2008 Samsung HLxxA650 DLP Owners Thread/FAQ - Page 28

Saw your comment about replacing your bulb, and have some questions for yourself or anyone else who has replaced bulbs in these models:
So; I have an HL50A650 that was purchased in August of 2008. I estimate it gets used an average of 10 hrs per day. We have been lucky in that we have had no problems of any kind, yet.
I say yet because I think I am about to loose my first bulb.

This weekend I noticed the overall brightness (and to some degree contrast) seem to be diminished. I am suspicious that the bulb is on it's way out because:
- it's original
- Upon more critical viewing; On bright scenes I can see a periodic (every few seconds) shifting in the overall brightness level. Seems to "bump" up and down in brightness every few seconds.
- If I look near the left rear (area where there is light leakage from the cabinet) onto my sidewall; I see the same "pulsing"

1) Has anyone else seen this symptom as their bulb nears E-O-L?
2) Any advice on the best source for a good bulbs (and what is a good price anyway)?
3) And seeing the other more serious problems that others have had here (power-cycling, ballast issues, color wheel failures, etc..); Perhaps I should not even bother with investing in a new bulb, maybe it's time to replace the set.

(I would hate to invest north of $100 in a bulb only to have one of the other "hard-failures" a few months later) ....
Appreciate your input and opinions!

My TV is on pretty much 15-18 hours a day so I actually never noticed the dimming with age but now that I compare it with a new bulb I can really tell that the old bulb (with over 20k hours) was really dark....really dark.

From a post of mine over in a Sony thread:

"I've had good results from Dynamic Lamps on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/shops/dynamiclamps

Another poster here spoke very highly of Nio on eBay and they have high ratings: http://stores.ebay.com/neilampsandelectronics

In both cases you will find they sell clearly advertised-as-such Philips lamps, or Osram, as well as the cheaper no-name Chinese knockoffs. That is okay as long as they are clear with you what item you are getting and they ship that item.

In dealing with other sellers, beware of the term 'OEM equivalent', which does NOT mean 'OEM'. OEM-equivalent is a wishy-washy meaningless term. Another clue is the price, you will not get a genuine Philips or Osram bare lamp for less than $50.

Bare lamps might come with the pigtails and connector, or not. If the connector in your housing is in bad shape you should go for the housing + lamp."

For a bare lamp Philips or Osram I expect to pay $75-90. Some have free shipping, some charge for it, so that results in a wider range.

ChuckF,

Thanks - good info.. Have you had any experience buying the name brand bare bulbs and soldering on your own leads? I'm ok with soldering ....

I've never seen solder-only terminals on lamps, only threaded tabs with a screw. The pigtails come with ring terminals crimped on. I wouldn't trust solder at the temperatures the lamps run.

Thanks!
So it sounds like you have had luck with these solder-less , name-brand bulbs?

Sorry if this question has come up before. I browsed through quite a bit of the thread, but didn't see this specific issue.

I bought the Samsung HL61A650C1FXZA last week on Craig's List for a very good price. Now I think I know why. The blue and white colors seem to...pulsate, is really the best word I can use to describe it. Every one second it goes from brighter, to darker, then brighter again, then darker again. All the other colors are just fine, and otherwise the brightness level is fine. But this (essentially) blinking light is driving me crazy.

He said he replaced the bulb just a few months ago, and when I remove the bulb the model number on it matches what the TV says it should be.

I find myself dreading anytime the sky is shown in a TV show, but I know it's going to be a blinking sky. Or any commercials that have a heavy white background.

Any idea what could be the issue here? Is it possible he put in a cheap knockoff bulb that still says Samsung and says the correct model number? I'm at a loss, and Google has been no help. I've found a couple people who had the same issue, but no one ever lists an answer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I have a HL61A650. It has been randomly shutting off. When it does, I'm getting two flashing lights, 1 red, 1 green. I see a lot of posts about all three indicating a bulb failure, etc... But not very much info on just the 2 lights. I saw a little bit of discussion that it might be a switch issue on an access panel. I will check that today, but I have never opened the tv. Of course, that means that I'm in serious need of a good cleaning! I did move the tv around to do some re-wiring recently, which i suppose could have jostled things a bit.

I'm due a replacement bulb, although the TV is still running strong and I've owned it since '08. I am going to try and fix this problem, then sell it.

