# Talk your idjit internet friend through fixing his TV-set **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 2, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618 "2025-10-02T20:53:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/1 "2025-10-02T20:53:41Z")
Hi there, context: the other day, Ms Al128 was watching TV. I was in the room next door, suddenly a very hard whippercrackerish “peng” was heard followed by some deep human emotions from my better half (ahhh … the TV exploded!!!). I had a very early feeling of what was going on and unplugged it … there was a faint “magic-smoke” smell coming out of it. Shirley, “_a cap on the power-supply board must have crapped out on me_” (read this with the voice of a seasoned TV-repairman in your head, which I am NOT!!!). FWIW: a 15 yo 32” Samsung plain vanilla TV-set, FWIW2: I just know enough about electrics/electronics to be really dangerous (but normally quite cautious (hate to be zapped) and handy with the soldering iron). So today I _open’ed her up_ …(repairman voice again) … and low and behold, things got confirmed. Here a pic of the power-board (note the red arrow pointing to the blue cap): [![](https://i.postimg.cc/0QGLqWQp/image.png) ](https://i.postimg.cc/0QGLqWQp/image.png) the offending cap and its eruptive: [![](https://i.postimg.cc/jq3bcjWY/image.png) ](https://i.postimg.cc/jq3bcjWY/image.png) The Perp in close-up: [![](https://i.postimg.cc/P5jTpRpp/image.png) ](https://i.postimg.cc/P5jTpRpp/image.png) I fed the info into ChatGPT, but it kinda-sorta misread the markings (as 104 instead of 101) … what kind of ceramica cap. do I need? … ChatGpt’s last answer (after challenging it a bit) was: _Look for **“Ceramic capacitor 100pF 1kV (or higher, e.g. 2kV) ±10%”**. Using a higher voltage rating is fine (and safer)._ So what value of cap do I purchase? … any other input? … pls don’t try to talk me off the ledge, I am not willing to let go of a perfectly bad 15 y.o. $129.00 TV set … 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/2 "2025-10-02T21:46:37Z")
Yes, 100pf at 1kv, you could probably go 110pf or so but dont go lower on voltage, as chatgpt said (good for you, chatgpt). Id guess it’s part of an RF noise filter, to keep the power supply “RF quiet”. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/3 "2025-10-02T22:18:04Z")
great - and thanx … feels good to get a human confirmation … I just bought (pack of 5) … add on Q: those are not directional (like diodes, etc…) … so I can solder them “either way”, right? ---
**Author:** ![DaveUnknown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@DaveUnknown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveUnknown)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2025, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/4 "2025-10-02T23:13:22Z")
That particular capacitor is not directional, no. I think it’s on the AC side anyway so it wouldnt matter. I should add you need to really test to see if that cap failed on its own, or something caused it to fail! ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/5 "2025-10-03T14:17:24Z")
> [@DaveUnknown](#): > > test to see if that cap failed on its own, or something caused it to fail! The easiest way to do that is to replace it with 1 of the 5 and see if it happens again ! ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/6 "2025-10-03T14:23:02Z")
> [@pjd](#): > > The easiest way to do that is to replace it with 1 of the 5 and see if it happens again ! Nothing like a good old-fashioned smoke test! ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/7 "2025-10-03T14:28:51Z")
If you’re lucky, you’ll be treated to a light show and a small explosion! (Happened to me while I was testing out add-in boards on old computers. One of the boards had a tantalum capacitor near the card-edge connector which immediately failed when powered on. It glowed a brilliant orange (like a neon light) for about 2 seconds and than popped like a ladyfinger firecracker.) ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/8 "2025-10-03T14:49:17Z")
yep, thats my gameplan …. everything beyond an empirc smoke-test is above my electronics pay-grade (and willingness to invest in this fine piece of equipment) … But advice (also the ones below) are duly noted and I shall plug the card in with a mindset that it might pop again … to protect myself, I might even put on extra protective eyewear, or better yet, ask my little daughter tu plug it in … (I keeed, I keed) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/9 "2025-10-03T14:49:45Z")
> [@DaveUnknown](#): > > I should add you need to really test to see if that cap failed on its own, or something caused it to fail! Yea, it’s rare for a ceramic capacitor to fail, as the breakdown voltage for a ceramic cap is typically at least [2X the max rated voltage](https://www.vishay.com/docs/28500/fseries.pdf). A search on CM804 came up with [this page](https://electronics.stackexchange.com/questions/582763/capacitor-blows-up-in-tv-power-supply-circuit). Not the same part - it’s a 220 pF instead of 100 pF - but perhaps the schematic is similar. If so, the capacitor functions as a damper/snubber for the [PWM controller](https://www.semicon.sanken-ele.co.jp/sk_content/str-w605xs_ds_en.pdf) (C5). In other words, a switched-mode power supply. So I would also look at the other components around the controller, especially the diodes. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/10 "2025-10-03T16:10:01Z")
Do not touch the red wire or else your family will be burying you after putting out the fire covering your body. [![](https://cached.imagescaler.hbpl.co.uk/resize/scaleWidth/1272/cached.offlinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk/news/ISH/Screen-Shot-2022-12-08-at-11.41.02.png) ](https://cached.imagescaler.hbpl.co.uk/resize/scaleWidth/1272/cached.offlinehbpl.hbpl.co.uk/news/ISH/Screen-Shot-2022-12-08-at-11.41.02.png) ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/11 "2025-10-03T20:49:04Z")
UPDATE: (… a boring one at that) … successfully replaced the blue cap by an even bluer one of the same specs. Watched out for my eyes and held Golden Retriever Puppies between me and a potentially exploding tv set … and turned it on … nothing (not even the red status-led) … seems that “something” upstream also crapped out (my highly uneducated guess) that PWM-Controller that @Crafter_Man linked to (model Sanken STR-W6053S in mine) that sits under the silver heatsink next to the blown up part… well so I am somewhat miffled, b/c it was obv. not the low hanging fruit that was being waved in front of me. What are possible next steps … (one I am debating: taking the whole shebang out to the curb, but then the thought of “it might just be a 2 dollar part - and I hate to see all that going to waste” kicks in) ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2025, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/12 "2025-10-03T21:40:42Z")
As always with tech, it’s not the two dollar part that gets you. It’s the $10K education and $3K of tools needed to know which part to change. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2025, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/13 "2025-10-04T07:03:27Z")
> [@Al128](#): > > a 15 yo 32” Samsung plain vanilla TV-set A new one of the same specs costs like three coffees. That may be the route to take. ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2025, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/14 "2025-10-04T14:00:02Z")
I know that **intellactually** … however, **emotionally** it irks me to no end throwing an (otherwise) perfectly functioning machine away and contaminating our planet, when 99.9% of it is working perfectly. Did I mention that I have a very nice 2003 Honda Fit parked in my driveway for 2+ years, that doesnt pass emmisions, but is otherwise in great shape - hasn’t failed me once. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2025, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/15 "2025-10-04T17:35:10Z")
Are you a long lost relative of my father (on whom be peace)? When we cleaned out the basement after he passed we found bathroom fixtures that must have been in the house when he bought it in 1946. “We might need that someday!” ---
**Author:** ![Al128](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/al128/32/16541_2.png) [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2025, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-your-idjit-internet-friend-through-fixing-his-tv-set/1023618/16 "2025-10-05T15:05:05Z")
I am more a pragmatic here than a horder: I tend to keep (_might need this some day_…) stuff that is small and has a decent chance of being needed some day (e.g. assorted hardware, screws/nuts/bolts/fixtures, plugs/cables/connectors) … But the larger and less likely to get used → off it goes