Samsung HLs5687w

[ron]

I have a Samsung HLs5687w that I've had for about 9 years. Works great, but as with any dlp, dirt and insects get in through the vents. I want to open it up and clean it. I know to be careful on how I clean things. Is it just a matter of taking out the screws? I'll be doing it myself. Have any of you did it before? Sure would be nice to have a manuel telling how to clean it and what each thing is. There are a lot of videos showing how to take things out at the bottom of the back, but I want to take off the big covering and clean things in there. Thanks for your help.

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Piece of cake. I've cleaned about 2 dozen of these wonderful sets, so I can speak with a little authority I guess. First off, you'll face nothing more difficult than screws and a few plugs and the beauty of what Samsung has engineered is this: the plugs are virtually idiot proof. They are "size specific" so you can't mess them up as far as I can tell. Even in the case where you have fan plugs of the same size, it doesn't matter which slot you plug them back into. 6 plugs go into 6 slots, 5 into 5 etc. No two are the same, so don't worry about getting confused. Take a picture or two if you want, but you'll be surprised how easy it is. Amazing. Okay, so you have the rear panel off (take that outside and hose it/scrub it down and let it dry). I would pull out the light engine next. This is pretty simple. Undo the big fat video feed cable, a cable connection on the upper left side (you only need to undo one of these, but no big deal if you take out both) then look for the brown/blue wire that goes from the power supply on your right to the ballast (usually found at the rear right of the light engine.) Now that the light engine is out, set it aside on a towel or something at a desk or table. First I suggest you vacuum everything you can reach within what remains in the set box. THEN, reverse the vacuum and blow out any remaining dust. I use a duster/wand to loosen things up and the feathery bits are soft and don't disturb anything. If your power supply is filthy you might gently pull that out and dust/vacuum/blow it. Look for swollen capacitors while you're there. As for the DVI board on the left side, I pretty much just dust the outside, vacuum what I can reach, and blow out the dust. Now to the light engine. Remove the lamp and set aside. I think the two most critical areas are the heat sink for the DMD chip (both upper and lower bits) AND the two fans. I REALLY clean those fans using Q-tip cotton swabs moistened with a good universal cleaner like 409. I would suggest that you remove the plastic "heat shields" or "air tunnels" on the right side that hold the fan that cools the lamp. You'll see the ballast, the fan, the air tunnel to the lamp etc. Same procedure. Dust, vacuum, then blow. Only a couple of screws hold the plastic air tunnel together. Here a magnetic philips screwdriver will make your life easier putting the screws back in by holding them in place as you inset them. Next, I would suggest removing the DMD fan, and getting the DMD heat sink as clean as possible. I remove a lot of the cotton from the swab and clean between the fins of the heat sink as best I can. Get both sides of that small fan clean, reinstall it and you're done. I would avoid un-doing any screws or wires associated with the color wheel, light tunnel, or lens unless these are items you are servicing. Color wheel screws are smaller and should not be confused with standard chassis screws or black "panel screws" that are the only two sizes you'll have to deal with. Blow the whole assembly with air just for good measure. Make sure the lens is clean. If you put a finger print on it, a very soft clothe and a little glass cleaner should work. Sometimes I've found the MIRROR to be dusty or the GLASS panel to be dirty. Soft clothe and glass cleaner do the trick. Make sure it's clean as a whistle. Slide the light engine back in, connecting the blue/brown power feed to the ballast first (you'll have disconnected this from either the power supply or the ballast depending on chassis and configuration). Gently plug in any connectors you've undone and tighten up that fat video feed cable. Reinstall the lamp. Put the blue safety switch into the "on" position, fire up the tv and make sure it all works. Then remove your safety switch "cheat" and replace the back panel. You're done for the next couple of years.

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You'll notice I said nothing about cleaning in the "big zone" or the screen back and projection mirror. You really shouldn't need to clean these. But if you can't resist I would suggest fashioning a miniature floor mop with some kind of soft clothe at the end that will fit through the access holes on the right and left side of the unit. It's a real pain to remove the front cover of the set. Use this extension "mop" to first clean the big screen after dampening the cloth. And then put a clean cloth that's been dampened with a cleaner that won't leave a residue and clean the big projection mirror. But unless these areas really need it (smoker?) you should be okay just cleaning the "guts" and leaving the mirror and screen alone.

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Okay, now I'm feeling guilty for not answering your initial question about access through the front screen. I've only done this once, and it was a pain. And I'm not sure I ever put things back together as Samsung did when they built the set. I had an on/off button that was depressed in and wouldn't pop back out. A jiggle or two and it was okay again. I don't recommend taking off the front cover, but here goes:



You'll need to remove all the screws around the outside perimeter of the set-- top bottom and sides that hold the front cover in place. These screws are deeply recessed into the plastic molding and may be difficult to reach, but you've got to get them all out before the cover will come off. Once the cover comes away, you'll have to deal with wires going from the on/off button, speaker wires, etc. But once it's loose, you should have access to the rear of the front screen and the rear mirror that takes the image and bounces it back onto the screen. I'd use something that doesn't leave a residue if you're cleaning them with anything more than water. I know my windshield in my car gets a haze within a few weeks because the glass cleaner I use seems to attract as much dirt as it removes. Putting it back together is just the reverse, just be careful to fit things correctly and try not to lose too many screws. Let us know how this all turns out and what course of action you decide to take.

[ron]

Thank you very much. I have been wanting to do this for awhile, and now you have given me the info I needed. As I mentioned, I have had it awhile and this set is really great. I guess size is why Samsung stopped making them, but the quality is great. Thanks again for your detailed instructions, you went out of your way, and I appreciate it.

Ron

[ron]

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I have one more question that pinpoints my problem. One of the main reasons I want to clean my DLP, is there are stains that are better seen when there is a white screen. It looks like brown smudges. I have an opening on the sides that allow you to stick your arm in. I've clean on the front and back of the inside, but the stains aren't removed. I also can reach the lens piece in the middle and cleaned it. I wonder if dirt or something can get in the front. Thanks in advance.

Ron.

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My suspicion is that there is dust/dirt/crud on one or more of the mirrors that the image passes through on the way to the screen. If you're confident that you've cleaned the front screen well, inside and out, then next take shot at cleaning the "first" mirror which is angled along the back cover of the set and this is where the lens is aimed. It's this mirror that bounces the image onto the front screen. ALSO, when you remove the light engine see if there is an intermediate mirror that the lens projects onto. Some of the "slim dlp" models use a fancy curved mirror that precedes the back panel mirror.

[ron]

Thanks, I'll try that.