I bought my set in early 2002, using it primarily with OTA stations in SF Bay Area, plus with my DVD player at 480P; I've always been happy with it.

Recently got a used DVDO iScan HD/SDI to use my Denon DVD player (w/SDI)upsampled to 1080i. Very impressive! I've been reviewing my large DVD collection and WOW!:D

I won't be switching to HDVD or Blue Ray anytime soon... :p

Anyone else using a scaler to watch upsampled (to 1080i) DVD's?

-chas

Does anyone know if this tv will support 1080i at 50Hz (over component)? This would be from upscaled PAL SD-DVDs. I checked the onwers manual and a pdf faq I found online but there is no mention of supported frequencies. I would just try it and see, but it requires putting european firmware onto my player, which makes the players setup menus default to 50hz, so I dont want to do it unless I know the tv supports it.

Awesome thread, just found it :)

In Service Counter: 51331 (which puts the plugged in date ~4/7/2002)
no activation date set
warranty clock hours: 9128 (so that's an average of 4 hours per day)

Love the set. Had to get the caps on the PS replaced, guy did it in place with a soldering gun, couldn't believe it :)

I have only two issues with this set:

1) When watching a letterboxed image on 4:3, when I change the "Screen Format" from "Normal" to "Fill" (i.e. zoom in), the aspect ratio isn't correct; it zooms 10% more vertically then horizontally. Example, a circle with screen diameter of 6 inches in normal mode will be 8 inches wide, but 9 inches tall in fill mode. Might not seem like a lot, but it's totally noticeable to me. Any thoughts on how to fix this?

2) That blasted always-on cooling fan (never had DirecTV) is starting to whine, loud enough that I can hear it while the TV is playing. I'm sure there are posts on how to fix this, but I'm a little worried about opening up the TV myself. Any suggestions?

BTW, just added AT&T's U-Verse service (dropped Time Warner) and LOVE the HD+DVR set up. Until now, I've only watched a few OTA channels in HD.

I just recently found this thread. I found my F38310 in the trash. I saw 2 people dragging (yes, dragging) their set to the side of the and asked them what they were doing. They said the set had a "menu" problem and they couldn't watch anything because of it. After coming back later with my roommate and loading it into a truck we got it back to the house where I took the cover off of the top near the power button and found that water had been spilled on the circuit board there. After some re-soldering and a down button replacement I had a practically new set that's still working great 4 years later! (also required some paint down the side where they drug it down the driveway...)

Anyways, thats my history and here's my question:
My wife cannot take the fan noise anymore. I've read that there's nothing that can be done about this because the 1 fan that's on when the set if off is inside the DM1 module that all of the TV inputs run through. Ok, so I wouldn't want to not be able use any inputs, but I don't use any of the directTV things at all, only the component input for my HD DVR. What I would Like to do is cut the wire for the DM1 fan and split the wire of one of the other 2 fans to this one so it will only come on when the set is on. See page 15 of this awesome guide for pictures:
"http://home.austin.rr.com/doctorjoe/f38310faq.pdf"

Has anyone thought to try this? Does anyone see any reason why this wouldn't work? Any suggestions on how to do it? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

Got mine in Oct '02, gave it to my daughter and her husband last june when I got a 50" Sammy plasma, still working great, has never skipped a beat.

What I would Like to do is cut the wire for the DM1 fan and split the wire of one of the other 2 fans to this one so it will only come on when the set is on. See page 15 of this awesome guide for pictures:
"http://home.austin.rr.com/doctorjoe/f38310faq.pdf"


Wouldn't it be easier to just plug the set into a power strip and shut that off when you don't want to hear the fan?

hi all,

great thread! i've had my set since late 2001 or early 2002 i think. it's been an absolute perfect joy the whole time - never a problem.

until now!

the other day it began having an intermittent problem exhibited by uncontrolled input switching while powered on. it's as if someone is standing behind me with a remote, toggling through the inputs. goes like this for 10-20 seconds then stops. i then reset to the correct input, and resume viewing, sometimes for as little as 15 minutes, sometimes for an hour or more, until it happens again.

is this a common failure mode? anyone know the fix? as timing has it i am planning on replacing the set with a 50" Pioneer Kuro plasma soon and was going to sell this one to a friend who loves it. of course i can't sell it in it's current condition!

any and all help is really appreciated here - thank you!

-d

the other day it began having an intermittent problem exhibited by uncontrolled input switching while powered on. it's as if someone is standing behind me with a remote, toggling through the inputs.

I had a similar problem with the set I picked up on the side of the road. I fixed mine by removing the button from the circuit board that is on top of the set (Found it on the side of the road so it was trash anyways right?) you don't need it, after all what are remotes for?

If you think its possible it is the button: I would first try resoldering the button connections on the bottom of the circuit board. You can get to it by popping off the black cover surrounding the buttons on top of the TV (make sure your set is unplugged when you do this of course). Next time it starts switching make sure you note if the inputs are cycling down or up, this will diagnose the correct button. If resoldering the connections doesn't work it may be something internal to the button, my solution to this part was pliers but you may think of an alternative.

Good luck!

Yeah, I still have mine although it is now my #3 HD set. It's been repaired once by me (bad diode). Last week I moved it upstairs to my office. What a job getting this beast up those stairs. It took a hand truck and a strap ratchet with a safety line to move it to the second floor. I'm now working through a Directv H20 via component input, so I get all the new HD channels. It still has a great picture. My wife and I both agree, it will be removed in pieces if it goes dead.

I think the RCA and my 38" Loewe Aconda share the same glass from the same maker.

Wouldn't it be easier to just plug the set into a power strip and shut that off when you don't want to hear the fan?

Doesn't fix my problem, since I can hear the fan when watching TV.

great - thanks for the tip - i'll hope it's just the button - odd because i NEVER use the button, but worth checking out!

perhaps there's a way to jsut "disconect" the button without actually removing it - i'll see when i bust that baby open tonight!

thanks gain, wish me luck!

-d

I have had my f38310 for 5 yrs, and lateley an intermittent to almost permanent condition.
that is - my unit pwrs on tries to turn on (it doesn't and repeats until you unplug) relays just keep clicking.

THE FIX (for me) I isolated it down to SIP PWR Board (part #250725) for those w/o schematic it is the "daghter board off the main board. It has part#236657 or IC U14356 on it.

I fashioned ated test bench for this board and found that both 470uf 16V Caps (by the 10uf 63V caps) were "leaky" Bad. however at a quick glance on checker they appear okay- But load them down, and watch em leak.....

I replaced with HI temp 470UF 25V Caps I had on hand.....

I put the sip pwr board back in, closed her all up, conected everything, turned it on with fingers crossed, and voila the great picture I had was even better!

May this greatly contribute to the society!!!
P.S. this is my first post but I have read damn near the whole board

Thanks for the solution. I have been living with this for a while and figured it for pwr supply caps but didn't know where. Looks like I have a week-end project. I had to fix a similar problem on my Maytag refrigerator a few months back.


I have had my f38310 for 5 yrs, and lateley an intermittent to almost permanent condition.
that is - my unit pwrs on tries to turn on (it doesn't and repeats until you unplug) relays just keep clicking.

THE FIX (for me) I isolated it down to SIP PWR Board (part #250725) for those w/o schematic it is the "daghter board off the main board. It has part#236657 or IC U14356 on it.

........

May this greatly contribute to the society!!!
P.S. this is my first post but I have read damn near the whole board

I have had my F38310 for about 6 years now and while I rarely use it I do love it. Yesterday I was deeply sadened when i went to turn it on and realized it was on and had no picture or sound. The fans are running and the power light on top is on. If I unplug it I get a small flash of light in the center of the screen and when plugged back in I get the same, but other than that I am unable to get anything on the screen. I would like to have it repaired but am unsure if it is repairable or cost effective to do so. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I have had my F38310 for about 6 years now and while I rarely use it I do love it. Yesterday I was deeply sadened when i went to turn it on and realized it was on and had no picture or sound. The fans are running and the power light on top is on. If I unplug it I get a small flash of light in the center of the screen and when plugged back in I get the same, but other than that I am unable to get anything on the screen. I would like to have it repaired but am unsure if it is repairable or cost effective to do so. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

So it was on already or you didnt see anything once you turned it on?
What input were you trying to use?
Does the power button on top respond or do you need to remove AC plug?
When was the last time you watched it?

hi all,

still having the same input switching issue. tv will periodically cyle thorugh the inputs while powered up. very annonying. at the suggestion of another here i removed and took a good look at the input button assembly that is at the top front of the set. there is no visual damage there and it appears in perfect condition - was a long shot i thought anyway since i never use the button to switch inputs but rather the remote. not a remote problem as i took the batteries out of all remotes in the room in order to rule that out.

anyone had this issue? is this really a new problem? i don't want to have to call a repairman for this if i can avoid it!

any help much appreciated here! thanks!

-d

I just moved, and noticed something I find odd when I was hooking up my tv at my new place. The led for the toslink output is ON even when the tv is off - I could see the visible red light coming out of the fiber as I was plugging it into my receiverr! What's up with that? I knew the fan stayed on (which seems like a waste of power, but the sound doesn't bug me) but why would the digital audio output be on? Do those LEDs ever wear out?

Hey, I found this thread looking for info about my new set...

Purchased ours September 2001. Always swore I'd keep it until it died. Then last year I finally saw a Sony XBR LCD that had a better picture IMO. January came around and I got a great deal on a Samsung 5271, so it had to go.

I got $320 for it on Ebay, the guy really just wanted it for OTA. It was a later JX5, over 50,000 when we checked. Great set, I was sorry to see it go but it went to a good home.

anyone have a parts set they want to sell me this circuit board from? anyone done the replacement?

thanks,

-d

Bought mine in 02 or 03. It was a demo at circuit city. The picture was PERFECT then and it is PERFECT now. I just bought a Sony KDSR-50 XBR1 SXRD because I wanted a bigger picture but I hope I'm not "stepping down" to a bigger set. I'm never gonna get rid of the RCA it's a museum peace and a work of art. I'll keep it as a spare. :cool:

Well, after almost six years, my set just died about an hour ago. I went to turn it on, and it just would just click off like what protojim had happen to him. I unplugged it for about 20 minutes and when I plugged it back in, I get nothing at all- although I can still hear the fan. I'm going to unplug it and wait until morning to see what happens. Everything was fine until DirecTV installed their new box so I could get the latest "upgrades" about three weeks ago. The picture quality was terrible, and I had to get an AB switch because of the sole component input. I'm bummed. Money's tight right now, and I don't know what type of replacement TV to get.

Weird. the TV came back on yesterday, but was dead again today. WTF is going on? I have the back taken off, but don't know what to look for.

i was wondering if their a member here that owns this set and the 8g pioneer kuro? i'v seen some pictures of the rca f38310 but dont know who it is.

also mine is for sale as its only collecting dust and taking space... no flaws what so ever make an offer and im assuming its going to be localy since it weights a ton.

Hey, I found this thread looking for info about my new set...

Purchased ours September 2001. Always swore I'd keep it until it died. Then last year I finally saw a Sony XBR LCD that had a better picture IMO. January came around and I got a great deal on a Samsung 5271, so it had to go.

