Free Report

By Humphrey Kimathi
Disclaimer
The reader of this book is expressly warned to consider and adopt all safety
precaution that might be indicated by the activities herein and to avoid all potential
hazards.

The author particularly disclaims any liability, loss or risk taken by individuals
who directly or indirectly act on the information Contained herein. The author
believes that the information presented here is sound, but readers cannot hold him
responsible for either the actions they take or the result of those actions.

Email: humphrey@humphreykimathi.com
Website: http://www.humphreykimathi.com
 Solving power supply problems (s.m.p.s)
using control i.c.
Most problems with equipment using switch mode power supply (S.M.P.S)
like television and monitors are power related.
This is because powers supplies run under considerable stress due to high
voltages and currents involved around these circuits.
In order to understand how to solve S.M.P.S problem I am going to show you
how to analyze common failure mode in CRT television, you can use this
principle in repairing other equipment using switch mode power supply like
LCD Television and Monitors, DVDs etc.

1. Television is dead
Here dead I mean the set does not show any sign of life, power ON LED is
not lighted and nothing happens even after power is switched on.
First confirm the television cable is not broken inside, you can check this by
measuring the voltage across the AC power input connector on the circuit
board.
If the voltage is reaching the circuit board, then look for the fuse and see if it
is blown, if the fuse is okay check also the surge limiter is open or not.
If these two components are ok then most likely there is no short on the
primary side of the power supply note: Short in the primary side of the power
supply usually cause the surge limiter or the fuse to blow.
From now on we shall be using the main capacitor negative as the Ground for
all the measurement of Voltages on the primary side of the power supply.
I have modified my meter ground probe with a crocodile clip so that I can
attach it to ground point of the equipment I am repairing and therefore I use
only one hand to probe the circuit.
This is a safety precaution because as you know for there to have a potential
difference there must be a connection between the live and the ground.
So if you are using your two hands and incidentally touch the live and the
ground then current will flow through your body and this can be fatal. But if
you are using one hand it is not possible.
One thing I have leant in electronics is that if you master doing your
troubleshooting using voltage tests you will have an added advantage because
in electronics it is not always the component that fail but it could be just a
crack on the circuit board that is preventing the voltage to flow or even dry
joints and therefore if you concentrate on looking for the bad component you
are going to waste a lot of time and end up not even repairing the set.
Therefore I encourage you to narrow down your faulty circuit (area) by use of
voltage testing only. Fast and valuable method I have come to learn.
Now set your meter to DC range of 1000 VDC and use the main Capacitor as
your ground:
First check the voltage across this main capacitor and if you get around 300
vdc on 220 vac outlet or 150 vdc on 110 vac outlet then it is assumed the
supply is okay up to the main capacitor.
If there is no Voltage at the main capacitor then check backward looking for
open component or circuit board cracked or a dry joint on the main power
path.
Be sure this main DC (300 vdc or 150 vdc) is the reaching the power
regulator ic Collector/Drain pin
Now still using the same ground move your positive probe and measure the
vcc in pin of the power regulator ic.
Depending on the regulator used you can check the correct vcc from the data
sheet for the ic used from the internet.
These two voltages are very important and if any is missing the supply will
appear dead, if the vcc in is missing this means there is an open circuit or
start up resistor is open.
Follow backward and find what is preventing the start up voltage reach the
vcc pin.
Another hint if you see this vcc is less than Normal and pulsating there is a
possibility that there is Short on that pin, to confirm just lift up that pin and if
the voltage increases then it means there is a short on the pin and the ic must
be replaced.
There is also a filter capacitor on that pin usually 100uF/35V please check the
esr of this capacitor or directly replace it if you don’t have an esr meter.
There is also a resistor linked to the source pin of this ic called the current
sense resistor which sometimes open or change value and this can also cause
the power supply not to start. Usually it very low ohm less than 2 ohm and
around 2 watt so it a big one.
If up to here you have checked and they are okay then we should suspect a
short on the secondary side of the smps.
First measure for short of any of the secondary diode using analogue meter
set to X1, when you measure across any diode on the secondary you should
not have two reading and if you get two reading just lift up one leg and
measure again. If you still get two reading then you can conclude that diode
is short.
Also when using this method and find that the diode has two reading in
circuit and when lifted up you get one reading, it could also mean there is a
short on that source (line)
You can follow that source looking for the shorted component; usually the
most common components to short are transistors, ic, capacitors, and diodes.
Remember when doing voltage testing on the secondary sources (circuit) you
should be using the COLD GROUND of the set.

The best ground to use is the turner ground (outer part) of the CRT ground
return.
Also note that when measuring the voltage at output of the chopper
transformer at the secondary diodes use the diode cathode to measure the dc
voltage and when measuring at the anode of the same diode use the ac range
in your meter.
If you find still there is no voltage at the secondary output or the voltage is
low then it the time to substitute for the Main B+ load with a dummy load.
You can make a dummy load by using a 60watts bulb/250v ac, a bulb holder,
crocodile clip and two pieces of wire (red and Black) and connect them as
shown on the picture below.
Note you can also this bulb to discharge the main Capacitor, just clip the bulb
across the positive and negative leg of the main capacitor and you will see the
bulb flash briefly if the capacitor was holding Charge.
Now identify the main supply to the fly back called the B+ and disconnect
the supply just before the fly back B+ vcc pin.
Don’t cut the circuit board to do this just lift up one side of a resistor( high
wattage) in series with this B+ voltage or sometime they use a jumper wire
just before the B+ vcc pin of the fly back and attach your dummy load
between this point and the cold ground.
If the bulb light steadily and you measure between 90 Volts dc to 140 dc
depending on the size of the television then you can assume that the smps is
okay and the problem is on the secondary side.
Hint: A short on the secondary side can cause the power not to start
irrespective how far the short is.
If you find that when you use the dummy load the power is starting but when
you remove the dummy load the power is blocked then suspect short on the
components after the take off point which include the following for this
television using IC for RGB amplifiers.
when you find the power supply is not starting and you use the dummy load
and find that the power is okay but if you connect the B+ supply again you
find the power supply is blocked then suspect component in parallel with the
B+ (parallel means one leg is on the B+ supply and the other leg is on the
ground)
Any component which is shorting the B+ to the ground will make the power
supply to appear dead From the circuit above the following components can
cause the B+ to go to the ground directly and hence can block the Power
supply from starting.
1. Snubber capacitor C403
2. Horizontal output transistor (HOT)
3. C444
4. Fly back Transformer
5. IC901 (TDA6107Q) on the CRT neck board
6. C901 and C902 RGB source filter Capacitor

If any of the components marked on the above picture is shorted to the

ground it will cause the power supply to appear dead.
By Humphrey Kimathi(Author)

Basic electronics course by Humphrey Kimathi

CRT Television Repair Course by Humphrey Kimathi
DVD Player repair guide by Humphrey Kimathi
CRT TV Real Life Repair Experience Guide Vol.1

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