Common LCD TV features

* HD (High Definition TV)
* HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface)
* VGA port
* SCART (21-pin port)
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What Determines What LCD TV to Buy?

What determines the LCD TV you choose to buy? What should you look for in an LCD TV? I stated earlier in one of my first posts that LCD panels are generally the most expensive parts of LCD TVs, and the most susceptible to damage. So if you're concerned about spending too much on TVs, I suggest you have these tips in mind: First and most important - What LCD panel is usually found in a particular TV model..............

Below is a list of common LCD panel makes/brands:

* Chimei Optronics (CMO)

*  AU Optronics (AUO)

*  LG.Philips

*  LG

*  Samsung

*  Quanta Display Inc. (QDI)

*  Sharp

Also, below is a list of LCD panel models and compatible T-CON, showing also their VCC rating:

NOTE: T-CONs are generally made to accept either 5 or 12Volts VCC.

*   Troublesome screen: Samsung,  32….  T-CON: 324046WHC6L V2.2

*  CMO, V260B1 –L03  Rev. C2

* LG.Philips, LC171W03 (C4)

* Samsung, LPA320AP02

*  LG, LC420WUH-SCM1;  T-CON: LC420WUN-SCA1

*  AU Optronics, T260XW03 V.3

*  AU Optronics, T260XW02 V.1

*  AU Optronics, T370XW02 VC;  T-CON:  12V

*  Samsung, LTF320AA01

* CMO, T-CON: V270B1-L01-C

* CMO, T-CON: V320B1-L01-C,

* Samsung, LTF220MT05; T-CON attached: LTF220MT05S2LV0.3_HF

* Samsung , LTA400HTSL4L V0.3

* CMO,  ; T-CON: V260B1-C0

* LG.Philips, LC420W02

* QDI,

*  AOU, T370XW01  V0-V2

* QDI,

*  BEO

* LG, LC220WXE, T-CON attached-5Volts

* T315XW01_V5/T260XW02_v2;  5Volts

* 320WTS2L2.7

* Sony TV KLV-32S310A  uses Samsung, 320WTS2L2.7 T-CON: 320WTC2L V3.7

* Sharp, LK420D3LA43; T-CON: CPWBX  RUNTK 4323TP

Note: I am still gathering information to post and update. I will be better. If you have read this post, please drop a comment to urge me on.

Why Get LCD TV?

Whereas in developed countries, LCD TVs are so common that you'll likely find them in most households, in certain other parts of the world, they are still very much a novelty. In these parts of the world (like some places in West Africa), people are usually afraid of buying these appliances because they wonder: "If it develops a fault, who's gonna fix it?" But there's good news! Electronics technicians have been keeping abreast with new display technologies even before they started getting common. That's the trend. So, your neighbors generally can find a solution to their faulty LCD TVs.

Terminology Explained

Flex: Also called zebra strip, flex is a flexible strip of silicon or rubber material with embedded thin strips of wires that conduct electricity. It comes in a number of colors like white, orange, brown etc. Here is a picture of a typical flex cable:

                                                   

                       This is one of a pair of zebra strips form a Samsung LCD module (400WTSR4LV0.0)


Pixel: Pixel is derived from the amalgamation of two words, Picture and Element. It refers to one of the thousands of little dots that form the display or graphics on the LCD panel.




Flip-Chip: This is a flexible circuitry usually carrying a chip which is the the pixel driver. Flip-chips that control vertical pixels usually have one end attached to the LCD glass while the other end is attached to the slim PCB that is part and on top of the LCD panel. But some flip-chips that control horizontal pixels have only one attachable end, and attach only to the LCD glass. Below are photos of what I am trying to describe.

                                                      
                                                       A Flip-Chip Attached to a slim PCB
                                         (Underside shown; the black, rectangular part is the chip)

                                      
                                                             The top part of a Flip-Chip

There can be as many as 12 vertical- and 4 horizontal-pixel flip-chips controlling an LCD panel's picture elements. Now in  some LCD panels, one (or two in the case of larger panels like 40" or more) among these flip-chips is probably most vital because it serves as a passage of energy for the horizontal-pixel flip-chips. Pictures of all this I will show as time progresses.

Common LCD panel faults

I thought you would be interested in getting familiar with most of the common faults exhibited by LCD TVs and monitors, and how they are sometimes described. You have probably seen some of them before. I plan to illustrate  these faults by use of pictures.

 Common faults:

* Horizontal bar

* Vertical bar

* Vertical line(s)

* Horizontal line(s)

* White screen

* Grey/Black screen (No display)

* Rainbow display

* No backlight

* Terrible Motion Blurr, etc

However, there is an important question begging for answers. Knowing the answers can help a great deal in understanding why certain faults seem to be common. The question is: why are LCD panels so prone to faults? This is one question I promise to address sooner or later...

If you have been visiting this blog and are interested in the subjects covered, you may add your comments, or you can ask questions if you have any and I will try my best to respond as soon as I can. All the best!

What to expect

I thought that I should wet your appetite further by letting you know what i'll be writing on (ie what to expect to learn from this blog).

Apart from what I have already written on, which is like an introduction to the LCD technology, you can hope to learn about the following:

* Different terminologies used in field of Optoelectronics

* Why LCD panels seem to be more prone to developing faults

* The various problems/faults common to LCD displays, and how to correct them

* Common LCD panel models and the T-CONs they use
* Perfect picture settings

** Solder application substitute to electrically conductive adhesive in LCD panel rework.

You notice here that I have two asterisk on the last item listed, solder application substitute to electrically conductive adhesive. This should be be particularly interesting to you. I think so because as far as I know, repairing LCD panels demands that you have the conductive adhesive I mentioned. But these things can be very expensive. Aside from that, they are not yet widely available. So you think of a possible substitute...More on this Later.

Terminology

There are certain terms relating to the Liquid Crystal Display technology that must be explained in order for their problems to be understood (up to their root causes) and then repairs can be more readily carried out.

Terminology:

*Flex

*Electrically conductive adhesive (ECA)

*LCD panel/module

*LCD glass

*Polarizer

*PCB (Printed Circuit Board, or Board for short)

* Source PCB, Gate PCB

*Joint (flex-to-PCB joint and flex-to-glass joint)
*Pixel (row and column pixels)
*T-CON
* Flip-chip

     I am going to be explaining all the above-listed terms through a stretch of time. So please check back as soon as you can for additional updates.