TV too big to take to your home theater? No problem. Just a few common
tools, some extra hands, and some common sense, you can get that tv to your home theater
with relative ease. Check out the solution submitted by HDTVoice.com
admin/owner Joe Jenkins.
Project : Getting your 57" Widescreen Sony 57hw40 down in the
basement.
Tools Required: Phillips Head Screwdriver (electric preferrred), 2 people, Flashlight,
Muscles, Small Flat Head screwdriver, sharpee.
Length of project: 2-3 hours.
Money Saved: Around $150 (local places charge about this much)
Reasons: Because you didnt want the 51" tv, and you bought this tv and your wife
has been begging you to get it down there asap.
Negatives: Warranty is void after this, but there is no evidence that you performed
this (no stickers broken, etc)...
Ok, after a few months of procrastination, I finally got up the courage to get my TV
down in the basement. My older brother was in town for a week, so I figured I could
recruit him to help me out. I read on some other site that some brave soul took his
sony 57hw40 57" tv apart into 3 pieces, and was able to get his tv in his basement.
Well, I am happy to report that I pulled it off, and it is pretty easy to do. I decided to
document the experience, and to take some pictures for those who might want to perform the
same operation.
First and foremost: I am not held liable for any damages that befalls you upon your
quest. It is your decision and yours alone, so I wish you good luck, and hoping the force
is with you. If you have your doubts, just spend the $150 and get a sony tech in the house
to do it for you.
Ok, here we go..... first, lets take a peek at my tv before I embarked on the great
quest.
Yep, a thing of beauty she is, and my xbox, rp56 and Tivo as well. (yea, its a mess,
another reason I wanted it in the basement, so I can eventually build a rack in my
wall)...
Ok, onto the first step.....
1. REMOVING THE SPEAKER GRILL
The first thing you want to do is get the flat head screwdriver and get on the ground
and look for the 2 circles that hold the front speaker grill. Here is a picture of
them....
Using the flathead, remove the 2 circle thingees that reveal the 2 screws, and remove
the 2 screws.
2. WIGGLE THE GRILL OFF
From the side of the grill, slowly wiggle up on one side and it will release. Do the
same on the other side of the grill. WARNING: do not pull it off, as wires are attached on
the grill that are attached to the tv. Once you wiggle both sides free, move to the center
of the grill and slowly move the grill out and up to release it. Here is a pic that might
help.
Ok, now you need to remove the wires from the grill that are attached to the cabinet.
Their are 5 clips that you need to remove. I used a sharpee to label them after I
unplugged them, and I wrote down on a piece of paper where they went. Here are some pics
of of the plugs you need to remove...
This is an easy step. Just go behind the tv, and look for the brownish rear cover.
Their should be 11 screws holding it together. Remove all those screws. Here is a pic of
the rear cover and some screws.
The screen is pretty easy to remove as well, but you need someone to hold the screen
from the front so that it doesnt fall.
It's really light, so don't be worried about it falling on you. Start un-screwing all the
screws around the rear housing that hold the screen. Here is a pic of the section where
you need to unscrew.
WARNING: The screen is attached to the base with wires, so once you get all the screws
un-screwed, do not pull it away from the base....
5. THE HARDEST PART, REMOVING THE WIRING ATTACHED TO THE SCREEN
Ok, well, it wasn't that hard, but sorta a pain. Make sure someone is still holding the
screen while you do this. Their are 4 plugs that are attached to the screen. Two red, and
two white plugs. Make a note of where each plug went (I sharpeed them with 1,2,3,4).
Unplug them and start removing the wiring from the clips. Eventually, you will be able to
remove all of them and the screen will be free from the wires. Place the screen aside when
done. Here is a pic of my bro holding the screen, and also a pic of the plugs.
Their should be 4 remaining screws holding the top of the tv to the bottom heavy
section. They should be in the back. Remove those, and lift it off. Place it aside and
start clapping!
Phew, almost done. Now you must use those muscles and get the heavy bottom section down
the stairs. It is not recommended to lift your tv at an angle, but we had to get it down
through the door, so the angle we reached was about 45 degrees (pray that the guns dont
get pissed).... Here is us about to bring it down the stairs!
Once you get it down the stairs, pat yourself on the back, and start praying to the
HDTV gods that your set is still functional... =)
8. PUT SET BACK TOGETHER!
Just go in reverse order of what you did above, and you should be all good to go. The
hardest part getting it back together was the wiring connected to the screen.
