Replace the Vizio E601i-A3 LED TV RUNTK5261TPZC T-Con board
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:
Hi was wondering will this T-Con board runtk5261tpzc fit my Vizio 60″ Model e-60i-a3 TV serial number Lftrnwbp 2906826?Having the same problems as many Vizio owners are having with their E-601i-A3 Vizio 60″ TV’s. Thanks so very much for your video & information on this problem. Sincerely Ed Sage
It seems there are other serial numbers for this problem with the Vizio E601i-A TV’s. My Son has the same issue as stated with the screen going black but still has audio. His Serial Number is
LFTRNWDQ0203269. Vizio doesn’t care and their customer service basically says call a repair person to get it fixed. That’s the last Vizio product we purchase.
Hi George,
let me run this by our experts over at the forum and see what they have to say about replacing that T-Com board. We will get back to you shortly.
Cheers,
Shelagh
I have the same problem and received the same answer from Vizio,”too bad.” I couldn’t be more disappointed in this company and their customer service. I’ll never buy another Vizio and have actually gone out of my way to tell others the same.
Vizio E601i-A3 LED has a green line through screen.
How do I fix this problem?
Hi Bumpy,
That sounds like your color ballast that needs to be replaced. There are experts over at the forum that can help. http://www.fixyourdlp.com/forum/
Check out the discussion boards there for more help.
Cheers,
Shelagh
re vizio e601i-a3, would like to replace the 8 pin eprom on tcon board you idenified. can you forwad specific info on it. thankyou, Kevin.
Hey Kevin,
I’ve asked one of our forum experts to contact you and get you the right leads for the Tcon board you need.
Cheers,
Shelagh
I have a E601i-A3 that went black screen on me. Sound was still working. I replaced the RUNTK5261TPZC T-Con board, no luck, still a black screen. Did I miss something?
Also I found the T-con board to be located on the bottom middle backside of the TV (instead of top middle).
Hi Ron,
This is too complicated a problem for me to comment on. I suggest heading over to our forum: http://www.fixyourdlp.com/forum/ I’ll send this message to one of our experts there and see if he can help.
Regards,
Shelagh
I have the same problem, did you ever get yours fixed?
Do you still have your tv Ron?
I replaced the t con board with one I bought from shopjimmy and I still get no picture. Screen lights up but no picture.
Hi Adam,
Did you check the lamp and reset the lamp timer. You usually have to replace the lamp after changing the t-con board. I’m not an expert so I would recommend heading over to our forum where there are more experts to help. They can help you solve this problem.
Regards,
Shelagh
Do you still have that tv?
Wish the removal of the back panel were as easy as you state. You obviously haven’t removed the Vizio E601i-A3 back panel. After all screws are removed you still have interlocks on both sides to deal with.
Hi HB,
We will update our manual. Some of the new models do those side interlocks. Thanks for pointing out that omission.
Regards,
Shelagh
So how do i get the side interlocks loose?
Hi Henry,
This video may help you with the interlocks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdhqIzlYzBU
Regards,
Shelagh
I was getting very dim picture so I replaced all three boards inside but now the picture is worse it has lines in it now..im thinking it’s the led lights themselves.?? Anyone have any input?
Hi Whiteywood,
If you were getting white vertical lines then the main board needs to be replaced. Sounds like you have done this. Did you check the 5-6 ribbon connectors so they were properly cleaned and connected? If may also be the T-Con that needs to be replaced. That is a different element from the main board. Is the TV still under warranty? Contact your distributor and see if they can help.
Regards,
Shelagh
I seen where someone tried to get a recalled part in August of 2018 but Vizio said it had to be during recall time . My understanding is this ,OK SO VIZIO SCREWED UP THE T-CON BOARD AND PUT A RECALL OUT ON IT !!!!!! SO WE ALREADY PAID 2000 FOR THE DAMN TV , BUR NOW WE GOT TO PAY A EXTRA 150 FOR A “” VIZIO SCREW UP “” PLZ TELL ME THIS AINT TRUE
Hi Randy,
This is very similiar to the Samsung and Mitsubishi problem. The only thing that got the companies moving was customers calling up and refusing to back down until the situation was handled. Sometimes they paid only for the replacement T-CON and he company did the repairs for free. Others were more successful in having the entire repaired covered by the company. Vizio has a made track record for repairs.
There is a great website that shows you how to replace the T-Con board for very little money: https://www.shopjimmy.com/repair/share/index/id/25535/model/Vizio-E601I-A3
I would start off with their customer service number:
Main one listed is 1 (877) 698-4946
This is corporate number: Vizio Customer Service number: (855) 833-3221
Vizio Corporate Office Address
VIZIO,39 Tesla Rd
Irvine, CA 92618
Vizio customer service Email Address: techsupport@vizio.com
Except them to resist but if you keep pressuring them they will respond.
If you want to call them out on social media — because that gets their attention and they have people to respond:
https://twitter.com/VIZIO
https://www.instagram.com/vizio/
https://www.facebook.com/vizio
Good luck Let me mw know how it turns out.
Regards,
Shelagh