Sony Trinitron KV-40XBR800: Dreaded Blinking Standby LED!
 

Went to power up my big Sony XBR this afternoon, as I have without event for the four or so years I've owned it, and it wouldn't come up. I saw three distinct Standby LED patterns: Early on, a few times, four flashes; later, equal parts five flashes and six flashes. Possibly saw seven flashes once or twice. No high voltage or sound. When I got this set, the first thing I did was open it and clean it thoroughly. Nothing looked bad, aged, or worn out. I am REALLY hoping I can fix this. I love love LOVE this television...:worried:

EDIT: If the set is left alone for several minutes, when I press the power button, the speakers pop once and I get seven flashes.

If memory serves me, you will find two MCZ3001d IC's on the power supply board. These usually give the trouble you described. If there is only one the trouble is in the zero crossing switch circuit. Due to the shear weight of these sets I don't repair them anymore (back is bad enough now). The new IC's are MCZ3001DB. It is supposed to be an improved version. Buy three at least as the sets are picky about them. They don't blow up but if the set doesn't like one of the new ones it won't power up, just blink.
Use IC sockets when you replace them. The sockets make finding IC's the set likes easier to change.
Some customers with those and the Mitsu 40's love em 'cause they are theftproof!
Even the back of these sets are heavy!

I hear you on the weight! If someone wants to steal this set, they had better bring a forklift! :D That said, I am not looking forward to moving it.

The set can't seem to make up its mind at first, but consecutively, after two or more tries, it's always coming up six flashes.

A big problem with that set was caused by customers setting up their stereo speakers on the sides. Of course the speakers had unshielded magnets and it would wreck the purity. More than one I went to check had the shadow mask damaged by the magnets. One customer had a small child use one of those old "Monster Magnets" on the face. It pulled the shadow mask into the phospher.
Didn't Sony make even a bigger set? I seem to remember a 42 inch. Hope that is just in my memory tho.......

From day one, I have had problems with color impurity in the corners of the picture. The only speakers within ten feet of my set are its own internal speakers. This baffles me, but never really bothered me much. I suspect subpar shielding on the internal speakers...but the discoloration isn't anywhere near where the drivers' magnets are. Maybe the picture tube is so gargantuan that its own geometry is fooling with the color somehow! To my knowledge, the KV-40XBR800 was the largest consumer television Sony ever made.

Update
 

After waiting about an hour, I turned the set on and it came up okay. The code that was flashing before I turned it on this time was seven blinks. I am now afraid to turn it off again! Is it possible that fluctuations or variances in the AC line during today's storms could have affected my TV?

What Zenith26kc20 said is 100% correct. The ICs are going intermittent, it might work for a while but replacing them should fix it for good (and do use sockets as he suggested to).

I helped my friend calibrate a few Sony 34-inch widescreen TVs recently. I was surprised how much the purity and convergence were off, but it was possible to dial them in and improve the picture a lot.

I think I can perform this repair myself...so long as the ICs in question aren't SMT, and can still be purchased! Where might I find them and their associated sockets? The hardest part (which I will likely procrastinate on) will be moving the set away from the wall. :D

That discoloration at the corners of the CRT really intrigues me. I simply cannot come up with a logical explanation as to why it's there. I am also not the only one to have noticed it; other owners of this set have reported it.

I never did it on a 40" but did a lot of 30" & 34". The board is printed
on both sides so you may pull up some top trace. Just hard wire it on
the bottom if it happens. Also on those removing some caps gives you the room you need. As said PUT IN A SOCKET ! I had a 30" & it needed an IC every year & I was using OEM Sony parts. Finally junked the set, got sick of
getting help to dig it out from the entertainment center. It was
hard to let go but thats life.

On the purity issue you can improve it with little magnets on the bell
of the CRT. Strip some out of a junker. They usually are taped down,
on plastic strips or V shaped. Do it after the sets run an hour
to heat up the shadow mask & not moved. Use a pure green
raster. Slide them back & forth & turn them as needed then tape down.

73 Zeno:smoke:

I wanted one of those beasts, but I never could find any supplier who actually SOLD them..And apparently, Sony played games w/availability of them. I guess because they we SO big & expensive. They reportedly made a 43" TV-studio monitor version that was never really offered to the general public...I THINK you could buy a small HOUSE for what that gotdang thing cost, too...

I never knew CRT sets that big existed until I saw this thread. Later on I thought, "wait, maybe it's a widescreen CRT". Googled it, nope, regular 4:3 screen. I can't imagine how much that would weigh, I found it difficult to move a 27" CRT set from one room to another.

At the time to buy XBR's direct you had to get 2 of each. One
for the floor & a backup & keep that stock level. Same with some other
parts of the line. The other thing they did was forecast the sales. If
they thought they needed 2000 sets for the month they would make
say 1900. This kept prices & demand up & inventory low.
When they had inventory on a set being dropped they sold them cheap.
IIRC the 30" & 34" closed out at $400 + $600. Needless to say
we grabbed some.

73 Zeno:smoke:

According to the manual, my set weighs 304 pounds...and it is a royal bitch to move, even a short distance. Hence why I don't want to move it...the set has been finicky as far as working, but with patience, it will come on with the right amount of wait time between tries. (+/- ~1 hour)

Yeah, & another trick they did was to "Discontinue/Re-introduce" it CONSTANTLY...Or make it available this month, & not next month... Dealers apparently were NOT allowed to backorder them..After awhile, I just said Th' Hell With It...

I remember my dad struggling to carry a 27" RCA CTC203(or some such) table set up three stories of stairs at the apartment we were temporarily staying at while looking for a house....

A few years later I lifted that set my self and laughed at that memory of him grunting and struggling with a set that I could easily throw across the yard or carry three blocks without complaint...