To chuck or not to chuck

hanndav · 19-04-2015, 17:35

I have a 7 year old hitachi 42 inch plasma TV which has served me well. I have replaced it recently.
The plasma decided not to turn on and had no signs of electricity going in. I changed the fuse and even the cable but nothing not even the off light and it wasn't the hidden off switch either. It seemed dead. I wanted a new one anyway.

Question is, as it was £1800.00 then, is it worth getting it looked at as a spare or shall I chuck it out. I dont really want to spend a lot of money on it and it's a big heavy bugger to manoeuvre. It worked just fine one morning and then just wouldn't turn on! (My excuse to get a new one)

anthony david · 19-04-2015, 17:52

Chuck, it will cost more to repair, if that is possible, than it is worth.

Don't bother looking inside for bulging capacitors, as someone is bound to suggest, unless you have the skills to change them.

Nigel Goodwin · 19-04-2015, 18:00

Thing is it was only a cheap Vestel set, but even if it was a decent make at seven years old it's probably not worth spending anything on.

Is it completely dead?, no red light or anything?.

swb1964 · 19-04-2015, 21:56

Sadly it's probably time to let go. You can get a 42 inch pansonic for less than £300 now http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-...205138:s#cat-0

with the Smart version costing not much more. And an LED will save you on the leccy bills too.

You could buy a 42" Smart telly, a 22" for the bedroom/as a spare and still have change from 500 quid.

hanndav · 20-04-2015, 08:55

Thanks for confirming. It's time has come.

Nigel: No red light as i said. Cheap Vestel set? I dont even know what that means but £1800 wasn't cheap for me 7 years ago!

To be honest it's way too big to store anyway and with the prices so cheap these days it's bin time but I'm glad I asked you guys for confirmation, if it were to be an easy fix then someone else could have had it as a freebie.

chrisjr · 20-04-2015, 09:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanndav

Thanks for confirming. It's time has come.

Nigel: No red light as i said. Cheap Vestel set? I dont even know what that means but £1800 wasn't cheap for me 7 years ago!

To be honest it's way too big to store anyway and with the prices so cheap these days it's bin time but I'm glad I asked you guys for confirmation, if it were to be an easy fix then someone else could have had it as a freebie.

Hitachi (in terms of TVs and PVRs anyway) has become just another badge stuck onto any old cheap tat that the likes of Argos can buy in from people like Vestel in Turkey and any number of Chinese factories. It has been a while since a TV badged as Hitachi has actually been made by Hitachi.

Nigel Goodwin · 20-04-2015, 11:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanndav

Nigel: No red light as i said. Cheap Vestel set? I dont even know what that means but £1800 wasn't cheap for me 7 years ago!

Sorry, but a cheaply made set with a cheap brand name on it

While a LOT of money it was considerably cheaper than buying a decent brand.

The reason I asked about the red light is that they commonly trash the EEPROM, and you need to do a factory reset to restore them - but that would kill the lights on the front.

They do have an ON/OFF switch on them though, if it's totally dead the switch 'could' have failed (which was one of the reasons that mechanical switches have disappeared now).

Winston_1 · 20-04-2015, 12:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanndav

Thanks for confirming. It's time has come.

Nigel: No red light as i said. Cheap Vestel set? I dont even know what that means but £1800 wasn't cheap for me 7 years ago!

To be honest it's way too big to store anyway and with the prices so cheap these days it's bin time but I'm glad I asked you guys for confirmation, if it were to be an easy fix then someone else could have had it as a freebie.

Gosh the terrible throw away society rears its ugly head again. Completely dead could be a cheap fix, at least ask around for someone to take it as a freebie.

mooghead · 22-04-2015, 12:03

Yeah, burden someone else with the expense of getting it fixed or the inconvenience of getting rid of it you monster!

Winston_1 · 22-04-2015, 14:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooghead

Yeah, burden someone else with the expense of getting it fixed or the inconvenience of getting rid of it you monster!

No one has to take, it is not burdening, it is offering.