Any suggestions on the 2 lights before I go rooting around in the tv to find the problem?

Holy Crap!!!

I've been on this thread for HOURS now! And have read the entire thing...! I wanna answer so many questions and comment on so many posts, I'll never find them all again to "reply to" them.
So here's MY HL61A650C experience, FWIW:

In Jan. 2011 I found a GREAT deal on this TV. It's our (the wife & I) 2nd 61" Samsung DLP. The 1st one we bought new in 2004. It's a HLP6163W and it's STILL being used Alot today!! But back to the used 650C. When we got it home, after hauling it 1.5 hours in the cold inside an enclosed trailer, I left it in the dining room overnight. I figured pluggin it in being less than 35*F would probably mess it up? So the next night I swapped the 6163 with the 650C and powered up. WooHoo!! Beautiful Picture!!! We both couldn't believe how much different the two 61's were! That joy was short lived, though.

Withing a month, the 650C started "winking" just lik a couple folks here have asked about. The White's looked Off white and blues were weird. I started researching this Model and found bulb info. I ordered an OEM equivilent because the higher price for the 132W bulb was more than the 6163's 120W bulb. When it finally gave up, I swapped it right away. But that bulb popped within 2 minutes! Almost made my wife's sister pee on the couch!!! So I swapped the 2 TV's again, putting the "ol 6163 back in it's long time home, and ordered a REAL Samsung bulb. When the new bulb arrived, I swapped it out effortlessly, but left it in the back bedroom. I figured on waiting until the 6163 quit... When our older model blew it's bulb, which BTW, was about every 2 years so far. I swapped the 2 sets and was good for a couple weeks. Then, the Power Cycling started!

To make this a little shorter, I'lll say the "winking" issue was the bulb? Or maybe the ballast? But whichever it is, I'm not sure why it did it. But the original bulb was bad. And now it's got a new DMD board I finally found for $185.00!!! And a power supply board is on it's way, as well as new ballast AND another bulb!!! I'm buying an LCD-LED Sharp 70" this weekend. Gonna go away from relying on the DLP's as the Main TV since these suckers are too dang heavy to be swapping all the time!!! ( this is JUST after replacing the DMD board tonight! )

I hope it's OK to post videos? Since pictures just can't show what this does. If this is against a rule, Mods, you can delete the link?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGe6AkTLGPQ


Daniel

And I just tried the "old" bulb I removed from the 650C to begin with... all it does is BUZZ while trying to power cycle on & off. Doesn't even TRY to light up. Grrrrr...! All this for a REALLY nice cheap $400 used HL61A650C!


Daniel

An *UPDATE* on my 650C... I've ordered a new Power Supply and it arrived Saturday, but waiting on a new bulb and Ballast. So once I have all those installed, gonna try again.

I hope this works! Be a shame to take this beautiful DLP out in the driveway and run over it with my Dodge...! Or, use it for target practice out in the woods..?

Again, hope all these parts fix it, because it's just REALLY too nice a TV to be scrapped.



Daniel

So all the new parts didn;t do ANYTHING to repair the 650!!! I swear this thing is possessed!

But, because I truly feel it's an excellent TV when it works, I got yet ANOTHER bulb. That's another $100 for what better be an OEM Smasung bulb... The last bulb purchased a couple weeks ago didn't fix it, even with a new Ballast and Power Supply installed at the same time. What I DID notice was no "power cycling" when I plugged it in! I actually had to press the power button!! But, I may have made a mistake and tried to enter "Mute, 1, 8, 2, Power" to enter Service Menu, and it started cycling again.

I'll try tonight after work and see if this NEW bulb will let it power on correctly? The last bulb is on it's way back for my refund. They misinterpreted their item! (OEM bulb in China housing... Pppft!)



Daniel

Good idea with the video, but next time position your phone horizontally, not vertically so it displays correctly.

1. It's a 'lamp', not a "bulb",
2. Samsung doesn't make 'lamps', Philips & Osram/Sylvania do, among others.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osram_Sylvania
eBay is probably the worst place to get 'lamps' from.

