So over the last couple of months ive been getting the lamp warning that it was going out. About 2 weeks ago, It died. I ordered a new one off amazon(may or may not have been a good idea). Needless to say, I put the new lamp in and nothing! I took the back cover off in hopes of finding out whats going on. When the tv gets turned on, I can hear the color wheel kick on, and I can see the lamp light, although it doesnt appear as bright as I would think it should be but im not sure exactly how bright it really should be. Anyway, after about 5 seconds, the bulb flickers, and the tv shuts off. I tested the lead wire into the ballast showing about 320 volts before the tv shuts off. So now to the questions... 1. Is 320 volts sufficient enough or is it lacking power going to the ballast? 2. Could the bulb be bad and still partially light? 3. Can I test the wires coming from the ballast going to the bulb to see if the ballast is bad, and if so what should the volts be there? 4. MOST IMPORTANTLY; WHATS WRONG?
I would appreciate experienced answers on this, or preferably one from a tv technician as I don't wanna be replacing parts left and right just to keep doing that.