I bought a ballast for my TV hoping to replace it myself but the screws attaching the lamp connector are IMPOSSIBLE to get to with any normal sized tools. It looks to me like I have to figure out how to disassemble the entire guts of the thing just to get to where I can fit a screwdriver to get to the stupid connector.

I just can't believe this was designed so poorly. Has anyone else had similar experiences/luck?

Yes, I am having the same problem right now. I am interested if you remember where you got the ballast part from. I have ordered the part twice and got the wrong part twice. I can tell it's been a while since you posted this. Any help would be appreciated.

Got the part from Electrified.com. I eventually gave up on this and practically gave the TV away on Craigslist :(