Our good friend John at Preher-Tech Electronics Repair in Oregon (soon to be Seattle!) posted some great tutorials for those do-it-yourself, handy people out there (see: not me). I thought I’d post a few on our site, as we get a lot of calls with basic repair questions. For more TV repair videos and information from John, check out his YouTube channel and blog!

No, I didn’t scale a mountain to receive these technological revelations. The gadget gurus over at CNET, David Carnoy and David Katzmaier, compiled this list of LED TV truths.

With the rise of LED TVs on the near horizon and prices dropping faster than BP’s popularity, I thought I’d summarize CNET’s list to help you sift through LED fact and fiction.

1. LED TVs are not new: LED TVs are simply LCD TVs that are backlit with light-emitting diodes and have been on retail shelves since 2007.

2. There are two LED configurations: “full array” LEDs are backlit across the panel, like a standard LCD. “Edge-lit” LEDs are backlit on the sides of the panel, projecting light inward and reducing the thickness of the TV.

3. “Local dimming” may be offered on both configurations: this feature dims portions of the screen to reduce the amount of light that leaks through darkened pixels, which results in darker blacks. The deeper the black on your TV, the better your contrast ratio, which correlates with a better overall picture quality.

4. Edge-lit TVs are thin, but uniformity suffers: with edge-lit displays, white images may appear brighter or “hotter” on the edges of the screen. Contrastingly, dark images may appear lighter near the edges.

5. LEDs don’t improve LCD’s off-angle viewing: LCD TVs are notorious for their decreased picture quality from different, angled views. Unfortunately, neither LED configuration improves this weakness.

6. LEDs are more efficient: this is great news for those energy-conscious individuals (like all of us at ShopJimmy!). LED TVs are the most power-efficient flat panels available.

7. LED technology will improve, somewhat: according to engineers, to truly perfect an LED TV, it would require 2.1 million LEDs to individually light 2.1 million pixels in a 1080 p TV. Not surprisingly, this simply isn’t cost effective for manufacturers. For mass-produced models, the limit of LED improvement will be found at the intersection of the number of LEDs vs. production costs.

8. LEDs are more expensive: I know, not what you wanted to hear. For instance, according to CNET, LG’s least-expensive 32-inch LED is still $1,100. However, with added competitors entering this market continuously, prices should drop substantially over the next year or two.

9. Top LED TVs rival the best plasmas, but still have shortcomings: at the highest tier, picture quality is almost synonymous, but off-angle viewing and picture uniformity still prevent LED TVs from surpassing plasma’s picture quality.

10. Without the correct picture settings, LED technology won’t matter: regardless of the price tag, if you don’t set-up your LED TV correctly, you won’t experience its true potential.

Did I (or the “techies” at CNET) miss something? Which TV do you prefer: LCD, LED (LCD), or plasma? Sound off below!

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This post is courtesy of Nate, our Parts Manager and resident cat lover.

We’ve been spending time with Samsung plasma TV’s lately, especially the logic mains found inside them. They are pretty good company, for the most part; the only problem is they dress alike, so it’s hard to tell them apart. Let’s start with the family of logic mains from some newer 58 and 63-inch TV’s. If you search LJ41-05752A on our site, you get a smattering of results, each with a unique BN96-XXXXXX number. The difference between these guys is subtle but obvious when you can see them side-by-side. The PCB number (aka LJ41-05752A) is identical on each of these parts, and the PBA number (aka LJ92-01564A or LJ92-01563A) seems to be the same. However, if you look at the board there is a string of letters behind the PBA number. These letters are the key to unlocking the part number. Samsung has several ways of indicating which version of the logic main is used. Ticks, dashes, or marks can be found over the appropriate letter, stamps of the PBA rev can begin with that letter (i.e. CA1, BA2), or, more recently, the serial number tag can have the appropriate PBA code in it.





In the example provided, we can see the PBA code ends with “A.” However, if you start searching around those other parts that share PCB and PBA numbers, with the one in the example, you can find LJ92-01564A-LJ92-01564F (A-F) and just LJ92-01563A. Each of these has a unique part number and usages associated with it. The differences may be as subtle as the software programmed on the board or as blatant as different connectors, and in either case, the parts are typically not compatible. The other sticker on the part is an indicator of the size and style of panel, the intended brand usage (SEC = Samsung Electronics Corporation), and logic software (090226). Sometimes they will spell out intended brands on the sticker like Philips or Sanyo, other times it is a three-letter code.

