Vizio E601i-a3 Repair

Last November I bought a Vizio E601i-a3 60" HDTV mainly because we have a Vizio VX32L that's been going for the past 7 years with no problem and the price for the E601i-a3 smart TV was attractive. The picture went out after only 8 weeks of ownership but I still had sound! Sound familiar? Well I called Vizio support thinking that I had a 1 year factory warranty but they informed me that because I didn't buy from one of their authorized dealers that I have no warranty! Well this left me with no choice but to repair the TV myself (I wouldn’t take it to a TV shop having repaired TV's in the past). I wound up fixing the set and since I couldn't find any repair threads when I was looking for them on the web I thought I would start one here. What is to follow will be a documented explanation with hi-res pictures so you can blow them up without loosing clarity. This is all that I will say for now; I will continue this thread as I get organized with my thoughts. Stay tuned!
Edited by flyguy108 - 2/19/13 at 7:27pm

Let’s talk about the screws that hold the back on and the internal parts of the E601i-a3. First there are only three circuit boards in the TV; the power board, the main board, and the controller board. There are a slew of screws that hold the back on and they are of all different sizes. Some are course thread for plastic, and some are machine thread for metal. They are all different sizes, some tiny and some large. It’s important not to torque any of them down beyond a light seat when replacing them to their original positions. I used several zip lock plastic bags to hold the screws and divided them by size. The back has quite a few studs that fit into metal holes all along the back and you have to tug a bit after all the screws are out to get the back to release usually with a popping sound, be gentle though and don’t break the plastic back when pulling it off. With the back off you can begin to test the power board with the set plugged into AC. I only have a DVM (digital volt meter) to test with so the first test that I did was to make sure that the power board was putting out the correct voltages as per the writing on the circuit board next to the power output plug and all voltages checked correctly as stated on the board, so I cleared the power board as the culprit. Since I didn’t have an oscilloscope or a signal generator I had to guess which board was bad between the main board and the controller board. I chose the main board because it has the tuner and video generating components on it so I purchased it first and changed it out and to my surprise that wasn’t the bad board! Next I purchased the controller board and changed that one out and the video came back to life (wish I knew that at first, I could have saved some money on the repair).



In this pic you can see what the TV looks like with the back off (I laid it face down on a bed to protect the screen) you can also see the metal holes that the back's studs push into. The board closest to you in the pic is the main board and the one furthest away is the power board. The controller board is to the left center under a metal shield ( I will show more on this board in another picture).
Edited by flyguy108 - 2/19/13 at 7:39pm

Here’s a summary of all the boards and their part numbers;

Power Board Part # 09-60CAP000-00
Main Board Part # 01-60CAP001-00
Controller Board Part # RUNTK5261TPZC Look for the ZC stamped on the board.

The controller board is manufactured by Sharp and their name is stamped on that board. I’m told that the main board is also manufactured by Sharp though their name is not stamped on this board. The power board could be manufactured by anyone and I could not find any clues as to who manufactured it as there are no markings as to name on it.

The main board connectors are simple to remove if you are changing that board, simply push in and hold the black plastic tabs on the sides and pull the connector out. The other connectors are similar to automotive types with a locking tab on center top that you push down on and pull out, please note that you do not pull on any wires to get the connectors out, pull from the connector itself! Here’s a pic of the main board up close with all the connectors plugged in.



You can click on these pictures for a larger view. The connectors on the left side of the board go to the controller board. The connector at top left comes from the power board and supplies operating voltage to this board. The connector at top right with the blue marking on it goes to the PC board on the side of the TV for power on and off, channel up and down, and volume up and down. the connector on the lower left goes to the speakers on the TV. One very important connector is the WiFi antenna connector that looks like a ground tab that pulls up from the board, it has a button on the bottom which pushes in straight down and pulls up straight up to disconnect. This can be seen in the pic on the lower left. The label says that this is the antenna for WiFi and it may be even though it goes to the frame of the panel, I guess it uses the frame as an atenna even though it looks like a ground cable.
Edited by flyguy108 - 4/19/13 at 9:03am

Here’s a picture of the power board which you can enlarge by clicking on the picture (as with all the rest of the pictures) so you can see the voltage breakouts identified on the board at the plug, checkout these pin by pin with a DVM.