I am not a monster, I'm human just like I assume you are.

anthony david · 22-04-2015, 16:30

Take it to a British Heart Foundation depot (must have remote control with it or they won't take it). What they can't fix they recycle.

hanndav · 22-04-2015, 16:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Sorry, but a cheaply made set with a cheap brand name on it

While a LOT of money it was considerably cheaper than buying a decent brand.

The reason I asked about the red light is that they commonly trash the EEPROM, and you need to do a factory reset to restore them - but that would kill the lights on the front.

They do have an ON/OFF switch on them though, if it's totally dead the switch 'could' have failed (which was one of the reasons that mechanical switches have disappeared now).

i'm intrigued now. What would you have said a decent brand would have cost 7 years ago for a 42" plasma and what would that brand have been?
What would you consider to be a decent price for a decent brand today?

Deacon1972 · 22-04-2015, 17:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanndav

i'm intrigued now. What would you have said a decent brand would have cost 7 years ago for a 42" plasma and what would that brand have been?
What would you consider to be a decent price for a decent brand today?

Pioneer plasmas, which are highly regarded, would have been somewhere around £2500 upwards for a 42" depending on model.

Nigel Goodwin · 22-04-2015, 17:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by hanndav

i'm intrigued now. What would you have said a decent brand would have cost 7 years ago for a 42" plasma and what would that brand have been?

There are essentially three levels of brands:

1) Top makes - Sony and Panasonic.

2) Middling makes - Samsung and LG.

3) Cheap brands - everything else.

I've no idea what a 'decent' Plasma would have cost back then, but Panasonic made them, as did the 'middling' brands as well.

Incidentally, I also have an Hitachi (Vestel) 42 inch Plasma, but I didn't pay anything for it

Quote:

What would you consider to be a decent price for a decent brand today?

A hell of a lot less than a 7 year old Plasma

Here's some examples:

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd...-criteria.html

However, you'd probably need a 50 inch now, otherwise it would look too small - as your TV (and mine) is huge, with a relatively small picture - modern sets are almost all picture, so look smaller.

swb1964 · 22-04-2015, 17:24

I think both of these posts are a bit harsh

Quote:

Originally Posted by Winston_1

Gosh the terrible throw away society rears its ugly head again. Completely dead could be a cheap fix, at least ask around for someone to take it as a freebie.

Well he has had 7 years out of it. While that's not a lifetime, it isn't bad compared with some items. If it was working fine, then it's another matter, but something of that age could rapidly become a money pit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooghead

Yeah, burden someone else with the expense of getting it fixed or the inconvenience of getting rid of it you monster!

If it is offer as a freebie and it is clearly marked as broken, then I don't see them harm. But don't be surprised if you get no takers!!

Nigel Goodwin · 22-04-2015, 19:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by swb1964

Well he has had 7 years out of it. While that's not a lifetime, it isn't bad compared with some items.

It's always been said that the 'average life' of a TV is around 7 years, and it's certainly not bad going for a cheap Vestel set.

Incidentally, the service manual for my Hitachi/Vestel Plasma is dated 2005 - but it regularly needs completely resetting to make it work again - which was how I came to get the set (the owner bought a new Sony set to replace it, as it failed not long out of warranty, and had already been reset under warranty - by Currys where she bought it).

Allen_Fleckney · 24-04-2015, 00:47

A replacement vestel power board can be found on sites for £25. But there is no promise it will sort it , it could be just a failed diode , they are in parallel so you would need to change all the ones that show short circuit, but it is still worth saving. Where are you

Nigel Goodwin · 24-04-2015, 08:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allen_Fleckney

A replacement vestel power board can be found on sites for £25. But there is no promise it will sort it , it could be just a failed diode , they are in parallel so you would need to change all the ones that show short circuit, but it is still worth saving. Where are you

Is that the case on the Plasma sets?, it certainly is on the LCD ones - but I've never seen any similar failures on the Vestel Plasma's (not that we see very many of them).

trayhop123 · 24-04-2015, 11:30

wouldn't bother trying to donate it to a charities

most wont take electricals (even working ) ,,,,,,,, because they have to be safety tested ,,,,, think its called pac testing or something .

i tried to donate a cpl of playstations with games to the children's ward of the leicester royal , even offered to set them up etc

but they couldn't take em due to the testing policy , saying that the cost of getting the electrician in etc etc.

eventually i sold em on facebook as a charitable auction and donated the money

Nigel Goodwin · 24-04-2015, 12:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by trayhop123

wouldn't bother trying to donate it to a charities

most wont take electricals (even working ) ,,,,,,,, because they have to be safety tested ,,,,, think its called pac testing or something .

