Samsung DLP TV shuts off

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.

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!

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.

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!!!!!

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.

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.

Didn't work for me :( I have had the same symptoms for over a year, my Samsoung DLP 61in is about 3 yrs old...goes through phases of cutting out and flashing the 'Stand By/Temp' light. Usually after a few tries it will come back on or I just give up for a day. Now its back to the point where it does it within 5seconds of the tv coming on = zero watchability! I tried the easy solutions of taking the back panel off, dust-busting, plugging and unplugging the sensor, and taping the blue lever down...But the same symptoms still proceed!! Can anyone offer any additional help?!?!

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

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!!!

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

Hello all who have posted here. I just finished a 2 hour on line service thread and then called Samsung service department. None were of any help and all tried to avoid the manufacturing defect in these TVs. I pointed out to them that what they tried to tell me they knew nothing about was all over the Google site and if they would take a minute and Google their defect we could have a responsible conversation. No deal; this is not their problem. They are willing to set up service but the charge is on me. We all know that this is their manufacturing/design defect. I want to bring this to our FL AG consumer affairs dept and begin a class action to either have Samsung cure their defect or recall all of them. We are all entitled to compensation for their defect and for being good customers in the first place.
Let's get the class action suit going and I'm sure once Samsung sees that their reputation, what is left of it, is harmed and their sales begin to slide more than they are, maybe they will decide to become a good corporate citizen and fix their design flaw for all of us or take their TVs back.
Go to your respective AG consumer affairs dept today and file a complaint. I'm going to contact a class action lawyer here in Tampa today and give what I have learned to him and try to get it started on my end. Please do the same wherever you live.
Larry

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.

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

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 a 42 in that did the same thing. It's the small panel that opens for in the back. It has a switch that the door hits that allows the power to shut off when the door is off. Mine was not pushing the switch far enough to keep the power on. I put a few pieces of electrical tape on the point of the door that comes in contact with the switch. Since then I haven't had a problem, 2 years now.

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.

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

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.

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..

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.

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

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

i have a 81 dlp when i turn it off i hear a buzzing noise coming from the back maybe the fan

apprentice I have the same problem on my 56...2 years on the bulb slowly powers up to full brightness for around 30 secs,both fans are fine..i think, spinning anyway..then turns off 3 blinking lights ..help

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.

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

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.

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 had this same problem with my Samsung DLP. An easy fix....... The problem is in the blue safety switch, just UN plug the wire from it and use a paper clip to stick in to the female end of the free hanging wire. This will trick it into thinking the circuit is complete. Problem fixed!

Don't know if this applys to you but if you have purchased anything but Osram or Philips replacement lamp for your DLP tv then this is probably your problem.. The generic is VERY tempting in this recession but in this case generic is poison to your dlp tv... i have a Mitsubishi 60735 and went thru 2 generic bulbs when my tv kept shutting down on it's own and the lights on front would flash, i could cut it back on for 10 minutes then flicker and shut down again ..well since the bulb was new i thought it may be defective so i got is exchanged for another one ... after all of the post i have seen how much repairs were going to cost on dlp sets no matter what the problem was ..i was ready to chunk the tv out the door when the second lamp was doing the same thing.....!! well a last ditch effort to save my tv before i trashed it or taking it apart to dissect it.. was to buy a brandname lamp ... in my case i purchased a Philips ..it cost twice as much =/ ..i could just return it if it didn't work.. well it was the generic lamps that was causing trouble.. the brandname worked perfectly .. i am just glad the generic lamp didn't do any damage to my TV!!! I have done further research on the generic lamps and realized that the damage it could have done was not worth the money i saved when i purchesed it... Generic is a great deal In some cases (household cleaners, etc..) but in this case GET THE NAME BRAND!!!! the only name brands i know of for these lamps are Philips or Osram/Sylvania.. hope this helps others from this headache. Do your research don't by generic lamp replacements, your sets cost to much to risk it.

I have a Samsung DLP HL-T5676S that we could click on and off and it would finally come on and stay. Now we do that and it won't come on. The standby light was blinking when I turned it on indicating it was comming on but it didn't. Please help

I was having the same issue with my Samsung shutting off. After reading all of the above solutions (while trying to watch TV until it shut off again), I decided to give the lamp cover trick a try. The blue shut off switch on the left side did the trick. Thank you all for posting these solutions. My husband will never believe this!

Ok, so I have a 52 DLP Samsung. You turn it on, it comes on dims out and then the picture goes black and then the tv turns off! I have tried the blus witch thing with no success. All three lights blink on the front of it. I don't know what to do. This thing is only 3 years old!!