samsung DLP tv: color wheel?

[eccerr0r]

Well, my Samsung DLP TV seems to be starting to show its age.

I've always been able to hear my color wheel spin and can tell that it's the wheel and not the fan - a very faint whine. So I can tell when it's not spinning or perhaps doing something strange. Recently, however, sometimes the color wheel seems to try to spin up but can't... it gets to a certain speed and then starts falling off, slowing down... The lamp turns on but nothing shows up. After a while and sometimes requiring power cycle (which does a number on the lamp... ugh) the wheel does make it up to speed and the TV works fine.

Anyone seen (or heard?) this before? Is the color wheel motor driver going bad, or is it the bearings? Is it possible to lubricate the color wheel bearings?

[freakaftr8]

Re: samsung DLP tv: color wheel?

Color wheel bearings are in a sealed system. Have you noticed any odd vibration sounds to the color wheel spinning up possibly louder than usual? These color wheels have been known to delaminate separate and explode inside the TV taking out the DLP chip and optical lens with it. Usually a color wheel only either works or does not at all. Hopefully it's just a color wheel motor getting weak.

[R_J]

Re: samsung DLP tv: color wheel?

You should be able to spin the color wheel freely by hand, if it shows some resistance, try cleaning the bearing/bushing, remember the glass color wheel is fragile.
You can clean and lube some of the bearings, it depends on which color wheel it uses, some are refered to as air bearing, you don't want to lube them.

[eccerr0r]

Re: samsung DLP tv: color wheel?

I don't notice any vibration or grinding, just the "RPM" sounds does not go as fast as it normally does when it doesn't start up properly. Key point: It does start up fine many times.

How often is it just a "weak" color motor? I suppose these things need to spin as fast as a turbocharger turbine (another car analogy? lol), so ... wow...

I haven't torn into it yet because it still works (when it's spinning up to speed, will continue to spin just fine), but it's starting to get to the annoying point where it's taking longer to turn on my TV. As I don't want any more unfinished projects I'll see how much I can access without taking the covers off, perhaps poke in the lamp door or something, to see how freely the color wheel spins...

When it stops spinning or never gets up to speed anymore, then it's cover removal time. I wonder if it's time to budget in a new color wheel assembly.

(Speaking of which, if the color wheel seizes and can't obtain a new one cheaply, whether it would be easier to just fake the signal going back to the main board and make the DLP TV into a black and white set... )

[R_J]

Re: samsung DLP tv: color wheel?

I spoted this video, it shows how a good wheel should spin compaired to a poor and bad one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUiYRqrNxxU
I sometimes just gave the motor a spray of non residue spray cleaner, that could keep it going for a while.... sometimes.
You might be able to find one on the internet cheap, theres not to many of these sets around anymore

[R_J]

Re: samsung DLP tv: color wheel?

I had a look at the manual again and this light engine uses the air bearing type color wheel. so you can't lube them.

[eccerr0r]

Re: samsung DLP tv: color wheel?

The color wheel spun up just fine earlier tonight. It's just weird that the spin sound is markedly different when it fails and when it's fine, but it's very unpredictable when it doesn't spin up just right...