I got $320 for it on Ebay, the guy really just wanted it for OTA. It was a later JX5, over 50,000 when we checked. Great set, I was sorry to see it go but it went to a good home.

dont want to burst your bubble bro but xbr is way out of line to compare to the rca! it seems to me you like the artificial colors and that "POP" then a natrual realistic picture :rolleyes: the only contender that is on par with this tv set is the current pioneer 8g kuro and thats it

dont want to burst your bubble bro but xbr is way out of line to compare to the rca! it seems to me you like the artificial colors and that "POP" then a natrual realistic picture :rolleyes: the only contender that is on par with this tv set is the current pioneer 8g kuro and thats it

I'm assuming this means the XBR is the better set. I was wandering about this also since I am replacing (still works perfect RCA) with a Sony KDSR-50XBR1 SXRD tomorow. Keeping the RCA or now. The picture on the RCA "AMAZES" me but the XBR "WOW'S" me:D

I'm assuming this means the XBR is the better set. I was wandering about this also since I am replacing (still works perfect RCA) with a Sony KDSR-50XBR1 SXRD tomorow. Keeping the RCA or now. The picture on the RCA "AMAZES" me but the XBR "WOW'S" me:D

Why would you assume XBR is a better set? again its not, the only reason why it "wow" you is because SONY made this DYnamic mode so un educated people buy tvs when in reality is a showroom condition is not the same as home condition / enverioment.....
do as you please its your money but i know its a given fact crt > pioneer kuro .... that it

For the record i would not get a sxrd/ lcos or CRT PROJECTION because viewing angles suck and suffers from other flaws! lol you should know this


let me make it as clear as possible CRT TUBE was the best PQ technology you can get UNTIL only 1 tv surpassed it ... that being the pioneer kuro plasma 8g.

no other tv can compare to a crt not a plasma *except pio* DEFTIANLY NOT a lcd ..... if you want realistic natrual tones not artfiicial you'll know what i mean... so i suggest hold on to your crt and if you want a bigger size go with the current kuro or wait for the july 9g kuro.... its going to be slightly cheaper i belive

I am having second thoughts. I think maybe when I get the sxrd home it won't look as good to me as it does in the store. And I have no way of doing an ab comparison of the two without buying it.:confused: But for $1000 for an "updated" sxrd50 w new bulb and full warranty can I be going wrong.:confused:

Why would you assume XBR is a better set? again its not, the only reason why it "wow" you is because SONY made this DYnamic mode so un educated people buy tvs when in reality is a showroom condition is not the same as home condition / enverioment.....
do as you please its your money but i know its a given fact crt > pioneer kuro .... that it

For the record i would not get a sxrd/ lcos or CRT PROJECTION because viewing angles suck and suffers from other flaws! lol you should know this


let me make it as clear as possible CRT TUBE was the best PQ technology you can get UNTIL only 1 tv surpassed it ... that being the pioneer kuro plasma 8g.

no other tv can compare to a crt not a plasma *except pio* DEFTIANLY NOT a lcd ..... if you want realistic natrual tones not artfiicial you'll know what i mean... so i suggest hold on to your crt and if you want a bigger size go with the current kuro or wait for the july 9g kuro.... its going to be slightly cheaper i belive

I cant agree with you on this. I have a friend that even has a 720p plasma and the picture is as good as my F38310. Plus its a 50" so its even bigger. The new pany plasmas are what I have my eye on and they are awesome.

Hello,

We've loved our RCA F38310 since we bought it in Nov. 2001. The tube is now going bad so sometimes we get a perfect picture, other times we get scan lines and an interesting shadowy blue glow. Everything else works just fine except an occasionally noisy cooling fan inside the directv tuner.

We've been told that we can get a new (lighter) TV for the price it would cost to fix the tube in the unit.

I know there might be some folks on this forum who would be interested in rescuing it or having it for parts, so I'm offering it free to anyone who will come get it. I'm in Thornton, CO.

I'll check this posting for a couple of days and then probably list it on craigslist. Hopefully someone can put it to good use.

-Patrick

Okay, here's one for ya...oh great and mighty holders of the RCA knowledge.

So the cable blinked in and out on me then went out. No biggie, done it before on a stormy night and it was storming that night. When it happened the Audio and Video went out which was followed by about 10 minutes of power outage.

I called, got a confirmation from the cable company that all would be well soon. About 15 minutes later everything came back on but there is no audio on the TV. The picture works fine and is as clear as always but I do not get any audio.

So what up?? Any suggestions? Any idea what I should try?

Leslie

Cable box? Check audio/volume settings of the cable box.
No cable box? Check audio/volume settings of the TV.
Using A/V receiver? Check audio/volume settings of the cablebox, TV and A/V receiver.

A little detail about how things are connected can go a long way since there could be many variables. ;)

I have been following the information on your thread and it has been most helpful. I have a unit that would not power up so I did some checking and found that C14113, and C14115 caps were bad and replaced them with 4700uf 25V 105c caps. Now the TV will power up and I get a picture but I am also getting some arcing in the yoke of the picture tube. I am suspecting some type of voltage control problem but am unsure of where to go from here. Could anyone give me some helpful advice?

Ratman do you own this set?

Yes... still looks and runs well (knocks on wood).

hey guys- i've had the rca about 4 years now (echo 'knock on wood') and i'm very happy with it. but i know down the line i'll be looking for a new (read:bigger) hdtv.

i'm curious as to what other rca owners have purchased regarding a larger one since owning (and enjoying) the RCA - also, lcd, plasma, dlp - and how does it measure up??

I just recently found this thread. I found my F38310 in the trash. I saw 2 people dragging (yes, dragging) their set to the side of the and asked them what they were doing. They said the set had a "menu" problem and they couldn't watch anything because of it. After coming back later with my roommate and loading it into a truck we got it back to the house where I took the cover off of the top near the power button and found that water had been spilled on the circuit board there. After some re-soldering and a down button replacement I had a practically new set that's still working great 4 years later! (also required some paint down the side where they drug it down the driveway...)

Anyways, thats my history and here's my question:
My wife cannot take the fan noise anymore. I've read that there's nothing that can be done about this because the 1 fan that's on when the set if off is inside the DM1 module that all of the TV inputs run through. Ok, so I wouldn't want to not be able use any inputs, but I don't use any of the directTV things at all, only the component input for my HD DVR. What I would Like to do is cut the wire for the DM1 fan and split the wire of one of the other 2 fans to this one so it will only come on when the set is on. See page 15 of this awesome guide for pictures:
"http://home.austin.rr.com/doctorjoe/f38310faq.pdf"

Has anyone thought to try this? Does anyone see any reason why this wouldn't work? Any suggestions on how to do it? Thanks in advance for your thoughts!

I got this tv for *free* from a friend. I say that in asterisks, because my legs surely paid a toll lugging this beast up to my apartment!

At first, I was a little disappointed by the regular cable stations, as everything seemed slightly out of focus, but I got an HD box the next day and am very impressed with the quality.

A couple issues:

As the person above noted, the constant fan noise is annoying. What were they thinking? I'm shocked that no one has a solution for disabling that one fan. I don't feel like turning off an additional power switch every time I want to turn off the TV. To the quoted poster, your method makes a lot of sense, but I wonder if the TV is somehow protected against this and if you'll get an error message if cutting the DirectTV fan. I say this because the TV was made to sell DirectTV service.

My other issue is the single composite cable hookups on the back. I have my HD box going through them now, but would like to hookup an Xbox360 similarly. Is there a such thing as a composite-cable selector which won't degrade my HD signal?

I should add in closing that I like the life-like image that this CRT gives as opposed to the sometimes "tinny" feeling I get looking at LCD screens.

1) the TV wasn't manufactured specifically to "sell" D* service. It happened to use an RCA DTC100 receiver (internally) as an ATSC/satellite tuner... existing technology at the time and quite easy (and cost effective) to retrofit into various RCA TV's. No subscription to D* was required.

2) I think you meant "component" input. Yes... you can purchase component video switches.

I found that CR14709, CR14710, CR14750, and C14730 are all bad. I was wondering if someone could help me with the values for the diodes listed. The diodes only say 15 on them. To the best of my knowledge they are 2kv but I don't know the amperage.

Thanks,
Poacher

hey guys- i've had the rca about 4 years now (echo 'knock on wood') and i'm very happy with it. but i know down the line i'll be looking for a new (read:bigger) hdtv.

i'm curious as to what other rca owners have purchased regarding a larger one since owning (and enjoying) the RCA - also, lcd, plasma, dlp - and how does it measure up??

I don't remember exactly when this TV came out, but I bought it shortly after that. Finally gave it to my brother and purchased a Philips 7403 LCD from Sam's Club for $1199. I miss the TV, but it nice to have the extra square footage in the living room.

hi eddie if you want top notch quality like our crt then you will want to make the jump to the pioneer kuro plasma tv. even the 8th generation (last year 2007) were the big debate and some oweners posted their Rca f38310 side by side with a pioneer and the pioneer out performed their tv,

the jump is better pq for a bigger size, as far as price goes you can get one in costco very well under 2700 this is a tv that retails in bestbuy msrp of 5,000

here is a picture thread keep in mind while you are inpressed with these pictures the outcome of real world is vasy majorly diffrent

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=920011


hey guys- i've had the rca about 4 years now (echo 'knock on wood') and i'm very happy with it. but i know down the line i'll be looking for a new (read:bigger) hdtv.

i'm curious as to what other rca owners have purchased regarding a larger one since owning (and enjoying) the RCA - also, lcd, plasma, dlp - and how does it measure up??


man quoting this guy after a while oh well

are you being serious or is this sarcasm?

I am having second thoughts. I think maybe when I get the sxrd home it won't look as good to me as it does in the store. And I have no way of doing an ab comparison of the two without buying it.:confused: But for $1000 for an "updated" sxrd50 w new bulb and full warranty can I be going wrong.:confused:

my 38310 finally crapped out on me, i think. purchased 3/3/01, never had a problem till now.

i returned to my room to find the TV off. i knew i had left it on. i pressed power on the remote--no luck. i pressed power on top of the TV--the little light came on, but no picture. i unplugged it and went to work. 7 hours later, i plugged it back in. it came on automatically, showing a picture. half hour later, it died again. i can press and get the little power light, but no picture. i unplugged for half an hour and tried again, the little light on top lights but no picture.

my warranty, which i had renewed a few times, ended in March of this year (wouldn't you know it?!!).

with some people selling these used for as little as $400 now, is this worth it to repair to any of you? have any of you experienced this problem and what was the solution?

this was the most expensive TV i will probably ever own (it was a job anniversary gift). i figure that if i replace it, i will probably go for a TV in the $1000 range, more my neighborhood. given that, do you think my 38310 is worth trying to repair?

thanks in advance.

Get a estimate then decide. I recently had to sh*tcan a $3300 5 year old DLP Tv, because it would have cost $1500 to repair.
I got a New 55" Sony A3000 for $1300

first of all, thanks for the suggestion.

second, the beast is back--for now at least. not sure what happened or why, but it has been running with no problems. i have left it on for the last day or so and it is still running. kind of scary that it would go out like that though...i'm kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop now.

if things go bad again, i'll have to find a local RCA repairperson familiar with the 38310. but i refuse to pay a lot for the repair (and probably the estimate too). if it will be too much, i'll opt for another TV.

my 38310 finally crapped out on me, i think. purchased 3/3/01, never had a problem till now.

i returned to my room to find the TV off. i knew i had left it on. i pressed power on the remote--no luck. i pressed power on top of the TV--the little light came on, but no picture. i unplugged it and went to work. 7 hours later, i plugged it back in. it came on automatically, showing a picture. half hour later, it died again. i can press and get the little power light, but no picture. i unplugged for half an hour and tried again, the little light on top lights but no picture.

my warranty, which i had renewed a few times, ended in March of this year (wouldn't you know it?!!).

with some people selling these used for as little as $400 now, is this worth it to repair to any of you? have any of you experienced this problem and what was the solution?

this was the most expensive TV i will probably ever own (it was a job anniversary gift). i figure that if i replace it, i will probably go for a TV in the $1000 range, more my neighborhood. given that, do you think my 38310 is worth trying to repair?

thanks in advance.

I'll sell mine for $500 OBO. It works perfect, never had a problem.

Any takers. I'm near Harrisburg PA.

man that sucks have these great exceptional PQ tv sink that low? mine is in my family room Unpluged just covered :( works perfect. if anyone wants to buy ill sell it otherwise i'd keep it to see how long it works without powering it on!

santa cruz/watsonville/salinas area buyers are welcome to to take an offer

After quite a few years, the past two as our bedroom tv, I think my 38310 is on the way out. Starting last week, the tv would shut off and then start right back up. This was during a storm, and I thought maybe it was the electric, but last night the tv did the same as well as the screen going entirely blue before shutting off. It did this several times, then it ran fine for an hour or so before we shut it off to go to sleep. I'm going to try to read this thread again, from the start, this weekend, but does anyone have any ideas to what may be the problem? Been a great set and I love the picture.

Hello.

After I donated my broken 38310 to eBay I bought a 5265 Samsung. I love it. No issues, no need for the 38310 inspired 5yr warranty, yet.

- bueler

I've had my F38310 for about 6 years now. Haven't had a single glitch. The PQ is much better than my 42" LG 1080p LCD... especially when viewing standard definition programs.

I just can't bring myself to replace this set (while it's still working fine) with something that won't look nearly as good. I guess this is a good thing. :)

cheers!

I bought a component switch box from Radio Shack for about $65.00 and it works like a charm for my DirecTV in, XBOX360 in and standard DVD player in...
So far the 38310 has been GREAT - albeit having the tube replaced (under a service contract) about five years ago. NOW my only issue is that the picture on HDTV only has what a technician called a ground loop problem. He thinks it's from the satellite dish. My HDTV in the bedroom (Sharp Aquos 32" 1080P) has no problem with the picture from the same 5 lnb dish. My XBOX 360 picture is perfect on the 38310. I tried different sets of component cables to no avail. Even tried swpping the channels on the switch box to no avail. Here's a pic of the noise I'm seeing: (At least the dog is happy).

i dont get it are you saying you have that noise only when taking pictures or you are un happy with the results from xbox 360 and the f38310?

