Hi;
I just can't explain it. Sony XBR 1997 model. Symptom whited out negative image. Under our warranty and no print. I'm glad it's not the busy season.
Set uses a TA1226 IC for video enhancement. Good video in, bad video out. Lucky I had a used one because it wasn't the problem, but it came from a working set that we own for future sale. No change in symptom at all. I literally put the sets side by side on the same input and started flying by the seat of my pants. Armed only with the Tektronix and a pinout of the IC I found it.
The tippy tops of the sandcastle input to pin 10 were missing. Following traces etc. I got a bit of a mental map of it. Three diodes going to that pin etc... On the working set the sync tips for the SCP are derived from Q1353 IIRC. Turning to the device under test to check on the status of Q1353 I discovered it missing.
This set was delivered not too long ago and I'm told they have no reason to suspect sabotage, other than what I had just told them.
Has anyone ever seen a SMD transistor pop off the board without "assistance" ? If we've been scammed it was by someone either incredibly lucky or who knows what they're doing. This particular part of the video circuit seems common only to XBRs. No debris or damage to the foil and the solder was still there. Damn I wish a defective SMD transistor would come out so easily. Are we wasting our time desoldering these things ?
Now playing devil's advocate here, that transistor mounts with the collector toward the front of the set. In that position flexing of the PC in the direction caused by up and down movement would apply compressional/tensional force on those short leads.
I find it hard to believe that all three connections were fine and not intermittent and just gave up all at the same time. Any one of them open and the whole device is effectively open. Conversely could the set have had a highly intermittent problem that we (our shop) has never seen, and then simply disassembling the set caused the last little bit holding it to break away ? I'm not really even ready to take a guess on that right now. Any takers ?
How about the possibility of the customer adamantly wanting the set replaced having someone else sabotage the set. It wouldn't be the first time. Back when I was in business an employee of mine did that for someone and I fired him on the spot. That's not to say there aren't any people out there who can and will do it.
I need a bit of input, do they sometimes just fall off ? The set is getting delivered tomorrow, I don't work Saturdays now that I've "paid my dues", but I might like to call the boss tomorrow and tell him to warn the customer. Being very careful not to accuse, it should be explained that if something happens again that looks like sabotage we will be reluctant to cover it under warranty. Maybe he didn't do it, maybe someone else did it to him. I'm told the PIP is almost always on for a security camera, and this could be a factor here.
I'm kinda looking for a figure here where we can tell the customer "my guy says it's a XX% chance of sabotage. Should I say 90, or more like
75 ? IMO right now it's over 50. I have never seen an SMD just pop off, even with a bad connection a two terminal device doesn't fall off. This is a three terminal device, and I think that makes it pretty unlikely. The problem is you have to tread lightly here when what you say can be construed as an accusation of fraud.A penny for your thoughts. Hell we're giving them away, I just found out I'm not making quite a dollar a day. Today's dollar has about a nickel's worth of purchasing power, $200 in an eight hour day comes out to $25 an hour, I fall just a bit short. Perhaps I'm underpaid ? (I mean more underpaid than others) Even if I am I don't want to see the company get screwed.
Thanks in advance, for ANYTHING that can shed some light on this.
JURB