Other panel parts don’t typically require the same strict attention to letters and numbers. Y-Mains, Logic Buffers, etc. with a PBA code of “A” or “B” (there’s not as much variation in other panel parts as there are with Logic Mains) are usually fine to use interchangeably. Hopefully, this helps make sense of Samsung Logic.

If you’re a big fan of soccer, you’ve come to the right place. If not, I GUARANTEE you’ll save money on your next order (subtotal over $100). So, my fellow soccer fans and penny savers, here’s our pitch (Get it? “Pitch,” as in the British term for “soccer field?” Pun intended. Shoot, nevermind.):

- For every win by the good ol’ US of A, you’ll receive $5.00 off your next order (the order subtotal has to be over $100) if you enter the code “SJWC2010” during the checkout process. For instance, if they win their next game against Slovenia on 6/18, you’ll get $10 off your order. Make sense?

- BUT, you can only use that promotional code ONCE. If you use it right now, you’ll receive $5 off, since a tie against favored England is almost a win (and we’re feeling generous). However, USA is guaranteed at least two more games (6/18 and 6/23). After that, it’s anyone’s guess…

If you have any questions, please email me: ryan@shopjimmy.com

Good luck! Oh, and GO USA!

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This post is courtesy of Nate, our Parts Manager and resident cat lover.

Anyone who has ever tried to make a spreadsheet using Philips part numbers knows that you’ll end up with some scientific notation gibberish if you’re not careful. Philips parts are your ticket to 12 digits of fun. Unfortunately, it’s one too many digits to be comparable to a phone number… or is it? Here are some tips when looking at a Philips SSB board:

1. The part number is almost always indicated somewhere on the board or metal case. If you don’t get the whole number, the last 5 digits are usually around somewhere. These are always on a sticker and aren’t one of the 12 digits numbers that are printed on the circuit board. Check out the picture of 313926800203:

2. When you are dialing up that 12 digit number, treat it like a 1-800 number. 3-139-268-0020… Ring…. Ring… Ring… “Thank you for calling Philips. If you know your party’s extension dial it at any time.” Don’t bother listening to the rest of the menu, dial that extension, 3. Ring… Ring… “Hello, this is Janine, how can I help you?” The funny thing is Janine is the only person left in the Philips call center. The rest have all gone over to Philips Funai. So, it doesn’t really matter what extension you dial. It’s a very deep metaphor, but essentially 313926800201-313926800209 are the same parts (they may or may not all exist). The parts are found in the same series of models, in this case 42 and 50-inch plasmas, and use the same service SSB as a replacement, 313926727671.

3. When replacing your Philips SSB, you will sometimes need to reconfigure the board to the correct panel. You can go to the Philips parts website (a.k.a. Encompass) for step-by-step instructions on how to configure your specific board. There is usually an **SSB Installation Note** link on the page for the service SSB’s.

4. If you ever meet someone from Philips, keep your ShopJimmy swag under close supervision. It took some explaining, but my fiancée understands that I was mugged for my hoody and don’t willingly hand-out my clothes to other women. She knows who she is, and I’m sure she feels no regret.

This post is courtesy of Nate, our Parts Manager and resident cat lover. It also appeared in our April newsletter. Not a newsletter subscriber? Login to your Customer Account and subscribe today to get exclusive news and special deals!

We’ve been experimenting with some of our parts to see if we can get them to go the extra mile. It’s been paying off. The “generic” parts of the TV are generally more generic than we give them credit for. LG Plasma parts are a simple and great example of how you can stumble across compatible alternatives to those pesky, hard to find parts. Let’s use a popular one that is currently sold out: 6871QYH053B. My first step is usually to drop the “B” or change it to a different letter. Google searching (or “Googling” as the kids call it nowadays) quickly tells me there is a 6871QYH053A. In the probable event that you have trouble finding one of those two, here’s a little trick I learned way back when I first started: swap the 0 for a 9. This will usually give you the off brand version of the part (like Akai or Maxent versus LG or Zenith). So, that gives us 6871QYH953A and 6871QYH953B as alternatives.

