Chosen Solution
Element 65” Roku Smart TV E4ST6519RKU I picked up this TV from a friend. They said the TV suddenly went dim at the top (no drops or unusual activity). It seems like the horizontal led strip at the specific location is just not receiving as much power as the others are; when the backlight is increased/decreased, the portion of the screen increases and decreases as well, though it is relatively dimmer than the rest of the screen, so I don’t think the entire led strip is off. The difference is more noticeable at full brightness than at the lowest setting in my opinion. It has been factory reset multiple times and nothing is plugged into any of the source ports.
This is very likely the same problem I had which are bad LED strips. I’m not sure what went wrong with them but to service any of them, you’re near guaranteed to bend the strips so replacement is the only way. No soldering LEDs unless you want to drive yourself crazy. I had one or two strips kind of light up when I disassembled. Didn’t realize it was actually dim too until I swapped. 13 Month Update I see a strip has gone out on my TV already. This is advice for people who want these things to last longer: I’ve read that the initial voltage spike from the half-assed power supplies on these cheap TVs is a common culprit for LED failure. I run at full brightness all the time so I think it might be true. Maybe pull the brightness down a notch to make it last longer than a year. I might pursue a second repair if two or more go out.
Just replaced them all and the end result was exciting.
It’s not a repair for the faint of heart. TIPS FOR REPAIR These two videos helped. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSz--aRc… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaKi5aC9… If I recall, there are different pieces blocking the buffer board/scan drive covers. Just make sure everything is out of the way: speakers, tv stand brackets, etc. I folded and taped the buffer boards to the front of the screen like in the Vizio video. They are fragile. I removed the reflector sheet rather than cut. It’s just double sided tape but I would just cut if I did this again. There are so many tiny parts and having an intact reflector/potentially ruining it is not worth it. Wires delivering power are underneath the sheet so watch for those if you cut (look at my earlier pic). Replacement strips come with new double sided tape preinstalled and connect together rather than having a wire in between. Old strips will bend and be useless afterwards. They are really stuck. Tips: I used suction cups from Home Depot to lift the screen. They are super strong so I only squeezed them hard enough to lift the screen but enough that you won’t drop it. It’s scary. I lifted the screen more times than I needed because I kept goofing up and rushing. Ideally you lift it out, set aside, do your repair, and place it back in… once.The screen is glass. Have lots of room to move things around and clean places to set things down. Like 4 times the size of the screen because you’ll need somewhere to work, somewhere to set the filters down, the lcd, and the reflector sheet if you took it out. I chipped the corner of the lcd using the metal frame to guide it in place and learned quickly to be gentle. That was the hardest part since the adhesive is still sticky and held when I laid it in incorrectly SO many times.When going around the edge of the screen, it is adhered with black foam tape. (1:40 in the TCL video) I used a thin plastic card. Mine balled up while cutting and I didn’t clean up when assembling so I can see little black lumps on one edge part of the screen.GET HELP TO GUIDE IT IN AND OUT. The adhesive will stick in places when you go to lift it the first time so have someone around to use your plastic card to find those stuck spots. It will also want to stick when you place it. Try to place it correctly the first time. Best of luck! My TV was free so this was worth it. Assess your risk but I’m glad some people are keeping these cheap monsters out of the junk pile!
Carson Dang check the voltages on your power supply going to the backlights. A bad power supply can give your backlight those symptoms. Usually, if an LED has failed, it is either the whole strip that is dark or just the spot where the failed LED is located. Any off that would look different then what your image is showing.
@joefissh and @oldturkey03 did either of you ever figure out what the proper voltage out of the power supply should be, mine is 45v and none of the led strips are lit, I’m trying to decide if I need LEDs or a power supply.