It's PAT - Portable Appliance Testing - and in most ways is a money making scam.

Quote:

i tried to donate a cpl of playstations with games to the children's ward of the leicester royal , even offered to set them up etc

but they couldn't take em due to the testing policy , saying that the cost of getting the electrician in etc etc.

That's because such places have to use 'council approved' PAT testers, and 'council approval' appears to depend on how big a bribe they make - so instead of paying £5 or so an item, they have to pay £25-30 an item.

Allen_Fleckney · 25-04-2015, 02:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

Is that the case on the Plasma sets?, it certainly is on the LCD ones - but I've never seen any similar failures on the Vestel Plasma's (not that we see very many of them).

We have had in 400 hitachi plasmas this week
Nigel , all from a large campsite , wanting service repair and Pat testing , yes. 42" pat testing ?? Out of 20 that didn't work it was all the same board fault. We have an endless supply of these boards , more than Emos or chas hyde , so maybe that's why I'm defending the " chucking of the set" it's only worth about £95. But we would only charge £38 to fit a used board or repair at component level , so it's still viable, but only just.

Nigel Goodwin · 25-04-2015, 08:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allen_Fleckney

But we would only charge £38 to fit a used board or repair at component level , so it's still viable, but only just.

You're exceptionally reasonable!

Katharine_Range · 01-05-2015, 00:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by swb1964

Sadly it's probably time to let go. You can get a 42 inch pansonic for less than £300 now http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-...205138:s#cat-0

with the Smart version costing not much more. And an LED will save you on the leccy bills too.

You could buy a 42" Smart telly, a 22" for the bedroom/as a spare and still have change from 500 quid.

Can't anybody even say electricity properly anymore these days?

19-04-2015, 17:35	#1
hanndav Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Inverness Posts: 2,619	To chuck or not to chuck I have a 7 year old hitachi 42 inch plasma TV which has served me well. I have replaced it recently. The plasma decided not to turn on and had no signs of electricity going in. I changed the fuse and even the cable but nothing not even the off light and it wasn't the hidden off switch either. It seemed dead. I wanted a new one anyway. Question is, as it was £1800.00 then, is it worth getting it looked at as a spare or shall I chuck it out. I dont really want to spend a lot of money on it and it's a big heavy bugger to manoeuvre. It worked just fine one morning and then just wouldn't turn on! (My excuse to get a new one)

19-04-2015, 17:52	#2
anthony david Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 3,469	Chuck, it will cost more to repair, if that is possible, than it is worth. Don't bother looking inside for bulging capacitors, as someone is bound to suggest, unless you have the skills to change them.

19-04-2015, 18:00	#3
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Thing is it was only a cheap Vestel set, but even if it was a decent make at seven years old it's probably not worth spending anything on. Is it completely dead?, no red light or anything?.

19-04-2015, 21:56	#4
swb1964 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 2,455	Sadly it's probably time to let go. You can get a 42 inch pansonic for less than £300 now http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-...205138:s#cat-0 with the Smart version costing not much more. And an LED will save you on the leccy bills too. You could buy a 42" Smart telly, a 22" for the bedroom/as a spare and still have change from 500 quid.

20-04-2015, 08:55	#5
hanndav Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Inverness Posts: 2,619	Thanks for confirming. It's time has come. Nigel: No red light as i said. Cheap Vestel set? I dont even know what that means but £1800 wasn't cheap for me 7 years ago! To be honest it's way too big to store anyway and with the prices so cheap these days it's bin time but I'm glad I asked you guys for confirmation, if it were to be an easy fix then someone else could have had it as a freebie.

