Toshiba 50HM66, 56HM66 Discussion - Page 38

First timer here. I have the Toshiba 50HM66. I have a shading that looks like a window tint over half of the screen. It started in sections and is gradually moving from right to left. Does anyone know what this is. I called Toshiba and they were rude and said call a repair man. Would appreciate any help!

Collapsing light tunnel. Very common issue. Very easy fix (for a professional). See this link for an explanation. I assume Toshiba will cover it if you have one of the affected serial numbers: http://www.tacp.toshiba.com/tacpasse...m66_56hm66.asp

Bulb blew last night - 2 yrs 5 months on this one -
(this was bulb 3 - Toshiba replaced the 1st two under warranty - after 3 1/2months and after 9 1/2 months (6 months on the bulb).

As with a lot of you - bought this on Black Friday 2006 for $1200...

Ok - still have a lot of the paperwork from 2007
1st replacement bulb was Y66-LMP - 72514011
2nd replacment bulb was Y66-LMA - 75007110

saw some chatter about Y67 replacing Y66.
Also did some surfing and saw some Y66-LMPs being shown as OEM - but only seem to have 90 day warranty -

Anyone have dealt with AMatterofFax? or Advanced Lamps?

Really would like to get another 2 1/2 years out of my $1200 investment.
I have 3 tube TVs that have lasted 20 years with maybe two tube replacements among all 3 sets. Of course they are getting less use now and one is my 'the bulb blew out' emergency set - which is back in operation now.

I was surfing for info about a lamp replacement and found this forum; very nice.

We received our 50HM66 from our daughter as a gift in August 2007. She said she got a good price on it as it was a floor model. Well, after reading some of the posts concerning lamp life, I must say that I consider myself very fortunate indeed. The lamp quit on us this morning. That amounts to two and a half years of service in our home. Then of course there's the unknown time in the showroom.

In searching the web for a replacement I find the price has come down on them as well. I think I've found mine for $127 + Shipping.

My 56HM66 flatlined about a week ago, after a little over 2 years. Hauled it back to Sam's Club for a full refund and bought a Samsung 58" plasma. I kind of miss the DLP, since it replaced another rear projection Toshiba CRT I had for a long time. It's going to take a little getting used to this flat screen. But no more bulbs for me.

This has probably been asked before, but with 38 pages of thread I may have missed it along the way. My question then, is how do I read the number of operating hours on my 50HM66? I just replaced the bulb and I'd like to reset the hours as well; if that's possible.

OK. Found the 56HM66 on craigs list for $50 w/swivel stand. I guess the swivel is built into the TV base? Anyway, the woman is saying that the lamp needs to be replaced, it has never been replaced before and she bought the set from Best Buy 5 years ago for $1600. Up until the lamp went out the picture had no issues. About 3 months ago, the picture began dimming. Sound about right for a DLP so far? She says now, if you turn it on, the screen is dark and a voice says "The lamp is not working." and there is no sound.

Does this sound like just a lamp is needed? If so (and I am trying to read thru all 30+ pages of this thread) the Toshiba factory replacement light is what I want, Toshiba Original 75008204
Lamp Y67-LMP Replaces 75007091 and 72514011 and Y66-LMP, not the 3rd party lamps correct? That is what I have read so far.

This will be my first DLP so anything I should be looking for? I figure for 50 bucks it is worth it if all it needs is a lamp for $170 or so. I don't pick it up until 5:30 tonight so if anyone can offer any advice beforehand I would appreciate it. I have written all I know about the set to this point.

OK then. Well I did order the Y-67 lamp for a great price. I also went and bought the 56hm66 craigslist TV. I was told it is 5 years old, but it was built July of '06 so 3.5 years. The set is in immaculate condition. There was no stand but when a $1600+ TV can be had for $50 plus the cost of a lamp what does one want. Well under $200 total for a fantastic set is just phenomenal in my opinion. Also I checked the serial number and my set I guess was made after the bad ones since it isn't affected by the recall. So all in all, I couldn't be more pleased. Now I need to find a stand.

