Picture this:
You’re watching a space documentary on the Discovery Channel.
You’ve always been interested in black holes.
And, as soon as they show a picture of one, your screen also turns black.
And it never turns back.
While we don’t know the secrets of the universe…
We do know the secrets to fix your TV.
Keep reading to discover:
- 7 ways to fix your LG TV’s black screen.
- When you should contact LG’s support if you have a black screen.
- What’s the safest way of splicing a cord that prevents your TV from booting up.
- And so much more…
Why is my LG TV screen black?
Your LG TV’s screen is black because it can’t turn on. It can’t boot up due to a faulty power supply or a damaged mainboard. It’s also possible that it’s your remote that’s broken. If your TV’s turning on but the screen is still black, your backlight must be defective.
LG TV black screen: 7 ways to fix it
#1: Replace capacitors
Does your TV flicker and then turn off?
Or maybe your screen turns bright white when you open it and then suddenly turns off?
If you’ve experienced either of these, then you most likely have a bad capacitor.
What’s that?
First of all, capacitors are located on your TV’s power board.
The power board is responsible for receiving and giving the power that goes into your TV.
The capacitors, on the other hand, store the charges on the power board.
However, they don’t last forever.
Capacitors can become bad after overuse or just plain age.
Fortunately for the frugal folks out there, you can replace your capacitors in 5 steps.
But, you’ll need the following:
And, of course, you’ll also need the replacement capacitors.
Note: When buying new capacitors, use your old capacitors as a reference. Always keep in mind that they should have the same:
- Voltage.
- Capacitance.
- Physical size.
Once you’ve secured all the materials, it’s time to proceed to the first step.
Step 1: Remove all the residual charge
When you repair your TV, the most essential thing to do is to always drain all charge from it.
No worries…
The residual charge on your TV won’t kill you…
But it can hurt.
So, carefully follow these 2 easy steps to remove all charges from your TV:
Note: It’s also good practice to plug in your soldering iron at this point. This ensures that it’ll be hot enough when used later for soldering.
- Unplug your LG TV.
- Leave it alone for 24 hours.
Step 2: Open the back of your TV
The next step is to open the back of your TV.
Now, I can’t blame you for thinking:
“Opening my TV? Piece of cake!”
Well, it is but it shouldn’t be.
Let me explain…
Your TV has a lot of fragile parts.
That’s why you must remove the back of your TV properly and with care.
This will ensure that the other parts of your TV remain intact.
Otherwise, you might be able to replace 1 part but end up having 2 more broken.
And this is how you can do it:
- Safely flip a TV so that it’s lying on its back. Place it on a soft surface.
- Take a picture. This will help you later when you put everything back together.
- Using a screwdriver, remove all screws.
- Insert a thin blade into the middle of the TV.
- Run the blade around your TV, carefully dislodging the binds.
- Once done, pull the back of your TV up gently.
Note: Always keep these steps in your mind. You’ll need them when you try to fix or replace other parts of your TV.
Step 3: Identify damaged caps
When replacing bad caps, you should know what you’re looking for.
These are the 3 main characteristics of a broken capacitor:
- Bulging or swollen.
- Lifting itself off the board.
- Larger than other capacitors.
- Leaking either at the top or bottom.
Look around your power board. Does any of its capacitors fit any of those criteria?
If not, your TV’s problems probably lie elsewhere.
However, if it does have a bad cap, proceed to step 4.
Step 4: Desolder old capacitors
Desoldering simply means removing the metallic alloys that keep your capacitors in place.
To do this, you should:
- Flip your power board.
- Look for the solder that corresponds to the damaged caps.
- Using your desoldering kit, heat the solder.
- Once molten, remove it from the board.
Step 5: Put new capacitors
It’s now time to finally put in your replacement capacitors.
You can start installing the new capacitors as soon as your soldering iron is hot.
All you need to do is:
- Insert the new capacitors into the board then flip the board.
- Bend the excess lead of your new capacitors.
- Brush the lead nearest to the board with flux paste.
- Melt the lead using the soldering iron.
- Cut the excess lead.
- Wait for the new solder to stabilize.
- Lightly brush with isopropyl alcohol.
#2: Power cycle your TV
Do you want to know the secret?
Most problems with electronics can be fixed with one easy solution.
How?
By power cycling them.
Power cycle refers to completely restarting your device.
It doesn’t always work, but this will only take a minute of your life.
What you need to do is:
- Unplug from the outlet.
- Wait for 60 seconds.
- Plug it back in.
- Turn your TV on.
#3: Fix the power supply
When your TV screen is black, sometimes it means that it just can’t turn on.
And, when they can’t, the reason has something to do with your power supply.
Or how your TV receives power.
In the case of your LG TV, the root of your power problems should be either one of these 3:
- Power source.
- Power cord.
- Power inverter.
Power source
When talking about your TV’s power source, it can either refer to your:
- Outlet.
- Surge protector or power strip.
Outlet
Warning: Unless you’ve done it before, don’t open a power outlet on your own. This is an extremely dangerous procedure.
Instead, you can test your outlet with common everyday appliances.
Preferably something that we can tell visually if it’s turned on.
Like a lamp or a night light.
All you need to do is plug it in, then ask yourself these:
- Does it flicker?
- Does it not turn on?
- Does it turn on and then turn off immediately?
If the answer is yes to any of those, then chances are you have a faulty outlet.
