i picked up another HD65 off craigslist for $200, i was told it did not work for unknown reasons. i figured it could be two things, either the bulb was gone(in which case it was worth it, just get a new bulb) of the lamp driver was dead(in which case at least i would get a spare bulb out of the deal. upon checking the bulb i found that not only was it dead, it had exploded.....glass fragments rattled inside. i took the bulb out of my working HD65 to test it, it came on but i got a "fan locked, will shut down automatically" error.
so, since this was a gamble and i had no warranty to speak of, i decided to tear into it. and although these pictured detail me getting to the heart of a specific fan problem, i thought they might prove useful to others who decide they want to try and fix their HD65 themselves.
*Warning: taking apart an HD65 will undoubtedly void any warranty you may have. if you have a warranty still, let the service depot take care of it.
Step1: remove the lamp and lamp cover. there are 4 screws along the font bottom of the pj, remove these. there are also 3 small screws on the back side of the projector that need to be removed, two are circled below, the other is on the opposite side. use a small screwdriver to pry out a snap in cover for the zoom wheel.
Step2: slide the top cover gently towards the front of the pj and slowly pull the cover off. there are 3 cables that need to be disconnected, they are circled below. i recommend labeling the two near the front as they look the same and use the same connector. remove the cover.
Step3: remove all the screws circled below and remove the covers over the bulb housing and dlp chip. disconnect the cable circled yellow, then remove the two standoffs on the VGA connector on the back panel(forgot about these, they are out of the picture) remove the bracket and connector cover along the back side and gently remove the metal cover over the circuit board. you will have to be careful here as it is clipped in along the sides and needs to slide back to clear the rear connectors.
Step4: disconnect the cables circled red. the two near the front of the pj are for the color wheel, the green and blue ones are for the two fans(yes there are two fans inside the HD65). now you will have to remove the circuit board. first, gently slide the board backwards, this will disconnect the board from the socket circled orange(this connects to the DLP chip). then slowly lift up on the board, there is one more cable underneath it(under the area circled yellow) that connects to the power supply below it, disconnect this then remove the board.
*note: there is no cable connected to the furthermost right connector on the board, remember this when you are scratching your head trying to find it later on......don't worry about it.
Step5: remove the 5 metal standoffs circled below and then remove the large metal bracket they were holding.
Step6: now we remove the optical assemply, this is one unit that consists on the DLP chip, the light chamber, the lense and the color wheel. remove the 4 screws circled below and gently remove this assembly and set it aside somewhere safe. it should be noted that if you so desire you can clean the color wheel at this point, in my case it wasn't needed but i have seen on other pjs that the color wheel can get significantly clouded. the color wheel is circled in the 2nd picture below.
*Warning: the color wheel is VERY fragile, take extra caution when dealing with it. if you do decide to clean it, use q-tips with very gentle(almost no) pressure.
Step7: remove the two screws circled below and remove the metal bulb cage, this will allow you to remove the main fan and the small blower fan to clean them. in the second pic below you will see the small blower fan, the chucks of glass beside it were inside the fan which seized it up.....this was the cause of my shutdown error.
this is far as i took it, assembly is as always reverse of the above. i am not sure how well the HD65 light chamber is sealed, but i have not experienced any dust blobs so did not attempt taking it apart. i will give you one last shot that shows the remaining components that i did not remove. circled in orange is where the small hidden blower fan sat. circled red is the main power supply, and circled orange is the lamp driver unit.
i hope this will be of help to someone in the future. oh, and as a side note, if you are looking for a cheap place to buy a replacement bulb for the HD65, check out provantage: http://www.provantage.com/optoma-bl-fs180c~7OPTO0CP.htm . $163 for a genuine optoma lamp(i actually just received it as i was typing this guide), the service i got was fantastic and shipping was very fast.......highly recommended.
so, since this was a gamble and i had no warranty to speak of, i decided to tear into it. and although these pictured detail me getting to the heart of a specific fan problem, i thought they might prove useful to others who decide they want to try and fix their HD65 themselves.
*Warning: taking apart an HD65 will undoubtedly void any warranty you may have. if you have a warranty still, let the service depot take care of it.
Step1: remove the lamp and lamp cover. there are 4 screws along the font bottom of the pj, remove these. there are also 3 small screws on the back side of the projector that need to be removed, two are circled below, the other is on the opposite side. use a small screwdriver to pry out a snap in cover for the zoom wheel.
Step2: slide the top cover gently towards the front of the pj and slowly pull the cover off. there are 3 cables that need to be disconnected, they are circled below. i recommend labeling the two near the front as they look the same and use the same connector. remove the cover.
Step3: remove all the screws circled below and remove the covers over the bulb housing and dlp chip. disconnect the cable circled yellow, then remove the two standoffs on the VGA connector on the back panel(forgot about these, they are out of the picture) remove the bracket and connector cover along the back side and gently remove the metal cover over the circuit board. you will have to be careful here as it is clipped in along the sides and needs to slide back to clear the rear connectors.
Step4: disconnect the cables circled red. the two near the front of the pj are for the color wheel, the green and blue ones are for the two fans(yes there are two fans inside the HD65). now you will have to remove the circuit board. first, gently slide the board backwards, this will disconnect the board from the socket circled orange(this connects to the DLP chip). then slowly lift up on the board, there is one more cable underneath it(under the area circled yellow) that connects to the power supply below it, disconnect this then remove the board.
*note: there is no cable connected to the furthermost right connector on the board, remember this when you are scratching your head trying to find it later on......don't worry about it.
Step5: remove the 5 metal standoffs circled below and then remove the large metal bracket they were holding.
Step6: now we remove the optical assemply, this is one unit that consists on the DLP chip, the light chamber, the lense and the color wheel. remove the 4 screws circled below and gently remove this assembly and set it aside somewhere safe. it should be noted that if you so desire you can clean the color wheel at this point, in my case it wasn't needed but i have seen on other pjs that the color wheel can get significantly clouded. the color wheel is circled in the 2nd picture below.
*Warning: the color wheel is VERY fragile, take extra caution when dealing with it. if you do decide to clean it, use q-tips with very gentle(almost no) pressure.
Step7: remove the two screws circled below and remove the metal bulb cage, this will allow you to remove the main fan and the small blower fan to clean them. in the second pic below you will see the small blower fan, the chucks of glass beside it were inside the fan which seized it up.....this was the cause of my shutdown error.
this is far as i took it, assembly is as always reverse of the above. i am not sure how well the HD65 light chamber is sealed, but i have not experienced any dust blobs so did not attempt taking it apart. i will give you one last shot that shows the remaining components that i did not remove. circled in orange is where the small hidden blower fan sat. circled red is the main power supply, and circled orange is the lamp driver unit.
i hope this will be of help to someone in the future. oh, and as a side note, if you are looking for a cheap place to buy a replacement bulb for the HD65, check out provantage: http://www.provantage.com/optoma-bl-fs180c~7OPTO0CP.htm . $163 for a genuine optoma lamp(i actually just received it as i was typing this guide), the service i got was fantastic and shipping was very fast.......highly recommended.
