Hey Guys I have an RCA Model F31317 31" TV. The Picture has gone a tad wide horizontial and I can't find any schematics. Would anyone happen to have any info or know what component may be causing this problem.

 

It has been 50 years since I worked on televisions, in those days the width adjustment was right on the back of the set. If you look inside, the adjust pot may be labeled. No doubt a component has changed value but if the picture is not distorted, the best solution is to tweak the width pot.

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Pots disappeared years ago, anything remotely modern will be adjusted via the remote control - once you've accessed service mode!.

However, it's more likely there's a fault, although it might just be the EEPROM that's trashed, a far too common problem!.

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Damn Thompson Consumer garbage! I shudder when I think back on the times that stuff came across my bench and those EEPROM issues plus the many bad solder joints used for series grounding. Give me a Sony someone, please? Even a Sharp or a Goldstar! The RCA and GE vcr switch mode supplies in their vcrs were problematic and it was far easier/profitable to simply install a rebuild kit than it was to isolate the faulty component(s). The rebuild kit usually took care of the common suspected components and also guaranteed the unit would not become a recall. RCA/GE

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Since I posted yesterday I have already found out about the service mode, however I can't seem to find anyone kind enough to explain how to access this mode and make the adjustments needed. As far as the picture I have no distortion I have just lost about a half inch of the picture on each side because of the horizontial stretch. I would greatly appriciate someone helping me with this info. As I can't find it on the net anywhere and my service tech here that told me about the service mode will not tell me because he wants me to pay him 200 bucks to access this mode and make the adjustment.

 

Well once again perseverance pays off, I hunted all night and found enough info to get me into the service mode and I repaired the problem with my set. It was actually pretty easy after I found the log in procedure, the V00password and a few P00 parameter settings. Thanks again for pressuring me to do it myself.

 

could you share the procedure for getting into service mode ?

 

It is done by holding the menu button and powering on the set then pressing volume up button.

However, and this is a ...SERIOUS WARNING.... if you mess up a setting it is quite possible to do fatal damage to your television while in service mode.

You should not enter service mode without a complete understanding of what the settings mean, what their range of values should be, and what normal values are to be expected. It is quite easy to change a setting out of range and render the set so it will not turn on, therefore you can't change it back.

You will need a list of codes and values to work from, it is not a bunch of self explainatory menus, only numbers and letters. Service mode is for trained service persons, there is nothing in there the average person will be able to make sense of.

Use the service menu at your own risk!!

The settings can take effect on restart, or instantly, so one "oops" and you have a big paper weight.

Normally a part failure or begining of a failure is the cause of trouble, and this should be repaired. Random fiddling with the EEPROM rarely cures anything. Even when repairing a set using a new EEPROM that has second level programming to allow a basic start-up of the TV, you get one chance to do a calibration/alignment before restart, or it's new EEPROM again.

 

Thanks for the info.I was just curious about how it was accessed,one of those things that's nice to know.I really have an sound problem,out of the blue the set will just start humming so loud you can't here your program and I unplug the set for 5 minutes and it's ok for a week or month or a day until the other day and the sound didn't hum it just cut out completely and i had to leave it unplugged all night but it's ok again for 2 days now.sometimes when the screen has a lot of red or blue the sound goes nut's too,is this a familar problem or one of those super head scratcher's problems that always find their way too me

 

bbarney do a google search on RCA TV Service Modes there you will find several sites addressing technical problems with various televisions and I am pretty sure I saw some with your problem and how to repair it. But here are the parameters I used and adjusted.

P1-P3 are repair codes can only be found in the service manual.
P4 Horizontal center
P5 Horizontal width
P6 Horizontal curve outside edge
P7 Horizontal slant \
P8 Horizontal stretch top
P9 Horizontal stretch bottom
P10 Vertical center
P11 Vertical height
P12 Do Not Adjust Or you will shut the screen down and have to start the process over and count what codes you are in to fix it because you cant see them. "Did It Not Fun"
P13 unknown
P14 Green
I didn't experiment any further because of the black screen event plus I had fixed my problem by them also.