What you need to do now is to tell your landlord or contact a local technician.
But, in the meantime, just plug your TV into a different outlet.
Surge protectors
Surge protectors prevent damage to your TV from a power surge.
I’d personally say that surge protectors are worth the money.
Especially since power surges are more common than you might think. These are the 4 main causes of a surge:
- Lightning.
- Faulty wiring.
- Electrical overload.
- Power outages or brownouts.
But, the problem is that a broken surge protector can also cause a surge of electricity going into your TV.
And if your LG isn’t turning on and you have it plugged into a surge protector, try using an outlet.
If that fixed the problem for you, replace your old surge protector.
Power cord
The power cord connects your TV to the power source.
When this connection is compromised, it can cause your device not to turn on.
You can always find a replacement cord, put that on your TV, then call it a day.
However, if you’re cheap like me, you can always splice your cord. You can do this with 2 steps:
Step 1: Unsheath the wires
- Find the damaged part of the cord.
- From the middle of the damaged part, measure one inch to the left and to the right.
- Cut the cord into two from the damaged part.
- Unsheath the cord using the measurements in step #2.
- There should be 3 to 4 smaller wires inside. Repeat steps #1 to #4.
Step 2: Seal the connection
- Using the wire color as a reference, partner the smaller wires with each other.
- Put a heat shrink tubing over it.
- Seal the tubing using a heat gun.
- Repeat steps #2 and #3 for the main cord.
Power or backlight inverter
Is your TV flickering?
If so, you might have a faulty backlight inverter.
Your inverter connects the power board to your TV’s backlight.
You can’t fix a broken inverter unless you have the technical expertise…
But, what you can do instead is replace the inverter by:
- Remove the back of your TV.
- Locate the inverter board. They usually have two large rectangular sheets on them.
- Unplug all wires and cables.
- Unscrew the board from the chassis.
- Secure the replacement by screwing them into the chassis.
Note: There should be a number on your old inverter. Use that to look for a replacement.
If you need a more in-depth demonstration, you can also watch:
#4: Replace the backlight array
Get a flashlight and shine a light on your TV while it’s turned on.
Can you still see images…
But it’s really, really dark?
In this instance, your problem is a faulty backlight.
Your backlight is responsible for your TV’s brightness.
You can replace your backlight array with these 3 steps:
Step 1: Open the front of your TV
Note: To open the back of your TV, follow Step #2 under the ‘Replace capacitors’ section.
- Open the back of your TV.
- Unplug all cables and wires.
- Unscrew the bezels.
- Flip your TV on soft material.
- Tape the boards at the lower part of your TV to the screen.
- Lift the screen off gently.
Step 2: Accessing the backlight
- Release the tabs on the filter frame.
- Remove the white sheets below. These are your TV’s light filters.
- Unclip the sheet that’s covering your backlight.
Step 3: Replacing the backlight
- Disconnect the cables at the side of the backlights.
- Using a thin non-flexible blade, remove the strips.
- Lay lines of double-sided tape on where the strips used to be.
- Place the replacement backlight.
- Put everything back together.
#5: Replace the mainboard
The mainboard is your TV’s control center.
Once it’s broken, your TV will lose the ability to function as intended.
While fixing a mainboard is certainly feasible, it’s more advisable to just replace it with a new one.
This is how:
- Buy a replacement mainboard that is compatible with your LG TV model.
- Open the back of your TV.
- Locate the mainboard. This is usually the board with the most cables.
- Remove all cables and wires.
- Unscrew the old mainboard, then remove it.
- Install the new mainboard.
#6: Reattach ribbon cables
Is your TV only black on one side?
If so, then a ribbon cable must be loose.
Ribbon cables connect the hardware of your TV with each other.
When one of these cables becomes unattached, issues with the display can occur.
To fix this, you must either clip it back or replace the cable.
In order to do so, you must:
- Safely open the back of your TV.
- Find if any cables are loose or broken.
- If loose, simply reattach the cables.
- If broken, remove the old cables from the tab.
- Put the new ones in.
#7: Remote issues fix
Have you heard of the Occam’s Razor?
It’s a principle that essentially says…
“The simplest answers are usually correct.”
And, with your LG TV, it’s your remote.
Reading recommendation: (9 Fixes) LG Remote Not Working
Using the LG ThinQ app
If your remote’s broken…
Do you know you can use your smartphone as a remote?
All you need is LG’s ThinQ app.
Step 1: Install the app
The app is available for both Android and iOS.
- Look for the LG ThinQ app on your Google Play Store or Apple App Store.
- Download the app, then open it.
- Sign up or log in.
- Agree to the ‘Terms of Service’.
Step 2: Connect to your TV
- Open the app.
- Select ‘Add a Device’.
- Press ‘Scan Nearby’.
- Wait for your phone to find your TV, then select it.
- Input the numbers that will appear on the TV to your phone.
Step 3: Press the ‘Power’ button
After you’re finished with setting up your LG ThinQ app, all you need to do is open your dashboard.
From there, select your TV. Then, press the power button.
Replace remote batteries
Alternatively, you can replace your remote’s batteries.
Remember that most batteries only last for 240 minutes of use with remotes.
BONUS: Contact LG support
“But, Peter, I can’t do any of these. And I’m too scared to try.”
And that’s a valid concern.
Most of us are afraid of making an already existing problem worse.
If this is the case, you can always opt to contact a technician…
Or LG’s own customer service representative.