Hitachi & Other Manufacturers Convergence Problems (STK392-110 ICs) Read Post 1

[consultwithrobert]

Edit by 57

Warning. This repair is not intended for amateurs. These TVs have high voltages that can kill and desoldering/soldering ICs and resistors and boards is not easy. If you have any doubts, leave it to the professionals.

This convergence IC issue is hitting a lot of older CRT-RPTVs (all manufacturers since similar ICs are used). There could be issues with the ICs, the resistors, cracked solder on the board, or all of these. If there are fuses on the board, be sure to check those too (first). The parts can be purchased for under $100 for DIY'ers. The repair done by a pro is typically $3-400. Once repaired, a proper manual convergence is usually necessary and the TV looks like new again.

If you replace only the ICs and there is a problem with the resistors, the ICs may blow again almost immediately, so while the board is out, replace the appropriate resistors - if you buy the "kits" everything will be supplied. You should also check the board for cracked solder. Since the ICs are relatively inexpensive, you should always replace both (or however many there are) ICs when doing the repair. You cannot properly measure the resistors when they are in place.

If you've done the repair and something doesn't work correctly and you've tried everything else, try unplugging the TV overnight. This has resolved issues for 1-2 people.

Once the problem arises, you should repair the TV, as using it in this condition can cause additional damage to the board.

Sample photo of what the TV looks like with such a "failure" at the end of this post:

Link to kits:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...&postcount=107

Link to Hitachi parts:

http://www.hitachiserviceusa.com/PartDist.asp

http://www.tvrepairkits.com/xcart/home.php?cat=1373 Repair kits, etc

Links to informative posts/sites on How to Fix:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...&postcount=220

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/show...&postcount=224

http://home.earthlink.net/~oleg.fili...ergenceFix.htm

http://www.urwathrtz.webs.com/


If the fix doesn't work, here are some things that people have done incorrectly:

- bad solder on the board
- shorted (bad) soldering during replacement of ICs or resistors
- didn't replace resistors (possibly blowing the new ICs)
- incorrect resistors, resistor values
- incorrect ICs
- too much heat
- fuse
- wires put back incorrectly
- jumpers not put back properly
- Etc.

Here's the thread on the DCAM convergence on Hitachi TVs:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=9539


A Hitachi repairman makes the following recommendation:

Hitachi is supplying them (STK394-160E) in their kits that include resistors. You can get them from an authorized Hitachi distributor such as Tritronics.

I have a three year old Hitachi 53UDX10BA that recently developed a convergence problem. Some of you may have already read my original posts on this topic. Anyway, the blue gun started to sag in the top-middle of the screen, then the green. This produced a sort of rainbow pattern at the top of the screen. A lesser pattern also appeared at the bottom. After the problem became unbearable, I opened up the back of the TV to make a visual inspection. It turned out RK54 on the convergence PCB was burned to a crisp. This resistor was just off the output of convergence amplifier IK05 STK392-110, which controls the blue gun’s vertical convergence. It appeared the amp had gone bad and taken out the resistor. I also suspected convergence amp IK04 STK392-110 had gone bad because it controls the green gun vertical convergence. A brief search of the internet seemed to validate the above was likely the problem. So, I ordered two of the STK392-110 amplifiers from http://www.electronix.com/catalog for $5.39 each. What a bargain!!!

When the parts arrived, I replace IK05 and the burned resistor first.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
WARNING: MAKE SURE TO APPLY THERMAL GREASE TO THE BACK OF THE AMPLIFIER CHIPS BEING REPLACED TO FACILITATE HEAT TRANSFER. OTHERWISE, YOUR AMPS WILL QUICKLY BURN UP.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As expected, this fixed the blue gun, but not the green. Next, IK04 was replaced which took care of the green gun. Of course, the TV still needed a manual convergence to get the guns back in alignment. This isn’t in the manual, but was posted at: http://www.espnhd.com/voice/showthread.php?t=3736 After the manual convergence was completed, the picture looked great!!!!! By the way, I’ve copied the convergence procedure from the link above and added it to the end of this post.

Now for my two cents worth on the problem… I predict virtually everyone with these TV’s will see this same failure. The reason is poor thermal design. Specifically, the limited airflow around the heat sinks does not allow for adequate cooling of the amplifiers. The excessive operating temperatures then degrade the amplifiers to the point they eventually fail. The sad thing is that the Hitachi Engineers didn’t see this one coming. Even sadder is that they are choosing to do nothing about the problem now. A one time free repair and/or retrofit would be nice. Anyway, this is going to cost a lot of people a lot of money for repairs. This issue especially frustrates me because I’m a reliability engineer for a major computer R&D corporation, and am tasked to find these sorts of problems. Surely Hitachi has people that are supposed to do the same sort of job, right? Hopefully, this post will help some of you avoid the major repair costs. I’ve heard repair shop charges can easily go over the $300 mark for these repairs. Not to mention the hassle and cost of getting the TV to the shop. My grand total spent for this job was about US$17.