Damn. Does no one visit this thread anymore? LOL

While I am waiting for the new lamp to be delivered (this Monday), I have removed the original lamp and vacuumed all the dust I could get to. I would like to take the front screen off and clean the mirror (it does have a mirror, doesn't it?) and get any other dust that I can, but after removing the only screws I can find that hold the frame to the body (5 across the top and 1 on the very bottom on either side) the frame didn't want to come off. So I didn't force it but instead re-installed the screws. Does anyone know of any link to the service manual for the 56HM66? Hell, will anyone respond to this thread any more besides myself? LOL

Yes, I've been following this thread for a long time. Yes, I'm seeing everything you post.

I'm quite happy for your fortune with this great find.

I've not responded because I really have nothing to add. I don't know how to remove the frame, and I don't have access to the manual.

I don't own this TV, but my parents do, so I've followed this thread for a few years in order to stay on top of any issues they may encounter as they depend on me to be their tech guru.

The only problem they've encountered was the collapsing light tunnel a couple years ago. It was resolved under warranty with a simple LE replacement. They've had no other issues, and the image quality is very good for this level of TV.

So, keep on posting your experiences. At least one of us is still watching.

Well this is good to know that I am not talking to myself on here. Bad enough I do it when I am alone at home.

Anyhoots, I broke down and bought the service manual last night. All so I could find 2 friggin screws behind a piece of trim, LOL. Opened the set today and damn was it dusty, which is exactly what I expected. Sorry for the poor pic. I'll get an after pic later and post, but it is quite noticeable.

So what I am doing now is I am painting the silver bezel, flat black both inside and out. This will make the aesthetics MUCH nicer in my opinion. And as for painting the inside, that will greatly reduce any light reflections which in turn will allow me to have the brightness considerably lower. The theory behind this is two fold and comes from my CRT RPTV experience. First off, and most importantly, the picture quality will improve greatly with the reduction in reflections. Secondly, this will (I hope) increase the life span of the lamp.

Just cleaning the optics and the mirror (I can't seem to find out if it is a first surface mirror (the best) or not, but it sure looks EXACTLY like my first surface mirror in my CRT set, tho bigger obviously) will make a HUGE impact on the brightness of the TV.

For those with one of these sets, you may want to explore the possibility of cleaning your optics and mirror for restoration of picture quality. I recommend and use ONLY 'Sprayway' glass cleaner and use a microfiber towel for the cleaning process. DO NOT USE WINDEX or any other Amonia based window/glass cleaner as it could damage the plastic optics in your set.

Should anyone need access to Service Manual, just let me know, along with your email address and I will try to send the file to you. Though not necessary, I would appreciate a small donation to help defray the cost of the SM that I had to pay ($20) via an Amazon Gift Card, and I will provide my email info for you to do that. But I understand some people can't afford anything. Not to worry, I will still email you the file. Just be aware that I really could use the help since I have been out of work almost a year now.

So my next post will be a picture of the clean optics/mirror, a picture of the set with all black frame, and maybe a picture of the TV with the new lamp installed. I certainly hope this helps some people out there enjoy their investment for a few more years at a minimum.

I have the service manual and even it does not have the information on how to get to this "Diagnostic" screen. Thanks for this valuable information.

Now, I would like to do some figuring of hours for my set to give me an idea of how this TV has been performing and hope someone will be able to reply and help me out here as I am no math wizard by any stretch of the imagination.

This TV was manufatured in July 2006. Best guess is it was in the warehouse for 1 month, which makes the TV operation time begin in August 2006. This makes the TV in operation 3 years and 6 months, when accounting for a down time of 1 month for the original lamp burning out, the decision to sell, my subsequent purchase, and my wait time to get a replacement lamp. Sounds resonable so far to me.

After 4 days of basic, general useage with the 2nd lamp ever installed in this set (going by what the previous owner told me) and a total time of maybe 35 hours, The TV registers the total times as follows:

Power On: 9,380
Lamp On: 12,261
Lamp On/Off: 2,674

Now the way I read this (and I hope someone will please correct me if I am wrong) is that the TV itself has been turned on & off a total of 2,674 times, the total time the TV was actually on and displaying a picture is 9,380 hours, with the total time the light had power applied to it as being 12, 281 hours (based on the presumption that this time includes actual hours of being on as well as 'standby' time on, since the setting for 'Quick Restart' was switched to 'On' when I first checked it). Sound about right?

