[RE: JVC TV shut-down problem]

Hello: [Please bear with the long story, or you can just jump to the end where I mention "Q:"] :-) After almost 4 years, my 32" JVC (model #AV32F734) just snapped, crackled, and popped, and it went off. (And maybe there was a little smoke or at least I thought I smelled smoke near the TV when I went for closer inspection.) Anyway, now every time I turn it on it goes off after a couple of seconds and the front LED blinks. Sound is okay, but no picture comes up by the time it goes off. To turn it really off I have to unplug it, and to turn it on I just plug it in (i.e. not even press the ON button, so that's kind of weird). Like many folks who saw similar problems (and I've seen other discussion groups where other TV brands, not just JVC, encountered this problem) the automatic shut-down is caused by the TV's self-test detecting a problem. Also, like many folks I called a repair shop and was quoted the $150 this and $200 that. Since the TV is out of warranty I decided to open it up and have a look. BTW, I'm an electrical engineer but my specialty is not HW, yet I can read schematics and know my way around meters and scopes, etc. Anyway, I spend about an hour looking and looking with good lighting and a hand-held bright flashlight but couldn't find any obvious burn spot (e.g. a burned resister would look scortched and its jacket would be cracked or broken). I knew then that the problem isn't an expensive one or not obviously expensive but after not finding anything I closed the chassis box and thought about maybe not waste more time. I'm kind of stunned and disappointed by a very good model (so I thought) going bad in such a short time. At the time I was looking for a 32" TV I did a lot of research (weeks-worth) and even Consumer Reports rated this (or similar) JVC brand of that size in the top two. Then comes today, and my continued determination to see if I can fix it rather than just give up. I'm so glad I saw this discussion group where there's a lot of talk about damaged 1000uF capacitors, etc. I love the internet when it has useful stuff like this! So now my question (thanks for your patience): Q1: The discussions about this kind of problem have mentioned a lot about a 1000uF 35V (or 50V as some suggested) C926 capacitor near the center of the board of a 980 model JVC. Does this still apply to an AV32F734 JVC? Are there any more specifics? Q2: Are there points on the board (or overall TV curcuits) I can check with a multi-meter or scope to gain extra knowledge about the source of the problem? Please let me know. Thanks in advance to everyone for your responses and helpful comments.

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