We have a (used) Mitsubishi color TV we bought last year; it’s about six years old. We had to have it taken into an independent repair shop about a week ago. We called yesterday and the repair shop said Mitsubishi is no longer manufacturing the high-voltage transformer they said failed. Now that sounds suspicious…
Why does that sound suspicious? “Parts obsolescence” is a very common problem in the electronics industry…
It is certainly possible that a part may no longer be manufactured after 6 years. Component designs change from time to time as new technology is developed to make them more efficient or cheaper to manufacture. You can try contacting Mitsubishi directly and see if they can tell you where you might be able to obtain the part. The only high-voltage transformer in a TV is called the flyback transformer, so that’s what you should ask for.
You’ve lost me. Unless he’s competing with Circuit City and selling new TVs (unlikely) he has far more to gain dollar wise by procuring the part and charging you for installing the new part vs telling you it is no longer available and only getting a diagnostic fee. Why is telling you something that would cost him potential work and dollars “suspicious”?
If Mitsubishi no longer manufacturing the part and there is no longer any supply readily available, that tells me that the part is prone to failure.
I had a TV with a flyback problem several years ago. It kept “burning through.” IIRC, the way my brother explained it was the flyback was too close to other components causing the current to try to “pull” out of its correct path or something like that. This diversion of current eventually burns a minute hole through the flyback casing, shorting it out. After losing 2 flybacks in the same manner about 6 months apart (each cost about $60), I dumped the TV and bought a new one.
You may want to do the same.
Had the same problem. Took it to Best Buy and spent $25 to have them tell me it could not be fixed. New 27" Panasonic was only $220. What a deal.
Another “opposite of suspicious” believer. Consumer electronics have been made so cheaply in the last 10 years, that the repair business is dying since it is no longer economical to replace many parts. So manufacturers are cutting way back on replacement parts. Just enough they think that will get them thru the warranty period.
It’s actually easier in many cases to find parts for a 15 year old device than a 5 year old one.
Solution: stop buying those cheap crapper VCRs etc.
If it’s a regular ol’ tube type TV, the the tech is right. Mitsubishi stopped making them period around five years ago.
I’ve got one, and I have two words to describe it :-
power swivel :eek: