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Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Is My Projector Broken Or Do I Just Need A New Lamp?

Is My Projector Broken Or Do I Just Need A New Lamp?

We get calls every day at allprojectorlamps.com from people that have problems with projectors made by Hitachi, Sanyo, NEC, Epson, Infocus, you name it. They want to know if the problem they are having with their projector is caused by their projector lamp, or is it another problem with their projector.
 
The modern multimedia projector is a fairly complex piece of equipment with a variety of parts that could suddenly stop working, including the projector lamp. If your projector or DLP TV stops working and you have never replaced your lamp and the machine has flashed warnings about replacing the lamp for several week; chances are you need another lamp.

These projector lamps do not have a filament, but light is created by an arc between two electrodes that ignite the gases in the arc tube. Over time your projector lamp will become dimmer. At some point it will become so weak that the ballast will be unable to ignite the gases in the arc tube. The ballast will continue to try to ignite the lamp until the arc tube gets so hot that it shatters inside your projector.  Here is a good indicator that your projector lamp needs to be replaced: broken glass in your projector.

Lamp Disposal

These lamps do contain mercury and mercury is a recognized toxin. Care should be taken when cleaning up the broken pieces.  Every state has its own laws regarding the disposal of these lamps. You can visit http://www.epa.gov/epahome/state.htm to find out the proper way to dispose of these lamp types in your state. Many lamp distributors such as allprojectorlamps.com and projectorlampz.com will accept old lamps for proper disposal if a new lamp is purchased.
For this reason you should avoid pushing your lamp to the limit. When your projector starts flashing a “change lamp” warning, you should start looking for a bulb replacement. Your projector does not have an uncanny knowledge of the condition of the bulb, but it does know how many hours the projector lamp has been used.  Your projector is programmed to flash the lamp warning when the lamp gets close to the rated life of the lamp. Yes, some lamps will last for a good while past the average rated life, but why not get a new lamp and use the old one as a spare?

Failure to reset the timer on your projector or DLP TV:

In some projector models, such as some Infocus projectors, the projector will shut down until a new lamp is installed. Once a new lamp is installed and the projector timer is reset, the projector or DLP TV will resume working. The projector manufacturers such as Infocus, Sanyo, Sharp and Panasonic do this because they do not want the lamp to burst in the projector. If you heed the warning of the projector or DLP TV and replace the lamp as instructed, you will need to reset the timer. If not, the projector may shut down automatically as scheduled. Reset the timer every time you replace the lamp.

Projector door not closed properly:

Your projector lamp operates at extremely high temperatures and many fail-safe’s have been built into the projector to eliminate possible fire hazards. One way the projector manufacturer, and this includes every manufacturer from 3M and Ask to Viewsonic and Zenith, is to not allow the projector to start unless the lamp door is sealed properly. If you forget to close the door, replace the screws or tighten them properly on your projector or DLP TV. The machine will not work. If your projector or DLP TV does not work immediately after replacing your lamp, please check the door and make sure it is closed correctly.

When I turn on the projector I hear the fan but the lamp does not come on.

If all other parts of the projector seem to be working, but no light come from your projector. It may be time to replace the bulb in your machine. There may be other issues with your projector but more often than not, it is time to replace the bulb.

My projector works intermittingly.

If your projector lamp works for a while and then the machine shuts down, works for a while and then shuts down. You probably have a problem with another component of the projector. The projector lamp has no moving parts. It simply reacts to the input of the power supply and ballast. Some projectors are designed to turn off it gets too hot. This is to avoid a potential fire risk. If the lamp lights up at all, it’s usually a good lamp.

“Lamp didn’t strike” message.

If you just replaced your lamp, and you get the “Lamp didn’t strike”  (Infocus) or similar message. Make sure that the lamp is properly seated in the projector. Under normal conditions the lamp is automatically seated correctly when the projector lamp door is replaced, however some models allow a little wiggle room and the plug does not connect with the lamp securely. Pull your lamp out and try seating it again. If you continue to have the same problem, you probably have a bad projector lamp.

I am getting lines on the screen.

Vertical and horizontal lines or bars on the screen are not caused by a defective lamp. This is normally some other component of the projector that has nothing to do with the lighting system. You should contact the manufacturer of the projector who will be able to better diagnose the problem. It is sometimes associated with a bad motherboard.

The image on the screen appear out of focus or blurred.

If your projector shows a blurry image, check the condition of the lens. Sometimes when a new lamp is replaced, dust is dislodged from inside the projector and can coat the lens. If you try to focus the projector or DLP TV you may find that you can see the dust particles on the image. Clean the lens with the appropriate cloth and the problem should go away. This is not a sign of a defective lamp.
AllProjectorLamps.com specializes in replacing lamps for all models of projectors and DLP TVs. Our 30+ years of experience are available to you free of charge by calling us at 866-470-9877.


39 comments:

  1. Hi, i have acer xd1170 projector, the problem is when i plug the power, fans is running automatically, but i cannot power on the projector. Is this mainboard issue or something else?
    Thx

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    Replies
    1. I have the same problem but no one gives a helpful suggestion :(

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  2. We get calls every day at allprojectorlamps.com from people that have problems with projectors made by Hitachi, Sanyo, NEC, Epson, Infocus, ... epprojectors.blogspot.com

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  3. These projector lamps do not have a filament, but light is created by ... scprojectors.blogspot.com

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  4. Hi - and thank you.
    My Mitsubishi HC-8600 is producing images now with a pink tint - whites for example are now a ruddy pink color. Will changing the bulb help this? I’ve never changed the bulb - it only has about 2/3’s of it‘s use used.