20-04-2015, 09:20	#6
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	Quote: Originally Posted by hanndav Thanks for confirming. It's time has come. Nigel: No red light as i said. Cheap Vestel set? I dont even know what that means but £1800 wasn't cheap for me 7 years ago! To be honest it's way too big to store anyway and with the prices so cheap these days it's bin time but I'm glad I asked you guys for confirmation, if it were to be an easy fix then someone else could have had it as a freebie. Hitachi (in terms of TVs and PVRs anyway) has become just another badge stuck onto any old cheap tat that the likes of Argos can buy in from people like Vestel in Turkey and any number of Chinese factories. It has been a while since a TV badged as Hitachi has actually been made by Hitachi.

20-04-2015, 11:40	#7
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by hanndav Nigel: No red light as i said. Cheap Vestel set? I dont even know what that means but £1800 wasn't cheap for me 7 years ago! Sorry, but a cheaply made set with a cheap brand name on it While a LOT of money it was considerably cheaper than buying a decent brand. The reason I asked about the red light is that they commonly trash the EEPROM, and you need to do a factory reset to restore them - but that would kill the lights on the front. They do have an ON/OFF switch on them though, if it's totally dead the switch 'could' have failed (which was one of the reasons that mechanical switches have disappeared now).

20-04-2015, 12:26	#8
Winston_1 Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 5,008	Quote: Originally Posted by hanndav Thanks for confirming. It's time has come. Nigel: No red light as i said. Cheap Vestel set? I dont even know what that means but £1800 wasn't cheap for me 7 years ago! To be honest it's way too big to store anyway and with the prices so cheap these days it's bin time but I'm glad I asked you guys for confirmation, if it were to be an easy fix then someone else could have had it as a freebie. Gosh the terrible throw away society rears its ugly head again. Completely dead could be a cheap fix, at least ask around for someone to take it as a freebie.

22-04-2015, 12:03	#9
mooghead Forum Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 572	Yeah, burden someone else with the expense of getting it fixed or the inconvenience of getting rid of it you monster!

22-04-2015, 14:15	#10
Winston_1 Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 5,008	Quote: Originally Posted by mooghead Yeah, burden someone else with the expense of getting it fixed or the inconvenience of getting rid of it you monster! No one has to take, it is not burdening, it is offering. I am not a monster, I'm human just like I assume you are.

22-04-2015, 16:30	#11
anthony david Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Posts: 3,469	Take it to a British Heart Foundation depot (must have remote control with it or they won't take it). What they can't fix they recycle.

22-04-2015, 16:44	#12
hanndav Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Inverness Posts: 2,619	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Sorry, but a cheaply made set with a cheap brand name on it While a LOT of money it was considerably cheaper than buying a decent brand. The reason I asked about the red light is that they commonly trash the EEPROM, and you need to do a factory reset to restore them - but that would kill the lights on the front. They do have an ON/OFF switch on them though, if it's totally dead the switch 'could' have failed (which was one of the reasons that mechanical switches have disappeared now). i'm intrigued now. What would you have said a decent brand would have cost 7 years ago for a 42" plasma and what would that brand have been? What would you consider to be a decent price for a decent brand today?

22-04-2015, 17:15	#13
Deacon1972 Guest Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 8,103	Quote: Originally Posted by hanndav i'm intrigued now. What would you have said a decent brand would have cost 7 years ago for a 42" plasma and what would that brand have been? What would you consider to be a decent price for a decent brand today? Pioneer plasmas, which are highly regarded, would have been somewhere around £2500 upwards for a 42" depending on model.