Dave, do you have a powered switch between the dish and the various boxes? Have you tried disconnecting all the other feeds to various SAT boxes? What I'm thinking is that one box is on a circuit with a bad ground or reversed wired and it is causing the problem. If you have a straight connection to the dish and no other things are electrically tied to the dish does the problem disappear?

also, is the dish ground tied to the house ground. It must be bonded wiht a #10 wire to the common ground rod for the house. If not there can be all kinds of problems, this being one of them. If you have a VOM, try to see if there is any potential between the shield of the coax, and the ground in the outlet that the box is connected to.

Thanks for the great feedback, Matt. I've got a straight feed from the dish. Two lines are run down from the roof of the apartment I'm in. One runs to the bedroom (the Aquos) with a perfect picture and the other line is run to the livingroom. I'm the owner of the HD dish in this "luxury" apartment building and no one else is getting a signal from it... As for the grounding, I believe the RG6 cable is the method of grounding; I don't recall seeing a 14 gauge copper grounding line running off the dish anywhere the last time I was up there. After T.S. Hanna goes by, I'll likely be going up on the roof tomorrow to realign the dish so I'll look then.
I just now did another test and took the sat cable from the bedroom HDTV and ran it to the livingroom HDTV receiver to see if the line itself made any difference. It did not. I'm wondering if I should try swapping the two receivers for a "quick" test but now that we're losing signal due to Hanna, it may be a weak effort.
I also bypassed the powered Radio Shack switch box and went straight from the DirecTV receiver box to the TV but the noise was still there. Frustrating! I never had this issue before; I'm not sure what could have suddenly changed. It's got to be something at the dish on the roof; that's my last check I have a feeling.

Just curious, which switch box are you using? I'm using an old RS 3 way manual switch that was designed for AV use. I really need a 4 way switch now, got my DTiVo, Blu-ray, second DTiVo, and my Oppo DVD player and I have to unplug and replug the second DTiVo to use my Oppo. I bought a electronic switch from RS last winter but it never worked. Forgot to take it back, I guess the only option with it now is to send it in for repair. It's the model that can be controlled by any remote.

Back to your problem, I'd be very curious to know what happens when you switch receivers.

Matt, the Switch Box from RS is Catalogue #15-1927. It works like a champ... See photos. The box is fairly old and has been bastardized by me but I keep it behind everything. One thing it was subject to was changing the switch selection when I was tuning a channel in on the TV... I didn't like that so I moved it to where the RF doesn't interfere.

The theater component stand I made up using a kitchen table purchased from Ikea and also a smaller shelf unit (from Ikea) that I have under the table. It holds all the components nicely. What I've done as you can see in the photo is put black cardboard on the lower front, sides and rear... it really hides all the cables my wife complained about seeing so often. I think it looks okay and it was a really low cost dress up.

Yesterday I was going to hook up the PS3 (BluRay) to my F38310 but noticed that the PS3 has no Component output nor does the F38310 have the HDMI input. So, for now, the PS3 stays in the bedroom with the 1080P Aquos. Oh well.

UPDATE: Okay, I swapped the two boxes and the noise is GONE. I put the noisy box in the bedroom on the Aquos and the picture is perfect. With the HDDVR tuner in the livingroom on the F38310 the picture is noise free. Amazing. I'll swap them back AFTER I remove all the surrounding components (Sony Surround receiver, XBOX360, etc)... They never affected the picture before; I can't imagine what changed. Maybe the newer DVR has better internal shielding against noise and/or ground loops.

Glad to hear you isolated your problem!

That is the exact switch box i picked up in December. It was on clearance for $24.99, I thought it was a good deal, plus it was the last one. Never worked, got busy with christmas and forgot about it. I'll have to dig it out and send it in for repair, i think it has a 1 year warranty.

No sound all of a sudden on my Beast. Came home today and realized we had a power outage. Sounds works thru the stereo but not the TV. TV just buzzes? Any Idears?

Well, I unplugged the unit and plugged it back in a few hrs later, and all is well. Thank Goodness!

I recently was given an F38310 which had been in storage for a while. When plugged in, there is no fan noise & when the power button is pushed, it clicks twice about 1 second apart and shuts down. Based on what I have read here, it would seem to be a problem with the DM1 power supply. Anyone have a different opinion?

Are replacement DM1 pwr supplies available?

If not, what is the probablility that replacing the cap's & diodes will fix the problem? i.e. does failure of the DM1 cause a cascade failure in other components?

Thanks!

Sounds more like the main power board, not the DM1 power supply.

Thanks for the insight Ratman.

Are replacement power supply boards available?

If not (or expensive) are the failed components well known/easy to identify & repair?

I am more of an electrician than a electronics’ guy. I used to build boards when they were discrete components and only two layers, but I gave up when they became a zillion layers and you need an electron microscope to see the traces!

Thanks for any help!

Hello everyone.

I am new to this site because I just purchased an RCA F38310. First of all, this was a beast and needed a couple of nice neighbors to help me get this down my stairs....crap.....I dont want to move this again ( may have to stay with the house when I sell it )

Anyway, I just plugged my HD Directv Sat receiver into it using the component inputs ( only see 1 set) and the pictures look great --- Now I need to upgrade my av receiver and have a couple of question.

1) If I get an newer AV receiver ( thinking Yamaha RX-V450 with 3 component inputs, 2 sets in and one set out) I would have to plug my sat receiver into the av receiver using the component in, then out to the tv....is this correct? This would be the only way to use a 5.1 Surround Sound system that I can see, especially with the limited (1) component input on the tv.

2) I guess the fan runs all the time - is this ok?
3) After programming my Directv remote to the tv and using it to turn both the tv and receiver on and off, this morning, when I went to turn it on, the tv displayed "weak signal" and I had to change inputs .( I guess the component uses "AUX". Is this how it will be? I really dont want to change the input each time I turn on the tv.

Lastly, would it be beneficial to have someone clean and calibrate the tv to perfection....would this be money well spent ( looks prety good now though)

Thanks for any advice and I am sure as I set up my Surround Sound, I may have more...any advice there is appreciated too) BTW, I got the tv and a stand for $275...I hope this was a decent deal ( have the room and cant spend $800+ on an hd tv right now)

Rich

Anyway, I just plugged my HD Directv Sat receiver into it using the component inputs ( only see 1 set) and the pictures look great ---
I've got 2 of them and they are wonderful once adjusted properly.


Now I need to upgrade my av receiver and have a couple of question.

1) If I get an newer AV receiver ( thinking Yamaha RX-V450 with 3 component inputs, 2 sets in and one set out) I would have to plug my sat receiver into the av receiver using the component in, then out to the tv....is this correct? This would be the only way to use a 5.1 Surround Sound system that I can see, especially with the limited (1) component input on the tv.
You could do that. I run the component cables from the D* box straight to the TV. I also run analog audio wires straight to the TV and a digital audio cable to the receiver. That way, I only need the receiver when I want the good sound. I don't need or use the receiver for just normal TV.


2) I guess the fan runs all the time - is this ok?
That's just how it is.


3) After programming my Directv remote to the tv and using it to turn both the tv and receiver on and off, this morning, when I went to turn it on, the tv displayed "weak signal" and I had to change inputs .( I guess the component uses "AUX". Is this how it will be? I really dont want to change the input each time I turn on the tv.
AFAIK, it's a problem. I know of no way to get it to turn on and immediately listen to the new external D* receiver. It always goes to the built-in RCA-100 receiver and reports a weak signal because that receiver is not hooked up to anything. As best I can tell, using the D* remote, you have to press the "TV input" button several times until the TV cycles through all its inputs and eventually gets to the component inputs which appears to be the very last one. I set up the TV so that the component input is set to the "DVD" button on the TV's remote. That way, after I turn everything on with the D* remote, I then use the TV remote once (just to press the "DVD" button) and then use the D* remote for everything else. (I don't know if you can associate the component inputs with a button other than DVD. Maybe you can, I just never tried it because my DVD players are hooked up to other TV's.)

There might be a better solution, but I don't know what it is.


Lastly, would it be beneficial to have someone clean and calibrate the tv to perfection....would this be money well spent ( looks prety good now though)
I think you can get most of the benefit by using one of the DVD's intended for that purpose. The 2 leading ones appear to be AVIA II (get AVIA II, not the 1st version) and Digital Video Essentials. It's a lot cheaper to do that, and the result is excellent according to my eyeballs.

You don't need both of the DVD's, either one will do. I like the AVIA best, but some other folks like the other one best. It probably doesn't matter which one you use.

[QUOTE]

You could do that. I run the component cables from the D* box straight to the TV. I also run analog audio wires straight to the TV and a digital audio cable to the receiver. That way, I only need the receiver when I want the good sound. I don't need or use the receiver for just normal TV.

QUOTE]

Good stuff - thanks....a couple of follow-ups.

So you use a digital audio cable from the av receiver to the tv....is that what you meant? I didnt think the tv had one.

Also, with the dvd you are mentioning, does this just give you tips how to adjust the tv or does it do something else and you follow-along with the tv menu?

Rich

I think you can get most of the benefit by using one of the DVD's intended for that purpose. The 2 leading ones appear to be AVIA II (get AVIA II, not the 1st version) and Digital Video Essentials. It's a lot cheaper to do that, and the result is excellent according to my eyeballs.

You don't need both of the DVD's, either one will do. I like the AVIA best, but some other folks like the other one best. It probably doesn't matter which one you use.

question - while it's been awhile since i used the Avia dvd i remember the on screen menu for the RCA getting in the way to do the adjustments-- am i missing something to do this in a more efficient manner?

So you use a digital audio cable from the av receiver to the tv....is that what you meant?
Nope.

I have 2 ways that the audio signals are output from the DirecTV sat box. The analog output (via the normal stereo wires, red-for-right-channel and white-for-left channel) go from the sat box to the TV. The digital output goes from the sat box to the surround-sound receiver. Thus, I have the sound from the sat box going 2 places at once: to the TV and to the surround-sound receiver.

The video signal goes directly from the sat box to the TV. The surround-sound receiver never gets the video signal.

If I want surround sound, I use the surround-sound receiver and mute the sound on the TV. For just normal TV, I leave the surround-sound receiver off and use the TV only. Since I don't care about surround-sound for each and every TV program, this works great for me.


Also, with the dvd you are mentioning, does this just give you tips how to adjust the tv or does it do something else and you follow-along with the tv menu?
Rich
It helps you see how to best adjust the various settings on the TV. There are a handful settings to adjust using the TV's menus and the TV's remote.

question - while it's been awhile since i used the Avia dvd i remember the on screen menu for the RCA getting in the way to do the adjustments-- am i missing something to do this in a more efficient manner?
It's been a long while since I did it. I don't remember having any particular difficulties doing it. 'Not sure what to tell you.

EDIT: I did have to nose around on the internet because a couple of the names for the settings that AVIA used were different names than the names of the settings in the menu for the TV. However, that didn't take long to do. (I forget which ones though...)

thanks russdog for your help - any idea where to buy this dvd? Amazon and places like that or only specialty electronic sites?

Rich

thanks russdog for your help - any idea where to buy this dvd? Amazon and places like that or only specialty electronic sites?

Rich
You can get it lots of places. Amazon. Best Buy. Even Walmart has it.

Rich- my 2 cents.
I run all my component connections to my Yamaha receiver, then out to only comp input on RCA. Since I use the TVs comp input 90% of the time, I never need to change the TV input.
I power on the TV and cable box from the cable remote. TV stays on last input I used.
I also use the TV remotes "DVD" button to switch to comp input, on rare occasions when I need to (power outage, mostly) Another trick I did when I used the built in D* receiver was turn the TV remote toward me, press "TV" on the remote, and then "POWER" to turn on the TV. This would turn on TV without switching the input.
As for audio, again everything through my Yamaha, then it's just a matter of choosing the source from the Yamaha. TV never gets an audio signal. Simple, yes, but it means I need the receiver to watch (hear) anything. The only other audio path is the optical out from the RCA to my receiver, which I use when I watch HD OTA (currently, only SMALLVILLE, because my cable co doesn't carry the CW in HD)

A number of RCA televisions, including the 38310, have a "feature" that cause them to go to the TV input when powered on. If the remote sends a discrete "Power on" message, this will happen. If the remote sends a "Toggle power" signal, however, it will come on to the input that was last used.

DirecTV remotes are a pain because they only use the discrete code, so the TV always goes to tuner, even though what you really want is component.

And yes, the menus obscure a large portion of the screen so using DVDs to calibrate the set can be a little tedious. They are certainly far, far cheaper than having a pro come out and do it, though, so I consider it well worth the trouble.

And yes, the menus obscure a large portion of the screen so using DVDs to calibrate the set can be a little tedious. They are certainly far, far cheaper than having a pro come out and do it, though, so I consider it well worth the trouble.

thanks- is there a way around that- any tips?

thanks- is there a way around that- any tips?

