Volume 4, Issue 3 Consumer Electronics Newsletter

March 2010

Samsung Electronics America

Samsung Tech Talk

Your source for service information Inside this issue:
iPhone Docks 1 Available for Home Theaters News from the Zones Lithium Ion Batteries Revealed 2 3

iPhone Docks Available for Home theaters

Michael Vigliotti

Product Support In 2008, Samsung began shipping Home Theaters with iPod cradles or docks. This is a great feature for the end user. They now had the option to stream their music directly to a nice surround system with limited hassle. The cool factor of this feature quickly wore off when iPods became a thing of the past and iPhones became the new trend. Many customers have been asking when our cradles would be iPhone compatible, and that time has come. The table below shows which cradles each Model 2009 Home Theaters supports, by manufacturing date. For example, all model HT-BD1250s made before July 2009 support the AH97-02650C. Those manufac-

tured in July 2009 or after support the AH96-00051A. Part number AH97-2650C
is the old cradle that just supports the iPod. Part number AH96-00051A is the new cradle that supports the iPod and iPhone. All 2010 models come with the newest cradle and support both iPod products. If a model is not listed, but it has an iPod port, please assume it only supports the first generation cradle (AH97-2650C) and iPhones will not work.

Technical Trouble- 4 shooting? Use Your Senses! AMOLED Samsung 4 MP3 Player New for 2010 TV Troubleshoot5 ing 101: Humming Noise and Scrolling Bar Hot Tech Tips 6

Samsungs March 10 Mayhem

Model HT-BD1250 HT-BD1255 HT-BD1220 HT-BD1150 HT-BD1200 HT-X720 HT-BD7200 HT-BD8200 HT-AS730ST

Manufactured Before July 09 AH97-02650C AH97-02650C AH97-02650C AH97-02650C AH97-02650C AH97-02650C AH96-00051A AH96-00051A AH97-02650C Manufactured Before April 09 AH97-02650C AH97-02650C

Manufactured July 09 or After AH96-00051A AH96-00051A AH96-00051A AH96-00051A AH96-00051A AH96-00051A AH96-00051A AH96-00051A AH97-02650C Manufactured April 09 or After AH96-00051A AH96-00051A

Model / Mfg. Date HT-Z220/320/420 HT-TZ422/425

Volume 4, Issue 3 Consumer Electronics Newsletter

Samsung Tech Talk

News From The Zones

RSE Agents All Zones

Zone 1 (ME, NY, NH, MA, RI, CT, NJ, VT)

Always Check the Date of Purchase Samsung refers both in warranty and out of warranty service requests to Samsung Authorized Service Centers (ASCs). The information on the service request is provided by the consumer, INCLUDING THE DATE OF PURCHASE (DOP). The date of purchase is NOT verified by Samsung. It is your responsibility to verify the date of purchase. The consumer must present a Bill of Sale (BOS) to verify the DOP before receiving warranty service. When to Get and Keep a Copy of the BOS While you must see a BOS for all warranty service, if the Samsung product you are servicing is more than 14 months old, measured from the Date of Manufacture (DOM), the customer must give you a copy of their Bill of Sale for your records to receive warranty service. You can find information on how to determine the DOM from the product serial number in the Policy and Procedure Manual. Your company must keep a copy of the BOS on file for one year from the claim paid date. Samsung may request a copy of the BOS. If your company cannot provide a copy of the BOS, the warranty claim will be charged back or denied. You can find details in the Policy Procedure Manual.