Not done yet. Look at the board where it says “Model.” It reads: 42V8&X3. This is referring to the panel model of the plasma panel. Those 31 models we have listed for 6871QYH053B all use variations of the PDP42V8 and PDP42X3 panels. Each one uses the same layout of parts to make the panel do the dirty work of showing moving pictures. So, taking one of those parts from a similar, if not identical, panel should work nicely. Take a gander at PDP42V8 and PDP42X3 (plus YSUS) on ShopJimmy and you’ll see even more alternatives to our original part. LG has two naming conventions for their plasma parts: 6871XXXXXXX and EBRXXXXXXXX. This trick will usually help determine EBR alternatives to 6871’s or vice versa.

Want even more options? I thought so. By now you should know that LG plasma panels are used in more brands than LG. Toshiba and Philips both use this YSUS in one or more sets, but they don’t call it the same thing as LG. Toshiba (75003031) and Philips (996500041771) both have their own part number for this board. Therefore, it might be worth it to take a look into some of these other part numbers, too. These tricks work pretty well for most plasma panel parts, however the main logic controls can vary in compatibility, so be wary of how far you stretch to find an alternative there.

For those of you in desperate need of Polaroid parts, do not fear: we’re in the process of tearing down and listing a very large Polaroid shipment!

During this process, we noticed that the control box slides out with minimal unscrewing and via disconnecting a few wires (see image below).

When ordering a control box, there is a sticker with the proper number on the underside of the box (it starts with “909″ – see image below).

On the two Polaroid models we’ve processed so far, we’ve seen 20 different control boxes! This large variety means revisions were made to something inside the TV, so every time this happens a new control box rears its ugly head.

After surveying our customers, we figured something out…

A lot of you aren’t aware (our fault!) that we’ll beat any distributor price (with a 90-day warranty) by 15%!

We’re committed to the lowest prices online, but this is a way for you to help us watch our prices. Here’s what you can do:

Go ahead and shop around. Check and double-check prices. And when you’re ready to make a purchase, know that you’ll get the lowest price when you ShopJimmy!

Since most eBay sellers don’t offer sufficient warranties, we’ll review these on a case-by-case basis.

We’re busy creating an official FAQ/Help page on ShopJimmy, but in the meantime, we’d like to explain and clarify some common suggestions from our recent survey (demonstrated with actual responses).

1. “Get to emails quicker.” This was a common theme, and something that we definitely noted and are improving. If you don’t receive a timely response, please call us.

2. “Need cross reference for generic numbers on parts to actual manufacturer part numbers.” We’ve been working on this for awhile now and should have an exhaustive cross reference system soon. If you’re having trouble locating a part number, please email –nathan@shopjimmy.com — for assistance.

3. “Several times we have found that we must enter the exact model number to find parts.” We’re constantly improving our search, but partial searches work.

Here’s an example:

4. “I emailed an inquiry about the compatibility of some parts, but never received a reply.” If you have a question about parts compatibility, please email — nathan@shopjimmy.com — he’s more than willing to help you.

5. “Would be easier if you could utilize a standardized item number each time on the panels. When I try to reorder the same part, your item number is always different.” This is a great idea. We’ve been working on this for awhile and plan to have it completely implemented soon. It’s part of the cross reference system we’re implementing with all of our parts.

6. “Let your customer know when back order parts are available.” There is a notify link on quantity listed parts (parts not listed as 1234-01 format), but we will make this more visible and easier to use.

7. “Reduce prices for service centers and repair shops, instead of giving them the same price as general customers and DIY’ers.” We’re recommitting ourselves to really watching our prices. We do offer discounts to repair shops and service centers who are frequent customers. If you think you should be included in this group, or you have a chat list/tech group that frequently orders from us, please call us.

8. “The new site is cumbersome. I liked the old site better.” We still have the same “click through” navigation for finding parts as the old site. From the home page, you can choose your brand and find a list with relevant models. However, just because a model isn’t on this list doesn’t mean we don’t have parts for it. You can get to this same list for many brands by typing the brand name into our search bar. Try it with Sony.