Notice the fuse on the lower left for AC in and out to the board and the power out plug at the upper right with the voltages labeled pin by pin. not seen in the picture is another plug on the upper left which ouputs to the backlight LED's at the top of the panel.
Edited by flyguy108 - 2/17/13 at 9:00am

last are the pics of the controller board which show the metal shields on and off of the board, the first pic is with the shield on;



The next pic is with the top shield off;



Now we have to take off the second metal shield;



This photo shows the board with all the connectors removed and laying on the controller board. The top two connectors come off by pushing in the black tabs on the sides and pulling the connectors out while holding in the black tabs. The bottom two connectors use fine ribbon cables and these connectors operate a little differently. On top of these connectors is a black flat plactic bar, this bar flips up (it hinges on the back side) and the ribbon cable can then be removed quite easily. To reconnect these cables leave the black plastic bar flipped up, then lay the ribbon cable in place and then swing down the locking plastic bar and your done. These two cables with the blue bands on them connect the controller board's output to the LCD panels input passing the video on to the panel. Here's some info that I found on the web which describes the function of the controller board;

The T'Con board [Timing Control Board] is one which controls the on screen pixels of an LCD TV. It connects the LCD panel to the digital Processor section at the main board. This board will usually be fitted to the display panel of an LCD TV. In most cases, it will be shielded with a metallic shield to prevent interference. These boards can be defective irrespective of Brand and Model. A defective T'con board can cause, a very dark picture, sound but no picture, vertical lines either with the entire screen or will be displayed partially, and with improper color reproduction etc: The first thing to check is its connections. These boards are connected with flat cables. No solder joints. They are connected with small connectors either side, and will be locked. The lock can be released. Release the lock, remove the cable and reinsert it and relock it. In most cases, loose contacts or improper connection to these wires can cause several display problems. These boards can be purchased either from the authorized service center for those companies, or from electronic spare part selling shops at your town. It may cost around $35 to $70.

Lift up the black flat lock. The flat connecting wire will come out very easily. Check the connecting contacts of the wire for any dirt. If dirty, clean it with a smooth cotton cloth dipped in rectified spirit. Dry it well. Reconnect it back into position. If this does not help you, make sure that the board is faulty.
If the board is faulty [shorted digital processor IC], the large IC on it will over heat.

With some sets, the picture will be perfect for some time, say 20 minutes or so, and will go blurred. If so, check the contact between the main digital IC to its heat sink. The IC will heat up to an extent, and to radiate heat away from it, it will be fixed to a metal heat sink [or to the panel chassis itself], after applying some heat sink compound over the IC. When replacing this board, make sure that this heat sink compound is reapplied. This compound can be bought from most of the electronic spare part shops.

So to sum up the purpose of the metal shields, the top shield is for interferance protection and the bottom shield is in fact a heat sink to cool the large IC chip. The white line on the large chip in the pic above is not a crack in the chip but rather the remains of the rubber conductive piece that can be seen in the pic below.

---

Edited by flyguy108 - 2/26/13 at 7:45am

Here are some additional photos of the controller board and its surroundings, this pic shows the inside of the second metal shield and the rubber pads that protect the chip;







If all these pictures aren't large enough for you, you can download them all at my website in full hi-res here http://www.eaa1358.com/Vizio/

Vizio tech support was helpful in that they gave me three URL's on the web to obtain replacement boards and they said that they partner with these sites and here they are;

VizParts - (888) 260-7765 www.vizparts.com.
Encompass Parts - (800) 432-8542 www.encompassparts.com.
Shopjimmy 877-881-6492 www.Shopjimmy.com

Well that's it and I hope that this information was helpful to you.
Edited by flyguy108 - 2/17/13 at 11:09am

Here's a link to the Vizio authorized dealers list; http://www.eaa1358.com/Vizio/VIZIO%20Authorized%20Dealers.pdf

