View Full Version : Flashing Timer Light
lexibug
06-23-2002, 02:56 PM
Have had many storm related power outages in the past few days. TV not working, just timer light flashing and won't stop. Tried system reset and unplugging TV. Anyone have any suggestions?
TV is brand new WS-55859
Glenn
06-30-2002, 05:20 PM
Looks like no one else will tell you this but it's time to haul it in, and get it fixed,hopefully under warrantee. All the sets for quite a while now have gone to switching power supplies and no longer have the luxury (or cost ) of a transformer to protect them. It's not a bad idea to put a surge suppressor on the set and not one of those cheap ones.
Six weeks after delivery of my 65909 the timer light started blinking, there have been no storms and the surge protector (provided by the vendor...a good one) has been on duty all along. Initially, after disconnecting the TV and all the components (dvd, vcr, cable box, amp, etc.) the blinking timer would stop and the tv would operate normally. The timer would initiate during a tv program. Now, when depressing the set up button there is no change. I wanted this $5,000 tv replaced, but Mitsubishi insists a technician must visit first and attempt a repair. They say the tv is modular. Now I must take time off from work. I'm curious why the timer appears to disable the tv, and the reason, in this case, cannot be a storm or surge protector...what else could it be?
I have heard of this problem on a number of sets if you do not properly set your clock on the TV. The "timer" function then thinks that you "want" the TV off and turns it off. Check your manual on how to set the clock and make sure that you don't have any "timers" set. Weird Huh?
Power failures, even very brief ones that don't disrupt other appliances in the house cause the TVs clock to go to the wrong time, so you have to set the clock after even a minor power outage....
Thanks for the timer information. The timer has never been used. The entire set is disabled except for the blinking timer light. Since the timer started blinking, the power button will not turn the set on. Reset does not change the situation. There has been no storm in this area since May...we are in a drought.
Sounds like the "flashing timer light" may simply mean that something is wrong with the set. I searched and found other Mits owners who had similar problems. Some required replacement of the TV. Good Luck.
A local technician contracted by Mitsubishi in California is to look at the set Tuesday. Being a six week old, 400 pound paper weight apparently is not enough to justify replacement. Any additional information on the circumstances of replacement among those you mentioned, who to call, and so on would be appreciated.
"A local technician contracted by Mitsubishi in California is to look at the set Tuesday. Being a six week old, 400 pound paper weight apparently is not enough to justify replacement."
Today the technician looked at the 65909 front and rear, never opened it, saw the blinking timer light and declared the high definition board needed to be replaced. He had no idea when one would arrive. He noted this problem involves many of the new sets with built in tuners.
Had the TV store said " this TV is known to fail periodically and Mitsubishi will replace the part at some unspecified time when it can find the part" ? I would have left the building. The warrenty policy is to replace the TV only after attempts to repair, and it appears repairs can take any length of time. Why would Mitsubishi sell a TV with a known defect, and expect the customer to have no problems with this situation?
The technician placed the blame on the cable company for failure to keep up with evolving technology.
What is wrong with this picture?
Still waiting for the Mitsubishi technician to find the part to fix my 65909. Meanwhile, my local consumer protection agent tells me the following:
The Mitsubishi Projection Television Limited Warranty states in Paragraph a. Parts. "We will repair or replace, at our option, any defective part."
That clause "at our option" pretty much takes away any recourse you may have.
The Mitsubishi trained technician replaced the high definition board today. An hour after his departure, the convergence at the top and bottom bowed inward. Turning on the grid lines, pushing adjust and enter as instructed, the convergence lines will not move. Yet another visit is planned for later this week. Jeez.....
Considering the problems, I'd call service before he comes next time and get him to do a full calibration - convergence, colour, grey scale, SVM, etc.
Glenn
10-25-2002, 04:17 PM
Hi!