Keep your eyes peeled for a FAQ/Help page coming soon. Also, thanks to those who gave us compliments, too!

This post is courtesy of Nate, our Parts Manager and resident cat lover.

What are the benefits of ordering by part number?

I cannot stress enough how important it is to know what part you are looking for before you find it. The tricky part is figuring out what to look for that differentiates your part from similar ones. This is by no means a comprehensive guide, nor is it the gospel truth. Everyday our research department is discovering different ways to identify and catalog parts in our catalog. A good starting point is the LCD panel.

Not every manufacturer makes their TV’s from scratch. The majority are actually contracting out parts, especially the panel, to other companies. A great example is Sanyo. Sanyo has used several different panel manufacturers in their televisions. Their model naming system usually follows the year the TV’s were manufactured. A DP32647 is a 32-inch from 2007 whereas a DP32648 is from 2008 and the DP32649 is from 2009. Between these three models there are probably 12 different panels. Sanyo differentiates these variations by giving the TV’s chassis numbers. The first release of the DP32648 was given the chassis of P32648-00 and it used an AU Optronics panel. The switched panels for whatever reason with the P32648-01 to Chi Mei Optronics. This changed some of the components in the TV. With each panel change or new chassis comes new backlight inverters, new T-con boards, and new main units. Continuing with the DP32648, the P32648-02 used a Sharp panel, we never saw a P32648-03 or P32648-04, but the P32648-05 used an LG Philips panel. This is just one model in one year. The DP32647 and DP32649 have their own series of panel changes.

If you were looking for the backlight inverter for this model where would you start? Thankfully we provide a lot of options on our site. Typing in the model number in the search bar yields all the possible options. You can also type in Sanyo and it will bring you to a landing page of all our Sanyo models. If you have your chassis number you can narrow it down even further. If you wanted to look at all the backlight inverters side-by-side, enter “DP32648 Back” to narrow it down to the part you need or all your possible options. Ideally, you could see all the backlight inverters side- by-side with high resolution photos and it should be pretty easy to pick out the one you need. Coming in with the initial knowledge of what part you need makes it all that much easier. Taking a stab at the part ordering by model number alone can result in wasted efforts and time on both sides.

Now say you are looking for the T-con for the P32648-05 version. You’ve pulled the part out of the set and have a good idea what you need, so you plug in the most part number-looking thing on the board: 6870C-0195A. ShopJimmy will give you 7 results. Why? 6870C-0195A is just the generic circuit board number. Connectors, layouts, and/or pre-programmed chips differ on those 7 parts. So LG Philips leaves a white box where they can stamp the part after these are applied. Honestly. We don’t make this stuff up; we just stumble across it and frantically try to make the information available to our customers. The correct T-con for the P32648-05 version is stamped 6871L-1376A, displayed below (click on image for larger view):

Maybe you’re feeling a little jaded about Sanyo products all the sudden. You go to the store expecting to get a nice deal on a product with some good reviews. But how do you know all those different panels perform the same way? How do you know you’ll be getting the same TV as s!ng1egaMerdood5683 from Tallahassee, FL? You don’t, but rest assured you really wouldn’t with any other brand either. Samsung frequently switches between Chi Mei Optronics, AU Optronics and Samsung LCD panels in their TV’s. The best way to tell is by the one of the model codes. Those ending in “S” are the homegrown Samsung panels, “C” for Chi Mei and “A” for AU Optronics. (I just went and looked at the back of my Samsung, it’s a LN-T3253H S.) If Samsung decides they really want to spice it up and change some things, they usually give the TV a different version number. This can be found on the side of the TV. Mine is next to the power button. You must be saying, “Gee, that’s not so bad I just need to know what to look for so I can order with a little more certainty.” In an ideal world my friend, yes. Meet the bane of my part entry existence… Sony. Sony is pretty good about sticking to Samsung or AUO panels, but I’ll be darned if they don’t switch between different panels, too. Here’s where it gets hairy though. Sony doesn’t give a neat little chassis number or stick a letter at the end. Sony will abruptly change panels. Make a note of it somewhere so THEY know what serial numbers use the old panel and where the new ones start. It’d be fine if it was once or twice, but usually they go back and forth between 2,3,or 4 panels.

