Category: DIY

Philips TV Model 37mf331d/37 Power Supply Repair

Philips TV Model 37mf331d/37
2006 – 37” LCD TV with Fluorescent Backlight
Information on TV

Got a call about this Philips TV and was asked if I could fix it. When I went to check it out the TV was already taken apart and the owner had already researched the issue identifying the power supply as the culprit. At first look I saw that he was right because there was a section blown out to include an erupted capacitor. So I left with a part number of and the power supply.

715t2056-1 Issues Identified
715t2056-1 Issues Identified  

Power Supply Unit: 715t2056-1

This the same power supply used in several products so I thought if nothing else I might be able to salvage an old power supply board from something else. Its more fun to try and fix the issue so I was hoping salvage wouldn’t be the solution. I ordered the surface mounted resistor, zener diode and capacitor from Mouser for less than $2.

I removed and replaced the capacitor with no issues. Then I began to remove the diode and the damage really reared its head. Whenever these parts blew it blew a chunk of circuit board with it that wasn’t noticeable until the solder was taken off. This took off the surface mounted resistor and the mounting location for one side of the diode. Well crap! After giving this some thought I came to the conclusion that the resistor was probably more for tolerance matching and protection than anything else so I refilled the broken trace and connected the diode directly to it. This was a bit sloppy due to the missing pieces of circuit board so I covered the area with hot glue to secure it.

715t2056-1 New Part Installed Top
715t2056-1 New Part Installed Top
715t2056-1 New Part Installed Bottom
715t2056-1 New Part Installed Bottom

A. Capacitor  B. Diode Connection  C. Repaired Broken Trace, Bypassed Resistor & Diode Connection

Not being able to test it immediately after repair made me a bit worried. Today I went back and installed the repaired power supply and reassembled the TV just enough to test it out. When we plugged it in I could hear it hum to life automatically. Initially it did nothing but light up the power button but after a few seconds the screen came on and this older flat-screen TV got an extended life for less than two dollars.

Who Lives in a Pineapple?

  • Spongebob Peltier Cooler missing power cord – $6 from Savers (a thrift shop) – Originally sold for $45-$60
  • DC Female Plug – $3.99 from radio shack
  • 12vdc Power Supply – $1.99 from Savers (a thrift shop)
  • Total Cost – 11.98
  • Cost Difference from Original Price: ~$38.02

I searched for a while to try and find a power cord with no luck. So I bought and installed a new one from Radio Shack. IT WORKS!!!

Replacing the Firmware on the Linksys WRT54G V8

I have a Linksys WRT54G router and I want to do more with it than the original firmware allows. The key to this is replacing the firmware with a beefed up version. The first step will be identifying a new firmware and DDWRT it is. After looking through various router replacement firmwares I found that the best choice is going to be DDWRT.

What you should know before beginning 

  • Review the DDWRT Wiki
  • Use IE to flash, firefox has known issues, and use http not https
  • Before & after each flash a hard-reset needs to be performed
    • While router is on, press & hold reset button on back for 30 seconds
    • Keep button held down while unplugging power and wait 30 more seconds while still holding down reset button
    • Keep button held down while plugging power back in for another 30 seconds

From DDWRT: V24 preSP2 Beta Build 13064 (check the DDWRT site for updates)

  1. Hard Reset
  2. Linksys CFE-Updater.bin – CFE-Updater-Gv8-GSv7-v3.bin
  3. Hard Reset
  4. VXWorks-killer : WRT54G v8.0 and v8.2 – vxworkskillerGv8-v3.bin
  5. Hard Reset
  6. VXWorks-revert : WRT54G v8.0 and v8.2 – vxworksrevert-Gv8-v3.bin
  7. Hard Reset
  8. Micro Generic – dd-wrt.v24_micro_generic.bin
  9. Hard Reset
  10. Micro Generic – dd-wrt.v24_micro_olsrd_generic.bin
  11. Hard Reset
  12. TFTP-Client for Windows – tftp.exe

If all goes well you will end up with the following DDWRT interface.

DDWRT Interface
DDWRT Interface

Hardware Hacks for the future of my router
http://www.allaboutjake.com/network/linksys/wrt54g/hack/

Related Projects on Instructables

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The Czech Republic Wants the Candy Meth too!

(This Article contains very minor Breaking Bad Spoilers from Season 4/5)

Over on my YouTube channel I created a quick little video showing how to make cheap, quick, and easy Costume Meth for all my little Heisenburg’s out there.  I was checking out a few of the stats to help optimize my promotion and I decided to see what country is “Liking” my video the most.

BreakingBadCandyMethLikes

 

As you can see, the Czech Republic is right behind the US in liking my video.  Normally, I wouldn’t think much of this…Except, in Breaking Bad the Czech Republic is a major meth buyer for Walt and I’ve read that meth production is centered there.  It’s probably just a fluke right? Maybe the questionable traffic source in the picture below is a coincidence…

CostumeMethViews

 

 

 

 

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