Not much, really. You can adjust the transparency of the menus, which helps a little bit. Mostly you just have to set what seems ok, close the menu, check the results, and if you need to make further adjustments, go back in to the menu. That's what makes it tedious.

Once you get things set you should be pretty happy, though. These sets remind me of a good record player. They may not be perfect, but there is a sort of natural brilliance that you can only get from a big-ass crt. :)

A number of RCA televisions, including the 38310, have a "feature" that cause them to go to the TV input when powered on. If the remote sends a discrete "Power on" message, this will happen. If the remote sends a "Toggle power" signal, however, it will come on to the input that was last used.

DirecTV remotes are a pain because they only use the discrete code, so the TV always goes to tuner, even though what you really want is component.

...

I have a D*TV HD DVR. I experienced this problem until I found the right remote code for the TV. I used 11953. It will toggle the TV on/off using the on button, but will turn TV & DVR off using the off button (and on using the on button).

I have a D*TV HD DVR. I experienced this problem until I found the right remote code for the TV. I used 11953. It will toggle the TV on/off using the on button, but will turn TV & DVR off using the off button (and on using the on button).
Wow! Thank you. You are my new hero ;-)

I have a D*TV HD DVR. I experienced this problem until I found the right remote code for the TV. I used 11953. It will toggle the TV on/off using the on button, but will turn TV & DVR off using the off button (and on using the on button).

Oh, that's awesome. I quit looking once I got a Harmony remote. :)

I had an el cheapo ( $18 philips ) mechanical component video switch that worked fine for a couple of years and then worn out. When I went to replace it I noticed walmart had a Philips `automatic` switch for $25. Sure enough, the automatic part behaves quite nicely.

The problem though is now with my wii, the switch and my f38310. The top couple inches of my screen now zip zag wildly left and right on most screens. One screen ( weather ) with it's green bankground is actually quite stable.

If I plug the Wii directly into my F38310 it works fine.

Anyone have an idea what the technical name for this is and if there's anyway to mitigate it without returning the video switch? The automatic aspect is so convient and my Wii looks WAY better on my RCA then on my Westinghouse 47".

OK, I am going to attempt to repair my “free” F38310 this weekend that has the clicking failure.

I have obtained the service manual, but one aspect that is not addressed is the removal of the electronics assembly.

Could anyone advise on how the electronics assembly is attached to the main frame?

Also does anyone know the specs for the suspected CR17410 diode?

Thanks!

snowman: just read your post and the following might be of some help. I assume you have the Thomson service manual on CD as I do. There is a short entry on the removal of the video power supply board in the manual. The safety diode (CR17410) is situated in the rear portion of the board. there's also a diagram that pinpoints the diode's location. You can access that by searching the diagram file using the diode's position number, CR17410. I acquired a couple of these diodes along with a DM-1 power supply from Sear's parts two years ago as a just-in-case purchase. At that time, the doides were about six dollars each. Fortunately for me, I haven't needed to use any of those parts. My F38310JX4 is still performing flawlessly after nearly eight years in operation.

I wrote the above from memory. I just got a new computer up and running and have yet to load the Thomson CD into my new system. Hope this helps. Way back in this thread, by the way, are a couple of posts by Dr. Joe detailing the failure and replacement of the diode and adjacent damaged components, complete with pictures of the CR14710 in its burnt-out state. If his posts survived the great AVS crash of '08, they could help.

I better quit trusting my memory. The correct poster's name is Joe Floyd and not Dr.Joe. Check his post #182 and most of the other posts between there and about post #220. It's a pretty comprehensive discussion regarding the location and replacement of the CR17410 safety diode. Let us know if you can secure the parts and effect the repair. Good luck. It's a great HDTV and worth reviving, dependent on the cost of repair of course.

I spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to release the electronics from the chassis – I was working in poor lighting & did not want to force anything. I finally figured it out.

The board plugged into the back of the tube pulls straight back after loosening the support clamp around the tube.

The DM1 board on the left side snaps into plastic catches that you need to release to remove the board.

There is a plastic catch on the right side (looking from the back) of the main electronics tray. After it is released the tray slides straight back. See picture.

There are several cables that need to be unplugged. Most of these become obvious as you work. I took pictures of each one before I pulled it so I could figure out where they went later.

Two that are not necessarily obvious are the ribbon cables to the speakers & top switches. The speaker cable is disconnected at the small board mounted at the lower right edge of the case.

You need to pop the switch assembly out of the case with a small screwdriver and then partially disassemble to release the board. The cable can then be pulled off the header and fed back through the hole.

I have attached a picture of the CR14710 location for anyone else trying to locate it.

After getting the electronics out of the chassis and finding the suspect CR14710 zener diode, I found it to be in apparently good condition. No sign of overheating.

Would anyone care to offer alternative causes for the clicking cycle when trying to start?

Thanks!

snowman: just noted your most recent post. I recall(trusting my memory again) a post early on in this thread by Ratman regarding that clicking sound. He identified a flyback transformer as the likely source. Ratman: are you out there somewhere? Can you confirm this for snowman? Appreciate the photos and thorough descriptions on removal of the video board, by the way. Could save me considerable time and expense if the same component(s) in my set fail.

Back with another thought: the failure to power up could be attributable to the DM-1 power supply module. Have you inspected that board for burnt out or bulging components?

As I stated previously...
AFAIK, the DM-1 power supply/board should not affect the chassis from powering up. When the DM-1 fails, it only makes the "tuner" (satellite/OTA/RF) inputs inoperable. The set should power up with a failed Dm-1 based on my previous experiences.

FWIW I never mentioned the flyback as a potential problem. I directed snowman to the main power supply circuit. ;)

Except for "only" being 1080i and no HDMI, I can't complain. Still working after 6 years. Not bad for RCA/Thompson junk. HD pic blows away my Olevia LCD set.

My F38310 went out a couple of nights ago with the main AC line input fuse blowing (6A ,#14200). I've purchased the CD repair manual and started to diagnose it. I can see a burnt component on the hot side of the main deflection/power supply board. Possibly in the standby power supply but I haven't narrowed it down yet. Is this board available at a reasonable cost? I like the picture but I don't want to spend more than the TV is worth.

How do I disconnect the cable that runs from the back right side of the circuit board to the top middle of the tube? I currently have the chassis slid out and on its side with the tuner and other boards still attached. I would appreciate any insight anybody might have.
Thanks

Dean12,

See the attached pic. If these are the cables you are referring to, they simply pull off. Also see my notes above.

There does not seem to be a source for the power supply/ defelection board.

However, www.tristatemodule.com will repair the set of boards;

"We don't break this set down into individual modules.* The whole thing is considered a DTV306 which we can repair for $279.95 plus shipping."

In answer to a followup question they responed:

"It's the whole collection of boards.* Almost everything from the guts of the TV"

Snowman
Thanks for the source to repair the deflection/power supply board. Your post #830 was helpful. The cable I need to disconnect is a heavy gauge single conductor that can be seen from your photo labeled "CR14710 Location" at #830 post. One end can be seen in the bottom left corner along with another pink wire connected to the board through a white casing. The wire routes to the left out of the picture then to the tube at top center. I couldn't tell if it would unplug from either end for fear of breaking it. If it is a simple single strand wire or ground wire, I could just cut it if needed?
Thanks
Dean

Are you looking at the cable that has a large flat plastic disk around it where it plugs into the CRT? See Pics.

It is held in place by a pair of spring clips.

To remove, pull out while twisting it.

Caution – this is a very high voltage lead & the CRT acts a large capacitor. Be sure the set has been unplugged for several days before touching it!!

Do Not Cut It.

Good luck.

Snowman,
Thanks, thats the cable.

Dean

57,712 hours and still running like a champ. I am glad to see this forum still going, it has really helped me in the past. I'll still be sorry when this tv finally goes, I still believe that the picture is superior to most still being made today. Unless you start getting into the 3-5K catagory. I only wish I could find a way convert from hdmi to component. Bought a new Onkyo receiver and, while I was thinging of the future, it only has two component imputs. I would love to input hdmi to the receiver and out hdmi. anyone know if you can convert back to component?

Could anyone confirm the proper switch location for these two slide switches (see attached photo) located on the rht side looking from the back?

I think they may have changed while handling & would like to verify the location before I apply power.

Thanks!

Hi Captain & Crew!

May I ask. HOW do you unhook the VSM?

Thanks in advance!

unhooked the VSM to not have to turn down the sharpness to 0 all the time.

Page 3 shows the wire to pull...
http://home.austin.rr.com/doctorjoe/f38310.pdf

This is a long shot, but is there anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area who would like a free one of these? Ours finally went into the clicking failure last week. We really loved this TV -- best picture -- but decided to replace it with a flat panel rather than spend the money to repair it.

If you'd like to try to repair it or use it for parts, it's yours. All you have to do is come pick it up -- figuratively and literally! As you know, it's a behemoth! Send me a private message if you're interested.

F38310YX5...purchased in 2001. TV has been trouble free for seven years but picture is now beginning to dim. I will be calling a trash company to come and pick it up as I will be upgrading to a new LCD TV. If anyone is interested in taking this, please send me a PM. The TV has the original matching stand. I live in East Bridgewater, Ma. in southeastern Massachusetts. No charge.

F38310YX5...purchased in 2001. TV has been trouble free for seven years but picture is now beginning to dim. I will be calling a trash company to come and pick it up as I will be upgrading to a new LCD TV. If anyone is interested in taking this, please send me a PM. The TV has the original matching stand. I live in East Bridgewater, Ma. in southeastern Massachusetts. No charge.

As a F38310 owner i have to ask why an LCD and not a plasma?

As a F38310 owner i have to ask why an LCD and not a plasma?

I've viewed them side by side in several TV stores and I like the LCDs more. Also plasmas are susceptible to screen burn and LCDs aren't. I guess you could say it's a personal preference.

I just moved my Dads F38310 to my house over the weekend. He purchased it in Feb of 2002 and has not had one problem with the set, 52,000 on the odometer. He recieved a Panasonic 50" plasma through a work promotion. Even still, he was reluctant to let the F38310 go. It sat for months in the same room as the new Panny, and he would compare the two. The F38310 still held its own. I never understood why he cherished this 38" TV and was not impressed by my now 4 year old RCA DLP 50". Now I do!! My Dlp's color wheel went out, so he let me "borrow" the F38310 while looking for a buyer for it. I replaced the DLP's color wheel tonight, but don't think I can move it back in the living room where the F38310 is. This set blows my DLP's picture out of the water. I always knew it had a "great" picture, but his viewing distance was way too far. Couch and recliner were 10-15 feet back. Now in my living room at about 8 feet, I have come to truely appreciate the quality of this Behemoth! If the component dongle for my HTPC, which should arrive tomorrow, gives me the output quality I am seeking I may have to convince him to let this "Classic" stay put at my house as it's final resting place!

Hooked up the HTPC to my F38310 with the component dongle and it looks Great! However on the left side of the screen the desktop is skewed down so that there is is about a 1/4" gray bar visible in the top left corner, and the desktop goes about 1/4" out of view in the bottom left corner. The right side is just perfect.
The Nvidia control panel only lets you adjust the whole screen horizontally or vertically, not just one side.
Should this be fixed using the Service Menu settings of the TV?

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

Gullzway, I have the same 1cm gray bar down the left side since I upgraded to the newest nvidia drivers a few weeks ago. Haven't been able to get rid of it, so if you figure it out let me know - post again. I dont lose anything in the bottom left corner tho. I don't get it from my hddvd player either and that's on the same input (switched thru my receiver) so in my case I dont want to adjust anything on the tv itself or that would mess up playing discs.

For me, it looks great playing movies from the pc tho... but it's not clear enough to read text easily (at 1920x1080). Was kinda disappointed actually.

Does resizing the desktop in the Nvidia control panel not work for you?

I was able to correct my issue using the TILT adjustment in the TV menu. But it only happens on the Component Input, so when I switch to the OTA tuner I have to readjust the tilt back to normal. I think I'm running the resolution closer to 1020 x 720, the 1080i didn't look as good and text was harder to read.

I will have to search more to see if this tilting issue on the component input can be fixed in the TV service menu.

Resizing desktop works, and yeah at 1280x720 text is much more readable on the tv. I'm just disappointed it isn't readable at 1920x1080.

I don't think the grey bar is a problem with the tv tho, it's a problem with the video drivers for sure, because with my old drivers, I didn't have the bar - instead the desktop was too big to fit on the tv screen (cut off around all edges like it was zoomed in, couldn't see taskbar etc). Unfortunately in my case, even if the TV would allow adjusting just for the componenent input to compensate for the grey bar on the left, I'd still have to re-adjust when I switch to my hddvd player cuz that's also on the component input. I've written email to nvidia about this problem but still don't have a solution. I don't think fixing problems with component output is their top priority these days, most people using hdmi. I wish my receiver would convert hdmi to component, but I guess that's against the rules.