According to Vizio, you must buy from one of these dealers for the one year warranty to be in effect!
Edited by flyguy108 - 3/4/13 at 7:56am

The answer to the first question is no! You must lay the TV face down on either a bed or a flat surface with a smooth cloth under the screen to protect the screen from scratches. The whole stand must come off not just the base but also the post in order to remove the back. The answer to question two is a little complicated, since I ordered the replacement boards the price on the main board has increased! I paid just under $100 for the main board with a discount coupon from "retailmenot". I paid just under $50 for the controller board also with a discount coupon. The boards were purchased from "shopjimmy.com" who IMO is the best to do bussiness with. The boards also come with a 180 day free replacement warranty so you know they have been inspected and tested before they send it out. So far they have treated me better than Vizio I have to say. Do you own the E601i-a3 TV?

In your drawing above remove the four screws on either side of the wing of the post shown by the red oval and the whole post will come off. Under it will be more screws holding the back on the panel, you can then remove all the screws around the entire panel as well as one at the AC plug location, the wall mount screws, and the screws around the main board. Keep track of all the screws as to location and size. The course threaded screws come from plastic hubs and you must not torque these screws down beyond a light seat when replacing them. The TV is easy to work on after you get used to how everything is put togeather. I used to repair TV's many years ago and I can say that todays TV's are much easier to repair then those of years past. All you can do today is change out circuit boards because IC surface mount technology makes it impossible for the DIYer.

The controller (T-Con) board and I really don't know if it really was bad. It could have been that just reseating the connectors would have fixed it but I don't feel like taking it apart again just to find out! So for now I have a spare main board and a question mark on the controller board for a spare but my guess is that the board is bad. I also noticed that the SN for the TV has changed with the main board. I guess the SN is embedded on that board, Vizio also did an automatic update after I turned the TV on and I had to fill in all the info online with the TV on startup. So I guess I have a new TV as far as Vizio is concerned and before you ask the answer is no the warranty is still nonexistent. As far as the boards being the same between the 601 and 701, other than the power board I would say no. There will still be the same number of boards but the scan for the 701 is different for it than the 601 so my guess is that those boards will have a different number.
Edited by flyguy108 - 3/4/13 at 9:52am

Here's more pics of the speakers in the TV in greater detail;

Hi Bill

I haven't seen the bulletin that you speak of, I'll check the Vizio site for the info, thanks. I told Vizio support of what I found with regards to the T-Con board and they said they would refer the problem to their design department. I don't know if this bulletin was a result of that or not. I thought about that on the heat sink, normally a heat sink uses a white compound between the sink and the chip but the distance between the sink and the chip is about maybe an eighth of an inch and designed to compress that rubber like pad on the big chip. I take it that the big chip is a video processor timing IC that works with the main board. A service manual would be nice for the TV but Vizio is very tight minded on releasing that info and yes, I believe that the big chip was what failed but even if I could get a replacement I couldn't replace it being a surface mount type (you need a lab with special desoldering equipment for that). On the replacement board I could not find a rev # and compare it to the original so I don't know if the chip on the board that has been repaired is an updated version of the original that I bought. It's probably just the latest run in that chip.
Edited by flyguy108 - 3/12/13 at 8:23am

The bulletin that Bill speaks of can be found here; https://vizio.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/962/~/vizio-special-bulletin

So check your SN's and file for the free extended warranty if your TV's SN falls in that range. With the original main board my SN starts with 38 so my TV was affected by the bulletin.
Edited by flyguy108 - 3/11/13 at 8:06am

Yeah, I say rubber or rubber like only because I don't know exactly what that piece is made of. I do think that it is a conductor of heat and meant to sink off heat from the chip. If that was the chip that failed we now know (thanks to Bill and the Vizio bulletin) that a bad batch of chips was supplied to Vizio from the vendor and this is what Vizio is addressing. Thanks Bill for putting me on to the bulletin!
Edited by flyguy108 - 4/19/13 at 9:06am

Truthfully, I have no idea who made the panel, it could have been TCL because I know that they have supplied panels for other major manufacturers. Theres just a few companys that supply all the panels.