Based on the provided info above, how would I figure out the average hours of use per day (24hours), so I can figure an approximation of lamp life expectantsy?

So I am presuming that the original lamp had a life of approximately 9,345 hours, which is actually very respectable, and gives me an idea of just how long this replacement 'new & improved lamp should last before needing replacement. Anyone think I might be wrong in my calculations?

Should I be fortunate enough to be semi correct in my thoughts of lamp longevity, then this makes the TV an excellent buy for my family in my opinion. Does anyone have any opinion on any or all of this?

Now, as promised, here are the picture comparisons of my old theater setup with my CRT 51H83 HDTV and the new 'improved' theater setup with the DLP 56HM66 HDTV. I think the new setup is much cleaner/neater & more organized looking :

Well here is an update. I just replaced the light engine (181 shipped) due to a problem with the light tunnel. If you look in my picture I posted above, the lower left corner is dark.

The combination of the new light engine and the new lamp, combined with the purchase price means I have a total of $361.09 and I have for all intents & purposes, a brand new 56" DLP set. I am quite pleased and this is one of my top bargains I have had yet.

For those of you thinking of dumping your sets, you can make it as new for way less than a replacement set would cost. Money well spent in my opinion.

My lamp popped the other day and went out. After sutting it dpown and waiting 15 minutes it came back on. Currently it has about 4400 hours on it, my first lamp lasted 6700 hours. Does anyone know if another brand lamp works well over the Toshiba lamp? I have seen AL brand claiming to be built better than OEM, and another brand DNGO. Has anyone had any luck getting a lamp off of ebay? The lamp in there now is an OEM as best buy came out and replaced it under service contract, however that was a fiasco as we waited close to 4 weeks for them to order one and deliver/install it. Thanks in advance if anyone is still following this thread!

I had to look twice to make sure the notice I had emailed to me was for this thread!

I ordered from Advanced Lamp, and got a lamp that was quite different than the original lamp it replaced. I like it but time will tell if it is better than the factory lamp. The difference is that the glass covering the filament is square, even though the back casing/surround is round. There are 4 screens that make up the difference in shape, I presume to aid in the cooling of the lamp. To date it is working well and I am preparing to order a second for a spare. I have the TV on on average 15 hrs a day as I am presently disabled. This is everyday since the beginning of March this year when I first acquired the set. This is what I ordered/received for my 56HM66:

1 x Genuine AL™ Y67-LMP RPTV Lamp & Housing for Toshiba TVs - OUT OF STOCK UNTIL 3/4 $118.00

Hope this info helps. Delivery was quick after they were in stock and as I said I am preparing to order another from them. The AL lamp seems to be the only redesigned lamps so I guess I will stick with them. Also the lamps come with a 180day (6 month) warranty compared to others 90 day warranty, and the best price I could find, $118 + shipping. I'm satisfied.

That information was helpful. I was reading alot of bad reviews for them, but I also saw a fair share of good reviews. They advertise that its a redesigned lamp that fixes what Toshiba couldnt or wouldnt fix. How long have you had it? Does it fit right in or does it need to be modified? I really want to take the plunge and buy one as the price is good, but I am concerned about quality and you do seem satisfied. Thanks for the info so far!

Direct replacement. No modification needed. As I posted, I have had mine since March 4th this year. Not sure why people don't like AL, as my one and only encounter has been very positive.

I don't know if this is the same lamp you're looking at, but I ordered this lamp for my parents' 56HM66 July 2007. It's still going strong. They're retired, and my Mom's home most of the time with the TV on. I don't even notice any dimming. It's $169.95 with free shipping. (I paid $185 in 2007): http://lamps-dlp.com/ProductDetail.a...umber=75008204

Just bought a spare lamp for my 56HM66. Advanced Lamps has lowered their price by $13 so the new cost is an amazingly affordable $105 + shipping! Shipped to my house, the new lamp costs less than just the lamp itsel a few months ago. Works for me! Hope this helps someone.