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    1. Hi there, I have a HC6800 and spent a long time trying to figure out why I had big areas of pink over the white part of images. It had gotten worse over the last year or so. After a bit of googling it appeared the pink was caused by dust over the green LCD panel. I pulled my projector to bit and the Green LCD panel was covered in dust as were the other panels lightly covered in dust, in fact there was heaps of dust in it. Initially I tried just blowing the dust out without completely dismantling it but it didnt fix it. I then pulled it to bits exposing the LCD panels, lenses mirrors etc, cleaned them put it back together and its great now all fixed. The blotches of pink looked initially like pink smudgy fingerprints but gradually grew to almost block out most of the white

      BIG NOTE: pulling the projector to bits is pretty intense I would not recommend it to anyone who is not used to pulling delicate electronic items to bits, it really was touch and go as to if it would ever work again....if you can afford it take it in and get it professionally cleaned. I really though there was a chance my projector that I do really enjoy would never work again but it worked out well and is like new again

      Just though I'd reply as it sounds similar to my issue and now that I have seen just how much dust gets inside that projector I wouldnt mind betting most will end up with this issue

      I do have a few photos of it in bits and the dust on the LCD panel if you want

      Regards
      Stu
      New Zealand

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    2. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    3. Hello Stu,
      I too had pink blotch areas showing up on my HC6800. I brought it to anautherized Mitsubishi repair place and was told a board needed replacing and that parts were scare. Shortly after I got a call saying the projector was fixed that he was able to fix the board. It was great having such a nice projector working again.
      I thought it all sounded too good to be true, but the projector is working fine.
      With your posts I am now understanding what probably really was done to fix things. One odd clue is that the chromed plastic cosmetic ring around the lens had been broken apart and glued back together.

      If you have the dust photos to share I'd appreciate seeing them too.
      Thank you for your posts,
      Nick M.

      Sent from my iPad

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    4. Hi Nick, not too sure how to send photos via the forum but if you reply with your email address I can send through a picture of the dust that created the issue...Stu

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    5. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. Hi, I have a BenQ MX 501/MS 500, it stopped suddenly, wouldn't power on and the fan won't work. It didn't give any warning sign, the only thing I realised was that the images just before it stopped working became quite faint and difficult to see. Could this be due to the lamp?
    Thanks.

    Michael

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  6. I think if you choose second option then it's better here we have latest projector lamps just go here http://www.tvlampsforless.com/

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  7. Nice post. I learn something more challenging on different blogs everyday. It will always be stimulating to read content from other writers and practice a little something from their store. I’d prefer to use some with the content on my blog whether you don’t mind. I’ll give you a link on your web blog. I recently came to know about http://machinesuae.com/, their Buy Latest Projectors are very effective.
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  8. Hi my school projector is not working so what should I do because the fans are working

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  9. high i have a uf 65 smartboard projector nad it saids fan fail

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  10. Hi.ive a saNyo projector.it was working then suddenly faded out and the screen went blank.I switch it of and on several times bt all i see is light on the lens but it does project anything.i need urgent help

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  11. The informative provided in this blog was awesome. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and views through this blog
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  12. We mistakenly believe that, as long as the brightness of the projector lamp increase high enough, then the projection will certainly be very legible; in fact, projection, except and generic projector lamp brightness relationship, and the lamp's working environment relationship, work environment light intensity will affect the projection.

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  13. one person cheating me to repair infocus projector. plz help me call me 0815896454 so that I can share my problem

    ReplyDelete
  14. Had my projector disconnected for months, got it hooked back up and everything seemed to be working fine: video was working then all of a sudden there was a loud pop and the screen went black. I am assuming that with moving we disturbed the lamp or something. The red light showed that there was a lamp issues. I hear the fan running and no luck. There was still plenty hours of life remaining... Does this seem worse issue than just purchasing a new lamp? Thank you for your advice. We have an Epson HomeCinema 8350

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  15. I'm using a Panasonic VW350 WXGA projector and I just replaced the lamp kit. The problem is I can't reset the lamp hr cause the warning lamp keep blinking causing it to shutdown. How do i resolve this issue? Thank u.

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  16. I'm using a Panasonic VW350 WXGA projector and I just replaced the lamp kit. The problem is I can't reset the lamp hr cause the warning lamp keep blinking causing it to shutdown. How do i resolve this issue? Thank u.

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  17. So confused now what to do with our 1995 rear projection TV. the last I had it on it was all red tones and out of focus. Could it be just dust as we have not used it in ten years. Now with the downstairs remodeled I would like to use it again until I budget a new one. Besides hard to get rid of floor 46" they want by the pound fees.

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  18. I just replaced the lamp kit too. The problem is I can't reset the lamp hr cause the warning lamp keep blinking causing it to shutdown. more: lampschoice.com

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  19. Hi, when I plugged my projector in everything works fine however the colours are incorrect and there isn't any red instead everything has a tint of blue. Any ideas?

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  20. Nice Blog

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  21. vrey good! Projector Lamp Cage Manufacturer Having a spare lamp handy can save the day and make you look like a hero.

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  22. Hi I have a torpedo projector the light turns on so does the fan but no image shows. What could it be?

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  23. I have Hitachi and they're all showing lines on the screen,what could be done to fix them...response urgently needed

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