I work on those things and I thought I'd give you a present. Hope you don't have one already. It's the consumer line for Mits. Yell loud enough here and you will get things done. 1-800-332-2119 Good Luck! Glenn:D
Thanks, I will call. The technician spent 2.5 hours calibrating today. There is still an arc across the bottom. The tech says he could achieve a better picture with 4 or 5 more hours of work. He claims to have 30 years of communications engineering experience, and the 65909 has many problems because it is new technology which Mitsubishi and the Cable companies have yet to master. He predicts some day Mitsubishi will have a software fix for the calibration.:rolleyes: :rolleyes:
wmshd
12-06-2002, 09:09 PM
I have had my ws-55859 since appx 4/18/02. I was experiencing power loss pretty frequently. Contacted Mits 800. etc, they sent me the flash upgrade to correct the problem. The power loss decreased. Occasionaly I will be watching Tv and all of a sudden the TV losses power, no other equipment in my set up has power filure only the Mits. I have had it connected to notable power surge protector's, and still out of the blue it will lose power with no power loss to other audio/video equipment. It is really a nag. I have pused reset buttons and tried other surge power protector. I guess it's time to have a tech come in and sit for a few weeks until it acts up? Or?
What you describe is my experience prior to total shutdown. The technician, upon arrival, said the hd boards are always failing, he replaced it eventually and the set works. Since then he has been in front of the tv for a total of 7 hours over 3 days to recalibrate. The sides are still wavy. He tells me I can only expect an 80% solution, and refuses to tell mits the set cannot be restored to original configuration. When I complained to the 800 number, they said unless the technician tells them there is a problem, there is no problem. Good luck with these m...f.... jerks. I will never buy another Mit, ever.
Glenn
12-06-2002, 10:30 PM
Don't give up. They just want you off their backs as fast as possible. They will call the repairman and bug him everytime you call (believe me, they can be a real pain in the ass). If you call enough and rattle their cage, you will eventually get new boards or a new set (unlikely but possible). Sounds like you could use a new repairman but they are in short supply.:D
raiders757
12-07-2002, 11:06 AM
I've been looking to buy a Mits. WS-A55(Best Buy) or a WS55311. Reading all this is making me a little nearvous about even buying an HD capeable TV. This is an unacceptable problem in my opinion, that is worthy a recall to fix. Is this a huge problem, or are these unfortionate people with random bad luck? I would hate to go out and spend $2,500, and all of the sudden the timer nocks the TV out. I'm not planing on getting the store warrenty, those are useually a bunch of bullocks. This seems to be becoming more of a $2500 risk, instead of a joyous ocasion. I was planning on getting my TV today, but now I'm not to sure.
raiders 757. Welcome to the forum.
The timer is not the problem, the "flashing timer light" is simply an indicator that there is some problem in the TV that needs fixing.
There are many of these TVs sold with happy owners, but there will always be a small percentage that fail, and you will hear about them on forums like this.
What is probably fair, is to understand the number and type of compaints from the owners of the various manufacturers, taking into account the number of sets sold.
If you're still looking to buy an HDTV, check out the FAQ section, 6th one down on the home page, especially posts like "if only I'd have known" , etc.
raiders757
12-07-2002, 03:12 PM
Thanks
I'm going out here shortly, and I'm either going to buy today or stair at again debating. It's a lot of money to part with. I hope I am one of the happy custamers that have no problems. I've never put so much time into researching a new TV.
paulszpet
12-22-2002, 08:59 AM
I had a model A65 delivered here about two weeks ago. Shortly after it arrived (within 2 days) the green timer blinked occasionally for no reason and twice the picture totally shut down and went blank. Thank God I read this column. I had the people at Best Buy come and take back the set. Probably one of the wisest things I ever did. I don't believe I will ever even consider Mitsubishi again. I just wonder how many other folks have had this problem and didn't realize how common it must be or didn't know this forum existed to let other people know???
glen says...Don't give up. They just want you off their backs as fast as possible. They will call the repairman and bug him everytime you call (believe me, they can be a real pain in the ass). If you call enough and rattle their cage, you will eventually get new boards or a new set (unlikely but possible). Sounds like you could use a new repairman but they are in short supply.
I have had many calls and they send the same guy. Not only do I need to take off from work, but I must hear a lecture on how HDTV is new, and I must expect these problems, how cable companies do not understand and create these problems, and on and on. There apparently is no other tech is this area. To this day I live with a set with a picture that is out of proportion on the left and right sides. When Mits customer service says the tech must report a problem, and the tech refuses, I tell them he refuses and they do nothing...actions speak louder than words.
