FixYourDLP.com Forums

it begins to get hard to turn on. I have 1745 hours clocked on the replacement lamp (phillips from discount merchant). this started a few months pack, the rapid clicking and no-fire. It would eventually turn on after a few attempts, and when it did the picture was great (nice and bright). I figured the bulb was new and still bright so its probably a ballast or power supply issue. Just out of curiosity i tried the old bulb (that was dim and worn out but still worked when removed) and it works perfectly, fires every time. Now i know i need a new bulb, but because this one only lasted less than a year, I dont want to order through them again. Any suggestions on where to get a replacement OSRAM bulb and not one of these phillips duds?

Hello,
I think the smartest thing to do besides calling RCA, would be to run a Google search!

Be aware though! Philips lamps are rarely defective! and there is a clear explanation why your old lamp works and the new one does not!
These lamps work via a mercury vapor thats inside the filament and like many elements it consumes over time, which is why you need to replace the lamp, New Lamps are mercury rich so they require a little more volts from the ballast (15,000 for ignition) Older Lamps are spent so they require less voltage. This is very common (if you read through some more ballast forums) a weak ballast issue.
hope this helps!