Need and example (click on image for larger view)?

Here’s a backlight inverter found in some 32-inch models. First, it’s cool that they use the same inverter in several models. That gives us a better chance of getting the part for our customers even if it’s not from the model you are ordering it for. Secondly it is a Samsung Inverter so we can verify they are the same by checking out the sticker on the board. You can zoom in on the website to get a better look.

They all start with 01867A… somehow we translated that to LJ97-01867A. Hours and hours of researching parts on the internet typically yield these little rewards from time to time. Maybe you noticed that large chuck of numbers and models in the middle of the page by now. That’s the joy of Sony panel changes. You can see that some of the models have half a dozen serial number ranges that abruptly start and stop and some are nice and neat and start and stop at the nearest 100,000. There are really no guarantees with Sony and all the work I did for this one listing was exhausting. When we set-up our part entry system we didn’t realize things like this would be happening. Thankfully, we can bully the information in one or description fields but it is not ideal… but neither is having to cross reference your serial numbers for every part. Thanks Sony.

So now I’ve hopefully scared you into thinking that you’ll order the wrong part if you don’t take a look inside your TV. However it’s not scary. Our research team is committed to sharing any tip and trick for identifying parts of all shapes, sizes, prices, and brands. We try to convey this information in our listings as best we can, but if you’re still unsure our sales staff is more than willing to help. Everyday we are learning new things and boy howdy are we excited to share them with our customers. And consequently enough we also like when our customers share things with us. Do you know something we don’t? Share it with us! We can never have too many friends and try to be plenty generous to those who lend us a hand.

I’ll gladly take suggestions, comments, questions, critiques, and jokes in my inbox — Nathan@shopjimmy.com

Welcome to the SJ “Big Game” Challenge! As you probably noticed, we can’t use Sup#@ Bo%l (or anything NFL-related) in any promotional materials, so it’s the “Big Game” instead. As much as we were rooting for Minnesota (we still don’t really want to talk about it, Favre, interceptions, or fumbles), Indianapolis vs. New Orleans is a good match-up and a pretty big game.

Here are the official rules and guidelines:

1. There are two contests: one at halftime and one at the end of the game. Enter your predictions like this:

Halftime – Indianapolis 14   New Orleans 7
Final – Indianapolis 17   New Orleans 14

The winners will be chosen based on their predicted, combined score and the actual, combined score. The winner of the halftime challenge will win $150 and the winner of the final challenge will win $300. These “SJ Bucks” can be used toward any future ShopJimmy purchases.

2. Submit your guess to ryan@shopjimmy.com and include: your name, name of business, contact information, and both predictions. We will not use any of your contact information for marketing, newsletters, etc.

3. In the event of ties, we’ll choose the winner based on the team chosen as leading at halftime or winning the game. If ties still exist, we’ll split the SJ Bucks between the winners.

4. All entries must be submitted by 11:59 pm on February 6th, 2010.

5. Contact ryan@shopjimmy.com for any other questions.

Good luck!

Every holiday season, there’s always that one gift that you really wanted, but sadly didn’t get. I know you are all probably losing sleep over not unwrapping our December newsletter and joyously grinning ear-to-ear as you read its exciting content. In fact, we completed it over two weeks ago and it’s been ready to land “under your inboxes” ever since.

The only problem: Scrooge and the Grinch (a.k.a. email services) greedily, coldly decided that our newsletter is “spam.”

Go ahead and laugh all you want. Let out those deep belly chuckles. Make fun of us. We can take it. Ok, are you finished? Good. :)

We think we’ve fixed the problem (email services can be quite fickle), but we could use a little help. So far, we’ve sent out three newsletters. If you haven’t seen all three in your inbox, check your spam folder. If you stumble upon any of our past newsletters in this folder, please mark these as “not spam.”

We’d like to continue using these newsletters to update you with ShopJimmy news and special deals, industry news, and other cool features. If you’d like to join the over 7,000 members of our email list, log-in to your customer account, find “Newsletters” in the “Account Information” section, click “Edit,” and check the box next to “General Subscription.”

Thank you! Is it too early to wish you all a Happy New Year?