Chosen Solution
I saw some clear tape sticking out from under the side of my TV’s bezel on the left side of the screen near the bottom corner. Thinking it was leftover protective film that I hadn’t noticed before, I pulled it and the screen went black although the backlight was still just barely visible and the audio from the menu was still there when using the remote. I unscrewed that side of the bezel to take a look and saw that one of the little rectangular film tabs that sticks off the side of the panel had peeled off with the tape. When I held it up to the window, I could see some pretty tiny circuitry on it so it doesn’t really seem like something I can fix. I just wanted to get a second opinion before I look into how to dispose of the TV. The TV is a TCL 50S421. Here’s a picture of the tab that got ripped off with the prongs of a phone charger for scale:
Hi @damonj , That looks like a tab connector. As you said this connects to the screen itself. It would be extremely difficult to reconnect it back onto the screen electrically so that all the connections are lined up and connecting properly and that it then stays there. Here’s a zoomed in image of what I mean. I’ve highlighted just some of the connections that have to mate with the screen.
(click on image to enlarge). The best option is to advertise the TV as faulty screen, good for parts to try and recoup some of the cost towards a new TV. Working TV boards are always in demand.