22-04-2015, 17:24	#15
swb1964 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 2,455	I think both of these posts are a bit harsh Quote: Originally Posted by Winston_1 Gosh the terrible throw away society rears its ugly head again. Completely dead could be a cheap fix, at least ask around for someone to take it as a freebie. Well he has had 7 years out of it. While that's not a lifetime, it isn't bad compared with some items. If it was working fine, then it's another matter, but something of that age could rapidly become a money pit. Quote: Originally Posted by mooghead Yeah, burden someone else with the expense of getting it fixed or the inconvenience of getting rid of it you monster! If it is offer as a freebie and it is clearly marked as broken, then I don't see them harm. But don't be surprised if you get no takers!!

22-04-2015, 19:00	#16
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by swb1964 Well he has had 7 years out of it. While that's not a lifetime, it isn't bad compared with some items. It's always been said that the 'average life' of a TV is around 7 years, and it's certainly not bad going for a cheap Vestel set. Incidentally, the service manual for my Hitachi/Vestel Plasma is dated 2005 - but it regularly needs completely resetting to make it work again - which was how I came to get the set (the owner bought a new Sony set to replace it, as it failed not long out of warranty, and had already been reset under warranty - by Currys where she bought it).

24-04-2015, 00:47	#17
Allen_Fleckney Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 199	A replacement vestel power board can be found on sites for £25. But there is no promise it will sort it , it could be just a failed diode , they are in parallel so you would need to change all the ones that show short circuit, but it is still worth saving. Where are you

24-04-2015, 08:57	#18
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Allen_Fleckney A replacement vestel power board can be found on sites for £25. But there is no promise it will sort it , it could be just a failed diode , they are in parallel so you would need to change all the ones that show short circuit, but it is still worth saving. Where are you Is that the case on the Plasma sets?, it certainly is on the LCD ones - but I've never seen any similar failures on the Vestel Plasma's (not that we see very many of them).

24-04-2015, 11:30	#19
trayhop123 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Posts: 865	wouldn't bother trying to donate it to a charities most wont take electricals (even working ) ,,,,,,,, because they have to be safety tested ,,,,, think its called pac testing or something . i tried to donate a cpl of playstations with games to the children's ward of the leicester royal , even offered to set them up etc but they couldn't take em due to the testing policy , saying that the cost of getting the electrician in etc etc. eventually i sold em on facebook as a charitable auction and donated the money

24-04-2015, 12:38	#20
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by trayhop123 wouldn't bother trying to donate it to a charities most wont take electricals (even working ) ,,,,,,,, because they have to be safety tested ,,,,, think its called pac testing or something . It's PAT - Portable Appliance Testing - and in most ways is a money making scam. Quote: i tried to donate a cpl of playstations with games to the children's ward of the leicester royal , even offered to set them up etc but they couldn't take em due to the testing policy , saying that the cost of getting the electrician in etc etc. That's because such places have to use 'council approved' PAT testers, and 'council approval' appears to depend on how big a bribe they make - so instead of paying £5 or so an item, they have to pay £25-30 an item.

25-04-2015, 02:34	#21
Allen_Fleckney Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 199	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin Is that the case on the Plasma sets?, it certainly is on the LCD ones - but I've never seen any similar failures on the Vestel Plasma's (not that we see very many of them). We have had in 400 hitachi plasmas this week Nigel , all from a large campsite , wanting service repair and Pat testing , yes. 42" pat testing ?? Out of 20 that didn't work it was all the same board fault. We have an endless supply of these boards , more than Emos or chas hyde , so maybe that's why I'm defending the " chucking of the set" it's only worth about £95. But we would only charge £38 to fit a used board or repair at component level , so it's still viable, but only just.

25-04-2015, 08:54	#22
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by Allen_Fleckney But we would only charge £38 to fit a used board or repair at component level , so it's still viable, but only just. You're exceptionally reasonable!

DS Forums

To chuck or not to chuck

01-05-2015, 00:24	#23
Katharine_Range Inactive Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 135	Quote: Originally Posted by swb1964 Sadly it's probably time to let go. You can get a 42 inch pansonic for less than £300 now http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-...205138:s#cat-0 with the Smart version costing not much more. And an LED will save you on the leccy bills too. You could buy a 42" Smart telly, a 22" for the bedroom/as a spare and still have change from 500 quid. Can't anybody even say electricity properly anymore these days?