The ME Program The ME program is being brought to higher call volume markets. The plan is to route 50 % of the call volume to the ME in these high volume areas. How do you become an ME you ask? MEs are selected based on ASTR ( Analytical Service Tracking Ratio: TAT- Turnaround time, QOS Quality of service, LTP- long term pending, and LTR long term repair) plus willingness to work with call trackers on non-updated tickets. The ME is held to a higher standard of excellence in each of the categories and is expected to deliver all the key elements of the hospitality program. Note: A hospitality class is provided in the training section of plus1solutions, our training website. Call Tracking Call center trackers have been put into place to track service orders that have not been updated in the system. By the end of next month, call trackers will track almost every call to ensure that customers are provided the best service possible. With the new improvements to the system, call volume to a servicer will be determined by TAT, ASTR, and system updates. The trackers job is to help ensure calls are being worked, whether the issue is prompt contact, ordering parts, receiving parts, or placing calls in the correct queue so that the correct party sees the call to ensure timely service. The Call Center The Call Center is charged with helping customers locate service in their area, triaging the customers unit, and answering any questions a customer might have about their unit before dispatching a servicer to the customers home. This should lead to a reduction in NDF (no defect found) calls. The Call Center also helps dealers get needed parts to make sure that products look their best when they hit the sales floor.

Zone 3 (NC, SC, GA)

Times, they are exciting at Samsung. We are seeing growth in appliance sales, the expansion of the Master Engineer (ME) program, and mass improvements throughout Samsung, and all of this coming together to make sure we put the customer first. Samsung has set a goal to lead all manufacturers in customer satisfaction for the 2010 year. Here are some of the steps were taking to accomplish this huge task.

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Volume 4, Issue 3 Consumer Electronics Newsletter

Samsung Tech Talk

News From The Zones

Continued

Lithium Ion Batteries Revealed

Matthew Angeleri Assistant Manager Product Support Lithium-ion batteries are the status quo for battery technology today. You can find them in laptops, PDAs, cell phones, cameras, and MP3 players. They're so common because they can store more energy than any other widely available battery of the same size. Lithium-ion batteries have a number of other important advantages over competing technologies: They're generally much lighter than other types of rechargeable batteries of the same size. The electrodes of a lithium-ion battery are made of lightweight lithium and carbon. Lithium is also a highly reactive element, meaning that lithium-ion batteries can store a lot of energy. They hold their charge. A lithium-ion battery pack loses only about 5 percent of its charge per month, compared to a 20 percent loss per month for NiMH batteries. They are not subject to the memory effect. This means that you do not have to completely discharge them before recharging, as with some other kinds of rechargeable batteries. Lithium-ion batteries can handle hundreds of charge/discharge cycles.

Zone 6 (MN, WI,IA,IL,MO,AR, OK)

Policy Guide and Contact Info Samsung wants you, our Authorized Service Centers (ASC), to be the best performing network in the consumer electronics and home appliance industries. One way we help you get to that level is by giving you access to our policies and procedures. These are available online through GSPN. Take the time to read them. These are the rules you need to follow to deal effectively with Samsung. You can find answers to your routine questions and a wealth of other information, including all warranty and parts polices. Additional helpful information includes the format you should use to identify serial numbers, our Bill of Sale policy, turnaround time (TAT) metrics, and more. You can avoid all kinds of confusion, improve your performance, and improve your bottom line when you know our policies. In addition to being familiar with our policies, you should know the phone numbers to use if you need help. Here is a brief list: Consumer Electronics Tech Support Home Appliance Tech Support Field Service Support (GSPN access, general assistance) Warranty 888-751-4086 866-797-8736 888-341-2561 800-849-2198 option 8

That is not to say that lithium-ion batteries are flawless. They have a few disadvantages as well: They start degrading as soon as they leave the factory. They will only last two or three years from the date of manufacture whether you use them or not. They are extremely sensitive to high temperatures. Heat causes lithium-ion battery packs to degrade much faster than they normally would. If you completely discharge a lithium-ion battery, it can be ruined. A lithium-ion battery pack must have an on-board computer to manage the battery. This makes them more expensive.

Of course, you will want to remember the contact information for your trusty RSE also. If all else fails, give us a call and we will be happy to assist you.

There is a small chance that, if a lithium-ion battery pack fails, it can cause a fire. dealers get needed parts

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Volume 4, Issue 3 Consumer Electronics Newsletter

Samsung Tech Talk

Technical Troubleshooting? Use your Senses!

