Lamp Change on Sony VVega 42" TV

Recently my TV stopped working. As most of you know, these rear projection TVs take a specialized lamp called Metal Halide. Not only is the lamp specialized, but the housing it comes in is usually proprietary as well.

I ordered the lamp from a company called Advanced Lamps.

In order to make sure I received the right replacement, I moved the TV and found the actual part number for my unit KF-42WE610.

When the lamp showed up, I had a hard time finding clear instructions for the swap. For this reason, I took lots of pictures to help everyone else out that may have a similar model TV.

Un-Plug the TV.

Wait at least 30 minutes if the lamp was just on.

Find a thumb screw and loosen it all the way. Next find its match on the other side of the TV and do the same. It is a fine thread so there will be lots of twists.

This cover fits very tight. Pull from the bottom and slightly down as you pull toward yourself. You can see the separation where I put the arrow. When the portion nearest the edge is partially released, there will still be a lot of tension from the push fit button located where I put the yellow circle. Next repeat on the other side.

When both sides are loose, the center will still be hanging on. Gently put a hand up from the bottom and pop the last button located just about 1 inch to the side of the power button.

With the cover out of the way you can find the thumb screw on the lamp cover door.

This is about where the instructions I found on the lamp sites pick up. All though the images were too small or they were line drawings and did not depict the front or back of the TV. : ) Nice...

Anyway, loosen the thumb screw and remove the cover door.

Use an Allen wrench or Phillips screwdriver as appropriate for the lamp removal. My original used an Allen where the replacement used Phillips and the screws were pre-set into the housing.

When the screws are loose, the lamp housing pulls straight out. It fits snuggly on positioning posts and will require a little effort to remove it. Be firm but gentle.

After pulling the lamp housing out, I noticed that there is a diffuser the lamp points directly at. This diffuser had a nice V pattern of soot or micro fine dust on it.

You are not supposed to touch any of the optics in the unit. However, if I put a new lamp in and let it blast through that garbage my picture and brightness will suffer. I figured that I was better off taking a chance with a dry micro fiber cloth and rubbing it clean ever so gently. This was a good choice. It cleaned up beautifully and I have no odd anomalies on the picture.

Consider this your warning. This may void your warranty if you touch that lens, so consider it carefully.

Push the new lamp gently into position and then firmly seat it onto the guide posts and electrical connectors with a good firm push. Not too hard.

Now, tighten the screws. Down firm, but not tight. These screws just keep everything from wiggling, they do not hold a 200lb mirror on the wall.

We are reversing the process here, so just follow along.

Place the cover and tighten the thumb screw.

This photo is to give you an idea of alignment for the front cover. I found that rolling it up into position gave me the least fight.

Use a palm or a fist to gently bump the cover where the buttons hold it to the rest of the TV. Make a mental note of the positions as you raise it to position.

One of the bumps will be at the yellow circle and another at the center just to the side of the power button.

Snug these up.

Plug it back in, turn it around or whatever and turn it on!

Don't forget to re-adjust your picture settings, as you probably compensated over time and did not realize how much.

I hope this is helpful.

Brad