Epson TW-520: warning all potential buyers

theskintman

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Hello all,
This is my first post, but I felt the need to tell you all about my tale of woe with the TW-520. Epson came to deliver my *third* one today, but I sent them packing. Details below.

First off, respect to what is in all other respects a truly remarkable projector.

I got my first one mid-January. About two weeks later, my girlfriend used it in Theatre Black on the PC most of the day. It got about 2/3 hours rest and then some PS2 in the evening. It was then I noticed the picture seemed darker on one side. After throwing up the test image, I saw this:

tw520_problem.jpg


Was this the dreaded image problem ProjectorCentral had seen in the US version (the cinema 550)? It certainly seemed so. Well, never mind - Epson support is good - they replaced it the next day. After 50 hours on this second unit, after the Sunday before last, it developed the same problem.

I had not (I think) overused it. I watched the curling for a couple of hours during the day (I was that bored) and then a football match in the evening and then sat down to Final Destination 2 on channel 4. After this, I noticed it had done exactly the same as the first one.

Today, Epson came to replace my second projector. The technician pulled the BRAND NEW one out of the box, plugged it in, threw the crosshair test pattern and guess what? Yup - you guessed it - a red tinge all down the left! Straight out of the box!

I'm now of the opinion that this is a major design flaw in the 520, and I can only assume it would be even worse in the 600.

Luckily, ProjectorPoint have offered to replace it altogether with a Sanyo Z4, and although in theory the TW520 is slightly superior, the added knowledge of hopefully having a PJ I can rely on is a big comfort. I wait in anticipation.

Conclusion: Don't buy a TW520 until they've acknowledged & addressed this issue. If you've already got one, BE CAREFUL AND DON'T OVERUSE IT!
 
Sorry to hear you have had such bad luck with the TW520. There does seem to be an issue with these units, if reports from the USA with the TW550 are similar.

I hope it's not common to all the Epson models as I have the TW600, but why do you assume it would be even more apparent on the TW600? I've not seen similar complaints in the USA withe TW800.
 
Sorry, Nelson - don't mean to scaremonger!

I figure it would be worse in the TW600 because I guess it is a problem caused by the panels expanding/contracting under prolonged heat, and the 600 has more powerful components in the same box.

Merely a guess - I might be utterly wrong, and hope I am!
 
Ok I see where you are coming from, the TW600 does have a higher wattage lamp, so I guess it may generate more heat.

I must admit that I am a bit surprised that the fan shuts off so rapidly at switch off, barely gives time to cool the lamp, let alone the casing and internal components.

My old TW100 runs the fan for a lot longer before dropping to a reduced speed and even then it stays running at a low level until the power is fully disconnected. I used to let that cool for 15 minutes before disconnecting the mains to prolong the lamp life.
 
Though the tinge is evident, you have to admire the geometry! :D
 
have you tried that test pattern on another device? i.e a monitor? :suicide:
 
No - it's the projector's test pattern - it has lots of inputs, but no outputs ;)

Believe me, it used to be perfectly flat grey.
 
Had my Tw600 about 4 months now and have 300 hours on it. So far no problem. Picture is still as fantastic as it was. :thumbsup: Oh and by the way the TW600 has the same lamp in it as the TW520.
 
Sadpup,

You're on the ball :smashin: and absolutely right that the TW520 and TW600 have the same 170 watt lamp. For some reason I was thinking the TW520 only had a 135 watt lamp.

I have sent an email into Epson to see if there is any way to extend the cooling down period via the service menu, before the fan shuts off, or if a firmware change could accommodate this. I'll report back if I manage to get any response from them.

Personally I would like the fan to run for a minimum of five minutes after the lamp goes off.
 
Yeah the 10 or 15 seconds that it runs for does seem a tad short?? :thumbsdow
 
sadpup said:
Yeah the 10 or 15 seconds that it runs for does seem a tad short?? :thumbsdow

That is very short, my AE900 fan runs on exra high for about 3mins after i turn it off after a long movie session and i have the fan on high all the time while its operating as the noise isnt loud enough to bother me and i want to keep it as cool as possible. Wonder why Epson have cool down fan time set to such a short time. Bizarre! :cool:
 
For info..... I sent the following email to Epson Support. See their reply at bottom.

"Compared to my TW100 projector, my new TW600 has a very short cooling down period at power-off. This leaves the TW600 casing and presumably the internal components still quite warm. Bearing in mind user reports of TW520 & TW550 units suffering colour degradation of the image, could this be due to heat damage?

See following link for example: http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=311563

Can the fan running time be increased to a longer period (i.e. minimum five minutes) via a service menu or firmware upgrade as a preventitive measure? "



Epson's response......................

"Thank you for contacting EPSON e-mail support. There are no cooling issues with any of the TW range. I would suggest advising the forum that any users expereincing colour degredation problems should contact their local EPSON office for further support."


So don't know if the discolouration is due to heat damage, but looks like we are stuck with the ridiculously short cooling down period.:(
 
Hi Nelson - Sadpup

As we sold you the TW600's I thought I would give a response to the listings here.

I do not think that the short cooling down period has anything to do with the issues that were reported by the member with the TW520. Epson have focussed in making their range quick to cool down - take the X3 which is typical of the new range at only four seconds before you can switch off. We have sold a large number of their units and they are our best manufacturer for reliability. Many are used in education and get a real hammering being on all day, every day.

I am less qualified to comment on the 520 as we tend to take stocks of the 600 and focus on this unit. If there is an issue (and if the gentleman who posted had potentially three with a problem this is extreme then, I suspect this is a batch issue on the 520) then you need to have a chat with your dealer if you have had a replacement and there is a problem ongoing. You do have an excellent support package with the product and Epson do work hard to resolve any problems when they get escalated above the call centre.

I will make enquiries about the 520 and if I find out anything that would help I will report back. Please enjoy your 600's and do not worry about comments on the 520 we have only had one reported with this issue (that was a "dead on arrival" problem that showed up after one hour of use) and we have now sold a large number of these. certainly our demo unit is still performing like the day it came out of the box!!

Enjoy

Richard Thomas
 
Hi Richard,

I guess I was just surprised at the very short cooling down period of the TW600 compared to my older TW100 which runs fan on high for about 2-3 minutes and then drops to a low speed which continues until the power is disconnected.

If Epson say this is ok, then I have no reason to doubt them. I'm sure they wouldn't offer the 3 year swap out warranty if there was any risk from heat damage.

I just expected the casing to be much cooler before the fan cuts out, as there must still be quite a bit of heat to dissipate internally. Maybe we are looking at this issue from the wrong angle and perhaps too rapid a cooling is more damaging than leaving the residual heat to fade over a period of time.

Anyway, I don't have a problem with my TW600, so I'll just carry on watching and enjoying my movies! :)

I'm still amazed that there isn't more interest shown in this projector on this forum.
 

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