disaster - reassurance required

[Sunshinewelly]

my girlfriend kindly switched off my AE1000 projector whilst it was running by mistake by pulling out the power lead. i had read about hot starts but could not remember whether they were fgood or not.

i took the wrong option and plugged it back in almost immediately as soon as the lead had been pulled out.

the projector went through its normal start up procedure (apart from the orange lights on the machine flashing) which according to the manual it does in the event of such a power cut off.

the projector seems fine but i am worried that i have caused some lasting damage to the thing. i am not unduly concerned with the bulb as they can be replaced. i need some reassurance realy that i have not fried the projector itself. my thinking is that the heat would have been dispelled by switching the machine back on as the fans then kicked in.

after reading about hot starts i realise i may not have done the lamp any favours.

however as the projector seems fine and the picture has not altered any way can i assume i have not done any lasting damage to the projector itself.

 

[xilog]

Be reassured By plugging it back immediately so the fans can run you've almost certainly prevented any heat-buildup damage to the internals. As you say; it's probably reduced the life of the bulb but hey, rather that than the PJ.

 

[theritz]

By plugging it back immediately so the fans can run you've almost certainly prevented any heat-buildup damage to the internals.

I don't agree...... if you pull the plug accidently on a projector the correct thing to do is to let it cool down on it's own, not plug it back in.

Hot re-starts are very tough on lamps, it's not unusual to kill the lamp immediately this way. You may have shortened the lamp life, but it's highly unlikely that plugging it back in has any beneficial effect to the other components in the projector.


S.

 

[Sunshinewelly]

Well My Concern Is Not With The Lamp But With The Projector. If The Lamp Is Effected Then Its Easily Replaced. Not So If The Projector Itself Is Damaged. As I Have Said My Reasoning Was That By Switching It Back On I Got The Fans Going Again Almost Immediately And Hence Would Have Dispersed Any Built Up Heat.

As Far As Protecting The Projector Is Concerned Surely That Is The Right Thing To Do.

 

[Sunshinewelly]

Can I Assume That As My Projector Is Working That No Damage Has Been Done To It. Ie Damage To The Optics, Lens Etc, The Picture Is As Good As Usual, Its The Same Brightness, Not Any Louder Etc.

Also If The Bulb Is Also Working Can I Assume That At The Worst That I Have Merely Shortened Its Lifespan.

 

[dunamis]

Can I Assume That As My Projector Is Working That No Damage Has Been Done To It. Ie Damage To The Optics, Lens Etc, The Picture Is As Good As Usual, Its The Same Brightness, Not Any Louder Etc.

Also If The Bulb Is Also Working Can I Assume That At The Worst That I Have Merely Shortened Its Lifespan.

anY particulaR reasoN thaT you'rE capitalisinG the firsT letteR oF everY worD ?

Ronnie

 

[Sunshinewelly]

nope

 

[KelvinS1965]

I would have thought that the only thing that would likely to have been damaged would be the lamp. If you think about it; the circuits that control the lamp would be designed to perform a 'hard' turn off or on in normal operation. IE; at some point the during shut down the lamp gets turned off, it doesn't 'fade off'.

I see you are looking for a UPS in another thread, but bear in mind this doesn't prevent someone pulling the plug directly out of the PJ's IEC socket....just threaten the GF with the bill for the next lamp. That would put a dent in her 'shoe budget' if she's anything like mine.

BTW, have you found anywhere advertising replacement lamps for the AE1000 yet? I don't fancy paying the full wack for one direct from Panasonic.

 

[Sunshinewelly]

DONT MENTION SHOES.

SHOULD HAVE CLARIFIED, SHE PULLED THE PLUG FROM THE WALL. SO AS LONG AS I HAVE THE UPS DIRECTLY INTO THE PROJECTOR IT SHOULD WORK.

I KNOW THAT PRICEJAPAN STOCK EVERY OTHER BULB AND THEY ARE VERY CHEAP IE £130 DELIVERED.

SOME RETAILERS ARE ASKING £260.

http://www.theplasmacentre.com/lampinfo/PANASONIC/PT-AE1000/16284?cpgn=8&icid=I163-2919708-020N

 

[Kramer]

FGEvans1,

Posting in caps is considered shouting. I'll leave your post for now but please take note for future reference.

 

[Paul D]

There was a big thread over at AVS about this issue.
The general word from the manufacturers was that a power failure (or girlfriend failure ), would NOT damage the projector.

The fans run after switch off to allow faster "restarts". (or allows a portable machine to be moved)
Restriking a hot bulb causes a severe shortning of the bulbs life.

It was possible that older and very cheap budget machines would suffer some heat soak problems.

Marantz went as far as saying that it was technically better to let the bulb cool without fan assistance. (in their models with diecast chassis)

All in all, no harm has been done to the PJ but the bulb will have taken some abuse.
Only time will tell how much, as bulbs and their life spans don't follow the laws of physics, rather they follow the laws of voodoo and black magic!

 

[AV Nik]

Power Failure will not damage your projector. However, it may (and only May) have damaged the lamp. This damage is usually limited to internal stains within the bulb, which can reduce the brightness of the lamp but, these stains also burn off during long periods of use.
On most occasions, the lamp-life will have shortened. It's not possible to measure by how much.
Sometimes, if your lamp is close to it's 'End of Life', it may fail completely after a power down. On projectors older than 3 years or more, occasionally the ballast ignitors for the lamps will fail also.
The main reason these lamps have to be force cooled is that, the bulb itself becomes red hot during use. When the lamps power is disconnected, the glass is still red hot.
As you may be aware, glass, when red hot, is at melting point. To avoid distortion or leakage of the gas, the bulb needs to be cooled down as fast as possible.
In the majority of environments, the glass cools below melting point almost immediately and without the aid of a fan.
For safety reasons, projectors with high pressure lamps have to be heatproof where necessary.
One or three accidental power down's shouldn't cause much harm.
Hope this helps.

 

[Sunshinewelly]

cheers feel more reassured now that at the worst i have only shortned the lamp life span.

brightness is not effected since the power down and the projector works fine.

 

[Sunshinewelly]

thanks for the input guys, appreciated