How are RCA F38310 owners doing? - Page 33

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....&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!

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.

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.

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.

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.