Samsung DLP TV shuts off

I had the same problem with my Samsung 52" HDLP set turning off by itself. This is a common problem with the Samsung sets and I followed the advice I found online and believed it solved the problem. Remove the lamp cover in the rear of the TV (usually held on by one screw). There is a thermal cut off switch that is activated by the depressing of it by the cover. Factory installation for some reason was not done properly and the switch would not be fully depressed causing the set to shut off.After removing the cover, relace it by seatng the bottom of the cover first to depress the switch and tilting the top of the cover in to close it. Replace the screw &you are done. My set shut itself off for 8 Months before I found this fix. It hasn't shut off since. Good Luck

Here is my fix for this problem. There is an access panel on the right side of the TV for changing the lamp. This panel has a rubber button that has "Lamp" next to it. Remove the rubber button with a screw driver and then you can remove the screw that holds the panel on. This panel slides forward to remove. When it is re-installed, a fin on the panel activates a swtich that tells the TV that the panel is seated. My switch was on the edge of being seated and intermittantly shut the TV off. My fix was to put a couple of strips of masking tape on the fin where it activated the button. This depressed the button fully and my problem is gone. It is easier to see if you remove the rear cover first.

I have the same issue. Found a solution...baught a plasma. No more Samsung DLP's for me.

I have a Samsung DLP 56" and had the same issue-tv kept shutting itself off. Ran the usual troubleshooting steps- dust, temp, ventilation, etc. Finally, I unplugged my Time Warner DVR-turns out that the dumb HD DVR was sending shutdown signals to protect HD content recording!!!! HDCP Sucks!!!!
No wonder the issue started after I started recording Law & O HD on TNT HD.
My tv was doing this every day and after replacing my hd dvr for a regular hd cable box, the issue hasn't repeated ( 6 months and counting).
Hope this helps somebody.
Machaan

I had the same problem and stumbled on the fix. It seems there is a factory defect. Open the lamp cover and you will probobly notice that the blue shut off switch on the left side is landing on top od the lamp cover. Reach down with a pencil or something and make sure the switch is under the tab on the lamp cover. My 50 DLP has not shut down since I set the switch properly. Free fix... try it.

Yes - Please refer to my comment above- "comment by longwaytogo" posted on 2-16-08 -

We removed the back of the TV (no compressed air) but vacuumed
everything as much as possible. Disconnected the temp sensor plug and then re-connected it. This solved the problem- it is now April 9th and the TV has worked perfectly since then.

All roads seem to lead to the temp sensor. We thought ours was completely faulty, but come to find out , it was simply not properly plugged in.

My son also suggested getting a fan for a computer tower and installing that- as he thought the fan may be faulty. This is another option.

These DLP TV's have gone WAY DOWN in price-- LCD seems to be the front runner recently.

I have a Samsung DLP 61" inside an entertainment center. Kept turning off after only being on for a minute or so. This went on for several months. I installed a 110V computer fan on the outside of the vents to take the hot air out of the unit. My TV has never turned off again. I plugged the Computer fan into my cable box so it goes off with it to limit the fan noise when not in use..


John

I've been having the same problem, 42 inch Samsung DLP 2 years old. Turns off after 20-30 minutes, will turn on again but usually turns off quicker. I opened up the back and and blew, knocked some dust off a cooling fan with a screwdriver, and its been on for an hour + now... crossing my fingers.

I just started having the same intermit shut off with my hln5065 dlp. I just cut the wires going to the blue lamp cover switch and soldered them together and taped them. No more random shut off problems anymore. I was worried I would have to start throwing parts at it because it can quickly add up to coming close to the cost of a new TV.

My advice is to take care of that switch before you start having problems.

I have seen the same complaints over and over again....intermittently shutting off. Of course, it's intermittent, so the next step is for the repair techs to throw parts at it....and then hundreds of dollars later, the problem still exists.

I developed this problem on my Samsung 5067 DLP... Intermittent shut off. Of course, I replaced the lamp as a first step - no dice. I later pulled everything out, cleaned away the dust, manually tested the fans by applying an external 12V supply, etc..I also moved my TV away from the wall to allow more ventilation - the issue persisted.

My gut instince said it had to be heat related.... the area by the bulb gets very hot, and I could feel very little air exiting the TV at the rear vent.

I went to Radio Shack, bought a 120V 4" fan - basically meant for PC's, electronics, etc. I zip tied this to the back of my TV, just above the access cover for my lamp (it basically sits over the access door, but I attached it to the rear cover just above with two zip ties so I can still access my lamp without removing the fan). I made sure the it was exhausting the hot air from the TV to the outside - no use in blowing air into the TV at this location, since you want it to vent! I also installed a Rheostat on the fan so I can adjust the speed - this reduces noise and load on the fan. Mine runs at about half speed.