Good Luck!!!

Robert


The below convergence procedure was copied from: http://www.espnhd.com/voice/showthread.php?t=3736

Manual Convergence for the Hitachi
1) Receive an NTSC signal.
2) Press Magic Focus to begin magic focus
3) Press magic focus again during the magic focus process to get the ?stop? screen
4) While stop screen is up, press STATUS or INFO on the remote control (R/C) to bring you to DCAM mode and
the service grid (64 point grid)
5) When you first get in here? I believe red is the selected color by default (it is flashing).
6) To choose other colors to converge, use the following buttons on the R/C:
a) ?STATUS? - Green
b) ?0? - Red
c) ?ANT? - Blue
7) Start from the center of the screen and work your way out on one color at a time. I adjusted red across the
whole screen to match green. Then I switched to blue, and adjusted that to green as well. After you adjust blue, you
may want to go back and adjust some red again? etc. until the convergence looks good.
(a) Use 4, 6, 2, and 5 on the R/C to move the cursor position(dotted lines).
(b) Use thumb stick to move the convergence point color.
** There have been other posts in here to tape together the color filters found in the Avia DVD to help converge
lines more easily. I have used this method, and it works well for adjusting to a greater detail. Basically, you put the
red filter next to the green and adjust your red to the green line both horizontally, and then vertically. Then you do
the same with the blue next to the green. Some people recommended you should be at normal viewing distance. I
did mine from just a few feet back from the set. Maybe my eyes aren?t as good? maybe I just felt like it worked
better this way. There are some other posts also recommending using binoculars. I think it?s great that people
suggest things to make the process easier? but my girlfriend would think I was insane if she saw me with
binoculars on the couch adjusting the convergence. I don?t know? whatever works best I guess.
8) I did not adjust the green at all. I use the green as the guide and did not adjust the location of any green point.
This is highly suggested unless you have geometry problems.
9) When going along the lines and adjusting, you may run into the problem of getting an ?S? curve on the line.
You?ll know if you get there. Basically, no matter what you do to adjust the line to be converged, the middle of the
line between the points will not straighten out (it bends between the points). To fix this, the manual recommends
going to the (7x5) mode which gives you less points to adjust. I had this problem, and the solution worked. There is
also another mode (3x3) which gives you even less points. Basically, if the set looks good, you only fine tune it in
(13x9) mode (64 point). If you have serious problems, the grids work as:
3x3 - ?coarse?
7x5 - ?medium?
13x9 - ?fine?
10) To get to each of these patterns use the following on the R/C: (only if you need to)
1. (3x3) Press ?STATUS? 5 times (only works when DCU is in uncorrected state)
2. (7x5) Press ?0? 5 times
3. (13x9) Press ?ANT? 5 times
11) If you adjust the 3x3, then you should go to the 7x5, and then the 13x9. You get the point? depending on where
you start, work your way up, and always finish on the 13x9
12) When finishing up the 13x9 mode, to get additional ?grids? on the edges of the screen, press the PIP CH button
on the remote control while in the digital convergence adjustment mode (DCAM). Fine tune the edge convergence
as necessary. To exit, press PIP CH again.
13) When convergence is acceptable, press PIP MODE to write data to ROM memory. ROM WRITE? is displayed
to alarm system that ROM will be overwritten with new data. Press the PIP MODE button again to write
displayed data to ROM.
14) DATA WRITE TO ROM will take approximately 4 seconds and no picture will be displayed.
15) Green dots will be displayed when operation is completed.
WARNING: YOU MUST DO THE FOLLOWING STEPS TO COMPLETE MAGIC FOCUS
INITIALIZATION!!! THERE HAVE BEEN MANY POSTS THAT PEOPLE HAVE HAD PROBLEMS
WITHOUT DOING THIS STEP BECAUSE THEY LOOSE MAGIC FOCUS!
16) Press MUTE to return to convergence pattern, then confirm again convergence is acceptable.
17) Press PIP MODE and then PIP CH to initialize Magic Focus. The initialize operation starts and several
windows appear during this operation. It takes about 30 seconds or less.
18) When green dots appear, initialize operation is finished.
19) Turn power OFF.
21) Wait a few seconds. Turn the TV on, and you should have your normal signal. Press Magic Focus button just
to make sure the magic focus still works (and that you did the last few steps properly)

[otown47]

and its going to happen all over again in another 3 years.

[BigHam]

Appreciate the info. Worked like a champ for me. Had to do a manual convergence though:

Green looks good
http://home.comcast.net/~jasonwbigha.../redgun001.jpg

Red looks bad
http://home.comcast.net/~jasonwbigha.../redgun002.jpg

Video screenshots
http://home.comcast.net/~jasonwbigha.../redgun003.jpg
http://home.comcast.net/~jasonwbigha.../redgun004.jpg

Blue looks good, see 2 second mark of movie
http://home.comcast.net/~jasonwbigha...10b/redgun.avi

[peekay]

Robert:

Thanks for the GREAT information. I sent you a PM, regarding the removal of the bad amplifiers (STK392-110).

