Help might I have a bad tv mainboard or power supply board

[Ethan_the_axolotl]

hi i have a rca sld40a45rq 40 inch full hd tv it will only stay on for a few mins then shut off I cant open the menu as it will freeze and shut off (this tv does not have a warranty anymore and yes I'll never buy rca again)
but I can bypass some of this problem by connecting it to my pc via hdmi but still cannot open the menu could I have some bad components on the power supply board or bad components on the main board and if so where should i start?

 

[mikedt]

hi i have a rca sld40a45rq 40 inch full hd tv it will only stay on for a few mins then shut off I cant open the menu as it will freeze and shut off (this tv does not have a warranty anymore and yes I'll never buy rca again)
but I can bypass some of this problem by connecting it to my pc via hdmi but still cannot open the menu could I have some bad components on the power supply board or bad components on the main board and if so where should i start?

Shutting down and freezing, I would start by checking for bad electrolytic caps on the PSU board and around the CPU. you'll need an ESR meter. Also check for bad solder joints on the PCBs.

I believe RCA TVs are made by TCL, given that the RCA company doesn't actually exist any more. So even if you buy another brand it could still be made by TCL, given they're one of the world's largest OEMs of TVs.

 

[Ethan_the_axolotl]

Shutting down and freezing, I would start by checking for bad electrolytic caps on the PSU board and around the CPU. you'll need an ESR meter. Also check for bad solder joints on the PCBs.

I believe RCA TVs are made by TCL, given that the RCA company doesn't actually exist any more. So even if you buy another brand it could still be made by TCL, given they're one of the world's largest OEMs of TVs.

well I might just replace all the capacitors just to be on the safe side and if i need to ill replace some of the transistors

 

[Ethan_the_axolotl]

ESR meter.

however I dont own one of these i can still check them with a cheap multimeter by using the resistance checking part and by setting it to 200k ohms (yes this method works)

 

[mikedt]

however I dont own one of these i can still check them with a cheap multimeter by using the resistance checking part and by setting it to 200k ohms (yes this method works)

I think that checks if a capacitor just open, short, or just leaky.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESR_meter
A standard (DC) milliohmmeter or multimeter cannot be used to measure ESR, because a steady direct current cannot be passed through the capacitor.

You can probably buy an ESR meter for around $50.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=esr+meter&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

 

[mikedt]

well I might just replace all the capacitors just to be on the safe side and if i need to ill replace some of the transistors

Well you could, but it would take time and money. What you describe doesn't sound like a transistor fault, sounds very much like s bad electrolytic cap. From experience transistors either work, or they fail open, or short in various ways. Like if a switching transistor was short in the PSU, it would probably blow fuses.

Do you have a good electronics store near you, or do you have to order components online?

 

[Ethan_the_axolotl]

Well you could, but it would take time and money. What you describe doesn't sound like a transistor fault, sounds very much like s bad electrolytic cap. From experience transistors either work, or they fail open, or short in various ways. Like if a switching transistor was short in the PSU, it would probably blow fuses.

Do you have a good electronics store near you, or do you have to order components online?

ive got all kinds of components yesterday i replaced all the caps and well kinda works for a bit longer