC Irvine to continue on to the College World Series. Fortunately I paid for the 3 year service contract through GE. Unfortunately GE is a nightmare of a company to work with so I'm in the hunt as well for repairs. If this problem continues, I will never buy another Panasonic product again. I'll make sure that all my friends and family know about the problems and direct them to this website. Thank you everyone for sharing your input. Isn't the web great?

[Bill]

Happy Birthday... or so I thought. Just took delivery of a Panasonic TH-42PX75U yesterday. Powered it up last night and what did I see but red flashing lights on the front of my TV. Too bad it's not Christmas. Big disapointment. Called Concierge service and they will arrange for service. Hopeful they will fix the problem. I bought this over the Web, or I would take it back. I'll think twice next time. Wish I had seen this site before the purchase.

[Steve]

I just purchased a Panasonic Plasma TH-58PZ700U from Circut City. After reading these posts, I ran back down to the store and added the extended 3-year warranty onto my purchase. Has anyone been through the actual repair of the voltage regulator board on either the 42" or 58" 700U models, and if so, has the unit been OK since the repair? Are you happy with the unit, once you get past the Voltage Regulator problem? I was considering changing my order to the Pioneer plasma, but they only have 720p, they don't have the BlueRay / PS3 1024p mode like this unit does. All the reviews I can find state that the picture on these Panasonic plasma TV's are drop-dead georgeos!

[Steve]

Sorry, I meant to say "1080p mode" above.

[Ned]

I also have this one, model TH-42PWD6UY, that I bought and installed in March 2004 and it started this standy light blinking last night. Mine is blinking 2 times, and then repeating. I've tried the unplugged for the night to no avail, but was wondering, before I go through this part replacement myself (I am handy with a soldering iron and understand ESD precautions) is my problem the same one?? Can I assume that ANY blinking is caused by this IC failing? I want to get "all ducks in a row" before I remove mine from the wall, as it's going to be a pain to do this, and I've got a real nice Bello's glass table below my TV that I don't want to damage (moving this would be a real chore and take a day of cable disconnects, etc) I have a real strong son-in-law and son, but Murphy's Law being what it is... Any suggestions as to what 2 blinks means??
Thanks ahead of time.

[Mike]

I have read a lot on this page regarding 7 blinks and a transistor, I have a TH42PWD7.
The stand by light blinks 7 times, I have checked the voltage points and found voltage getting to SC board but nothing on the board, found that a zero ohm resistor had blown and replaced it. the screen then came back on with a loud whining noise and eventually blew the resistor again.

Does anyone has any ideas as there is no IC551 on this model.

Thanks Mike

[Ben]

Hi, I have a Panasonic TH42PA50A which is about 18months old. It started the switch off and blink problem about 8 months ago, and sometimes fixed itself after I unplugged it for a few minutes. By the time it 'fixed' itself after a month, I had given up waiting for Panasonic to attend the service call to fix it. 8 months goes by and bang it starts happening again!

I thought it used to be 5 red flashes but it's now doing 4. I found this website: http://www.freelists.org/archives/techassist/02-2005/msg01807.html which linked to a tech guide PDF from Panasonic. It says for four flashes it might be the 'P-Board' Any ideas what this is and how to fix it?

Thanks.

[Rich Anderson]

Hi, I have a 3 year old Panasonic TH-42PD25 plasma tv and the other day went to turn it on and it flickered, then went off. The power indicator light blinks 2 times, and the tv will not turn back on. Has anyone had this problem before or knows what 2 blinks mean? Thanks in advance for your help

[Dale]

Help! I can't find the IC551 location on my Th-50PHD6UY. Can somebody point me in the right direction (perhaps a picture)?

Thanks!

[James]

Hi there,

I own a Panasonic TH-42PW6 and have done for 4 years. My TV has recently started playing up by turning itself off and flashing 'Red' Standby light 5 times. Can anybody advise me on what 5 flashes means and how I can resolve this issue please. Its driving me mad as its our only tv and I have just bought a wii.

I have SKy+ runing via scart into the TV with my DVD/Surround sound running off the other one.

PS I live in Scotland

Please help me...

James