Also, do you guys know how much (or if it's even an option) to replace the entire DP1X Convergence PWB? Do you know where one could get their hands on one of those?

Thanks for any help!

Paul

[GMG]

I Have A Hitachi 43uwx10b That Was Having Convergence Problems-i Went Through All The Steps To Fix The Blue Settings And Grid Was Pretty Much Lined As Close As I Could Get-went Through Steps To Finalize And Power Shut Off As It Was Going Through The Magic Focus-like Stage-now The Set Won't Come Back On-it Just Clicks And The Power Light Goes On And Off Repeatedly-any Suggestions?

[57]

Unplug the TV overnight. If it comes back on, you're in luck. If not, call for service.

[Raynman]

I too have a Hitachi 53udx10b tv that is JUST 3 years old. I turned it on about a week ago and the red was not where it was supposed to be. Thank God for the posts on this site, as it helped me get a picture of my screen although I haven't figured out how to post/attach it. If anyone could help me with that, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks
Ray

[57]

You should be able to upload it into the gallery on this site. See the links under "DHC Links".

Some people upload their pictures onto the server of their service provider - this is also usually free. You then copy the URL into your post.

[Raynman]

OK got a picture posted now, and if anyone could help me solve this little jewel of a problem I'd be greatful.

http://www.digitalhomecanada.com/gal...10093&pos=-406

The green and blue seem to be OK, because they line up on this grid, however, (looking at the picture) red is strangely bent around. Any Ideas??

Thanks,
Ray

[57]

Have you tried going into the DCAM convergence to see if you can rectify with the "coarse" setting. If not, then it's usually a blown electronic part like a resistor or capacitor or a convergence board problem.

[steelboss]

My 53UWX10BA went on an acid trip last week.
I figured that it was the convergence board, and all my attempts to find a replacement board were fruitless.
Then I found this forum and your instructions concerning replacing the two convergence amplifiers.
I bought them from the site you referenced and received them in three days.
About an hours worth of soldering and KAZAAM! IT WORKED!!

THANK YOU!
My wife and kids thank you!
May your gasoline be cheap and your home equity double!

[computerguy-nottvguy]

Hey guys, based on my readings the problem you all describe appears to be the same I'm having....the only difference is I don't have a hitachi, I have an

RCA P5212BL (52")

I believe this is rear projection? I took the back off and I see 3 blubs, green, red, and blue. THe rest of the TV on the inside from what I could see is pretty hollow with the exception of the board on the bottom.

Below is a picture on the Internet I found, my TV screen looks just like this (the screen display). The only difference is it's more reddish than white as shown in this pic. But pretty much this is exactly how mine looks.

I'm a computer guy not a TV guy but based on what I'm hearing I think I can manage to solder some stuff together?

My question is since I have a different TV would you agree that although the TV is a different brand the problem remains the same? What should I look for, since we're my TV isn't the same? Is there a standard chip/amp I should look for? How do I know if I'm actually on the convergence board or not? I'm clueless but technically capable. Most places are saying "yeah it sounds like a convergence issue" which costs $300 bucks! Any assistance is greatly appreciated. Feel free to email me direct at derrick ---AT-- gmail DOT com.
Thank you in advance!

[57]

The problem looks similar. You should likely get the service manual for your TV if it contains the parts information you require (type, model, part number, specs, etc).

Be very careful desoldering/soldering, as many people do not know how to do this properly and they overheat the components causing damage to the circuit board and to the new components.

[57]

My 61" HDTV (61UWX10B) turned 4 this past month. Too bad I'm now watching a 27" TV hooked up with S-video. Hey, it'll do for SD, but the HD is just too damn small - 5 times or more too small (I'm sitting closer). Brought the 27" down from upstairs and it's sitting in front of the 61"....

I hope it doesn't take too long for me to get those ICs fixed. The resistors all look fine, everything looks fine, except the damn colours on the screen that are way off converging...

Not sure if I'll try fixing myself or get the shop where I bought it to do it. Depends on the price I guess. I guess I'll know more later this week.

In the meantime, ugh, 27" SDTV.

Anyone care to do the fix for me? I'm located near Yonge & Eglinton... Shoot me a PM.

[otown47]

57, my 53swx10b did this last December. Fortunately it was in the last few days of the extended warrenty so it didn't cost me a penny to fix. The Hitachi place I bought it from did the repairs in two days. On day one they came over and took away a board. On day two they brought back the board with new ICs and some new resistors, set up the TV, and it is better than before.

They said a job like this is $400 to $500 and this happens to all these types of Hitachi Tvs. Its a heat problem.

Good luck.