Magnavox 50ML6200D - Lamp and repair code question

[Mike]

A neighbor recently gave me her Magnavox 50ML6200D DLP tv. She told me that her kids had used it for videogames, but left it on too long and the bulb was shot. Magnavox deliberately makes it difficult to repair this model, and the manual says that for any repair (including replacing a lamp bulb), you should contact an authorized service tech. My neighbor did that, and claims she was told it needs a new bulb. She was quoted $800, and not being technologically inclined, dumped the tv. (The manual is available here: http://tv.manualsonline.com/manuals/mfg ... 6200d.html). My conversation was brief, and I don't know if she was told there were other problems as well.

I popped the back panel off, and visually inspected the bulb. It looks fine. When I plug the tv in, the fan next to the bulb housing comes on, and the bulb briefly lights up before going dark. (By briefly, I mean for 1-2 seconds). There is a blue LED light on the front that according to the manual is supposed to come on for 45 seconds when you initially plug it in. It comes on, but flashes the following sequence repetitively: 6 long blinks, followed by 5 short / fast blinks. Pause and repeat, until unplugged. This is apparently a repair code of some sort, but I can't find anything on it on the web (other than that some other user had the same problem). The manual also references a bulb indicator light, which best as I can tell from fishing around on the web *may* be a red light on the front of the unit, below the screen. I have not seen a red light when I plug it in.

Nothing else happens when I plug it in. The screen is dark. I hooked the cable box up (via HDMI), and did not get picture or sound. If it's just a bulb, I can get one on ebay for about $100. But I don't want to shell out $100, only to find it doesn't solve the problem. Two other pieces of information that may be relevant: (1) the neighbor initially put the TV out with her trash. Someone picked it up, kept it an hour or so, and apparently determining that it didn't work, put it back in front of the nieghbors. The TV may have been jostled or handled roughly, but shows no scuffs or obvious signs of external damage. (2) The TV sat out overnight in 20-30 degree (Farenheit) weather. It didn't get wet, and I allowed it to warm up in my house, but I'm not sure if the cold would affect it.

Any thoughts? In particular, any information on the 6-5 blinking ode on the front? Thanks in advance!

[Eddie]

Mike, the clear thing to remember about DLP lighting technology is that they are gas lamps. They aren't your typical house light bulbs (and even those are being phased out these days). If the lamp is having trouble turning on, there are a few things that can be wrong:

The first is obviously the lamp going out. Depending on the type of bulb, it can cost between $100-200 just for the lamp unit. I don't understand the $800 price your neighbor was getting.

The next thing that can go wrong and sometimes does go wrong is the ballast. It's like any ballast that powers a light fixture, except it's got a specific high-voltage ignition to start the lamp up.. If the ballast is weak, the lamp may or may not come on. It may spark and then die. It may spark, stay on, but be dim. You never really know, unless you have a brand new lamp in there.

I urge you to read more about lamps in our lamps section:

viewforum.php?f=9

[Mike]

Eddie - Thanks. I think the $800 was from a greedy service tech. If it's just a bulb, I can do that myself for $100 pretty quickly. I'm not familiar with DLP technology, so I didn't want to spend $100, only to find I needed hundreds of dollars of additional repairs. I'll see what I can find about the ballast, and check your lamp forum.

The key would seem to be figuring out what the flashing blue code means, but Magnavox keeps those pretty closely guarded.

Thanks, though, for all the information.

[NYC123]

Hi, I'm new to the forum & need help... I have a Magnavox 50ML6200D/37 DLP which I bought new in April of 2007. My picture is now very dark & I need to replace the bulb. I have 2 questions...
1) What is the correct part number or model number for the replacement bulb? (#928138905390)
2) From where do i access the bulb for replacement? The rear of the tv has 2 parts, a top section & bottom section. There are no other access panels. Isthere a proceedure to follow to remove one of the sections. How do I go about doing this?

All help & advise would be greatly appreaciated.
Thanks!

[madtech]

I HAVE THIS TV $ 800.00 TO CHANGE BULB SHOULD BE A CRIME ITS SO EASY TAKES LESS THAN A HALF HOUR 12 SCREWS ON LOWER BACK PANEL THEN TO SCREWS AND THE BULB AND HOUSUNG IS IN YOUR HANDS VERY SIMPLE ANY QUESTIONS ?

JOHN

Your TV problem is not as hard to fix yourself as you may think
Repairing it yourself will save you hundreds of dollars.
For the parts and instructions to repair this problem go to this link.
http://www.tvrepairkits.com/xcart/home. ... er=madtech

[AGvideoconcepts]

Good morning everyone. I am having a similar problem with a TV that was brought in to me. Same model (50ML6200D) but the problem with this one is someone previously tried working on it. They pulled out the lamp module(both lamp and housing) to check for a replacement. When they weren't able they returned the TV as is to the owner without ever replacing the part they took out. Then they brought it to me. By chance I found this forum and was able to find the replacement lamp, but everywhere I've checked the housing doesn't come included, although they say it does. I need to find the part number for the lamp cage/housing to see if I can find that separately. If anyone can help I would really appreciate it.