It is hard to consider the odds but within a 5 day window, we obtained two LG 50" plasma tvs from the local transfer station (120 pounds each!). From what we've been able to read on-line, these models have a class problem with early failure (within 9-24 months) of the IPM modules on the Y and Z driver boards. The near universal problem description is a "pop" followed by loss of picture but with sound still available. This photo shows the likely source of the pop: two large dies mounted on the primary Y module surface have clearly failed catastrophically. If you double click on the image, you will see an interesting close up of the surface and the explosive nature of the phenomena-nice craters. The good news is we were able to harvest another identical and healthy IPM. Our challenge is extraction and re-installation on the boards. We have found it very difficult, requiring very high heat to remove the modules, in some cases damaging the fragile top traces and surface mount components. We removed the same module on the Y board out of the second LG TV and found all four transistors had failed in a similar fashion.
