Use this troubleshooting guide for the Vizio E601i-A3 LED TV
There is nothing more disappointing than settling down to watch a favorite show and discover your TV is not working. That black screen on your Vizio E601i-A3 LED TV may be caused by a faulty T-Con board.
Some of the VIZIO’s E601i-A3 LED TVs are experiencing blackouts after being turned on. The problem is a 8 pin eprom chip failure on the lower right side of the RUNTK5261TPZC timing control board (T-Con) that interrupts the video signal to the Main board.
This T-Con board failure is happening at 500 hours of usage and according to VIZIO affects those E601i-A3 TVs with serial numbers in the ranges of LFTRNWAN3800001 to LFTRNWAN4805300.
If your VIZIO E601i-A3 is older than a year, your warranty will not cover the replacement costs for a new T-Con board. Fortunately the replacement RUNTK5261TPZC T-Con board is available for sale online for under $150.
Replace the Vizio E601i-A3 LED TV T-Con board
Equipment needed:
- Antistatic plastic gloves or antistatic bracelet
- Pad/ towel
- Needle-nose pliers
- Electric Flat head and Philips screwdriver
- Cup for screws
Step-by-step instructions
- Turn the VIZIO’s E601i-A3 television off. Unplug the power cord.
- Remove the TV from the wall, if mounted.
- Lay the VIZIO’s E601i-A3 TV on a flat, padded surface.
- Remove the TV stand by loosening the screws at the base. Both the stand and post must be removed in order to remove the back panel.
- Go to the back of the panel.
- Remove all the screws holding the back panel in place. Put the screws to one side.
- Remove the back panel.
- The RUNTK5261TPZC T-Con board is located in the middle top of the back panel, usually under an aluminum cover held in place by four corner screws. It may also be held in place with foil tape at the top. It’s connected to the Main board through a black LVDS cable and flat ribbon cables.
- Remove the ribbon cable first. Flip up the black tabs on the connector. Gently pull the cable out taking care not the scratch the ribbon section. Never use any sharp objects to open the black tabs as this can damage the pins making the connection faulty.
- To remove the LVDS cable, squeeze the small tab on side. Don’t force anything apart or pull anything too hard as this can damage the connections and cause more problems.
- Loosen the screws holding the RUNTK5261TPZC T-Con board in place. Place it to one side. This board is considered e-waste and should be sent to a recycling facility. Do not place into regular garbage.
- NOTE: Be sure to put on your rubber gloves before touching the new T-Con board. Hold the RUNTK5261TPZC T-Con board by the edge and avoid touching any of the components since they are very sensitive to electrostatic charges.
- Verify the manufacturers number for your board. (It will be found under the bar code.) Place the new board onto the back panel.
- To re-install the ribbon cable: Match the line on the ribbon cable with the edge of the connector making sure the ribbon is straight. Press down on the tab to lock it into place.
- Re-connect the LVDS cable by putting the connector end into the RUNTK5261TPZC T-Con board until it clicks into place.
- Tighten the screws on the board. Replace any foil tape.
- Replace the RUNTK5261TPZC T-Con cover. Tighten the screws.
- Place the back cover back onto the VIZIO’s E601i-A3 TV and tighten all the screws.
- Re-install the stand and post. Remount the VIZIO’s E601i-A3 TV.
Alternative part numbers for the Vizio E601i-A3 LED TV
The RUNTK5261TPZC T-Con board is also sold under the following numbers:
