32 Inch Vizio Power Supply Module

$225 seems like a heck-of-a-lot to fix a 32 inch (presumably LCD) PSU, especially with Black Friday around the corner. It might be easier to just buy a new one.

Should you decide to keep the one you have, there is a plethora of DIY videos on youtube to help out. I did a little poking around some vizio forums (very briefly) and noticed that a lot of people run into an issue with a fuse blowing, especially with the 32 inch model. Here's a youtube video of someone fixing that particular problem themself.

Could you supply us the model number?

I probably wouldn't take their word for it if they "assure you it's the whole board". Sometimes an entire board does need to be replaced, but sometimes individual components, like caps or ICs, can be visually/obviously broken. Other times you may need to break out the multimeter and compare voltages to a diagnostic sheet if you can find one for the model. Replacing the whole board definitely saves time, though.

You could take the back cover off and take a look. Do a visual check and if you see any vented/busted capacitors or burnt looking ICs. If it's just a capacitor or two, may be worth a shot to see if replacing the cap could solve your problem. I've fixed a good handful of HDTVs just replacing some broken caps.

Looking at the capacitors sounds like a good idea to me (although not Vizio). I had one that was kicking out on me, and that's what I ended up doing as well.

Something that might help you determine that this is the problem ahead of time is to listen carefully to see if you can hear any high pitched squealing or whining before it goes out. That's what I kept hearing with mine. Then I pulled the back and traced down where it was coming from while it was powered up. I might tell you that they can be easy to miss visually. Mine were bulging out near the leads rather than the back which made them harder to see. But I got it back up and running for only a couple of dollars. Good luck!

At the price of repair at $225 I would replace it. That's 75% of the cost of a new one at $300 most sell less then that. And as Mizuti has refer to, it is getting to be the holiday season there will be many sales.

Should you decide to replace the identified component yourself, will the repair shop refund your $50 bucks and the price paid for the power supply module if the part swap does not fix the problem?

Buy a replacement. Stick the original on a well-known internet auction site as a spares-or-repair posting and recover some of the outgoings that way.

As a rule of thumb, if the repair charges exceed 40% of any equipment cost, go get a new one.

The simple answer is buy a new TV, the name brands are very reliable and just aren't worth repairing anymore due to their ridiculously low purchase prices and high repair prices (supply and demand).

If they die there is no guarantee you can repair them anyway. As a side note a friend had a similar problem and paid hundreds to replace a whole circuit board. It fixed the problem for about a month and then it failed again.

32" is relatively small, compared to what's now available... and relatively cheap, especially on sale. I certainly would not pay $225 for repair. This sounds like an ideal opportunity to upgrade to something like a 43"

And since you seem to have the skills, work on repairing the one you have now, if you can DIY cheaply.

One of the advantages/drawbacks of modern engineering is the statistic analysis applied to component failures. The advantage for the manufacturer and consumer is that expensive parts that will greatly outlast the whole assembly will not be used in the design. The drawback for the consumer is that unless a failure happens during the initial warranty (infant failure) a repair is not cost effective. Regardless of which part caused a complete failure there is likely another part soon to fail next.

Buy a new TV.

I have two Vizio's, I would not spend the money to get them fixed, if they are more than 3 years old. This is not due to your repair shop, but with RoHS compliance issues. The new solder required by this standard doesn't work to well. Parts availability is also a problem with these folks. My '52 inch has a similar problem with the back light. It flickers on power up, but if I change the input, it starts to work.

In spite of this, I would buy another Vizio, if the price was right.

thanks guys. i think ill be in the market for a new one in the next few weeks and keep this one as a project in the garage.... i already have two larger TV's from reputable brands in the two main viewing rooms (same size of course for when we want to watch different shows.) this was just our bedroom tv so unfortunately going bigger isnt an option unless i decide to hang and that isnt happening in this room.

cheers.

I fixed my Visio power supply board for 15.00 usd. Repair kits are sold on the web.

If you have a steady hand and a good eye, soldering skills you can replace all the capacitors on the power supply board.

I also have two Vizio sets, the first one went out in 8 months, main processor board replaced under warranty, 6 months later, same board again, under warranty and six months later, the same board dies again, under extended warranty. It has now passed 9 months without fail. The other TV has worked since purchase almost 2 years ago, a very similar model and same size as the first set.

Vizio sets have two main boards, the power supply and the main processor board. Both boards are available online, including eBay and are definitely cheaper than a repair shop. They both have a bunch of connectors and are mounted on the main metal frame, they are not difficult to change out. Like most of the 'modern' electronics, repair shops don't actually fix anything, they just swap out boards in >95% of repairs and send the boards back to the manufacturer. The power supply board is the only one which is 'repairable' for the most part, since it doesn't have very many smt components or chips with micro-spaced leads. The flickering could be the back light going out, which would be harder to replace and therefore warrants the higher labor charge. If your set has the older CCL type back lighting, I would recommend getting a newer LED back-lit set, they last a whole lot longer than CCL and will usually develop any premature failures under warranty. I've seen dozens of sets piled up at the local repair shops waiting for CCL repairs (a fair number of them were waiting on parts which are eternally on back order).

Based on what the repair shop told you and the parts/labor charges, they believe the back light is bad, in which case I wouldn't bother messing with it, getting the CCL out is much more involved than changing out the main boards.

New LED Samsung Purchased for $249.99. Wife Happy.

ill get over to the Repair shop sooner or later and grab the "project" and maybe discuss their price point.

or possibly its all just a ruse, they know they can fix it for a few bucks, throw out a high price point to repair hoping the customer will just say scrap it and they resell it for a tidy profit in the shop as "refurbished"..........well played.....

Small businesses have to be crafty to stay on top

There was one locally that was going to charge my buddy 60$ to install his RAM for him. All you have to do is pop it in...