Warning: Based on information provided in several posts, and from talking to friends, it is very possible that you could severely electrocute yourself if you don’t know what you’re doing or if you touch the wrong part of the electronics. If you’re not sure it’s safe to do this then simply don’t. When I replaced the board I was very careful not to touch any components, including the underside of the board I was replacing. Of course, the unit must be unplugged before proceeding and it may be a good idea to let it sit for a couple of days before opening it.

A couple of weeks ago we experienced a power surge from a nearby lightning strike that damaged one HVAC unit along with a few electronics. One of the items that was damaged was our older 32″ Philips LCD TV. This was largely my fault. I used to have a surge protector on that TV but the last one quit working and I forgot to replace it.

When we tried to turn the TV back on it wouldn’t work and I noticed that a red LED, near the power LED, flashed 6 times, stopped, and then flashed the same sequence.

It was a bit of a gamble but I went ahead and purchased a (relatively) new power board from a seller on eBay for $85. If the main board had been damaged I would have lost the money I spent on the power board because replacing the main board would probably cost more than simply buying a new TV.

Before purchasing the new board I searched some forums and several did seem to indicate that it was most likely the power board. Before ordering a new one I opened the unit up and checked for any visible damage including bulging capacitors or a blown fuse.

I might as well confess, in case someone else has the same problem, that I completely overlooked the fuse on the power board. To put it simply, I may have spent $85 to replace a board when I might have only needed to buy a new fuse that probably costs less than $1. I don’t know how I missed it but I did.

I didn’t notice the fuse until I went to swap out the boards. As soon as I saw it I decided to just swap the boards rather than swap fuses. At that point I didn’t really want to know if I had just wasted money (and it’s entirely possible that I didn’t waste the cash).

The location of the fuse is circled in a photo of the power board, included below.

Opening the system was relatively simple. There are probably about eight hex screws on the back side of the TV (and four larger screws if the TV is mounted to the base that came with it). Note that when you flip the TV so the screen is facing down that it should be set on a soft surface such as a blank or a bed. The first time I opened it I ended up scratching part of the bezel on our wood floors.

Swapping the boards is also simple as long as you’re very careful. There’s just three or four cables to detach and one plastic clip, which can be squeezed back under the board with a pair of needle nose pliers (try not to break the plastic clip since it helps to hold the board in place).

After I swapped out the boards, closed the TV, and powered it back up we had a working TV again.

Updated 09/30/2012: Three months have passed since I replaced the board and the television is still working just fine.

Updated 07/18/2013: The TV continues to work just as well as it did when I replaced the board.

Updated 03/11/2018: For some reason this post has started receiving attention. I’ve had a few folks point out that the fuse I mentioned should be the primary fuse so the LEDs shouldn’t have worked if it was actually bad. This certainly seems reasonable. Regardless, replacing the board absolutely fixed the problem, as indicated at the end of the post.