Fixing it looks pretty good right now

I STILL CAN'T BELIEVE IT TURNED ON AGAIN!

And all I changed (so far) was a single capacitor.


I had done extensive reading to determine what was wrong, and many times a 100uf 200V capacitor next to a transformer would be a good place to start. I bought one off Mouser.com because Radio Shack didn't have the part in a local store (as usual) and the price on Mouser was excellent.

At least I managed to save Mom's TV, for now anyway.
 

Fix it or replace it?

So for the past so many months or so, I've left the Magnavox MX big screen on all the time due to the last time the electric went out and I had a hell of a time trying to get it to turn back on. And wouldn't you know it, the generally fucking unreliable Ohio Edison managed to drop power for about 4 minutes last night and the TV was off and unwilling to stay turned on this morning when I got up. It does its click, light up the green LED for half a second, click back off, and a "thub" sound from the speakers when I try to turn it on. The backup supply that listens to remote signals is working, it just isn't staying on.

I realize this thing is 18 years old, but it still works fine. Well, the picture was just fine. I still want a big screen tube-type TV. Extensive research online yielded info in that the TV has some stupid circuit protection feature. It's supposed to protect the unit in case of over voltage conditions, but in this case, it's an under-voltage condition. I've strongly suspected a capacitor (or 3) that have aged and are off their measured values as capacitance is concerned.

There's one by the high voltage transformer in the power section. Lots of notes that turn up specify this very capacitor's uf and voltage rating, and this is certainly in that spot. I wish I could find precise schematic and service manuals for free on the web.

"Why don't you replace it with a flat screen?" I really don't have the kind of money that a flat-screen TV requires and I'd like to avoid putting one on a credit card. I want something with composite video input and there's no guarantee the model I'd want for my price range would have that.

As it is, I could find suitably sized tube-type big screens on Craigslist or perhaps local pawnshops, having found a couple of candidate TVs online. One of them is 5 years newer than this one. The prices aren't so bad either. It just requires a fair bit of driving to get them and the needed muscle to get it inside and placed.

The parts I need, should I need more than one capacitor, run from $2 to about $20 or so. It seems televisions, even the newer flat screens, all get power supply problems and capacitors usually are the components that go bad because the manufacturers use cheap ass capacitors with shoddy formulations. And in some cases, they just dry out for some reason. I'm trying to avoid thinking about other components that I've seen replaced in some videos I watched online.

Fix it or replace it? Both options are available. I'm going to try fixing first, then when it's not so cold and static-electric prone, re-check my replacement possibilities if that's too tricky.

I just wish things would stop breaking or dying around here.