Replaced Color Wheel on TV; Color is Washed Out and Distorted. Assistance Needed!!

[Nodnarb247]

My TV, a Philips DLP HDTV (60PL9200D/37), is a few years old and has been sitting in my living room with a broken color wheel for some time. I recently decided to order a replacement part from eBay (a reputable seller, according to the ratings) and, when it finally arrived this afternoon, I replaced the part hoping to finally use my TV again only to find that the color was distorted and extremely washed out (even fuzzy in a few places). Unfortunately, because my TV is old and somewhat of a black sheep (read: not very popular from what I can tell), there aren't a lot of troubleshooting guides on Google or YouTube. Another problem is that the only seller with available parts for my TV is seemingly the guy I bought them from.

Are color wheels interchangeable from brand to brand? I watched a YouTube video of a guy using a Samsung color wheel in a Philips TV, but there was soldering involved, which would not be an option for me. My TV works fine (apart from a slight buzz) with the faulty color wheel I installed; it's just that the color is very off and not something I want to just deal with due to the cost of the replacement part.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone!

 

[budwich]

not sure the "buzz" is a good sign.... but maybe depending on what "slight" actually is. Anyways, did you check to ensure that the replacement is the same as the original... ie. color windows are identical, reference marks are in the same place.
I don't think you can readily drop in any color wheel "engine". I suspect that the replacement wheel has an issue similar to the youtube video (wheel is not fixed wrt to the reference mark) or the wheel is not turning at the appropriate speed. You might need to get you hands on a service manual to see if you can get into the menu to do some adjustment therein that might help.

soldering was only required because of the "misorder" of the panes... if you have the same order, then you don't have to do any solder work.

 

[Nodnarb247]

not sure the "buzz" is a good sign.... but maybe depending on what "slight" actually is. Anyways, did you check to ensure that the replacement is the same as the original... ie. color windows are identical, reference marks are in the same place.
I don't think you can readily drop in any color wheel "engine". I suspect that the replacement wheel has an issue similar to the youtube video (wheel is not fixed wrt to the reference mark) or the wheel is not turning at the appropriate speed. You might need to get you hands on a service manual to see if you can get into the menu to do some adjustment therein that might help.

soldering was only required because of the "misorder" of the panes... if you have the same order, then you don't have to do any solder work.

I'm almost certain the buzz was coming from the color wheel (perhaps it wasn't turning at the appropriate speed?). I compared the two devices and they weren't exactly alike (some minor differences), but the seller on eBay stated that the part they shipped is "identical" to Philips' and that it should work with my television.

I purchased the service manual, but it wasn't very helpful. I looked it over a few times and 1) to access the menu requires another device, and 2) I couldn't find anything relevant to my issue--that or it requires someone more skilled to interpret the pages.

Here are a couple of images of both color wheels side by side:
http/imgur.com/SfrkCxH & http/imgur.com/iMefavh

This is what the TV menu looks like. You can see the "rainbow" distortion on the right-hand side:
http/imgur.com/iZzFQD2

And here are a few reference shots:
http/imgur.com/4QjREsA

• * the purple background is pixelated and doesn't blend
  * the reds are washed out and the YouTube icon is distorted and fuzzy (it also flickers)

http/imgur.com/KmIiSn7

• * the Man in the Yellow Hat's clothes are very pixelated

http/imgur.com/02DndrW

• * this image appears to be okay--a few frames generally look okay at times

Maybe these images will give more insight into my problem. I've returned the part and should get a replacement within the next two weeks. I'm not too confident, however, that the replacement will resolve this issue.

 

[budwich]

I see... hmmm. I see that your color wheel "blew" apart. That's not good. I can't tell from the pictures but you did make sure that the segments were aligned in terms of color sequence (as in the youtube). I am some what surprised at the pixelation of the colors. I would think that more to do with the chip than the wheel but perhaps if the wheel isn't quite up to speed, then perhaps colors are not get the right amount of time for the "refresh" to total the color density needed.
Even though you color wheel is in pieces, you need to understand / ensure that the reference mark is in the right place. Further, when you indicate that you need another device to access the service menu... are you sure, usually there is some sort of code / remote sequence and also a "factory device sequence". An example that I have found for philips is
tv off
# Press {0} {6} {2} {5} {9} {7} {INFO+} on the remote.
or
# Press {0} {6} {2} {5} {9} {7} {STATUS} on the remote.
or
# Press {0} {6} {2} {5} {9} {7} {MENU} on the remote.

# Turn the TV off to exit the Service Menu.
There are other sequences suggested. Anyways, BEWARE going in to the service menu and not knowing what to do can create more problems than its worth.

It might make it hard to get things right as I think in my reads on projectors in general is there are some adjustments / compensations that are needed to accommodate replacement wheels as they are not made exact, hence "tuning" may be required. You might some "confirmation" by looking at repairs of other projectors like Infocus, or Optoma dlp projectors.

On some units, there is a "jumpering" that is done to get the system to "auto magically adjust" the speed. I would certainly scan thru the service manual very closely.... odds are slight that there would just have "replace color wheel, do this setting"... it would be nice but doubtful.

My Optoma "jingles" on startup but once it comes to speed it is OK so some noise is probably OK but in general, I think that the wheel should spin well without any noise.

PS. looking at the first picture, there seems to be "significant difference" in the wheel apparatus... appears to be a "window" on yours versus nothing on the other. Color wheel "speed control" makes its control sequence by "monitoring" certain areas. From your wheel, it appears that it might potentially be looking at the area which isn't there on the replacement. I know on some projectors, they monitor a clear segment of the glass (eg. Infocus). There doesn't appear to be one used in your system so they have to have some other means. You need to look at the overall assembly for sensors that are pointed at the wheel some where to monitor the speed (mark passing by).

still further... the color windows appear to be a slightly different size (could be an "optical illusion")... measure them when you get your replacement.