Paul Pieri TrainerRTSC When troubleshooting almost any product, be it an appliance or TV, take a bit of time to listen, look, smell, and touch the product before picking up a piece of test equipment to make measurements. By doing this, you can often narrow down the range of possible causes. For example, if youre investigating a plasma television failure, you can often find the area of initial failure by using at least one of your senses. You can also use the customers senses to help you find the area of initial failure by asking the customer questions about what he or she experienced at the time of the failure. Questions like Did you hear any sounds or noise coming from the set? or Did you smell anything burning? substitute the customers senses for yours and act as a trouble shooting tool of the senses you can use, even though you werent there at the time of failure. Asking the customer some simple questions might indicate that they heard a noise and smelled something burning. You then use the gift of eyesight to narrow down the search and, as in the Plasma TV example in the next column, find the burned out IC.

To summarize: Listen for any noise that is out of the ordinary. Look for any abnormalities. Smell around for something that might have burned or overheated. Touch the unit to feel if something is getting abnormally hot. Ask the customer what he or she heard, smelled, saw, or felt.

AMOLED Samsung MP3 Player New for 2010

Jeff Brutman Assistant Publications Manager Coming in the first half of 2010, Samsungs new YP-H1 Ice Touch MP3 player features the worlds first 2 inch, full color, transparent Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (AMOLED) touch screen display. And talk about pleasing everybody, the Ice Touch can function as a DVD quality video player, a studio quality audio player, an ultra-portable photo album, an FM radio, and even a portable storage device. In addition, the Ice Touch features a high performance CPU and Samsungs TouchWiz Sweep interface, designed to provide a comfortable grip and give you new options for interacting with your MP3 player. For audiophiles, the Ice Touch offers new 5.1 sound
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enhancement technology and support for the MP3, OGG, FLAC, AAC, MSA, WAV, and MP3HD audio codecs. For the video inclined, the Ice Touch features MPEG4, WMV, H.264, Xvid, and Divx playback and topnotch graphics. Whats more, with 16 GB of storage, the Ice Touch gives you plenty of room for your favorite sights and sounds. To top it off, the AMOLED screen casing is constructed using a dual-injection molding process and tempered glass and provides a smooth, durable, and scratchproof surface that is aesthetically pleasing and enjoyable to the touch. The IceTouch, which comes in white, can also be individually customized through separately sold color skins in pink, blue, purple and gray.

Volume 4, Issue 3 Consumer Electronics Newsletter

Samsung Tech Talk

TV Troubleshooting 101: Humming Noise and Scrolling Bar

Adam Vogel Product Support Weve all come across this symptom: A TV thats humming and displaying a scrolling bar on the screen. To the trained tech, its easily identifiable as a common ground issue with the cable box. However, how do you communicate this to the customer? Option 1: Carry a spare line cord with the third pin removed This is quick and easy. Remove the current power cord from the TV, insert your modified power cord, and then turn the TV on. The humming and scrolling should subside, showing the customer that the problem is with the cable box ground and not the TV. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR MODIFIED CORD. This is for your demonstrations and you may need it further down the road. Option 2: Carry 3-prong-to-2 prong adapters This really is a variation of Option 1. Unplug the TV, attach the adapter to the TVs power cord, plug the TV back into the wall, and then turn the TV on. Again, the humming and scrolling should subside. Remove the adapter, and the humming and scrolling should return. Explain to the customer that if the TV had a problem, it would display the same symptom with the adapter attached. Since the symptom goes away when you attach the adapter, that proves that there is no problem with the TV, and the problem is with the cable box. Do not leave the adapter with the customer. Youll need it for other demonstrations and tests, and you dont want the customer to disable the grounding prong of the TVs power cord. Option 3: Dig out your test DVD player Remove the Red and White audio cables on the customers cable box, connect the audio cables from your DVD player, turn on the DVD player, and then turn the TV on. There should be no hum. Explain to the customer that if the TV had a problem, it would display the same symptom with the DVD audio cables. Since the symptom is gone, that proves the inputs are good and there is no problem with the TV. Reconnect the audio
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cables to the cable box and magically, the humming and scrolling line return. Note that you can do this with any of the customers peripherals, but make sure you return the peripheral that you use to the customers preferred location before leaving the home. Option 4: Upgrade to HDMI Perhaps the easiest and best option is to convince the customer to use HDMI. Not only would this provide better picture quality, it would also completely rid the TV of this symptom. Customer Education - Its Key The humming and scrolling bar issue has been a thorn in the side of many electronics manufacturers for quite some time. To prevent these needless calls, we need to educate the customer right the first time. If this requires explaining this issue using more than one of the options above, please do it. After all, if you continually receive REDO calls within 30 days because you havent educated the customer, youre only hurting yourself, not to mention the customer, and of course Samsung.

