Please help! Worth it to repair? (1 Viewer)

[tetonshawn]

Hello everyone, first time posting to the forums and I'm looking for some advice. I was recently given a Runco cw50mc plasma that wasn't working. I took it to have it checked out and they say the smps assembly needs replaced and it's $640 for the repair. I have absolutely no knowledge of these high end displays. So a few questions. This is an older plasma, 7 years old I believe but was originally around $13,000 new. Are there average lifespans on these? Are there new televisions in the same categories that would be similar to this as far as size and quality for the price of the repair? Does this seem like a fair price for such a repair? Currently I have a very inexpensive 24"? tv that this would be replacing so it's tempting as it would be a HUGE upgrade, but I'm afraid of spending the repair money and having something else die on it in a few weeks. Any advice/recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for taking the time to answer my questions.

Shawn

 

[Steve Berger]

Here's a link to some specs.
http://www.hdtvsolutions.com/Runco-CinemaWall_CW-50mc.htm
It's basically a native 720p panel.
My experience has been that it takes about 5-7 years before the circuit boards start failing.
There will be no new circuit boards, only repaired or salvage pieces.
It could have burn-in but you won't be able to tell until the basic problem is fixed.
A common failure is for the panel driver ICs to short out, which will cause the power supply to shut down instantly. One axis has the drivers on circuit boards (replaceable) but the other axis has them as part of the panel itself. (Not repairable)

Your best bet will be to find a servicer who will attempt a component-level repair rather than board replacement.

smps stands for "switch mode power supply", a high frequency DC-DC converter. They are marginally repairable to the component level by a good technician. Some shops have devolved to using board jockeys and have stopped doing traditional repairs. Analog circuits have some repairability but digital ones don't.