Good Hunting

 

thanks for the help

 

bbarney here is a little something I put together just for you. I found a site that said some RCA TV's had the service codes on the inside of the back cover. So I pulled mine and there they were.

CTC203 Service Code Information

Parameter ------------- Parameter Name -------------- Value Range

P00 ------------------- Security Pass Number --------- V76
P01 ------------------- Error Detection Code 1 --------
P02 ------------------- Error Detection Code 2 --------
P03 ------------------- Error Detection Code 3 --------
P04 ------------------- Horiz. Phase (50 or 60Hz) ----- V00-15
P05 ------------------- EWDC (width) ---------------- V00-31
P06 ------------------- EW Amplitude (50 or 60Hz) ---- V00-15
P07 ------------------- EW Tilt (50 or 60Hz) ---------- V00-15
P08 ------------------- Top Corner Correction --------- V00-07
P09 ------------------- Bottom Corner Correction------ V00-07
P10 ------------------- Vertical D.C. (50 or 60Hz) ----- V00-63
P11 ------------------- Vertical Size (50 or 60Hz) ----- V00-127
P12 ------------------- Vertical Countdown Mode ------ V00-03
P13 ------------------- Red Bias ---------------------- V00-127
P14 ------------------- Green Bais -------------------- V00-127
P15 ------------------- Blue Bais ---------------------- V00-127
P16 ------------------- Red Drive --------------------- V00-63
P17 ------------------- Green Drive -------------------- V00-63
P18 ------------------- Blue Drive --------------------- V00-63
P19 ------------------- Gemstar OSD Horizontal Adjust -- V00-255
P20 ------------------- Gemstar Vertical Adjust --------- V00-255
P21 ------------------- Gemstar Horizontal PIP Adjust --- V00-255
P22 ------------------- Gemstar Vertical PIP Adjust ----- V00-255
P23 ------------------- Gemstar Window Vertical Size --- V00-13

Note: Stepping to 200 instead of 76 selectsthe Service Computer Mode. Must unplug unit to exit this mode.

Part No. 15358070

I also found this on the net.

5.4 GE TELEVISIONS / RCA TELEVISIONS / PROSCAN TELEVISIONS
Read the _ SERVICE MODE WARNING _ before proceeding.

To enter service mode, push and hold the [Menu] button on the set. While holding, push and release the [Power] button, then the [Vol +] button.

You will now have some information on the screen: "P0 V0"

To actually be able to change these values, you must push [Vol +] on the remote so the information reads V76. Then pushing on the Channel +/- will change the "P" value.

P1 - 3 are error codes. If there is a problem with the set that can be self-diagnosed, the "V" will report the code. These codes are available in the RCA repair manual.

P4 - 7 control the horizontal size, shift, vertical size and shift.

You may also find a summary leaflet for the service tech clipped somewhere inside the chassis. The procedures for getting into the service mode, as well as the service items of interest will be there.

If you're attempting to adjust color or geometry errors, you'll need the Video Essentials DVD, Laser Disc or some other source of test material.

 

Thank's alot Bluvet79
I've had this sound problem for at least 2 years but the other day the usally trusted unplug the set for 5 min didn't work but overnight did and it's been fine since then.I'll see if i can get any error codes out of it.I don't really want to pull the TV out of the TV stand unless I have no choice because it's such a big heavy bugger,well I'am off to play with the remote

 

bbarney: I think your TV's problem is likely related to the infamous soldering problems that Thomson had a few years back. There is a metal shielding cage that was improperly soldered, and is the cause of a myriad of issues.

It is very simple to fix, and there are many guides on the internet that explain how to do it. One of the better ones can be found here:

http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/rcatune.htm

I would have a read of the link above and see if you think it applies in your case. Follow the precautions and the job is simple.

 

thank's Zevon8
there's some good info there that might fix the problem