Right: UN55B8500 LED TV.

Please Send Us Your Comments!

Something youd like to see in the Samsung Tech Talk Newsletter? Is there a topic/issue we havent covered that youd like to read about? LET US KNOW! Please send your comments to: training@sea.samsung.com

Volume 4, Issue 3 Consumer Electronics Newsletter

Samsung Tech Talk

Hot Tech Tips

Jorge Tavora

Product Support Manager/Triage Model: LN52B630N1FXZA Symptom: The LED above the power button flashes constantly and then flashes at a rapid rate when a command is sent using the remote control.

Cure: Check the LVDS cable.

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Answers: 1. St Pattys Day 2. Spring 3. March Madness 4. Earth Day 5. Shamrock

Volume 4, Issue 3 Consumer Electronics Newsletter

Samsung Tech Talk

Hot Tech Tips

Continued Model: PN50B450B1DXZA Symptom: Vertical bar

Cure: Make sure it shows up in the front of the OSD and/or internal test patterns. If YES, replace panel.

Models: LN32B550K1FXZA, LN37B550K1FXZA, LN40B550K1FXZA, LN40B550K1FUZA, LN46B550K1FXZA, LN46B550K1FUZA, LN52B550K1FXZA Symptom: Intermittent volume increase to maximum. The TV volume will intermittently increase up to maximum (100 on screen) and cannot be controlled by the remote. Cure: Verify the product serial number range is between December 2009 and January 2010 and replace the front cover (bezel). The year and month of production is represented by the 8th and 9th digit. Possible affected units will be SC and Z1. See Service Bulletin on GSPN for further details - BULLETIN NUMBER: ASC20100226001.

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Volume 4, Issue 3 Consumer Electronics Newsletter

Samsung Tech Talk

Hot Tech Tips

Continued Model: UN55B8500XFXZA Symptom: Dark area in center of the screen.

Cure: Make sure it shows up in the front of the OSD and/or internal test patterns. If YES, replace panel.

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Volume 4, Issue 3 Consumer Electronics Newsletter

Samsung Tech Talk

Hot Tech Tips

Continued Model: LN40B530P7FXZA Symptom: Vertical and horizontal lines.

Cure: Make sure it shows up in the front of the OSD and/or internal test patterns. If YES, replace panel.

Consult Samsung Service Website (GSPN) at http://service.samsungportal.com for the Service Manual and other information on these products.

Samsung Electronics America 105 Challenger Road Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660 Phone: 201-229-4251

The information in this bulletin is published for experienced repair technicians only and is not intended for use by the public. It does not contain warnings to advise non-technical individuals of possible dangers in attempting to service a product. Only experienced professional technicians should repair products powered by electricity. Any attempt to service or repair the product or products dealt with in this information by anyone else could result in serious injury or death. Information provided in this bulletin is subject to change or update without notice.

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Samsung Electronics America

SAMSUNGS March Mayhem

1.TS ATPATSY DYA

2. NGPISR

3. RMAHC DNSAS

4. TEHAR YAD

5. ORHKSCAM

Take the circled letters from above and unscramble them to solve the final question. A rightful reason why Samsung would cut your warranty referral work!

Answers on page 6.
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