Mitsubishi WD-73727 Distortion & Flicker Solved!

If you're reading this, you've probably discovered the dreaded flickering and color distortion that plagues older model Mitsubishi's DLP TVs like the WD-73727. Mine would work fine for the first 30 minutes or so, and then it would start showing distortion that would slowly but inexorably degenerate into a nearly seizure inducing flicker. The general consensus was that the light engine is failing and it would have to be replaced at a cost of nearly $700 plus professional installation. The issue appeared to be heat-induced, so I thought there might be a way to fix the problem myself. I tried many things, and finally found a way to solve it. This DIY guide will walk you through the steps. What you will need: A Philips head screwdriver A 100% cotton cloth Several cotton swabs A scrap of cardboard A 5mm hex wrench OR a 3/16ths hex wrench A 4mm socket OR a 5/32nds socket Pliers Patience If you happen to be living in the Atlanta area and would rather pay someone else $300 to come do this for you, email me at this address:

Page #2 Mitsubishi engineers didn't adequately plan for the long term effects of the heat generated from a 150 watt lamp being on for hours every day in an enclosed TV in an 80 degree room. The bottom line is that when the glass components in the TV overheat, a thin film of very fine dust accumulates on them like tarnish on silver. When that happens, the light from the lamp no longer passes through as well and a larger portion of it is absorbed and converted into heat which further exacerbates the problem. If the temperature on the color wheel gets too high, the sensors and motor that control it will slip out of acceptable tolerances and create color distortion and eventually the picture will become an unwatchable flickering. Basically, all we need to do is get into the light engine and clean the glass components and the problem will disappear. It sounds easy doesn't it? It's not. But if you're mechanically inclined, or you know someone who is, you can probably do this. It isn't brain surgery but don't plan on finishing before lunch break is over. Even with the help of this guide, the project will take a couple of hours at least. First, disconnect all of the audio and video inputs, and unplug the TV from the wall. Move it into the middle of the room where you'll have space to work. Use a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the small lamp cover plate and then unscrew and remove the large back panel. You should now see something like this:

Remove the circled screws and their components in the order specified. The shroud surrounding the lamp (#3) has lead wires connecting to it, so disconnect it.

Page #3 You should now be looking at something like this:

Disconnect all of the lead wires circled in blue and then remove all of the screws circled in green. Every lead has a unique connector, so it will not be difficult to reconnect them all properly when you're done. The lead wire which is circled in yellow in this image connects to the lamp shroud that you removed in the previous step. There are also two black screws directly below the fan that need to be removed. See the image below for the precise location.

Page #4 Now you will be able to slide the entire light engine and chassis tray out, but it will take some finesse. The greatest danger of this fix not going well is you damaging the fragile components, so be gentile and don't force them. You may need to re adjust the wires and cable ties a few times to get the light engine completely out of the TV. Once it's out, it will look like this:

Remove the screws circled in green. And remove the plastic plate covering the color wheel.

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Disconnect the power and control leads from the back of the light engine processor. They're circled above in blue. To remove the color wheel itself, you will need to remove two mounting screws, one is circled in green, and the arrow points to the location of the other. The second screw is deeper inside the wheel chamber near where the black power lead connects. Gently remove the color wheel itself and take great care to avoid scratching the glass.

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Using a 100% cotton cloth (a t-shirt works well), thoroughly clean both sides of the glass wheel. DO NOT USE WATER OR ANY SOLVENTS! A dry cotton cloth will do the job just fine and liquid could potentially ruin the color of the glass or damage the electronics. Also notice the black square I've circled in green. This mark is used by the motor's encoder to regulate timing. Clean it in the same way you cleaned the glass, and also clean the surface of the metal ring that the black square is attached to. Set the color wheel aside in a safe place. You'll be out $700 for a whole new light engine if the wheel gets broken so be careful.

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Now, remove the lamp by loosening the three screws circled above. (They do not become fully removed.) Then use the handle to pull the unit straight out. Clean the top glass surface of the lamp with the cotton cloth, but do not put the lamp back into the light engine yet.

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Next, there is a small glass window through which light passes from the lamp to the color wheel. Use a dry cotton swab (Q-tip) to clean BOTH SIDES of it thoroughly. Also clean the front side of the light receiver which is pictured here in the lower portion of the green circle. This is where light exits the color wheel chamber on it's way to the projection lens. Reinstall the lamp unit and tighten the three screws you loosened in the previous step.