Congratulations on your decision. I too would have done this had I known how MITS customer service refuses to acknowledge and replace the 'few' broken sets they sell and sends out incompetent, hostile, beligerent repair people. JEEZ
porkchops
06-08-2004, 09:10 PM
The Mitsubishi trained technician replaced the high definition board today. An hour after his departure, the convergence at the top and bottom bowed inward. Turning on the grid lines, pushing adjust and enter as instructed, the convergence lines will not move. Yet another visit is planned for later this week. Jeez.....
I have the same problem, I have a WS-55857 I belive it is the same as yours with out the HD tuner built in. My TV after being on for a while bows the top towards the center and the botton towards the center while the ends flare out and the convergence flares out on the ends. My extended warranty ran out (figures) I called a tech that has worked on my set under warranty a few years ago. He said that it may be the solder joints near the drivers or power supply. He said this is a common problem due to excessive heat on the PC boards. He is coming on Monday to repair it. He said he has seen this many times and should cost about 500.00 total to fix it. Anyone else seen problems like this? I would like to know all the possibles before I spend upwards of 500.00 for just an attempt. I am getting ready for Comcast HD and want a good picture if your only going to get 80% it's not worth getting HD.
KJShaw
08-29-2004, 11:55 AM
Well, I was on my THIRD Mits WD52525. The first had intermittent problems with channel memory and sometimes required a "reset" to get it going. I requested service from Tweeter but they replaced the set instead. The second one worked OK out of the box but on day 2 went to "flashing timer light." The regional Mitsubishi rep came to my house on day 3 and tried to update the firmware but since the TV wouldn't boot, that was a failure. Tweeter delivered a third set a few days later and once again, it was OK out of the box but started misbehaving similar to the first one on day 2.
I was in the process of ordering a firmware upgrade for the third set, but the Mits rep came out before the PROM arrived and updated it with his field service PROM.
ALL SEEMS WELL NOW!!!
Moral of the story: if you are experiencing bad behavior from your Mits DTV set, get a firmware upgrade. Or, maybe it's just best to order one up anyway. You can BUY one for an out of warranty set. Under warranty, they are free, except for a deposit for the flash memory card.
Great picture, great feature list, and now it works reliably!
Good luck!
Kevin
gparris
08-29-2004, 04:51 PM
I don't think that Mitsubishi will be on my list of manufacturers in the future for referrals if this circuit board and (with CRT RTPVs) convergence thing keeps up with problems.
Good luck with your third Mits. Hope it works out for you.
az-willie
09-09-2004, 07:35 PM
My Mitsi 55613 with the built in tuner has worked fine but lately when we turn it on the timer light blinks for one minute then goes off and then comes back on and then the set starts.
The set works, picture is fine, no apparent problem other than taking a long time to start with the blinking timer going for 1 minute then the timer stops blinking, there is a short pause and then the light comes on steady and the set starts.
tthach79
12-21-2004, 03:48 PM
Darn it. Less than 3 months my TV got flashing light. Now I can't even turn it on unless I unplug the power and plug it back in. After talking to a tech who came to my house today, he said the DP (HDTV Tuner) board needs to be replaced after opening the front and listening to something. He said it's $1000 board. Should I use my credit card warranty or the manufacturer warranty?
Ratman
12-21-2004, 04:32 PM
Manufacturer first, CC second IMO.
Rafyaz
12-23-2004, 01:21 PM
I have the Mits WS-65813 Diamond Series. After a month went by the green light would flash and the tv would shut down. I would have to wait about 3 minutes before I could power it on again. This happened to me around 5 times. Now after 8 months I got the flashing green light and couldnt power up the set at all. Hit the reset key and still nothing. Called Mitsubishi and they reffered me to a local tech. The tech had to replace a PC board. Im also getting a software upgrade that comes in a chip. Im running version 3.02 and the upgrade will update you to 3.03. This version is suppose to fix the problem of the set powering down by itself.
I paid $4,000 for this set. :mecry:
Next time I will buy the Hitachi. And for those of you that need to contact Mitsubishi by phone, all I can say is good luck. I had to keep dialing their number repeatedly around 45 times before finally getting put on hold for about 1/2 hour.
ramorris
12-28-2004, 02:47 AM
Just found the site. Great help everyone. I just bought my WS-65813 about two months ago here in AZ. No storms no nothing. I swear I've used it less than 15hrs. I shut it down last night fine and when I came in tonight I had the Flashing Timer light. Can't power it up. Tried unplugging several times. Did the Reset several times. Nothing. Very PO'd as it's my only tv hooked up to Surround. Anything new you guys find I appreciate. AZ Willie, I sent you a message. I'm here in Mesa too, curious where you got your tv and how the warranty service was.
