Lamp Wiring Polarity Question - Samsung 61" DLP

[cparker944]

A week ago my TV flickered and went dark. I ordered and installed a new lamp, but no change.
I then ordered and installed a new ballast, but no change. The TV tries to fired up 3 times and then I get the 3 blinking lights. Here's my question - I'm a fairly skilled electrician and I watched the lamp change videos on Youtube and none of these people in the videos take the time to mark which wire went to which lamp terminal. As a rule, there is always a positive and a negative cable but the wires are not colored red, white or black. They are both white. [b]***I'm thinking maybe I switched the lamp wires when I installed the new lamp and that's the reason why I'm not getting the new lamp to fire up.[/b] Can anybody advise or send me a link to a diagram that shows the correct wiring for a Samsung HLT6156W lamp??? Thanks soo much for your help!

Details:
Model - HLT6156W
1 - More often than not, when I plug the TV in the "lamp Light" starts blinking, the TV does not come on, and then it shuts down. It does this 3 times and then I get the 3 blinking lights.
2 - I do hear 1 single strong click from the ballast but the lamp does not turn on.
3 - There is no whining or loud humming at all so I assume that the color wheel is functional.

***The Lamp is a Philips original part and I bought the lamp and the ballast from DM.

What's my next option???

It's Sunday March 29th and I just pulled and examined the color wheel. It's not damaged and it spins freely...Although there is a slight friction. It will spin 30 or 40 revolutions with one spin. Any ideas???

[ovadoggvo]

cparker944,
What do you mean that it flickered and went dark?

The lamp in your TV is an E22 120/132W 1.0 ... This is an AC lamp made by Philips. As a matter of fact all of the lamps made by Philips are AC. Alternating Current does not have polarity as the current alternates between 50-60 times a second between the two terminals.

Either way you connect the cables, it will not make a difference. This is why the cables are both the same color "White" the common color coding for AC current.

Now this is very different from lamps made for Toshiba DLP TV lamps and some Projector lamps as they are DC. DC lamps have a polarity which if is installed incorrectly, it will cause your lamp to blow in a 10 minute period.

[cparker944]

Thanks for the reply about the polarity issue. Here's a run down of the key details:

1 - The problem began a week ago, when I turned on the TV and it turned on but the picture did not get fully bright and the picture flickered, the color was washed out/pale and then it went dark and the three panel lights began to blink. This all happened in about 5 seconds. It would not respond to the remote. I pulled the plug to reboot, but no change.

2 - Did my research online; ordered a new Philips bulb from DM and installed it. No improvement. The lamp light comes on the instant I plug the TV in. It tries to turn on 3 times and then I get the 3 blinking lights.

3 - I ordered a new ballast from DM and installed. No change. Same scenario. I've checked and rechecked the lamp door safety switch; even taped in down. No change.

4 - Yesterday, I removed and examined the color wheel. It's in good shape. No discoloration or cracks. I spun the wheel with my finger and it spins freely, although when I put the wheel to my ear I could hear a very faint rubbing/friction noise, but it does still spin well.

Put the TV back together, plugged it in and got the lamp light and then the same 3 blinking lights...

When I plug the TV in now I get a strong click from the ballast, but the lamp does not come and it looks like the color wheel is not spinning at all. What can I try next???

[ovadoggvo]

cparker944,
Did you plug both of the wires for the ballast in when you installed it?

The problem could be 1 of 3 options.

First guess is the color wheel sensor board... You would have to order the color wheel with the housing in order to get the sensor board for it. It may be that the sensor was damaged due to heat. This would explain the flickering and discoloration.

Second guess would be the DMD board. The DMD board is resposnible for turning the ballast on once it receives the ON signal from the color wheel. The DMD board is a common failing part that causes a "black out" like you are describing. But the reason i advise on color wheel with housing first is because your TV's lamp does not power on.

Your ballast was the first diagnosis... you did the right thing.

[cparker944]

Thanks soo much for the feedback and advice..... I reluctantly took the TV to a local repairman. The way he charges is $59.99 to tell me what the problem is (Diagnostic) and then I can decide if I want him to fix it or just pick it up. It's worth it to me to pay the $59.99 so I know what the heck is wrong and I can stop guessing. It's already cost me approx. $200 for a new lamp and ballast and that wasn't even the cause of the problem. Thanks soo much for your time and assistance!!!

[ovadoggvo]

cparker944,
Anytime. This is why i'm here. Let us know what the results are so other can learn from the diagnosis.

[cparker944]

I've been meaning to post an update here in an effort to help someone else.
My 1.5 year old Samsung 61" DLP flickered and died on me... Read this posting
from the beginning to understand what my symtoms were and the steps I took
to try and fix my TV...

Brief Recap:

1 - I replaced the lamp - No fix
2 - I replaced the balast - No fix
3 - Found a local TV repair guy, through the Samsung help line.
4 - Repair guy would charge me $59.99 to tell me what the problem is
and I then could decide if I wanted him to fix or pick it up and I would
fix it.
5 - Repair called to say my DMD Board was bad and it would cost $325...
I almost picked the TV up and repaired it myself, but I decided to let the
repair guy finish the job.
6 - Repair guy called a week later to say that the bad part was not the DMD, but was
the colorwheel. (Which would have been my next item to replace, because of the
expert advice that I received from this forum.) Colorwheels and assembly are only
about $100 and fairly easy to replace.
7 - Total cost $275 for the colorwheel and labor + the $59.99 diagnostic fee and
3 weeks to repair.

To tell you the truth I am just soo happy to have my TV back. I found out that
my wife missed the TV more than I did...She almost shed a tear when we got it home
fired it up...

So speaking from experience, do what they tell you on this forum... Replace the lamp
with geniune Philips parts, then the balast if you don't hear a strong click when you turn
the TV on and then the colorwheel. Although the DMD Boards are problematic and they
now only supply a new and improved DMD Board, because the old one failed within the
first 2 years of use.

Oh...and I got all my parts from Direct-Merchant and they were a pleasure to work with...

There ya go... Hope this helps somebody!

Craig