[bladteth]

Hi,

After nearly 2 years (and out of warranty) my Optoma HD600X developed a fault within DMD chip. There are tens if not hundreds of black pixels and recently a few white ones became stuck on the screen. Optoma service is way too dear, so I decided to replace the faulty part myself. What DMD chip does HD600X use? Where can I get it from?

Cheers!

[norvell]

I had the same issue with my Optoma, again a couple of months out of warranty.

The only place I have seen chips for sale is on Ebay (sourced from China)

[bladteth]

Originally Posted by norvell

I had the same issue with my Optoma, again a couple of months out of warranty.

It does not seem to be a rare problem judging by the number of posts in this forum.

The only place I have seen chips for sale is on Ebay (sourced from China)

Any idea what part numbers should I look for? Cheers!

[norvell]

I have no idea of the relevant part number, even googling gives very vague results.

As your Optoma is now neither use nor ornament i would suggest disassembly and get the part number of your defective chip/board.

There are chips for the HD67 and DW318 on Ebay which are very similar projectors to the HD600 and may indeed use the same Chip.

[fizwax]

Hello All. I am suffering from the same problem on my optima hd600x. It is out of warranty so I took the liberty of opening it up to bits to get the DMD chip part number.

The number is 1272-6038B.

The only place that sells them is AliExpress.com but it's not the cheapest chip in the block! I read somewhere that if you match the last part of the part number (6038b) you might find a cheaper compatible alternative. However I don't want to risk it seeing as the suppliers are all in China! There is also obviously some differences, hence the jump in price.

I have ordered mine and will haven to wait a week or more before it arrives. Hopefully should work and prolong the life if the projector. If you are willing to wait, I can update you on my progress before you all take the plunge!

Regards,
Fiaz

[bladteth]

Originally Posted by fizwax

I have ordered mine and will haven to wait a week or more before it arrives. Hopefully should work and prolong the life if the projector. If you are willing to wait, I can update you on my progress before you all take the plunge!

There is no rush. How easy is it to disassemble the projector to get to DMD chip? I took apart a few laptops in the past, no problems.

[fizwax]

Originally Posted by bladteth

How easy is it to disassemble the projector to get to DMD chip?

If you have opened up laptops before (without fear) then this is child play in comparison. As with laptops there are a couple of ribbon cables, connectors and lots of screws. But overall the parts are larger and fewer so quite easy to remember what goes where.

The dmd chip is behind the lens, so you have to take out the main board to get to it. It has a CPU like heat sink connected to the lens unit with two spring loaded screws. The socket opens like a CPU socket so very easy to take out and replace.

The thing to be careful of is not to damage the colour wheel during the dismantle. I somehow managed to knock off a segment and didn't realise until I turned it on again and heard the vibrations. For the time being I have super glued the segment back on (luckily it hadn't smashed) and it seems to be holding together, but I won't consider buying a replacement wheel if the DMD chip replacement doesn't work out.

When I get my chip I will try and post some photos of what I did.

[bladteth]

Originally Posted by fizwax

If you have opened up laptops before (without fear) then this is child play in comparison. As with laptops there are a couple of ribbon cables, connectors and lots of screws. But overall the parts are larger and fewer so quite easy to remember what goes where.

Sounds easy peasy. I have enquired about potential costs of DMD chip replacement and all Optoma support could say was to ask me to send the projector over, so that they can have a look at it for just £55 + VAT. Huge disappointment.

[fizwax]

I have managed to swap out the DMD with the replacement I ordered from China and can happily confirm it worked. No more stuck pixels!

I forgot to take pictures of my delicate handiwork but rest assured it is not as hard as you think.

The chip cost me just over £100 inc. delivery, and fingers crossed will keep the projector going for a couple of more years.
Hope this helps you in deciding whether or not to opt for the self repair route :-)

[bladteth]

That's great news. Could you provide a link to the chip you purchased? Do you know what kind of warranty comes with it? Cheers!

[fizwax]

Here is a link to the item I purchased. I chose this over others at the time as this supplier had it in stock and offered cheaper delivery costs.

Projector DMD Chip 1272 6038B-in Other Electronic Components from Electronic Components & Supplies on Aliexpress.com

You might find it a bit cheaper from others but it's always best to check if they have it in stock before placing the order. Just search the site for 1272-6038B (I think the 6038, 6039, 6138 and 6139 are all compatible but it's hard to get any information about these chips anywhere).

Mine came with a 180 day warranty but others offer up to a year. The whole AliExpress setup seems very professional, and you can open up disputes if you don't receive the item. The supplier only gets paid when you confirm you received the goods and are happy with the product. That's not to say that the money doesn't come out of your account until then, because it does get taken when you pay for your order! The supplier doesn't get paid until you are happy and you can even request a full or partial refund if things don't go to plan.

Also, when choosing shipping options (if you want it here quicker than the 15-29 days standard post), choose DHL over EMS. I went for EMS and they took way longer than the 7-10 days to deliver. Whereas when I ordered my colour wheel (from another supplier) it was shipped via DHL and I got it in 3 days!

Hope this helps.

[draftvader]

I have had the same problem with my HD600x for the past 6 months. At first it was just 2 dark dots (OFF) and I could ignore it. Now it is 20+ white dots and 60+ dark dots. My bigger problem is that we are located in Thailand at the moment and projectors are 50% more expensive here. I was so relieved to find this thread and we will be taking down the projector today to get the chip number. In anticipation of the swap we have found this video on YouTube. A VERY good instructional for this task. Let me know if this matches your experience as the model is slightly different.

Optoma Projector White Dots Pixels Fix - YouTube

[fizwax]

Hi, glad to know the information helped. I have seen this YouTube clip before and it was definitely useful. The projectors internal layout is slightly different but overall it's a good guide on the things to look out for. For example the ribbon that connects the main board to the external control panel on top of the case.

My biggest advice is be careful around the colour wheel. I would carefully unscrew it first and safely put it aside. That and the lamp. Then you can bash the projector about a little more without damaging the most sensitive parts!

When you take out the chip to get the part number, the heat pad might be stuck onto the under surface where the part number is. I had to scrape mine off and then put the projector back together with some thermal paste while I waited for the replacement. The contact between the chip and the heatsink is not firm so the thermal paste was only a stop gap. When I got my replacement, it included a new heat pad so I was relieved.

[draftvader]

I have received an e-mail back from Optoma UK. They have told me that my p/n for my projector model is 48.8ER01G001. This part number does not throw up any more information other than this is the OEM number for their DMD chip (meaning that it might have a normal number). fizwax, do you remember if there was any lack of clarity about the chip number on your old DMD chip?

I was trying not to take out the DMD chip yet as we only have 1 route available to replace our pj and that isn't open for another couple of months (i.e. having a friend bring it over).

[fizwax]

Hi.

Firstly, that is a breakthrough that optoma UK are offering to sell parts! I had a lengthy conversation with one of their guys a few months back, and they basically said they were not allowed to sell parts and only dealt with repairs.

To be honest, that part number does not strike any chords. The link I posted earlier in this thread shows the exact part number (1272-6038b) of my old DMD chip. If you look closely at the image, there is nothing that matches the part number that optoma are quoting you.

Although the part I received was something like 1272-6138, it still worked. I read somewhere that the 6038,6039,6138,6139 are all compatible. The part number has to start with 1272.

I would still say that a supplier from Ali Express is probably your best bet.

Fiaz