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There's a white heat sensor attached to the top of the lamp housing. It's held down by one screw and a large washer. Remove it and clean the bottom surface of this sensor. Then reinstall it. With great care, reinstall the color wheel and firmly tighten the two screws holding it in place. Then reinstall the plastic cover plate and screws.

Next, use the cotton cloth to clean the lens itself. For anyone who's seen the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey, the lens looks almost identical to HAL9000's eye.

Page #10 Check that all screws and the color wheel lead wires on the light engine have been properly reinstalled, and put the light engine back into the TV. Remember to take your time and be gentile so that you don't inadvertently damage any of the components. Reaffix all of the lead wires from the input module to the light engine and put all of the screws back into their appropriate locations. Once you've completed that, you should again be looking at something like the image below.

At this point, we've reversed the symptoms of the problem and the distortion and flicker will no longer happen, but the fundamental issue of heat dispersion remains, so the gremlins will inevitably return unless we do something to keep the light engine cool. My recommendation is that you leave the lamp cover plate and the large back cover off. If you do that, the picture above would represent the TV's normal operational state. Most people place their set against a wall, so the ugly wires and internal components won't show anyway. The open back will dramatically improve air flow over the lamp thereby stripping away the deadly heat instead of letting it cook the color wheel to death. There is an obvious safety risk associated with leaving the cover off: accidentally putting your hand inside the TV while it's on could result in an electric shock, so be careful and warn anyone (especially children) who may come into contact with the back of the TV. If you choose instead to put the cover back on, I highly recommend first using a cutting tool like a Dremel to cut away the plastic grille which covers the hole on the left side of the unit. That hole is the main cooling duct for the lamp's fan, and the grille which covers it creates so much resistance, that most of the hot air is likely to be re-circulated inside the TV rather than exhausted out. This is a major design flaw. If you do leave the back cover off as I recommend, there's one additional step that needs to be done for the TV to work. There's a small blue switch on the lamp shroud which prevents the TV from powering on if the back cover is off, so we need to override it. The green circle in the picture below shows where that switch is located.

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I cut a small piece of cardboard to fit into this slot, and I used it to permanently trip the switch.

Page #12 Don't move the TV yet because you still need access to the internal adjustment bracket. Plug the power cord into the wall, connect up a video source, and turn the TV on. In most cases, the image tilt and other settings will need to be changed because slight movements in the light engine have probably thrown off the original calibration. Use the circled screws on the bracket pictured below to make initial adjustments to image tilt and keystone. If you're lucky enough to have it look perfect right away, then congratulations, you're done. But most people will need to do some adjusting. For safety, turn the TV off and unplug it while adjusting the bracket.

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Additional fine tuning can be made on the adjustment device behind the front access panel as seen above. The right and left panels just pull off, the card reader and control panel in the center are mounted by 4 screws that you'll need to remove.

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Once the control panel is off, you'll see the adjustment device pictured above. Slightly loosen the single large hex screw in the middle with a 5mm hex wrench, you may need to use pliers to turn the wrench. If you don't have metric hex wrenches, a 3/16ths hex wrench will work. Then, with the TV plugged in and turned on, use a 4mm socket to turn the three adjustment screws to fine tune the image. If you don't have metric sockets, a 5/32nds socket will work. The upper right one controls tilt, the lower right one controls horizontal keystone, and the left one controls vertical keystone. I found that my keystone was unchanged, so I didn't need to adjust it at all, but the tilt needed a couple of clockwise twists. Your mileage may vary. When you're done, re-tighten the large hex screw, and reinstall the control panel and side panels.

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Finally, use the TV remote to make vertical and horizontal position adjustments. Press MENU,2,4,5,7 to activate service mode. Then press REWIND to display the test pattern. Press the AUDIO button to enter the format menu, "1.HPOS" should be displayed. Now use the up and down arrow keys to make adjustments. When you're satisfied with your settings, press the ENTER key to finalize. Now press the VIDEO button and "2.VPOS" should be displayed as seen above. Again, use the arrow keys to make adjustments and press ENTER to finalize. When you're done, press EXIT, and enjoy your flicker-free HDTV!

Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity. -Horace Mann, 1859 Don took it and said: "Thanks! That's awfully kind of you. I'll pay it back first chance." The banker replied: "Instead, pay it forward to some other brother who needs it." -Robert Heinlein, 1951