Rafyaz
12-29-2004, 06:59 PM
Ramorris, I too am located in AZ. Bought my unit at Spencers.
If you read my last post you will see the solution to your problem.
You will need the PC board replaced by a Tech. After my board was replaced the unit now powers up. I also ordered the software upgrade and applied it to fix the problem where the units shuts off by itself then back on.
ramorris
01-02-2005, 05:56 PM
Thanks Rafyaz. I'm contacting a tech tomorrow and hopefully this take care of it. Was there a cost for the software upgrade chip?
Rafyaz
01-03-2005, 06:59 PM
Your tv is apparently still under warranty so there will be no cost for the chip.
nole07
01-06-2005, 02:00 AM
how can you upgrade to the newer version 3.03 since I have the older version 3.02? I have not had problems with the set powering down, but if the upgraded software will help I would like to avoid the problems some of you have experienced. Thanks in advance.
tthach79
01-06-2005, 07:51 PM
Here's my story again:
After about 2 months with my set I got the blinking light. I believed the digital tuner is bad or can't handle digital...well basically it crashed.
I called up a mits. tech and he gave and said he need to replace the board(turner board--$1000 pice). He called up Mits and waited about 30 min and hanged up. He called them again this time Mits told the tech to not bother 'cause they will send me the firmware to upgrade.
Lo and behold I got mine the week after Xmas but it was the WRONG firmware. They screwed up again: 1) one with my TV set 2) sending the wrong firmware
So I called the consumer relations and the lady told me that she would send the RIGHT firmware right away and suppose to get it on Friday on New Year's eve. Nothing.
I called the following week about 20 times BUSY TONE.
I then called operational mangement and got a whole of a guy who said he would send out a request to consumer relations to get me my firmware upgrade.
Lessons are: 1) MITS TV are handle by software so they are buggy...avoid Mits at all cost 2) If you have problems call up the phone number on their website, I would try operational magenment dept:800. 332.2119 first after trying the consumer relations.
Anyway, I still haven't got my firmware yet.
I hate MITS!!!! I am going to stick to a SONY in the future.
Question: I made a mistake not to purchase warranty on my TV set, I heard you can order it from MITS. What's the number? I like to get it and I recommend everyone do that too. My set is only 3 months old.
Rafyaz
01-09-2005, 01:12 PM
Nole07,
Just call Mitsubishi and tell them that you tv on occasion powers off then back on again. They will know exactly what your talking about and send you the software upgrade at no cost if the TV is still under warrantee.
You may not have this problem now, but theres a good chance you will in the future since its a known bug with these units.
Good Luck.
Tthach,
If you call Mitsubishi you should be able to get directed to the warrantee area. I did get the extended at the time I purchased the tv at the store and sleep better at night. :sleeping:
tthach79
01-10-2005, 06:45 PM
I am still waiting for my software to arrive. It's been almost a month now since I requested my TV to be fixed.
I'll let you all know if the upgrade will fix my TV.
tthach79
01-17-2005, 03:56 AM
I still haven't receive anything yet. I hate MITS!!!!
They told me the third time that they will send it. The guy even said that his supervisor order and i should received it. Also I got a call from Mits asking me about my fix even though I haven't receive my chip yet. Is there a corp complaint department where I can send a letter to?
pikers
08-20-2005, 10:05 AM
Thanks, I will call. The technician spent 2.5 hours calibrating today. There is still an arc across the bottom. The tech says he could achieve a better picture with 4 or 5 more hours of work. He claims to have 30 years of communications engineering experience, and the 65909 has many problems because it is new technology which Mitsubishi and the Cable companies have yet to master. He predicts some day Mitsubishi will have a software fix for the calibration.
That's the kind of stuff you hear from yahoos with "30 years" in what amounts to pulling telephone wire. :nono2:
When my set did this, there was a component in the tuner box he replaced and it was fixed. This was about a year ago, and no probs. Yeah, the convergence gets hosed on ATSC and NTSC, but we have service codes for convergence here, so that should be an hour or so to dial it back up. :whistle:
