A friend of mine has this Sony Wega LCD Projection tv model #ADF-50E2000. It was made Oct 2006. It works off and on. A message comes on the screen that says the projection lamp needs to be replaced. The picture will go out and a light blinks and then the sound goes off. It will come back on after a few minutes. Sometimes it will work right for several days. Is this set worth fixing? Would the lamp be the only part that needs replaced or would it have other problems?
Thanks,John.

Have seen a number of problems with these sets. The ballast (actually the lamp power supply) may also be failing. Also, you may want to check and see if that set is among the notorius "light engine" TV's. These burn up the LCD panel from the lamp's heat. Sony was offering new sets at very low prices to the owners of these that failed. It's been a while since I worked on one but I remember they were a pain to service!

My friend told me that this set had been worked on once already. Her ex husband had it repaired and gave it to her. It sounds like it will be costly to repair. Is the lamp easy to replace? How do you check to see if the is a light engine set? She likes older things like I do so she may be better off to find a console tv in place of this one.
John

Made in 2006 it may be a generation or two after the Light Engine fiasco.
Does the set look good when it is working, no color blobs or patches?
If it does then the LE is probably OK, or at least it doesn't suffer from the problem that a lot of them had.

I doubt a bulb would be intermittent unless the set can sense it's getting tired.

Perhaps the contacts where the bulb is inserted are burned up or dirty.
Could be dust blocking the air passages and overheating it, these are cooled with a fan.

It wouldn't hurt to take a look, and yes, a bulb is something the consumer can, and was expected to change every so often.
I don't know how it's done on your set but there should be a removable panel on the bottom, either in front or back.

New ones are less than $100 these days
http://cgi.ebay.com/REPLACEMENT-BULB-HOUSING-SONY-TV-MODEL-KDF50E2000-/150633842238?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23127a063e

Also, wear rubber gloves when handling the bulb.
Skin oils tend to shorten their lifespan because they run quite hot.

The picture looks good when I have seen it. There were no botches in it. She told me it is not as bright as it used to be. I didnt notice a fan running when I looked at it. Will the bulb cause it to shut down?
John

...

You can check the hours on the bulb (provided it still turns on)

These are the instructions for a GW Gen 4 ,I don't know if it'll work on your set but it can't hurt to try it.

Checking lamp hours on a GWIV:

With the TV off, using the remote, Press Display - 5 - Volume+ - Power (in sequence - don't hold the buttons down).
Press Jump three times (top left of screen will display PANEL)
Press 2 nine times and at bottom left will be LampTM with the number of hours to the right of it.

To get out of service mode, just press Power to turn the TV off.

I have seen intermittent bulbs, especially on Panasonic DLPs.

Your situation is a gamble; you'd probably have $70-120 in a bulb, just to try it...

Two words about Sony lamps: MAT Electronics. I got my last six or seven from them - nice folks, and less expensive than eBay. I got the complete engine for a 42" Sony from them for 239 bucks - Sony/Encompass wanted w-a-a-y more. Happy customer, I am.

Cheers,

Two words about Sony lamps: MAT Electronics. I got my last six or seven from them



Six or seven?! How long have you had the set?

My 50" GW still has the original bulb in it, probably has 10,000 hours on it now but haven't checked since it was relegated to bedroom duty.

Thanks for the advice guys. She said she would have to wait a couple of weeks before she could order the lamp but does want to try it. I think I can put it in. I will post an update when we get it going.
John