HLN617W1X/XAA Picture flickers, fades, shuts down

[HarryC]

After reading a bunch of posts I suspect my problem concerns the color
wheel but I'm looking for confirmation or guidance if I'm wrong.
I own an almost 5 year old HLN617W1X/XAA. We had to replace the lamp
several months ago (yes the replacement was a Philips). Other than
that the set has worked perfectly until today.
After being on for approximately 30 minutes the picture began to
flicker. The flickering continued and over a period of several minutes
the color faded to almost black and white, with flashes of green or
blue, then the set (audio and video) powered down with the nasty three
lights flashing. The fan continued to run for a couple of minutes then
it also shut down but the lights continued to flash.
The set wouldn't respond to the remote so I pushed the power button on
the side and it attempted to start. During the attempt there was a
sound that was similar to the air raid sirens you hear in old WW2
movies and the lamp light flashed. The first startup attempt was
unsuccessful and the unit reset itself and tried again. The second
startup attempt was successful with perfect video, audio, and no siren
sound. After operating perfectly for 15-30 minutes the whole sequence
was repeated.

This scenario has been repeated several times as I have tried to
analyze the problem.

Is it a color wheel problem or something else?

[ovadoggvo]

HarryC,
The problem you are describing is most likely caused by the color wheel having shattered inside your TV set. I would follow the instructions on http://guides.fixyourdlp.com/samsung/bp96-01854a.php to check to see if the color wheel is in fact damaged.

The flickering, discoloration, and noises you have described definately lead me to beleive that the color wheel is indeed the issue... The remote control not function as well as the TV's buttons lead me to beleive that you may have damaged your DMD or Digital Board when the color wheel shattered within your TV.

Your first steps to take would be to order a new color wheel and go from there. Your part number is BP96-0250A for your TV.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

[HarryC]

Ovadoggvo,
The color wheel was ordered and should arrive today or tomorrow. A physical examination of the old color wheel didn't reveal any damage but I will install the new color wheel when it arrives and see if it solves the problem.

[HarryC]

Ovadoggvo,
The color wheel arrived this morning and seems to have solved the problem. The set performed perfectly for a couple of hours and I turned it off for an hour or so I ran some errands. It has now been back on for several hours and it continues to look great. Thank you for your help.

HarryC

[ovadoggvo]

HarryC,
I'm glad I could help... This is why I spend my personal time on these types of forums. Not many people come back and post their positive results. It seems like once their TV is up and running all of a sudden they are not online anymore! :) It makes sense.

[HarryC]

Ovadoggvo,
We have a new development. The TV seems to be performing OK but last night we realized we heard a hum that wasn't there before the repair. I'm assuming it must be originating with the color wheel since that's the only moving part I've tinkered with. If so, is there anything I can do to eliminate it? Should I be concerned? It's not loud -- can only be heard during quiet scenes but it is still annoying.

[ovadoggvo]

HarryC,
Check the fans, make sure the disassembly / reassembly didn't put any wires too close to the fans. Then I recommend re-checking the color wheel to make sure it's seated properly. It should not be noisy if you just replaced it. I would look into it.

[HarryC]

It's too late today to restart the project so I'll have to put it off for a day or two. I was extremely nervous, and therefore extra careful, during the whole repair process so I am going to be surprised if it's a wire routing or seating problem but I will report whatever I find.

Thanks for the input.

[HarryC]

I've been thinking some more about the process necessary to troubleshoot the hum. Is there a safe way to take off the back and isolate the noise with the set turned on? I'm not relishing the idea of having to completely disassemble everything so I can access the color wheel. It would be nice if I could be confident that is the source of the noise before doing the extra work.

[ovadoggvo]

harryc,
You can take off the back cover of the TV and keep the blue switch (lamp door sensor) pushed in with some tape in order to trick the TV into thinking that the cover is on. Then power on the set. Check to see where the noise is coming from.

[HarryC]

Ovadoggvo,
We had another successful day -- I think!
With the back off the set I used a length of PVC like a stethoscope to listen to the two fans and color wheel area. The color wheel area was noisy and I didn't want to disassemble everything so I reached in and started wiggling wires with the set running. The noise reacted when I wiggled the blue and white wires coming from the color wheel and I was able to adjust them to a position where the noise was almost gone. I'm assuming that some motor noise is normal so I put everything back together and hope the wires don't move.
Thanks again for all your help. I hope I don't need to consult you again but it's sure great to know that there are people like you that are willing to help.

Harry

[ovadoggvo]

harryc,
Anytime... Let me know if there is anything else i can do for you.