# Westinghouse TX-42F430S 42 inch LCD TV Appears Bricked



## So_Cal_Sun

I have a Westinghouse TX-42F430S that my sister gave me after it seems bricked after a power outage it would not turn on there is just the orange light with no picture. I tried firmware with numerous different USB drives and the USB drive just flickers for a second and stops. I never get a blue power light and no display. I tried replacing the main board and now I get the Westinghouse logo for a few seconds and then a blank screen and never a blue power light. The back light is on, so I don't think its the inverter boards, I just don't want to keep throwing parts at it aimlessly. Does anybody have any suggestions?


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## octaneman

Hi So Cal Sun 


Try a hard re-start by disconnecting the power source press and hold the power button for several seconds this will drain all power from the mother board. The problem is your set is stuck in stand-by mode, so you definitely need to check the signal source coming in from the last input. If there is no signal the screen will loop into stand-by mode over an over until a different signal input is selected. There is no guarantee that this method will resolve the issue, Westinghouse is aware of the problem but their tech support needs allot to be desired. Westinghouse outsources it support line to a company called microdyne which are totally useless. They take days to give you an answer ( if at all) don't bother calling them they are a complete waste of time. 



Question: Are you using HDMI ?


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## So_Cal_Sun

Hi octaneman, Thanks for the suggestions. I tried them before and several times last night, but it didn't help. HDMI wasn't being used when it failed. I'll try it again with various inputs tonight. Yea, Westinghouse support blows...


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## Ferdmac

Hello So Cal. Have you resolve the issue with your Westinghouse? I refuse to dispose my TV which was rarely used. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


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## TromboneAl

Same thing has happened with mine. I used a new controller, and when I turned it off, it has never come on again. Coincidence?


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## TromboneAl

I had this same problem and fixed it by reinstalling the firmware. 

See the threads here:

Official Westinghouse TX Series ( TX-42F430S, TX-47F430S ) Owner's Thread

Good luck!
Per our conversation earlier today I am sending you the most updated Firmware for your unit. This should fix the issue you are having with the closed captioning. If for what ever reason this does not fix the problem than the only other option you are looking at is to replace the main board. You will need to visit our FTP site at ftp://Public:[email protected]/ once there you will need to have a formatted flash drive and download file 01_OSD_FW_V1.4.0.zip, please make sure you follow all instructions below so you can successfully update the FW.  Firmware Update Instructions 

USB Firmware Update Procedure 
The purpose of updating the firmware on your Westinghouse TV is to enhance your TV viewing experience with added features or minor bug fixes or both.
You will need:
1. A Westinghouse TV or monitor with a USB service port.
2. A 64MB or larger USB thumb drive.
3. A computer with either Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows XP as the operating system.<image001.jpg>*

**Step One: Format Your USB Thumb Drive*
Your USB thumb drive must be formatted in FAT32 to be detected. Formatting it will overwrite all information stored on the drive, so be sure your files are backed up
1. Insert the USB thumb drive into your computer.
2. Right click on the Removable Disk icon.
3. From the menu, select Format.<image002.jpg>
4. Under File System, select FAT32.
5. Select Start to begin formatting.<image003.jpg>

6. Be sure all data on the thumb drive is backed up before you click OK.<image004.jpg>
*Step Two: Download Your New Firmware*
If you haven’t already done so, go to [FONT=&quot]www.wde.comhttp://www.wde.com/ under the Support menu to download the latest firmware for your Westinghouse TV or monitor.[/FONT]
If you don’t already have Adobe Reader and/or WinRAR software on your computer, you can download them by clicking each icon from the right corner underneath the Download Firmware icon. 
If you download Adobe Reader and/or WinRAR, run the application for installation into your Operating System.
Once it’s installed, click the Download Firmware icon from Westinghouse Support menu and save it to your system for transfer to the USB drive. Please insert the USB drive into your system.
Please follow these step-by-step instructions exactly. Extract (unzip) the WinRAR firmware file in your system by simply double clicking the downloaded file. Then click the Extract To icon and choose the destination path. Highlight the drive that you have designated as your USB drive, then click Enter. File will automatically transfer from the system to USB drive. 
<image005.jpg>
Please double check and make sure the firmware software is extracted (unzipped) in the USB drive.
.
*Step Three: Install Your New Firmware onto Your TV*
Remove the USB thumb drive from your computer and take it over to your Westinghouse TV.
1. With the power cord removed from the back of your Westinghouse TV, insert the USB thumb drive into the service port.
<image006.jpg>
2. Plug the power cord into both the back of the TV and the wall outlet.<image007.jpg>
3. Press the Power/On button on the TV to begin your firmware update.<image008.jpg>
4. The status will be seen on your screen while the firmware is updating.<image009.jpg>

5. Once the upgrade is complete, remove the USB flash drive.<image010.jpg>

6. Turn your TV off, then turn it back on to enjoy your new Westinghouse TV firmware.

If you have any questions or problems with downloading, or are not comfortable downloading firmware and need assistance, please call our friendly Customer Support at 1-800-701-0680.
Some flash drives may not work properly with this firmware upgrade. 
Windows Vista, XP and/or 2000 users only. Mac users, please call our friendly Customer Support at 1-800-701-0680.


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## orgwood

I too am attempting to "fix" my Westinghouse 42" LCD TV with most of the symptoms described here in this thread. I have purchased and replaced the Power board with no improvement in symptoms. I was able to get the TV to change to blue LED and start receiving over the air TV signals by using a hair dryer to heat up the caps in the power board output side. That's when I asked a repair person on ebay what he thought about the heat diagnosis. He said that when caps go somewhat dry, heating them up will get them working somewhat again as to isolate the problem ones...hence I bought a different power board but that hasn't turned out to solve the problem. So I have a good power board if someone wants to buy it from me!

I decided to keep up with the heating by hair dryer and found that when I removed the shield from the main input board and started directing the heat on the caps on this board only, I was able to get the set to begin functioning again so it must have been that I was directing the heat towards the main board when i was heating up the power board. I now direct the heat only at the main board with the power board loose and floating so it is significantly away from the main board.

I've purchased some replacement caps and they should arrive later this week. I'll try recapping a few suspect ones that have 0-85C temp range while others have 0-108C range. Then I'll have a clearer idea of what the "real" problem is. If anyone has "fixed" their main board by component repair, please let us know what you did. I'm also suspecting that the solder bump RAM chips might have intermittent contacts as I've run into that problem on some laptops I've fixed.


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## orgwood

Got my caps in and found the time to start re-capping the signal/main board yesterday. I started with one 100uF 85 C cap up near the power connector but found that not to be the problem..remember I'm leaving in the new caps so this could be a progressive repair. I then focused the heat down towards the middle of the board on the right side opposite the heat sink and intended to replace them in groups of identical values where the large FETs are...2 - 47uF @ 50V, then 1 - 1000uF @ 6.3V and I thought I could tell that the set was responding to less heat. I finally replaced a single 470 uF @ 16V that is on top of the 150 inductor before I had to replace the 3 - 220 uF @ 16V down in the FET area and lo and behold, the set began working properly again. I have been doing my repairs while this TV is in my garage that I keep around 40 F for our very long winter this year so I'm pretty confident that this fixed my main board. I was getting pretty worried that I had a semiconductor intermittentcy but am confident that this was just a bad cap issue where those FET inductor switching supplies just wear down/out the caps over time ESR surges or something like that. I'll put it back together soon and get back here if I find out anymore that changes this repair.


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