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Topband: plasma TV troubleshooting

To: topband@contesting.com
Subject: Topband: plasma TV troubleshooting
From: Telegrapher9@aol.com
Date: Tue, 5 Dec 2006 09:29:58 EST
List-post: <mailto:topband@contesting.com>
How to quickly troubleshoot the plasma TV RFI? Disconnect all of the cables 
(except the AC power) from the TV. If I needs video to keep the screen active 
you can connect a source of NTSC video. Many digital still cameras and all 
video cameras have this. Run the device on batteries and connect to the TV 
video 
input via a short cable. 

Now all you have as a point of RF egress is the power cable. If the 1.8 MHz 
RFI is still nice and strong then you can focus on the AC power. You can 
purchase off-the-shelf AC line filters that provide good common-mode and 
normal-mode 
attentuation at 1.8 MHz. I would not fool around with constructing my own 
when fne filters, that are UL certified, are available. 

To construct your own and have it meet UL 60950 you need to use components 
rated for AC line use and maintain "creepage" and "clearance" of - I think - 3 
mm or more from line-to-line and line-to-earth ground. You must also take care 
to properly bond the filter case to earth ground such that the connection 
cannot be removed from outside the box and it must be able to take 30 amps or 
so 
and have a resistance below so many ohms. I don't have a copy of the standard 
and am working from memory. Since it's not your TV or house I would sure steer 
away from putting homebrew filtering in the neighbor's house.

Let's say the AC line is not the point of egress. Connect the video input 
back. Let's say the RFI becomes strong now. You will need a few hundred ohms of 
common-mode attentuation at 1.8 MHz. A ferrite core and several turns of the 
coax will do it, given the correct core. 

Anyway, this method of troubleshooting will get you right to the problem and 
you can avoid randomly placing ferrites and filters all over your neighbor's 
TV. 

   Dave WX7G
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