Calypso CLP-40LC1 No Picture Backlight Turns Off

This TV was sold by Staples in Canada.  Googling some of the board numbers, this TV may share boards with models Sansui LCT40SD and Samsung LE40A457C1D.

When plugged in, the indicator LED lights up red and when power button is pressed, the LED turns green and the blacklight flickers on and then promptly shuts off.  Backlight circuitry typically will have protection to shut down if a problem is detected.  This problem is commonly described as having sound but no picture.

Taking the back off, there was a burnt area of wire where it was taped to the back panel.  This TV design has the high voltage  inverter built into the power supply board and high voltage is carried to a balancer board which powers the CCFL tubes with a pink/white wire pair.  There are dangerous high voltages throughout the balancer board (which is why there is a cover) and on the upper left corner of the power supply board.

I googled the power supply board number and got misdirected to a potential problem with the FET transistors on the power supply board due to discoloration in that area.  When I took out the power supply board and reattached it to measure voltages, the backlight started to work again.

With the power unplugged, I re-investigated the burnt area and found that the insulation had melted away in several spots where tape had bundled the wires together.  The high voltage in the wires had heated up the tape, burning it, melted the wire insulation, and caused shorts.  I removed any remaining tape, shortened and spliced the wires together and reinsulated it with heat shrink tubing.  This design problem could have been prevented with thicker wire or non-flammable tape.  The wire was also too long and then bundled together which generated more heat.

With this simple repair to the wires, the TV is now working again.

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