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Worth getting DLP cleaned out?

M

Medwynd

Member
I have an older Samsung HL-S7178WX/XAA that is pretty much unusable since my lamp is almost dead. It had a good run, racking up 14795 hours in 7 years. Since I am going to be replacing the bulb I figured I should get some maintenance done on it at the same time. I can easily replace the lamp myself, its nothing but a few screws for the cover and the assembly, but what I am wondering is if I should have someone come out and clean the inside of it. As far as I know all the major components are sealed so is it really worth it?

Trying to find someone reputable in the Austin area has been nothing but a headache as they either don't warranty their work if they screw something up or they can barely handle giving me a phone estimate.

Any thoughts on this? Should I bother with cleaning it or just put my bulb in and get back to enjoying it?
 
At that age I would pop it open and try to do it myself if you have dust inside. Not like its worth a ton if you break something.
 
Midwayman said:
At that age I would pop it open and try to do it myself if you have dust inside. Not like its worth a ton if you break something.
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Well I'd rather not break a 71" dlp that is working perfectly fine other than needing a new $100 bulb since a new 72" Mitsubishi DLP is like 2 grand.
 
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Medwynd said:
Well I'd rather not break a 71" dlp that is working perfectly fine other than needing a new $100 bulb since a new 72" Mitsubishi DLP is like 2 grand.
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Not sure what you could break unless you tend to be really clumsy. I had a projection serviced before, since the added warranty included one free service call to clean, calibrate and inspect it for bulb wear and replacement before it expired. The guy basically comes out with a lens/mirror cleaning cloth, and a can of something to spray on the cloth to dust it off with. It was hardly worth having the guy come out at all, except for the new bulb, but I just wanted to see someone else take it apart and clean it all before I tried it. You may be able to find someone who did a video on cleaning and servicing it, if you are a bit leery about it.
 
Medwynd said:
Well I'd rather not break a 71" dlp that is working perfectly fine other than needing a new $100 bulb since a new 72" Mitsubishi DLP is like 2 grand.
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I see DLPs (usually with a dead bulb) for $100-200 on craigslist all the time. I'd pop off the back cover and see how complicated it looks. Clean the light engine with the solution they sell for cleaning the sensor on a DSLR camera. Canned air and/or normal screen cleaner for the inside of the screen/lens. But we all have our own risk tolerance I guess.
 
I would say that it's not worth it. I've opened up my JVC RP set twice; the first time to clean the interior and the second time to replace the entire light engine and, except for the second time to replace the light engine, it wasn't really necessary. I was actually shocked how clean it was inside even after 7 years of use. I wiped down the main lens but other than that there was really no dust inside. Check any vents and make sure those are clean but other than that you'd be wasting your time, imo.

btw, if you plan on cleaning the interior anyway you need to remove the front bezel and screen. Removing the back only provides access to the electronics and you'll probably need to remove the bezel and front screen to remove the back portion anyway.
 
Cleaning increases the risk of damage. What's the likely benefit? My guess is zero to limited benefit, with a high chance of damage.
 
Well, 7 years old? You'd be better off donating it or trying to get 50 bucks for it. I would think it would be hard to find a bulb for something of the that vintage.

I would think a new bulb is going to be anyway between 2-300 bucks and dusting it out if it has filters changing those out. But the color wheel in these things are fragile. Plus 7 years old is pretty much a "GOOD RUN" and who knows how long a DLP mirrors might be starting to stick. You can buy a really good projector brand new for a 5-800 bucks more than having this serviced and buying a new bulb.

A projector is only as good as it's weakest link. Things that fail besides the bulb are...

Fans, Color wheel, DLP chip itself -- Dead pixels, Power Supply or Ballast.

I'd chuck and get a new one if it were me.

Good Luck!
 
ericlp said:
Well, 7 years old? You'd be better off donating it or trying to get 50 bucks for it. I would think it would be hard to find a bulb for something of the that vintage.

I would think a new bulb is going to be anyway between 2-300 bucks and dusting it out if it has filters changing those out. But the color wheel in these things are fragile. Plus 7 years old is pretty much a "GOOD RUN" and who knows how long a DLP mirrors might be starting to stick. You can buy a really good projector brand new for a 5-800 bucks more than having this serviced and buying a new bulb.
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Surprisingly easy actually. I can get an oem bulb and assembly for $99 to around $130. Since it's the smaller of our tv's and only really used by guests and for gaming on consoles, I'm not really looking to drop a bunch of money on something that is only used intermittently.

ericlp said:
A projector is only as good as it's weakest link. Things that fail besides the bulb are...

Fans, Color wheel, DLP chip itself -- Dead pixels, Power Supply or Ballast.

I'd chuck and get a new one if it were me.

Good Luck!
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Since the picture looks great when it is working, I just can't justify tossing a perfectly fine tv set that just needs a little maintenance. It must be my pack rat nature 😛
 
Binky said:
Cleaning increases the risk of damage. What's the likely benefit? My guess is zero to limited benefit, with a high chance of damage.
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The only benefit I was thinking of was cleaning up the lens which I have a hunch are pretty filthy.
 
Medwynd said:
Since the picture looks great when it is working, I just can't justify tossing a perfectly fine tv set that just needs a little maintenance. It must be my pack rat nature 😛
Click to expand...
No, pack rat is the fact I have an SVHS VCR in the closet. I can't bear to throw it out even though its been long obsolete.
 
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