My F38310 has been trouble-free since I purchased it in May 2001. It still displays a gorgeous HD picture. However, I'll be moving out of state soon and don't want to lug this 200 lb. monster with me, so I've decided to sell it and buy a plasma at my new home. Any idea what it's worth?

This is a long shot, but is there anyone in the San Francisco Bay Area who would like a free one of these? All you have to do is come pick it up -- .

I'll take it. I live nearby, too!
I;ve sent you a P.M. with my info. :-)

Thanks in advance!

-charles

Any idea what it's worth?

I bought mine from craiglist for $300 a year ago. Probably worth a little less today tho considering the price of flatpanels has come down quite a bit. If I were you I'd try listing it for $275 obo.

I have an F38310 that gave up the ghost about a year ago. Currently sitting in my garage -- I've tried powering it up, but it attempts to light the CRT for about a second, then shuts down again. It continues this "clicking" cycle every 3-5sec.

Anyone have an idea what this problem is? I've opened the back and inspected the boards, etc. -- no obvious problems to be found.

Anyone in Chicago interested in a broken one of these? The fan comes on, no picture. Sounds like a lot of you know how to fix this. It's yours if you come get it. I'm in Hyde Park.

Has anyone heard of the HDfury2? I came across the weblink today on AVSforum. It sounds almost too good to be true. My F38310 is still working great (knock on wood) after 6 years. Here is the link: http://www.curtpalme.com/HDFury2.shtm

Yep...
Between the discussions on the forum and the info in the link provided, you should have the info you need. ;)

Has anyone heard of the HDfury2? I came across the weblink today on AVSforum. It sounds almost too good to be true. My F38310 is still working great (knock on wood) after 6 years. Here is the link: http://www.curtpalme.com/HDFury2.shtm

Does that seem a little expensive or is it just me? For $250 you could be close to a decent HTPC that does so much more, and is still useful when the ole' F38130 finally dies. I've been playing Blu-ray and HD rips back on the RCA lately and it looks amazing, my PC is pretty outdated with an AMD 3500 single core and it plays 720p or 1080i flawlessly.

Thanks Ratman. I agree that the HDfury2 is a little pricey. Nice concept though.

Has anyone heard of the HDfury2? I came across the weblink today on AVSforum. It sounds almost too good to be true. My F38310 is still working great (knock on wood) after 6 years. Here is the link: http://www.curtpalme.com/HDFury2.shtm
Thanks Ratman. I agree that the HDfury2 is a little pricey. Nice concept though.
It'll be even more pricey once somebody in the Hollywood industry sues them and it becomes illegal.
Not that I think it should be illegal, only that I think it will be (unless a new Congress gives the citizens our Fair Use rights back).

Hello everyone. Hello to Ratman (I remember writing to you about 5 years ago). I bought this tv a little over 7 years ago. I was just watching an HD program when I noticed that there was a green stripe across the screen which travels upward and then shows up again on the bottom of the screen. When I tried a menu with a black background I noticed dull lines that were also travelling from the bottom to the top. Just a portion of the picture looks discolored. Anyone have this problem before? I am very depressed right now at the thought of getting rid of this tv.

50k+ here and still going strong.

Bought mine in Sept '02 at CC for closeout price of $1200 with stand, bought a 50" Sammy plasma last year, gave the RCA to my daughter and her husband and it's still going strong and they watch it every day. Never had even a hint of a problem with this set.

My 38310 is still running strong. Last week I posted that I started seeing a line across the screen. It turned out to be a bad component wire. Bought a new one and all is better. it lives on!!

After 6 years, it's time ( according to my wife ) to move on from our F38310.

Free to good home if you are an F38310 lover. Otherwise I'm going to list it for a couple hundred OBO on Craigslist.

Cedar Park, TX

So are you going with a pioneer or an elite? this HD CRT is one of the best and i cant see anything other then the pioneer to be anywhere near close to it in terms of PQ

After 6 years, it's time ( according to my wife ) to move on from our F38310.

Free to good home if you are an F38310 lover. Otherwise I'm going to list it for a couple hundred OBO on Craigslist.

Cedar Park, TX

So are you going with a pioneer or an elite? this HD CRT is one of the best and i cant see anything other then the pioneer to be anywhere near close to it in terms of PQ


Sorry Gus, the Panasonic TH-50PZ85U that I purchased for my bedroom blowes my F38310 out of the water. Just waiting a bit and will replace the RCA with the TH-58PZ800U. I agree it has a great picture but IMO the plasmas, especially the upper end Panny's and of course that Pioneers have it beat.

How do we check out the time our unit has run for? Odometer?

Why not read post #4 in this thread?

Ratman, Thanks. Unit was born 10/02, age 54,885 hours and going strong. Hope I did not jinx myself.

Hadn't thought about the odometer in years, just checked it. "Born" 2-15-02, just shy of 60,000 hours. Wow.

Has anyone had any luck tweaking the focus? The picture seems a little soft now even with the sharpness up all the way, I'm tempted to try and kick it up a notch. One annoying problem I've never done anything about is the overscan. I only use the component inputs, and I recall reading the over scan via this input was pretty bad. Tried to get the service man to reset it a couple of years ago when I had the power problem repaired, but he REALLY did not want to touch it, told me he'd end up with it worse than it was. After he said that I did not press the issue, I did not want him anywhere near those settings.

Well after some digging here I found answers to both my questions, how to set the focus, I read it's a two step process with 2 controls, interesting. Also it doesn't not look that daunting to adj. the overscan, may attempt it in the next few days.

Well I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a new Panny TH-58PZ800U so its time to say good by to the old F38310. Still works fine though, is anyone getting any money out of these?

Well, I worked on the over scan and I think I've got it about as good as it gets. I did have to tweak a few of the other settings to get it right but it made a substantial difference in the quality of the picture.

Now I just have to attack the focus.

I have a f38310jx4 and I am having trouble using the controls on top of the tv as well as my remote. I think there might be a programming problem because when my brother uses his harmony to connect it doesnt connect but then the power button works only once, and nothing else. It powers up the tv and stays on fine but none of the controls work. I did some research and people say that the caps on the power supply go out which can cause 90% of the problems associated with theses tvs.
"http://home.comcast.net/~gratajski3/f38310faq.pdf"
I figured if that was the problem the tv shouldnt turn on at all? thanks alot ur help is appreciated.

You have a problem with the remote and/or the FPA. It's not the infamous cap/diode problem.

My Odometer reading 56879 and born on date of 12/02. This was my first HDTV and still is my primary set in the family room. I am starting a search for a replacement. Coming from years enjoyment with the picture from this unit I don't think I can look at anything but plasma. My primary enjoyment from TV comes from the NFL and the motion blur issue with LCD is a deal breaker from me.

I have two questions for anyone is still involved in this thread:

Have you replaced your F38310 and which technology and set did you choose?

Does anyone know what happened to Hob / Captain Nemo?

This weekend, I'm replacing my F38310. Sort of. It's still working flawlessly and I've got a spare low voltage power supply module on hand if that ever goes but the big beast is headed to the downstairs rec room and getting replaced by a Panasonic 46PZ80U for the following reasons: The price just dropped to 999.99 at BB; I want bluray; I want the flexibility of moving an eighty-pound set from living room to family room with relative ease two or three times per year and...hmmm...I've got a grand burning a hole in my credit card.

A good to great plasma set is the only suitable replacement for an F38310 in my opinion. Pioneer would be my choice if money were no object but it is. a Panasonic, the 46" model, is sized, priced and configured just right for me. I've determined that the red/green push identified as a problem with the PZ line is more fiction than fact. Any reflection or excessive light problems can be minimized, in my situation, by one pair of curtains. LCD, although I am impressed by the Samsung LN46A650, was never a contender. The blacks aren't black enough, the whites are too white and that 120mhz motion control presents an annoyance;not a positive attribute.

Go plasma...for black level performance and color fidelity...for sports and other fast action programming. Also go 1080P...for bluray capability...and clearer text and graphics display at any resolution. But, hey, It's your money and your call.

This weekend, I'm replacing my F38310. Sort of. It's still working flawlessly and I've got a spare low voltage power supply module on hand if that ever goes but the big beast is headed to the downstairs rec room and getting replaced by a Panasonic 46PZ80U for the following reasons: The price just dropped to 999.99 at BB; I want bluray; I want the flexibility of moving an eighty-pound set from living room to family room with relative ease two or three times per year and...hmmm...I've got a grand burning a hole in my credit card.

A good to great plasma set is the only suitable replacement for an F38310 in my opinion. Pioneer would be my choice if money were no object but it is. a Panasonic, the 46" model, is sized, priced and configured just right for me. I've determined that the red/green push identified as a problem with the PZ line is more fiction than fact. Any reflection or excessive light problems can be minimized, in my situation, by one pair of curtains. LCD, although I am impressed by the Samsung LN46A650, was never a contender. The blacks aren't black enough, the whites are too white and that 120mhz motion control presents an annoyance;not a positive attribute.

Go plasma...for black level performance and color fidelity...for sports and other fast action programming. Also go 1080P...for bluray capability...and clearer text and graphics display at any resolution. But, hey, It's your money and your call.

Hi Don,

Have you looked at the Vizio VP505XVT 50" plasma? It uses Panny glass and has received some very good reviews with street pricing $200 more the 46" Panny you mentioned. I would love a 58" plasma panel but pricing has not dropped below $2K for any unit. 46" to 50" seems to be the sweet spot for plasmas. If you buy this weekend let us know how you think plasma picture compares to the F38310.

I paid $1300 for my open box F38310 at Circuit City which was a bargain from original price of 3K! Amazing to think the we can buy 1080P 46" to 50" plasmas for less money.

My Odometer reading 56879 and born on date of 12/02. This was my first HDTV and still is my primary set in the family room. I am starting a search for a replacement. Coming from years enjoyment with the picture from this unit I don't think I can look at anything but plasma. My primary enjoyment from TV comes from the NFL and the motion blur issue with LCD is a deal breaker from me.

I have two questions for anyone is still involved in this thread:

Have you replaced your F38310 and which technology and set did you choose?

Does anyone know what happened to Hob / Captain Nemo?

I just recieved my new TH-58PZ800U Saturday and wow! huge upgrade over the F38310. Size really does matter! We purchased a TH-50PZ85U for the bedroom a few months ago and it is an excellent set as well. I think it really makes a huge difference with the increase in size as you can really notice the detail more. The 58" was only $2299.00 on Amazon and I think thats probably about as low as that set will go. At least if the 700 series was any indication. Shoot, Best buy sells it for $3699 so there is quite a spread on pricing. I would still like to know if anyone thinks you can sell the RCA for any money? Mine still works fine.

53836 hours with activation date of 11-21-2001. Still running strong...

Apparently I don't watch enough TV.

12/02 18000 hrs.

Chrpai, Do you still have your 38310?

As was probably stated previously, the odometer is the number of hours the set has been connected to power, not watched (turned on).

Ack! Help!

I was watching TV just now and heard a "Thump" and the picture on my 38310 collapsed into a vertical line in the center of the screen. Slight smell of something burning. Anyone out there have this happen? Hope it's fixable at a reasonable price. Can't afford a new display at this point, it would be nice if it's just a board I can pop in.

Any ideas???

Smells like a capacitor to me.

Probably not a "pop in" board. Horizontal deflection is shot.

Options...
a) find someone that is selling spared parts.
b) hopefully find a "good" tech to troublehoot and replace the bad component(s). (cap, diode, resistor... etc.)

Probably time to kiss it goodbye.

I looked around and can't see anything obviously defective. It tends to cycle on and off. I don't want to leave it on too long for fear of burning the tube the vertical line is very bright.

Ratman, can you point to something in particular that I might be able to buy form someone parting out the set? Looks like the main board with the high voltage and horz. output is one piece running across the center of the set.

It's been way too long since I did any electronic repair, though back then I was quite good at it. Just leery of the high voltage. I used to discharge the 25" sets pretty easily, but this thing looks to be cemented on the tube. there is $0 in the budget to replace this with what I'd want to replace it with, the Panny 50" plasma THX certified. So repair is the best option and pretty much only option at this point.

Any and all help is much appreciated!

try to find/buy a service manual for the F38310 and go from there. Sorry I can't help more than that...

Try servicemanuals.net, manualsparadise.com, google for service manual, and hopefully you can fix it. Look for a capacitor that blew up (popped top) leaked fluid , or charred components, since you heard a pop noise.

jdre, thanks -- checked those out but no service manual. I'll go to my local library in the next few days and see if I can get a Sams' Phofacts on the set. No luck in finding an online source pay or free.