I searched the web and found this as a possible answer;

Who makes Vizio? Sony? LG? Sharp? Panasonic?

This is not a question. I am actually answering my own question here because I attended a long electronics seminar where I was able to talk to a couple of Vizio reps, along with Panasonic, Sony, Sharp and several others.

The question for ages has been: "Does Sony Make Vizio?"

Answer: No!

Who really makes Vizio? It is AmTran Technology of Taiwan.

"Who makes their screens? Perhaps Sony or Sharp?"

Answer: Vizio LCD screens are made by LG. Plasma screens are Panasonic seconds, which are most likely older technology and/or Panasonic rejects. The Panasonic rep said they are their screens, but they are totally different grade than the ones in Panasonic TV's.

Unfortunately, LG was not there to confirm whether their screens are really being used in Vizio displays, but many experts I spoke to confirmed this is true. It even hints towards this if you search Vizio's website.

Question: "Are Vizio TV's made in the USA?"

Answer: NO! Not one screw is turned in the states during assembly. They are made in China/Taiwan. According to the Vizio rep I spoke to, they are made to Vizio's spec overseas. Vizio has absolutely no hand in the manufacturing of Vizio TV's. Vizio gives the requirements to AmTran and they make them for from whatever parts fit the bill. The Vizio reps justification for this was that many other companies don't make their own products, so why should Vizio? "AmTran is the best maker of HD televisions, which is why they were chosen by Vizio".

The CEO of Vizio, William Wang, is the former owner of Princeton monitor company. Princeton went out of business a few years ago. This left Wang free to be the mastermind of Vizio televisions. Your "American Made" Vizio only employees about 100 employees in the states and has no say over the people or talent responsible for the Vizio phenomenon. Accoding to William Wang, Vizio aspires to be the next Sony by selling their discount televisions at Costco and Wal-Mart.

Vizio's real website.
http://www.amtran.com.tw/

So on the basis of this I guess the answer is LG but I'll bet that the screens are seconds that LG rejected for their TV's.
Edited by flyguy108 - 3/12/13 at 12:49pm

You betcha, it's working great and as I said before I really like the TV. I've loaded many apps on the set, even had to take some off because I had too many. Only thing is the unanswered question of how long will it last? If it goes as long as my other Vizio VX32L which is 7 years and counting I'll be happy.

Here's the board #s that I was able to get for the E701i-a3; The power board is 09-70CAR000-00. The controller board is RUNTK5261TPZH and I wasn't able to find the part # for the main board after doing much searching but I did find reference to it on another forum and it was said to be 1p-1129800-1011 however I don't know how good that number is.

Hi Matt, welcome to the forum and welcome to this thread! I'm assuming that the 8 pin chip that you speak of on the lower right side is in reference to the picture I have posted above in post 5. The fact that it has proprietary programing makes if very difficult to effect a board repair and I'm thinking that it 's just easier to replace the whole board. If you happen to have a pdf of the service manual for the E601i-a3 and could e-mail it to me I would certainly appreciate it, if not I'll keep looking for it on the web. I do have prior experience repairing TV's but that was many years ago and today's HDTV's are very different and much more powerful but at the same time easier to service.

Here's an update on the controller board; The ZC stamped on the board is to identify the program that is loaded on the 8 pin EPROM. There is a new updated version of this chip with a ZG stamped on the board and this is compatible with the E601i-a3. It has been said that the ZG board will last longer than the ZC board. If mine goes again then I'll be ordering the new ZG board. So to recap; The RUNTK5261TPZG is an update for the RUNTK5261ZC. I hope that this helps all those looking to replace their controller board. I found the board available at these URL's http://www.tristatemodule.com/p-26157-runtk5261tpzg-vizio-tv-module-t-con-board-e601i-a3.aspx and https://www.discount-merchant.com/p-147912-sharp-runtk5261tpzg-tcon-board-cpwbxruntk5261tpzg.aspx and http://www.rivervalleyelectronics.net/p-24418-vizio-runtk5261tpzg-t-con-board.aspx
Edited by flyguy108 - 4/27/13 at 12:59pm