Hi Splicer...

Well, I've had my tv for just over 4 years, and my first bulb popped a couple of weeks ago. So, I bought one, and replaced it. All was fine. Until today.

I turned on the TV and after about 30 seconds or so, the screen goes black, and then the sound goes off too, and then only the red LED light is on and blinking. The manual says that this indicates that the "Fan Stopped (light engine)" (this is exactly what it says in the "Condition" column of the LED Indications section). I assume that it is referring to the fan that cools the "guts" of the TV. I don't think it means the fan that is in front of the lamp, but I'm only guessing.

Anyway, the manual says to unplug the TV and then plug it in again, and turn on the TV. I tried this 3 times, each time leaving the TV unplugged for longer periods of time. Each time, same problem - it shuts off after about 30 seconds or so, with only the red LED light blinking.

So, I scanned the internet for clues and ran across this site and your posts. I then figured that maybe my set was dirty and that's what caused the fan to stop. I looked at the vent holes, and the one in the centre of the back of the TV was very dusty - almost clogged. A little embarrassed here - I've never checked this stuff before, and I don't think my wife (or I) have ever actually vacuumed the back of the TV around this vent area.

Anyway, I noticed that you had cleaned your tv, and you seem to be sort of an "expert". So, can you tell me how to get at the fan for the light engine? Do I have to take the whole back cover off? I see the screws that you talked about in another post (5 along the top, and 2 in the bottom corners), but then you refer to a couple of hidden screws behind the trim. Can you be more specific as to which part of the trim, and how to get at these hidden screws? Or, if that's not the way to get access to the fan, is there another piece of the box that has to come off?

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thnx...Dano

Dano, the back cover needs to be removed. Make a bunch of posts and PM me your email addy. I'll try to email you a copy of the service manual. The screws are hidden behind a piece of trim in the center of the front of the TV. But this is only for the cleaning of the LE (light engine) main lens, the one in my picture in the post you quoted of mine.

Personally, I would order a new LE (VERY affordable) here (I pressume you have a 56HM66 as I do) and be done with it. Just as easy to replace the whole thing as it is the fans (I'd replace ALL the fans, if one went out, others might not be far behind) and is really easy. Here is the link to the LE. In my case it was $180 shipped to my house and had it in 3 days. Like having a brand new TV for a fraction of what a new (different) set would cost:


http://www.moduslinkptstvboards.com/75002250-P6057.aspx

Hi Splicer...

I hope this post doesn't show up twice - I did a long reply but then it seemed to "get lost" somehow... probably an "operator error"

Anyways, thanks for the quick reply. Some things have changed since I posted that message on the forum.

I was able to find a service manual online and downloaded it to my computer already. By the way, I have a 50hm66, but I'm sure it's almost identical, because my owner's manual says its for both the 50 and 56hm66 models.

I took the back off and located all 4 fans. Vacuumed and cleaned them all as best I could. They all move freely. There's one fan just to the left of the lamp assembly. That fan is on all the time the TV is plugged in (whether the TV is powered on or not). There's the ballast fan, which is on the far right of the TV (when looking at it from the back). It's comes on when I power on the TV. There's the DMD fan (don't know what DMD stands for - that's what the service manual calls it). This fan also comes on when I power on the TV. The only other fan is the lamp fan, which is located directly in front of the lamp assembly. Unfortunately, I can't tell if this lamp comes on or not, as I cannot see it at all when the back is off. I can only see (and touch) it if the lamp assembly is pulled out. The service manual talks about how to replace this fan, and it seems to indicate that you access it via the front of the TV. I've been a little reluctant to take the front off (remember, I'm a rookie). Can you confirm that you can access the lamp fan from the front? Do you remember what you could see there? I'm going to look at the picture you had in a previous post to see if that tells me anything.