Do you have a service manual? That is the 1st thing you should of had. Unless the ballast is bad, I don't know ehat to tell you. Recheck all connections.
Edited by videobruce - 3/27/13 at 4:41am

Yeah, you're right! It IS a lamp! I use that term loosely as some people refer to chekcing the oil in the motor of their car..!? (that would be an ENGINE but you know)

I received what SHOULD be an OEM Samsung lamp yesterday that's in a brown box, not an original Smasung blue box? But, I paid a "premium" price from an online seller to get this one. The previous 2 were also in brown boxes. Maybe the box doesn't matter? I did get "buyer protection" so that their misrepresentation can be argues if needed. (hopefully?)

As far as connections, I know everything is in it's place. But one more question:

Is it possible the color wheel isn't turning? Could I be interpreting the hours of reading from the various repairs/threads others have done to be MY issue , when in reality, the symptoms I'm seeing are related to a faulty color wheel? If the electronics don't "see" the wheel spinning, would it act the same way? I will verify before installing this bulb tonight to see if color wheel is turning.

And one last thing... I will get a better video but I hope that at least showed more info than I've explained!


Daniel

Physical modification to reduce overscan...has anyone ever tried this...

Thought I'd get a slightly bigger DLP from the HLT5676 I was watching.  Picked up a used HL61A650.   Overscan on this set is atrocious, like the 5075 I once had.  The Optics/configuration is also more like the 5075.    For the time being I pulled the light engine about 1.5" out/tilted which decreases the focal length/overscan.   This is by no means any permanent solution (cant install rear cover + light leakage/dust into screen area).   After some thought it occurred that I might accomplish the same thing by remounting the main/rear mirror, standing it off the back of the chassis by about the same distance using longer screws through a spacer.   Has anyone ever tried such a thing?   I don't see an obvious way to focus this engine either.

 

Another subject:

Of the two sets I think the 5676 had the better overall picture.  For some reason I just cant get the PQ on the 650 to "pop" like the 5676 did. They use the same 132w bulb (same exact bulb - the 650 came with a cheapo unbranded bulb "made in Taiwan" that was about half brightness.  Housing is different, bulb is same spec (UHP 132w/1.0mm gap), transferred bulb with about 100 hours from 5676 to the 650).    I think most of the difference I'm seeing is due to the prism effect of the lens on the 650 and the different Fresnel pattern.  On the 5676 the light engine was such that after the light bounced off the DMD it was never refracted through a lens, only reflected off mirrors...  Close up on the 650 I can see colored highlights around bright white objects due to the prizm effect (it's most noticeable near outside edges of the screen where the highlights bleed about 1 pixel off).  The 5075 also had this problem, and a similar PQ that just wasn't awe inspiring like the 5676.   I don't know that I could compare the 650 to a high end plasma.  The 5676 I really felt that I could.

 

I'm gonna try my mirror mount mod idea and see how that goes.  In the end I have a feeling I'll be selling the 650 and looking for a 6176, or going back to the smaller 5676.  On the xx76 models vertical overscan can be banished easily by simply repositioning the last two (adjustable) mirrors.  The remaining horizontal overscan isn't objectionable.  This squeezes the aspect, but it isn't noticeable except on a test pattern.

That would manifest itself as something else. I'm not sure, but I think the set would shut down if that doesn't spin. Someone else could chime in here.
That lamp flashing is something else. Ballast would be the 1st thing after the lamp, connections would be the 2nd, power into the ballast off th main PS would be the third.

I've thought about this too, though because I don't use my sets for gaming or computer I have no real incentive to do it. Anything you do to shorten the light path is the right way to go. Jacking up the light engines doesn't have much potential because as is they are designed to have a tight fit. Moving the mirror forward should work too. You could also similarly space the screen further inward on its frame. I haven't cranked the numbers but I expect that basically the change in % of length of the light path should equal the resultant change in % overscan.

The guys in Mr. Bob's "Don't dump your CRT RPTV!" thread do a lot of this, and their problem is much more difficult because they have three lenses. You might ask them about spacing the mirror.

I wouldn't be so sure about that...  When accounting for overscan, the actual resolution you're watching would be stated somewhere around 950p.  Reducing the overscan does make objects smaller. I find the increase in resolution (closer to displaying actual 1080p), though not dramatic, on this big of screen amounts to a "noticeable" improvement in sharpness/edge definition.  However, if I cant figure how to refocus the engine after repositioning the mirror, the image is defocused by roughly the same factor.  Need a SM for the 650.  Have one for the 5676 but that engine is way different from the 650's.