I did find a dealer that is selling the complete chassis. rebuilt. for $375. Might see if I can renew my service contract.

Try Sams web here: F38310 (http://www.samswebsite.com/photofact/pf_search.asp?MOD=F38310&KIND=&Search=Search) if no luck at library, might even be cheaper than copying. The chassis price is not bad, if legit.

DTV306 manual here:
http://www.electronicsrepair.net/television64.shtml

Or directly from Thomson:
http://www.thomsonnetwork.com/EN/Public/PublicationOrdering/JITSearchResults.html?frmCountryRadio=US&frmModelChassis=model&frmModelNum=f38310&frmCategory=&frmInstructionBook=NO&frmServiceInformation=SI&frmTrainingMaterial=NO&frmConnectionGuide=NO&IBType=ON

Hi,
Sorry if this is redundant, but my RCA has been working fine for 4 years. I went out of town, returned, and the tv will not turn on. The power light comes on and the fans are running, but nothing happens with the TV. I have never heard any popping sounds as others have; i tried unplugging for 5 minutes - nothing works. Any ideas? Thank you.

Evan2003: Try google dtv306. Some tips here:http://wa6ati.com/DTV306.html and others. Hope you can fix it, I have only fixed Sonys..

finally giving up on someone coming to take my dead 38310 and trying to nurse it back to health.

is there anything inside that might be worth me trying to salvage before i call my scrap guy?

Try my last reply above your post for tips on repair. Unless you did so already I'd put it on Craigslist under Electronics and Free Stuff and/or newspaper, or see if a local shop can repair it.

Try my last reply above your post for tips on repair. Unless you did so already I'd put it on Craigslist under Electronics and Free Stuff and/or newspaper, or see if a local shop can repair it.

thanks for the reply. if i were more of a techie, i'd try some of these myself.

i must admit, i've gotten a little frustrated. i thought i had takers twice before that backed out. the main problem is that this thing is such a behemoth.

thanks again.

Lately after turning the TV on I have been losing digital channels. Specifically ABc 8-1 tonight. Was watching it earlier with a 56 signal strength. My kid turned it off, I turned it back oN and 8-1 is not there. Still have it on my RCA Dlp with 67 signal strength. Have been able to get it back before with about 5 channel rescans. It's using the same 5ft antenna in the attic as the Dlp. What's going on?

Try selecting the channel by entering/using the "real" channel number.

The station probably switched channels early, and your signal strength is too weak to pick up the new one. Sounds like the root of the problem is your antenna setup. You either need a roof mounted antenna or a good amp.

Should have caught this before. The signal problem was caused by the cable coming out of the coax connector athe the splitter. I went to remove the splitter and the cable came out of the connector. Replaced it, and now have all the channels again. Tv still looks as good as ever! Thanks for the help!

Update on my horizontal problem. Called Sears and got a service contract. Guy came out today and I was just under the limit to have the TV replaced. Total bill is $752, service contract was $270. They had to pull the chassis, and send it in for repair. Service guy said the person on the phone said they had come across the same problem several times in the last month or so.

The service guy told me that Sears will cover my rental of a TV while it's in repair so i guess I'll rent one for a few weeks, a 50" plasma would be nice.

How did you manage to get a service contract on an old, broken television?

I've had one on and off for years with Sears, I just renewed it. When I called them to have them come out and look at the TV the guy on the phone asked if I wanted to renew my service contract and I said yes. I got a 2 or 3 years contract when I bought the TV in 2002, renewed it once or twice over the years since then, so I was in their system.

After many years of faithful service my F38310 has finally given up the ghost.

Was really fuzzy for about a week and then would not power up at all.

Replaced it with an 37" discounted floor model Olivia from Target that I picked up for under $400.

It was a great set, but it's time had come.

The information in this thread has proven invaluable during the lifetime of the set. Thanks to all for posting.

Here's hoping your F38310's make it long than mine :o

Just picked up an RCA F38310 today... no manual I want to use it for my son's video games via component. I can't seem to find how to activate the component input the directv card that came with the tv is not on I would have to activate it to get Directv service with the built in HD decoder don't know if that has anything to do with it... :rolleyes: any help from the forum would help..... Thank You

Steve

The component input has nothing to do with the directv tuner. That you would have an RG6 attached from your dish. Are you cycling through the inputs to the component input? on the remote its a small button on left under the number 7 button.

Don't bother with the D tuner, there are only 5 or 6 HD channels that this set can get. It might be worth if you want D to send you a free HD unit as a swap out. The OTA Hd tuner will work fine even if you don't activate the D Tuner.

Did you get the remote with it?

The component input has nothing to do with the directv tuner. That you would have an RG6 attached from your dish. Are you cycling through the inputs to the component input? on the remote its a small button on left under the number 7 button.

Okay great the directv has nothing to do with it.... I tried looking for it (cycling) but it does not come up component anywhere... :confused: the button under #7 only shows up as family, user1 to user4. user3 has some kind of code (****) that comes up don't know what that is though...

Don't bother with the D tuner, there are only 5 or 6 HD channels that this set can get. It might be worth if you want D to send you a free HD unit as a swap out. The OTA Hd tuner will work fine even if you don't activate the D Tuner.

Did you get the remote with it?

I have a few H20 boxes in the house already with the new dish I get local hd channels. I will just upgrade my son's box to a new hd one. Yes, I did get the remote it looks like a universal rca remote like my directv one that came with the box.

I have been looking online at the manual and it still or maybe I just can't find it but can't seem to get component input to work.... WOW...

Steve

I FOUND WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR.....:D:) very happy now.... Man I was going crazy..... In the TV setup menu the (DVD) button is the only one that will operate the component input....

I hooked up my son's XBOX 360 and like Night and Day... I'm not a gamer but WOW the PQ on this TV is SWEEET...

I have one last question though... I hear the motor or power supply in the TV running or some fan or something when the TV is not on just the power coming from the outlet... Is this normal or should the TV be Silent.....

Steve

Fan runs continuously... normal.

Also... hitting the pink "input" button cycles through each input selection.

Get manual here:
http://tv.rca.com/RCATV/NewTV/Templates/SupportDownloads.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fen-us%2fproductdownloads%2ehtml&NRNODEGUID=%7b35D79B02-4AAE-4834-BFD0-1124EA501FA2%7d&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest

EDIT: New link for F38310 manual download.

Fan runs continuously... normal.

Also... hitting the pink "input" button cycles through each input selection.

Get manual here:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/media/i3d/01/A/man-migrate/MANUAL000033155.pdf

Ratman,

Thank You for your response.... fan is kinda loud but the PQ is sweeet in HD.. SD is okay too... P/U the TV for $200 Yesterday....

The manual link is not working.... I did locate a manual online.

Steve

I have one I picked up the other day, it has alittle problem with the picture, the easiest way I can explain it, is it looks like a DNA test, you know the little rectangle boxes in a row on the test. That is what the picture looks like, I checked for loose joints, didnt find any, checked the eeprom error codes, didnt find any, called PTS Corp up, they want $306 to rebuild the chassie, so I will just sell for parts or repair, someone out there may just need some parts for theirs, and can get them here cheep, Will have to pick up the set, as the 216 lbs for shipping is a bit much, will let the entire set go for $50

Schaefer's Electronics
Thomson, GA, 30824
706-361-0572

You can get a chassis on Ebay for $140 or so....

Sad to see mine go. AG (Sears) repair said it's DOA, bad yolk. PTS had the chassis 2 times and gave it a clean bill of health.

I get the feeling that there are less and less of us as time goes by. Mine is still operating with Fios as the HD tuner. Picture still looks great but I have to switch the component wires when I want to play the 360. I have logged a ton of time on this set over 8 years.

Vinny: I feel your pain and isolation. My set is also eight years and counting; still working flawlessly. About two months back, I posted my intentions to go to BestBuy and pull the trigger on a Panasonic plasma. While waiting for credit approval, I drifted through the plasma section and guess what? Short of a pioneer displaying a BluRay movie, I didn't see a picture better than the one on my 38310, sitting at home and paid for. I'd still like to move up to BluRay capability but I've got plenty of time, as long as the big beast keeps putting out a beautiful picture.

While I'm here, a broadcast request to other perusers of this this thread. Any of you encountered a problem with your RCA 38310's recently(low voltage power supplies, safety diodes et al) and had them repaired? If so, what was the problem, the cost and the lingering effects if any. I'm just attempting to anticipate possible failures in an effort to squeeze at least another year or two out of my set.

I'm missing my "beast". It was a few weeks over 7 years old. We tried valiantly to save it but it was a lost cause. PTS had the chassis twice and swear it's good so the problem lies with the bonded yolk. I wouldn't mind finding a set with a bad chassis to do a transplant, but odds are slim of that. I'll try and part it out I guess

If anyone is interested in parts let me know.

I found another F38310 for sale... Less than $100 not working powers up and makes a clicking sound and then shuts down. Any clues to what this could be..? or how much you would think it will cost to fix..? or don't even worry about it..

Steve

Sounds like the power supply problem from years back, but I could be wrong. Many things can cause that problem. If it is, lots of info in this thread on that. $2-3 fix IF you are handy with a soldering iron and don't mind working around high voltage.

Sounds like the power supply problem from years back, but I could be wrong. Many things can cause that problem. If it is, lots of info in this thread on that. $2-3 fix IF you are handy with a soldering iron and don't mind working around high voltage.

Hi Matt,

Soldering iron.... I think I can handle that if that is the cause. Thank You I will look into it...

Steve

This is my first post, so hello to everyone. I picked up a Proscan ps38000 from craigslist the other day and I'm hoping I can get it work. When I tried to turn it on they is nothing happening, no picture, no sound, no clicking. When I removed the back I found a blown fuse in the front left corner of the DM-1 board. Shouldn't the set still power up with that fuse open? My understanding from reading this thread is that the DM-1 controls the tuner. Is there a common known cause for that fuse to blow? If so that could save me some troubleshooting time. Thanks for any advice you might have.

Scott: welcome to the world of 240-pound television sets. Yes, the DM-1 power supply board does supply power to the DM-1 tuner module. But it's also the entry poiint for power to the entire chassis. That blown fuse and, more importantly, whatever components on the board caused it to blow could be the culprits. If the set is truly dead, no fans running, no transformers humming, no picture, no nothing, something on the DM-1 board might be the problem. Visually inspect the capacitors and diodes on the power supply board for obvious signs of failure(bulging or leaking capacitors, scorched diodes, etc.). If you spot something, you might be closer to a solution. You could try to replace any failed components and the blown fuse or, better yet, acquire and install a new DM-1 power supply board. I bought one as a backup through Sears parts (ninety bucks plus shipping) a couple of years ago but they(Sears) no longer stock them. Maybe one of the regulars on this thread could identify a source for the board, In any event, good luck and hope this helps. Keep us posted on your progress by...well....posting.

Based on few quick searches, this may be the DM1 PS board:
http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/showPart.pd?partNumber=46-356712-3&productGroupId=0057&supplierId=528&pathTaken=partSearch&filterPart=&pop=flush

Thanks RCA Don and Ratman. I'm waiting for a new oscilloscope probe to be delivered so it may take awhile but I will keep everyoine posted on my progress. I didn't notice any obvious leaks or burned components during my brief search, aside from the fuse that is. I figured the Proscan would make a good project. All it cost me was a sore back and a beer for the friend who help me haul the thing into the house. If I can't get it working, it's no great loss. I will admit, I get my hopes up every time I walk past the beast though.

When I pulled the DM-1 board out of my set for a better look I found something interesting. There is a capacitor soldered across the CR 14108 diode. Can anyone tell me if that is normal?

A capacitor soldered right to a diode? Some amateur's tried to fix something on that board in the past and made a mess of it. Sounds like taking a chance that a new DM-1 board might restore operation is a better bet than ever, Ratman to the rescue again: I thought that Sears quit stocking components for RCA and Proscan 38's. Sure sounds like it's worth a $90 gamble.

Yeah, that one got me scratching my head! I pulled the diode from the board and tested it with a DMM. The diode reads open in both directions so I'm hoping I found my problem. If anybody has a schematic of the DM-1 board, can you post the vlue of the diode a cr14108?

Double check my searching:
http://www.tristatemodule.com/storename/rivervalleyelectronicparts/dept/253924/ItemDetail-10407810.aspx

Did your DMM have diode test?

Yup, my meter has a diode test. BTW, I meant to say the meter read a short in both directions. The diode should be 3v .5w correct? Ratmans link listed it as 5w but further searchs came up with .5 watts. With any luck I will have a suitable replacement around here somewhere.