Anyway, if I were to take the front cover off, I still wouldn't be able to tell if the fan is working or not, unless I actually plugged in the TV, and powered it on, with that front cover off!! Sounds a little scary to me.

Today's Sunday, so I couldn't get a serviceman out today even if I wanted, and can't get a part either. So, I'm puttering around a little more.

As for your suggestions about getting a whole new light engine, I'm rather hesitant, as I don't want to sink a bunch more money into this TV - partly because I'm now worried about lamps burning out too frequently (there are so many complaints about that), and the fact that up here they cost about $250 each, including taxes. And replacing all the fans is not something I was considering either. Only the one that isn't working (if indeed one of them is not working - haven't proved that yet. But the red blinking light is supposed to mean than).

Thanks for all your help and advice. I suspect I'm going to be taking the front cover off to check it out, but I may wait until I hear back from you first.
By the way, I'm guessing that when you get a whole new light engine, it doesn't come with another lamp, right? I'm asking because I saw that mentioned in another post somewhere, and figured they were mistaken. Cost-wise, it wouldn't make sense.

Thnx...Dano

First off, $250?! WHere do you live? I just the other day bought a spare lamp for $117 shipped here to my home. And it is the new, revised lamp that won't burn out like the original Toshiba lamps did. But didn't you say that this is the first time you replaced it in 5 years? Damn good deal if you ask me.

Second, the light engine for the 50HM66 is $169 + shipping and that is when they are in stock and currently, they are not.

Finally, remove the Light Engine from the TV to gain access to the lamp fan. Use your $20 service manual (I could have saved you that $20 had you given me your email) which will describe exactly how to remove it. Be careful when doing so, don't knock it into anything. While it is out, clean the TV interior cavity and clean the single lens on the light engine. Preferably use SPRAYWAY glass cleaner found at most hardware (home depot) and grocerie stores, the bigger stores anyway.

Should you decide to remove the front bezel, follow the service manual. Ezy-peezy. Clean the mirror with care, clean the cavity (dust is usually minimal on these).

For the picture quality of my 56HM66, I would have to spend substantially more than a new light engine and 4 or 5 lamps to get the same size and quality picture in my opinion. I plan on keeping my set going for years to come. I never have been able to figure why someone would buy a TV for $1600 (my set), use till the lamp blew, then buy a new set and selling the old (again, mine) for $50 (what I got my set for). Their reasoning being they don't want to buy $120 lamps, but would rather spend $1000 on another set that likely won't last as long as the DLP did. Just makes no sense. But then again, I wouldn't have my set if people didn't do that so...better for me I guess.

I suggest you keep that fine TV going if the pic is as good as mine is don't think twice about it. Everytime the lamp gets replaced, the picture is just as bright and fresh as the day you bought the set (if the lens and mirror are cleaned).

And to bring this post to an end, if you can't find a lamp fan, let me know, I have one I could sell you.

Hi Splicer...

Yup, $250. I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It was a *real* Toshiba part - was scared to go with a knock-off.

And I should have mentioned that I actually downloaded the manual for free. But thanks for your offer. I would have taken you up on it if I wouldn't have found this one.

Now for some updates. I've been doing some tinkering.
(I decided not to end this thread, because maybe it'll be useful for others too).

Remember I told you I couldn't tell if the lamp fan was working because you couldn't see it when you put the lamp assembly in and the lamp cover door? But you COULD see the fan if the lamp cover door wasn't on there. Well, I decided to remove the lamp cover door, and hold the "safety switch" in by hand, and try the TV again. This time the TV stayed on for two or three minutes! I could see the fan - it was turning. I was pretty happy. The only thing I had done was to make sure the little plug for the lamp fan was securely in (this is a little plug with red, yellow, and black wires, just to the left of the DMD fan cover). I thought that this may have been the problem.

So, for my next step, all I did was put the lamp cover back on (at this point, the back of the TV is still off), and try the TV again. This time, it cut out within 2 minutes. Darn!! I guess it wasn't fixed.

So, my next step was to once again remove the lamp cover door, jury-rig the safety switch (without me having to hold it), and try the TV again. Currently, it has been running successfully for about 30 minutes. Yahoo!!