You can now reach around the back and feel very warm air exhausing out the back. The problem has not reappeared and the TV works great. Basically, the design is a corridoor inside the TV, where a fan pushed air from the front of the TV, through a plenum, around the lamp, light engine, etc., and ultimately out the back. The fan sits pretty far back, and clearly doesn't move enough air to properly vent the TV. This is also where the temp sensor is located. BTW - I wouldn't advise disabling the temp sensor - it's there for a reason, and you could jeopardize safety by tampering with this (for testing, you can disable it by putting a resistor in it's place - simply disconnecting won't work).

So, knock on wood...mine is great. A little bit of a pain, since I have to manually shut off the fan...but well worth the $25.00 to solve the issue! This took me about 20 minutes to install, and as I said, you can feel the hot air venting - prior to doing this, I hardly felt anything coming out of the back. And if this heat isn't venting, it eventually circulates and raises the temperatur under the cover by several degrees... Seems Samsung should have done a better job on the cooling / venting.

Our 50" DLP began shutting off soon after it was turned on. The set is 2 years old and I didn't think the bulb should be out so soon. Major tech store told me new bulb was needed. Samsung website said we needed to send it in. I read the suggestions and the blue lever behind the back cover was the problem. I took off the cover. Then I used a small wad of scotch tape on the underside of the extention on the cover to help get the blue lever down and to hold it down( No sticky side out. Just smooth.) I replaced the cover. The TV hasn't turned off by itself since. What a wonderfully, easy, cheap solution! My husband was sceptical, but is now amazed!

42" DLP was doing this exact same thing .Shut all power down. I removed the light access door, removed the bulb.,Used a dust magnet to remove as much dust as possible. Then used a can of keyboard CPU air to clean the fan blades. I've waited 60 days to make this post to ensure this really worked. Well its been 72 days and my TV has not clicked off like a ghost since. Its a very slow process but it worked for me.To prevent furture problems I now clean it 1st every three months. Hope this helped save someone a repair bill . Are a needless blub replacement.

I had the same problem. Samsung DLP, extended warranty just ran out, started shutting off all the time. After a little internet research I figured out the common problem was the blue switch behind the cover over the projection screen. Samsung has a web page showing this switch and suggesting that it is not being positioned correctly when the cover is replaced.

http://ars.samsung.com/customer/usa/jsp/faqs/faqs_view.jsp?isARS=Y&SITE_ID=1&AT_ID=83523&ARS_ID=6223298

That doesn't make sense because most people have this problem without ever opening the cover.

I took the cover off, unplugged the connector to the switch board, and installed a short piece of copper wire with one end in each of the two sockets of the plug. This closed the circuit like the switch is supposed to do. The TV works great now.

Apparently the switch is defective and breaks the circuit now and then. This happens mostly after the TV gets a little older. It is a safety device to protect against someone getting burned or shocked when the cover is off so just be careful and keep the cover in place.

Thank you to those that recomended that I remove the lamp cover in the rear of the TV and tape down the thermal cut off switch ( I also reseated the lamp) I did this about 2 months ago and I have not had the problem since.

change the lamp ,the lamp may look good ,but it is defictive.

The suggestion of adjusting the blue switch was the perfect fix, thank you!

I have a DLP 5067W.. I removed the lamp cover and found that the screw that holds the "blue switch" in place was actually loose. I'm thinking vibration. I tighted and re-asligned the screw.

I saw on here where someone suggested direct wiring the switch harness for the switch that is on the back panel door. I used speaker wire to connect the two outer prongs and my tv has not turned off since. Thanks for the great recommendation.

Had the same shut off problem for months. Dusting and a little fan helped quite a bit. I had already made sure the blue switch was down under cover. I was afraid to disconnect temp sensor for fear it might actually be overheating and become a fire hazzard. Following advice gathered here, I taped the blue switch down with electrician tape (went the length of the switch to the metal base down below. Then I built up the contact plate on the cover to keep it way down firmly. I have let it run up to 12 hours without the fan and it hasnt shut off once since!!! Its very easy to just remove the lamp cover and do this. thanks to everyone!!!!!

same problem and this saved me 150.00 on a new lamp or color wheel or balast that i thought might have been the problem. fixed for free... i love it

We tried all the above as far as the lamp panel and resetting the blue button. Then called Samsung, he suggested that we unplug the unit for 30 seconds and plug back in. It WORKED!! TV on and apparantly this is the fix, yet we are unsure if the resetting of the button also contributed... Good Luck..

I had the same problem.and found out that my problem had something to do with the TV Guide that turns on after you power up. I turned the TV guide off and now it goes staight to the programing without freezing or turning off and on by itself. TVGUIDE sucked anyway

My 50" DLP kept on shutting down on heat. The fan worked so I figured it was not big enough because if I ran a room size fan blowing past the rear of the set it would work well.
I replaced the fan with a larger computer fan with by removing the original fan. I needed to shave the fan cowling down about 1/2 in so it would fit. I have had not any trouble since.

Thank you, Bwells55!  Your suggestion solved my problem.  I had to reach in with a long thin screwdriver to flip the switch down and then shut the cover quickly.  It is darn near impossible to get that cover on with the switch in the proper position.  What a pain.  But now it's working and I'm happy.  Thanks!!!