Hi there. I've got a Panasonic rear projection model PT-51G44CA chassis #AP815. The picture on it is great with the exception that it has recently begun to "zoom" in and out. If you are watching a program with a ticker across the bottom it will zoom in enough that it cuts this part of the screen off (as well as the corrisponding top and side). When it does this the picture also becomes very grainy. it is driving me nuts and any help would be appreciated.
I have the PT 51G44A model and the power goes off. If I smack the side, it May come on. It does come back on by itself sometimes too but I need to fix the problem of it going off (you can hear a clicking sound when it does and also when it comes back on.....any ideas, buddy?
gthomas, the fact that you hit the side of the TV set is an indication that there is a bad solder connection or a plug is loose somewhere on the printed circuit board. When you hit the set, you simply are flexing or shocking the printed circuit board and the connection archs closed. I have seen where a person does the hitting thing with a TV set in the past and never bothered to get the set repaired and finally one day, the TV set fried. The printed circuit that was bad or had a poor solder connection burnt and the TV was then not worth repairing as the PC board had a hole burnt into it. My advise to you would be to not use the TV set untill you have the set repaired. The TV set really should not cost that much to repair with a bad connection. Good Luck and let us know how the repair went for your TV set.
fozzy184, it seems to me that there is a bad capacitor or a pincussion problem with your TV set. This is in the horizontal sweep deflection correction circuit and there is alot of high voltage in this circuit. I am sorry to inform you that there is not a quickie fix for this TV set the only way to repair this set will be with a schematic diagram and most likely an ociliscope to look at the waveform and correction to the waveform as it passes through this circuit. For sure not a job for the non-tech. My best advice as it has been before with loads of others, play it safe and refure to a local repair shopp to assist you in a repair such as this.Good Luck amd Please let us know what was done to correct your problem with your TV set.