Now to determine what the problem is. Is it an overheating problem when the lamp cover door is on there? Why would that start now? Maybe the fan isn't running as fast as it's supposed to? (don't know how to check that). Could it be a temperature sensor (thermostat?) that is malfunctioning? Could it be something to do with the lamp generating more heat than it's supposed to? Questions, questions.

So I'm going to leave it like this for a few hours and see how it performs. If everything seems okay, I'm going to put the back on again (but leave the lamp cover door off), and see what happens.

By the way, I never did try to take the front cover off. When I looked at your picture, it didn't look like there'd be any access to the lamp fan from there. So I assumed that I would have to remove the light engine first to get at the lamp fan. I'm glad you confirmed that.

I'm going to go back to your earlier posts to find out where you were ordering your light engine and lamps from. I'm starting to get convinced that maybe this is "worth it". I've always like the picture from my Toshiba, so why shouldn't I try to save it. As you said, it's still way cheaper than buying another big screen TV.

I'll let you know what happens. Again, thanks for your help.

Thnx...Dano

I think you've found your problem. It's the safety switch. Taping it down or using a tie to hold it down will suffice and will not hurt anything. It's purpose is to keep you from burning or electrocuting yourself should you decide to muck around in there while the set is on.

I have a Samsung HLS6187W and the safety switch issue is an elusive problem for many. The chasis for the Toshiba is sturdier than the Samsung, so it's probably not as prevalent of an issue for you Toshiba owners. The Samsung's plastic expands and contracts with temp fluctuations and the chasis can be easily torqued such that the "trigger" safety switch fails to make complete contact, thus interrupting the circuit and causing the set to shut down. I follow this Toshiba thread because my parents have this model, so I still follow it to stay up-to-date on potential issues.

Here's my post from a good while back regarding the Samsung:

Original post: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...&#post10062907

Hi 120...

Thanks for this. I never considered the safety switch to be the problem.

I'll be keeping that in mind when I'm doing my step-by-step putting things back together.

Thnx...Dano

Not saying that isn't a viable suggestin, I'm leaning towards a bad/busted thermostat. Remove the LE, remove the temp sensor wires and 2 screws holding sensor to LE, reverse proceedure for assembly.

You said without the door, the TV stayed on for 2-3 minutes before shutting down. Then you said the TV shut down 2mins post power up. Can't hurt to check/replace the switch. But I'd look at the temp gauge myself. Clean all your vents and dust off everything you can.

Sitting here watching PBS horse type show/documentary (outside antenna) I would have no problem replacing parts to keep the set going. For these sets it seems parts are uber cheap. Now as for buying a LE, you'll have the original LE left over for spare parts. Example: fans, light tunnel, color wheel, temp. sensors etc...Bar any serious detruction on any other major part, have enough to keep the TV going with minimal down time, for quite awhile (years). ANd as modular as these sets are, there's nothing keeping one from replacing well documented problem parts.

And BTW; DMD is the DLP Chip. SO the cover you keep talking about is the cover for the actual DLP Texas Instruments chip. Haven't heard of one going bad though. DLP is the closest to CRT quality in my opinion but has the edge. I rate TV's as 4] LCD 3]Plasma 2] CRT F/RP 1] DLP...Which is why I advocate for DLP.

Hi Splicer...and any others who are interested...

Thought I'd give you an update on my situation.
I ran the TV for a couple of days with the back off (as well as the lamp cover door). Everything was fine. No problems. Then I put the back on (but the lamp cover door was still off). No problems - everything's good.

I also (for the first time) tried to get the service menu to display. I successfully did that. What I focused on was the temperature sensor values.
There's one called the DMD Engine - Temp1, and the other is called the DMD Engine - Temp2. 42 degrees is the highest I've seen Temp1, and 56 degrees. Don't know if that's normal or not. But in any case, the TV has not "cut out" once.

So tonight, I'm going to try putting the lamp cover back on and monitoring the temperatures of the sensors.

I'll post another update when I have more results.

Thnx...Dano

Thanks for keeping us informed.