I replaced the blown fuse and the questionable diode(thanks again Ratman) that I initialy posted about. I can't say the result was satifactory. I plugged in the set and before I could even reach for the power button there was smoke! Now I'm looking at some more fried components on the DM-1 board. I'm not getting many hours at work so I can't justify $40 for the service manual right now. If someone would be willing to provide some values and confirm a few components for me I would be greatful.
I need the values for the following:
R14104, R14112, R14116, and transistor Q14102(face was blown off !!)
I need confirmation on:
R14102 = 19M ohms? R14110 = 150 ohms? and R14132 is an empty socket for the DTV302 chasis. Thanks guys I'm glad I found this thread.

Scott: Sounds like the transformer on that board is malfunctioning and popping components all over the board. I have a CD manual somewhere but haven't been able to locate it since I moved back in November. I'll take another look and see if I can provide those values for you BUT might it be wiser to risk a hundred bucks or so and replace the entire board with a new one?

Thanks Don, I'm not quite ready to give up on a component level fix yet. I would hate to throw the money at a new DM-1 board only to find out the real problem lies elsewhere.

I'm a new member here, but I have been reading this thread about the RCA F38310 TV off and on for a few years.

Last week my F38310 starting doing the "click click click" sound of death.
No picture, no sound.

The fan on the DM-1 is running when I plug it in, once plugged in the TV clicks, the other fans turn on briefly and then it clicks again and the fans turn off. It just continues this cycle.

While I'm not an electronics expert, I am very good at repairing things and I I'm capable of using a soldering iron.

Could someone (in layman terms) point me to where this diode (82 pf cap C14730) is located, and where I might be able to purchase this part?

I believe I've found the diode (located near the left/rear quadrant of the TV set) but I'm not sure because there are several things packed within the vicinity of C14730 that is marked on the board.

If needed, I can take pics of what I think to be the Diode and post them for viewing.

I'm having a hard time letting this TV go without at least trying something to fix it.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Brad

Hello All,
I'm new here. So bear with me. I lost picture on my F38310 last night. Fan is running,no sound no pic.Where should I go for repairs. Love this set, and hate to replace it...

Thanks Jim

Hoping someone can point me in the right direction...ty

I p/u today another f38310 for ($69) big ones..... in "Mint Condition" sweeeet.. the remote control was not even used... or maybe he just replaced it... anyway it came with a dvd player and manual. He was on the hunt for a flat screen tv (lcd or plasma)? don't know did not ask..

After buying my son one for his video games. I liked the PQ of the crt. I will put mine in my HT and take out my old front Sony PJ (crt) 722q or something like that... I only use it for my laserdsics. I'm all :)'s

Steve

I'm on the hunt for a non-working cheap one, at least one that has a good picture tube and yolk, and is local-ish. I always liked my set, if i could drop my good chassis into one I'd be happy.

Matt,

I know you'll find one. "They are still out there".

Steve

Wow, I figured after two weeks someone would have offered some help....

I guess the thread is dying like the f38310 television is...

Hang in there Brad. It does seem like this thread is dying but that's no shock. Only head cases like us want to keep repairing a massively heavy television that tends to be problematic. I took a quick look at the DM-1 board but I didn't see the C14730 there. The DM-1 is the leftmost board when you are facing the rear of the set. Going by your original post, you're actually looking for a capacitor not a diode. One last thing, be very careful when you are working on your set. You said you aren't an electronics guy so I will just point out that Voltages inside a television set can be extremely high!! Take a look around the net for information on television repair basics. At least then you'll have an idea of where not to stick your hand! Good luck

I've tried contacting RCA about my set. They tell me to go to website. I check for repair places. The one nearest me ,in Del, gives no contact info. IE phone or web info. So if there is anyone who can direct me to some way to get this set fixed, it would be most appreciated. Why did it have to break just when it's going all hd...........grrrrrrrrrrr.

Thanks, Jim

When I needed the caps and diodes replaced on my set I basically just started calling repair shops and starting the conversation by asking if they were familiar with the RCA f38310. If they didn't understand what I was saying right away, I thanked them and moved on. The guy I ended up using didn't know everything off the top of this head, but was familiar with the set and seemed to recall something about that issue. I figured that was close enough and within a couple of days my set was working beautifully again.

I lived in Dallas at the time, so there were quite a few repair shops around for me to try. That was also a few years ago, so YMMV.

Sometime last year I bought a 52" Phillips to replace my aging F38310 in the living room but I just couldn't see myself getting rid of my old set. So (with the help of a rather strong friend) I moved it upstairs where it now sits 6 feet high on a dresser.

Since I only had a single HD set for the longest time, I had HD programming from Dish delivered downstairs only. Well, yesterday I finally bought a used HD receiver for my old set and WOW. It still blows me away with its picture quality. The only issue the TV has is that it seems to be stetched horizontally too much but I might try to fix that issue through the service menu tonight...

Just thought I'd pop in and testify...I love this set.

Yeah, it is a bit off sizewise. A few months before mine died I ran a test disk or two and reduced the overscan to a very minimal amount and it was surprising how much better the picture looked. It takes a bit of tweaking with both the size and the trapezoidal functions but overall it took me 30 minutes or so. Just write down the original settings so you can go back to them and start over if need be.

Got mine as a remanufacture in 2002 and it is still working fine. But may be selling it soon.

Hang in there Brad. It does seem like this thread is dying but that's no shock. Only head cases like us want to keep repairing a massively heavy television that tends to be problematic. I took a quick look at the DM-1 board but I didn't see the C14730 there. The DM-1 is the leftmost board when you are facing the rear of the set. Going by your original post, you're actually looking for a capacitor not a diode. One last thing, be very careful when you are working on your set. You said you aren't an electronics guy so I will just point out that Voltages inside a television set can be extremely high!! Take a look around the net for information on television repair basics. At least then you'll have an idea of where not to stick your hand! Good luck


I'm still watching and waiting. All I need is a some part numbers of (CR14710, C14730, CR14709, and CR14750) and a lead or two of where I might be able to get the parts I need.

I have found one place on line that may have the parts, but without the part#, I have no idea.

If the resistors are not burnt beyond recognition, you can determine the values by the color bands.
http://www.engplanet.com/content/resistorinfo.html

I suggest you purchase service manual for a DTV306 chassis. Also... if the set does not power up, it's probably not the DM1 power board, but perhaps the power circuit on the main board. As I stated in a previous post (who knows when), a DM1 PSB failure typically does not make the set inoperable. When a DM1 PSB fails, the set powers up and all inputs still function. Only the "tuner" craps out. You may be pissing in the wind.

Sears Parts is helpful. Give them a call if you want to persue the DM1 PSB avenue.

Hi,

Has anyone ever tested for video lag on this model?, even if it was calibrating Rock Band III in PS3 or something? One of these popped up in my local CL and I'd love to pick it up, but I'm addicted to video games.

I believe Rock Band III puts out at 720p, so I would expect some upscaling to occur.

Thanks!

The F38310 outputs 540p or 1080i natively.
The F38310 does not "accept" 720p input. Upscaling to 1080i would have to be performed in the PS3.

CRT's should not have any "lag".

Take your PS3 and test before you cart the TV home if possible.

The F38310 outputs 540p or 1080i natively.
The F38310 does not "accept" 720p input. Upscaling to 1080i would have to be performed in the PS3.

CRT's should not have any "lag".

Take your PS3 and test before you cart the TV home if possible.

It's my understanding HDTV CRTs will lag if it needs to scale. I'm only going off of fubarduck's post.

Yeah, I was hoping to make an immediate deal, but it's probably best if I test first.

Need three posts before I can post a URL.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=558125

Yeah... old post and times have changed. But... take notice:
Example 2 (TV: Sony CRT HDTV with both 480p and 1080i native resolutions):
Better: SNES Game (240p) --> Sony CRT HDTV upscales to 480p --> Small lag.
Better: PS2 Game (480i) --> Sony CRT HDTV upscales to 480p --> Small lag.
Best: PS2 Game (480p) --> Sony CRT HDTV displays the image directly --> No lag.
Best: X-Box Game (480p) --> Sony CRT HDTV displays image directly --> No lag.
Best: X-Box Game (1080i) --> Sony CRT HDTV displays image directly --> No lag.

With a PS3, you'll be using 480p or 1080i. So essentially, no lag.

Personally... I'd wouldn't worry at all if "lag" is your major concern. You probably won't find any TV manufactured today that will perform better than a direct view CRT. Especially at 38" widescreen and the purchase price.

well after 8 GREAT years and over 60,000 hrs, with NO problems, my JX4 just won't power up anything....it was working great this morning, then after a 1 hour power outage, it won't power up what so ever...no fans, no green light, nothing :( There's definately power at the cord, but no signs of life otherwise.

With today's new TV prices, guess it's time for the junk heap, unless anyone has a suggestion for a "cheap" fix. I've read through this whole thread, and there's alot of different parts for different symtoms, but I didn't really find one that purtained to no power at all, and was fixed without a big expense. I do have "some" electronic and soldering skills, but a quick look has found nothing out of the ordinary.

So barring a quick fix, I live in Southern Ontario if anyone wants to pick it up, you can have it free.

I'd check for a blown fuse. Not sure where it's located, but you may have to take the back off the set to locate. May be an easy fix.

thanks for the suggestion, but I looked for a fuse as mentioned in this thread, with no luck....anyone else have any insight or directions on where to find any fuses????
Thanks :)

Looking at the back of the television, there is a narrow circuit board on the far left. On that circuit board toward the front of the set, you will find one of the fuses. Try that one first, I'm not sure where the other one is. And of course be very cautious! Good luck.

if I read you right, you mean at the front of the DM1 power supply...I'll check it out...but after reading this thread, I believed if the DM1 was faulty, the fans would still work, and I have no power at all....I'll check the fuse out and get back, thanks!!!!

I would assume that a "main" fuse would be located somewhere near the area where the power cord enters the back of the set.

FWIW... here's a little more info. Maybe it will help:
http://72.9.159.100/avs-vb/showpost.php?p=14885818&postcount=835

Thanks Ratman, I'll look for it there, but I have some progress....the other fuse, F14100 IS blown, so I "jumped" it to see it that was all it was, but as soon as I put power to the TV, a part blew on the same board at R14110 (I gather the R stands for Resistor?).
Nothing else seems bad or damaged on this board. The question now, did this ONE resistor cause the fuse to blow, or did something else blew the fuse, then the resistor after jumping the fuse???? This is the board that I've read about here that can be replace completely for about $100 right? and any thoughts on whether another board in the TV is causing this one to blow, or should replacing this board only be good to go?
thanks again for the help guys!!!

The board you are talking about is the DM-1 power supply board. You are on the money, r stands for resistor. It seems unlikely that the resistor would be the problem. It probably burned because it got too much current. I had a similar problem with my DM-1 board. I replaced the same fuse only to have a bunch more components go up in smoke. Grab a high power magnifying glass and take a good look around the board, you'll probably find more components to replace.

well I found the other fuse, and it's OK, as does all the main board seem to be ;)

I've checked the DM1 power supply board, and besides the resistor I blew myself, I found another identical one burned out just a bit at R14112, and I now find another bigger resistor at R14102 that has started to blacken out the colored stripes, and a very small one at R14104, and I believe these all may have happened when I jumped the fuse as they all appear to be inline on the same circuit on the board......after talking to an EX TV tech I know, he believes what blew the fuse is most likely a transistor that controls the voltage regulator/power supply. I've ordered a service manual online, and with that and some pictures, he's willing to give it a look with emails...I removed the main board assembly for the most part today to inspect it some more, but couldn't get it all the way out as there are some heavy duty wires for the tube that don't seem to just disconnect as the others do, but again, the main board seems OK as far as I could find.

So question again: will replacing the whole DM1 power supply board "most" likely fix this, or could something else OFF this board be causing this board to fail? I found a link for where to buy one the other day ($104US), so I'll have to find it again if need be, cause it would be worth it to me at that price to fix this TV instead of buying a new one ;)

I'm starting to believe replacing the DM-1 Power supply board will fix this, and after HOURS of searching this thread, I finally found the link again to the part (thanks Ratman, post #925, should've worked backwards :) ) BUT now I need to find someone near Niagara Falls to send it to so I can cross the border and pick it up.....they won't send it to Canada :( I'd be interested in hearing from anyone with 1 to sell!

...I "jumped" it to see it that was all it was, but as soon as I put power to the TV, a part blew on the same board at R14110 (I gather the R stands for Resistor?).
Ouch!
Never "jump" a fuse... you cause more damage since that's what the fuse trying to protect. ;)

Good luck with your project.

I remember years ago that the there are a few problem capacitors on the power supply board. I have the manual on CD-ROM somewhere, if someone really needs it give me a PM.