I will see what the CRT guys say about this. I suspect spacing from top/bottom will be different to maintain centering, and also result in some small amount of geometric distortion (trapezoidal) hopefully noticeable only with a test pattern.

Well, before installing the "new" lamp I made sure to check the color wheel. Without the lamp installed, I powered on and heard the tell-tale buzz from ballast and what could be described as an arch? I wasn't too concerned about that voltage coming out at me. Should I have been? But the wheel spins! No fans, and warning lights flashing up front, but color wheel spins fine.

So I installed lamp, plugged set in, and powered on with remote and BINGO!!! Ballast fired, fans were spinning, lamp was lit, start-up tone went off..... then lamp blinked out, a click or two, and back to cycling...!!! After saying several choice curse words and fighting the urge to pitch this thing out the back door, I unplugged it and gave up again.

I'm out of options! I see, videobruce, you mentioned ballast (which is BRAND NEW from Samsung parts) so unless I got one DOA, I don't think that's it? Second you mentioned connections? Are you saying bad connections? Or maybe I don't have all connections correct? I took pics on my phone to make sure I didn't get anything wrong during reassembly, but as far as I can tell, the connectors don't allow for mis-wiring...? And when it comes to main PS, I assume you mean the PS Board? I've replaced that too, but it was a used one! Supposed to been tested? But, you know how some sellers are! The funny thing about that used PSBoard, it had new Capacitors installed!? Regardless, no one I purchased any of these parts from accepts returns.

And to clarify, I bought the Used PS board ONLY because a new one wasn't available in stock. These parts are either very scarce now, or being hoarded by certain sellers to make more $$ off comsumers...?


Thanks for your replies!

Daniel

Call Samsung ask explain the situation, Ask, if it isn't the ballast, what could it be. Yes. Contact between the male & female sockets. Prime spot for problems.

Thanks videobruce!!! I'll check into both!


Daniel

So, after waiting almost 3 months I finally received my replacement ballast today and replaced it, but the picture is still a bit darker on the left side. I will try and take pictures tomorrow for you guys to look at. It's late and I am tired so I will come back tomorrow sometime.

Thanks again for any help.

Hmmm... I wouldn't want that issue either! But, I;d love to just see ANY picture on my 650! Until I narrow down why this keeps "power cycling" I'm stuck.

Again, it's not too big a deal, since I recently got a Sharp 70" LCD, but I still would love to have this 650 working again.



Daniel

Another update regarding overscan...

I still have the HLT5075 hanging around (not in use)  The design of the light engine on the 75 is more or less identical to the 650 so I decided to experiment on it first.  Repositioning the mirror isn't possible.  Only two screws on the top, the chassis retains the mirror around the sides/bottom.  Then I looked at the projector (disassemble).   What I found was optical overscan is set by thin metal shims between the lens/optical block.  Removing the shims and refocusing resulted in roughly zero% overscan with no ill effect on geometry.  It isn't perfectly centered (shifted left about 10 pixels).  There is some "wiggle room" on the lens with the 4 screws loose, probably can recenter by careful positioning of the lens and/or positioning the DMD.   Interesting on the 75 there is no 1:1 pixel map **except** in 3D mode which locks you out of most picture controls.  Assuming the 650 does it the same way the software zoom wont be a problem as "Just Scan" on the 650 is 1:1.  This is all assuming I can refocus the 650s engine.   I'll figure it out.

Edited by mrbrian200 - 4/11/13 at 3:33pm

Hmmm... since I can't figure out what's wrong with my 650, is it possible (reading what you mentioned here, mrbrian) to swap out the entire insides from an HLT5075 into my 650 to solve my problem? The reason I ask, I can pick up a used 5075 for ALOT less than buying more parts for this 650....? Maybe? Kinda like swapping out a computer controlled engine for a non-computer controlled engine into a car, just for drag racing or mud-bogging a newer body style truck?



Daniel

Seems this thread is dying a slow & oainful death..? Not much discussion regarding the "Ancient" DLP, huh? I'm still up in the air as to what to do with this TV? The wife said scrap it...meaning tear it apart and sell the pieces on eVilBay! Hate to, knowing what a beautiful picture it had WHEN it worked!

But I dunno how to fix it. And, no one local will even look at it, since it isn't a NEW TV.....


Daniel