Incredible. I can't believe that there is a forum for this exact TV. I bought mine three years ago (floor model) and when I run the diagnostic mode it states that it was first activated on 11/22/04 and has been running for 27,917 hours. I hope that there's still plenty of life in it left. I have noticed one problem upon hooking up an input (a laptop so that I can view video formats not allowable via DVD/Divx players). There seems to be a short circuit somewhere in the input jacks. I'm a bit worried. I turned off the TV as soon as I heard some sparking. I turned it back on and it seems okay. Has anyone experienced such a problem?

guys I need help. first of all I have to say that My remote hasnt worked for it so I leave it on and use a surge protector to turn it off and on. Well that worked for about a year or two but now it powers on but the clicking noise that you hear when the screen lights up doesnt happen. What did I mess up anyone?

I think the tv may just been in the off position, Is there a way for me to program my remote to the tv with it off? Also I have a generic rca remote.

What happens if you use the front panel buttons on the TV?

yes I did some research in the postings and found someone had to press power to get the remote to work, MAGIC thank you azaile

Anyone want to buy my F38310 plus it's matching cabinet base? Perfectly working condition. I am in Miami, FL. (Local Pickup required).
Make me an offer, or let me know how much I should sell it for.

Odometer = 49K.
First activated = July '03

Sad to see it go, but wife wants an LCD to save on space. I love this TV. :-(

Let me know guys...

Thought someone might be able to help me. For some reason my digital channel 8.1(ABC) no longer shows up, or it's subchannels. It skips it when I use channel up, or when I input 8-1 it just tunes back to the same channel I was on. I've done channel search(Full and Quick) multiple times and it won't find it. However, if I go to the Antenna signal strength in the menu, it shows up with good signal. I can then exit the menu and watch 8.1. But if I change channels, it won't tune back in to 8.1. I don't see a way to manually add the channel. This is strange? Any advise appreciated!

Try selecting the "real" channel number.

I assume you're talking about over-the-air reception, in which case you should go to the "Local TV Reception" forum on this site. Look for your city's thread, and see if others are having the same problem. With the recent digital conversion, some stations were forced to go to very lower power signals which KOed local reception. If that's the problem you'll just have to wait until the FCC gets things dorted out.

Try selecting the "real" channel number.

Thanks, don't know why I didn't think of that. I input channel 10(ABC 8.1 here) and it worked, it tuned in 8.1. Weird, if I turn the channel it won't go to 8.1 again unless I input 10, all the other channels work fine though.

I dusted off my RCA DLP keyboard KBR755TA1 to see if I could get it to work with my HTPC tonight and found out it can control my F38310. Now I don't think this would be useful, in fact it will probably cause problems.Anyone know if this keyboard can work with a computer and more importantly how to keep it from controlling the F38310?

My cherished F38310 is for sale. PM me for a link to the listing.

System test says all OK, ODO=61530. Generally works fine except picture "tears" if background is all white. Only happens on all white screens. May be an early sign of worse problems down the road. It has served me well for many years so I have no complaints but I'm now deciding on what to replace it with.

I see a perfectly working F38310 just sold on eBay for $5.50. Maybe I'll get $6.00 for mine.

Haven't been on this boaard in a long time since my F38310 has worked so well for 6-7 years.

It just died a couple days ago. I located the fuse and replaced. More smoke and discoloration from what I think says Secondery Regulator? Anybody know the part number of this? The PartsStore.com seems to have a lot of components parts for this set still but I need a decent part number.

I'm not sure about fixing this set. The bottom PCB looks quite dificult to remove to get to the underside to solder a new part. I was hoping for a couple more years out of this set till the thin LCD TV's came down a little or even possibly the OLEDs (a dream????)

Any service manual info/parts info would be appreciated.

I thought I had a picture "tearing" problem. But I also noted HD TV did not look very HD. Then I discovered my HD Tivo was set for 480p output. Switched to 1080i and picture is perfect (also OK at 480i, just does not like 480p)! Guess I won't be shopping for a new TV quite yet.

Since 9/2002 my F38310 has chugged along with no problems. A week ago the input banner kept flashing on the screen at random times making it impossible to watch anything. It does it on all inputs. Since I am still running an extended warrantee I called for service. They suspect a DM module (I think that's what they said but don't think the part is still avalable.) I would hate to have to trash the set since the picture is so good. Anyone have any suggestions or ideas.

Ray

Unplug the TV from wall power for at least 30 minutes... cross your fingers when you power it up.

Also... check that your remote doesn't have any buttons that are stuck. ;)

Unplug the TV from wall power for at least 30 minutes... cross your fingers when you power it up.

Also... check that your remote doesn't have any buttons that are stuck. ;)

Thanks Ratman. I will check. Actually it has happened even when I pull the batteries from the remote but anything is possible. Seems that if the set is working except for this issue the DM should be ok, but who knows. I am hoping to resolve this issue

Have any of you 38310 owners uncovered a way to upconvert to 1080i through the component inputs that doesn't involve buying a hackable DVD player or, worse yet, a piece of electronic debris like the Kingwell DVD player that did upconvert for me but self-destructed after about six months of light use? Is there any such device as an HDMI-to-component converter, even a stereo receiver/video switcher that will fool my HDMI-equipped upconverting DVD player/recorder into feeding an upconverted signal to my 38310?

Thanks to the deceased Kingwell, I did see the improvements in picture quality that upconversion can deliver. It ain't Blu-ray level but it is better.

The reason for my renewed interest in upconversion? Simple. My F38310 is threatening to join the ranks of the immortals. It's been putting out a flawless picture for over 8-1/2 years now without a single glitch or repair. I'm somewhat optimistically guessing that I can expect at least two more years of the same great performance. I certainly hope my estimate proves accurate in light of the minor and not-so-minor drawbacks and flaws of the current LCD and plasma display offerings.

Upconversion ideas, anyone? And how about an answer to this bonus question: what's the estimate to half-brightness for the 38310? 30,000 or 50,000 hours maybe?

HDfury dongles supposedly converts HDMI to component.
Personally, I make "backup" copies of DVD's and they upconvert via component.

Bonus answer... shrug. IMO... if it still looks good, why worry? ;)
Haven't touched any setting in my set (user or service menus) since Gregg Loewen was here a few years ago. :)

For me, I wouldn't even mess with anything on these sets if you have one that still works. Based on the track records and infant mortality of these TV's, cranking up the brightness could put it over the edge. Parts (or someone to "fix") are very hard to come across.

Kind of like asking grandmom to get on the treadmill for a cardio workout. You think it will help her, but... you know how some things turn out.

Appreciate the quick and comprehensive response, senor ratman. The HDfury II sounds like it's just what I need(or want) but it sports a $200 price tag. I've heard about backup copies and I'm going to check and see if I have the tools, technology and knowledge to make the things before I take the HDfury approach.
Your advice regarding judicious use of the brightness setting could explain why my set has lasted as long as it has. I've never had the brightness more than 50% up the scale and the contrast has been at about 70% since forever. I didn't use those settings to promote longevity. It's simply where I like them. Thanks again. Hope your 38310 is still turning out great video.

Dug up some notes I copied from and old, old home video magazine, by the way, and the article quoted RCA as saying that the F38310 picture tube should reach 75,000 hours before losing half of its luminance. Hey, mine's at about 15,000 hours so I better start working on lasting as long as the set.

Unplug the TV from wall power for at least 30 minutes... cross your fingers when you power it up.

Also... check that your remote doesn't have any buttons that are stuck. ;)

Repair guy came (I still have a warrantee) he got numbers he needed, turned set on and everything worked like new. Supposdely he was going to replace the DM module. I never heard back from him. I sprayed contact cleaner on the remotes and have not had a problem for 2 weeks. Guess I should cross my fingers and go with the flow.

wrong ID :)

the parts I ordered in May to fix my DM1 module have still not arrived, so I ordered a whole new one from the Sears link in Post #925, but Sears just called to tell me it is no longer available, and refunded my money. So with no parts available, I guess at this point my F38 is now DEAD, unless someone has any other contacts to acquire the Dm1 module, or 1 they would like to sell me.

... unless someone has ... one they would like to sell me.

Mine is for sale online. PM me for links.

I've had a few problems with it. Thank heavens it was under warranty so they repaired t free of charge.

Well I gave up on mine, and bought a new one today, so before I put it out to the curb, if anyone wants it for FREE, let me know soon and you can have it. It appears to only need the DM1 board, but............... I need the matching stand for my new one, but would let it go if supplied with one that will do the same job.

I'm in the Southern Ontario Niagara region, but FYI, I'm driving to Washington, PA Oct 8th if that works for anyone, otherwise THANKS for all the help and advice on this :)

Well, my F38310 JX4 (made in March 2001) is still going strong and running flawlessly - I just checked the odometer tonight, and have logged 61515 hours (thats a lot of TV!) and the picture is just as smooth and fabulous as ever. I've got the matching stand, and use a Toshiba HD-D3 HD-DVD player, a Pioneer DV-563A Uni-player (for DVD-Audio and SACD), and an original Xbox, which puts out beautiful 1080i for a handful of games. All run through an Impact Acoustics 3x1 1080i powered component switcher to the RCAs single component input.

The F38310 is fabulous with these sources, and the system works well together - about the best 1080i system around. Interestingly, the Toshiba is smart enough to use both the HDMI (for LPCM sound) and the component outputs for video at the same time - pretty cool! And HD-DVD never bothered to enable the component lock-outs, so it's sweet HD picture for HD-DVD sources. (However, it won't upconvert standard DVDs over component - bummer)

Only real negative to the system is the darned sealed box fan, which just won't turn off, and is as quiet as a small tornado after 8 years - I'm still looking for advice on how to kill that one fan (there are three inside the F38310) as its the only one which stays on permanently. Simple solution is to crank up the HT sound (!) and put the TV on a switchable plug.

Oh yeah, the other negative is that this beast is 216lbs, so it'll never move from its current spot, unless it's to the dumpster.

Still, I contend that this TV is the high water mark of 80 years of CRT technology - there's never been one better or more sophisticated, and there never will be - sort of a last, best example of the species. They should put one in the Smithsonian (provided they disconnect the friggin' fan).

Well the fan is rather easy to quiet down, remove it, clean the dust off it, remove the sticker on the back and the rubber circle in the center, drop some lube in, put rubber+sticker back, and enjoy a quiet fan.

IIRC, The "24/7" fan is enclosed (sealed) in the DM-1 module and cannot be easily accessed.

... it won't upconvert standard DVDs over component ...

Simple solution is to crank up the HT sound (!) and put the TV on a switchable plug ...

I contend that this TV is the high water mark of 80 years of CRT technology ...

I agree. And on this set, the picture is so rich and liquid that DVDs don't need to be upscaled.

The fan was noisy even when it was new and clean. My set was in an entertainment center, which helps muffle the fan noise during viewing. It was plugged into a switched power conditioner, so AC power was removed from the whole A/V system when not in use. (This has the added advantage of saving about $15 per month on our electric bill.)

To the expert members of this forum, I appreciate your time in sharing your counsel. After 7 years of flawless usage, my F38310 finally went south. Reaching out for any experienced AVS experts' wisdom. I'd rather fix this unit than go for the new as I think its picture is fantastic...

Last week the RCA's tube simply wouldn't turn on even though fan still was cycling. After killing A/C supply to unit to let it discharge overnight, the next AM the TV did power back on but things went south from there.

What has been happening is unit works for approx 45 minutes then it simply starts toggling through all the inputs (component, composite, antenna a, front, s-video etc). It will not stop despite using remote control or top of TV inputs. If I kill the power for 5 seconds and restore power the unit does turn on but the TV tube itself does not turn on and all that I see working is the green power button on the top and the fan cycles. I then let it sit without power overnight and groundhog day starts again.

Has anyone seen this failure and any counsel on what remedies it? (next step for me is lugging the 200+ lb unit onto my workbench to look for evidence of blown electronics)

Thx in advance

1) check for "stuck" buttons on the remote or FPA
2) hide the remote in a drawer
3) open the set and disconnect the FPA

You may get lucky and try cleaning all of the buttons/contacts in the FPA.

I figured I should check here as a last resort before I toss this thing....I have an F38310 that hasn't worked for about a year. I've read through this thread a bunch of times...but I'm just not quite sure where to start with my problem.

Really, I'd like to take a stab at the most likely resolution...in short, my set powers everything up, then starts "rebooting" every few seconds or so. Power appears to be getting to everything...fans are running, but I get nothing but a "click" every few seconds or so...like the unit continues to cycle or something.

Nothing obviously burnt/bulging on any of the boards. Am planning on replacing the infamous 4700uf caps & diode on the power supply...mainly because it's pretty easy.

Anyway...please let me know if anyone has any ideas, or if there is something that I should specifically check.

Thanks.