Ode to Projectors.

Many years ago, while visiting a church, I made the mistake of closing my hymnal, because I knew the words to the song by heart.  Far be it from me to show such disrespect to the writings that are second in line behind the Bible.  The preacher rightfully called me out and warned me that crazy Pentecostals (I was a Methodist) like me will end up in an insane asylum within 6 months.

So when I moved to Virginia Beach I did the right thing and went to a Pentecostal church. There the hymnals had been replaced with a slide projector, so I would not offend anyone by not using the hymnal.  The slide projector held 80 slides, at two slides per song, that’s 40 songs per carousel.  There were three carousels but we tried to keep the songs we used the most in one carousel.  Being a techie guy, I was quickly put in charge of running the projector.  There was an notebook with an index that kept track of what song was at what position but after a while you memorized the song numbers. Sometimes, almost magically, one of the slides would be upside down or turned sideways.  That had to be quickly corrected!

A slide projector

To add a song, you had to type the song perfectly on a typewriter.  Then take a picture of the song with a 35 mm camera, develop the picture and have the negative turned into a slide. So it took several weeks to add a new song.  Eventually that church had a split and I tried to stay neutral, until a close friend lovingly told me that if I did not take sides he would slit my tires.

I left that church and went to a church that was pastored by Jim Murphy. My brother encouraged the church change by having two beautiful young ladies pick me up for church.  At this church we used an overhead projector.  It used clear plastic sheets that you could write on, so adding a song took minutes instead of months! The songs were kept in a box in (hopefully) alphabetical order.  Now when a song came up upside down it was clearly the fault of the projectionist!

Overhead transparency projector

Years later, while on the staff at Elim Bible Institute, I pushed the use of computer projectors. I encouraged many churches to make the change.  With these projectors you can even add background images!  Songs were saved in PowerPoint back then.  Now PowerPoint would not remember that you want the song to appear on the projector, though matter what you did!  So every song had to be preloaded and then switched to use the projector. If you forgot to tell it to use the projector then you had to fix it quick!  I guess Microsoft wanted people to buy programs designed to display songs, so they never fixed PowerPoint.

But now for the bad news, some churches are no longer using projectors!  How dare they go against my advice!  One of the first churches to change was that of my own brother!  How dare he betray me?  His church switched to using two big screen TV’s.  The next church I noticed was when Pioneer Christian Fellowship in Arcade’s pastor Jeff made his church reopening announcement.  I totally paid no attention to what he said because in the background the projector was gone and there, in plain sight, were two big TV’s.  Now we all know that TV is of the devil, so what gives?  Then a couple weeks later I was at Springville Assembly of God, and low and behold, they had changed too!  I though an AOG church would be the last church to switch!   

 

Comparing 2018 LED projector models

2017 Projector brightness ratings in Lux. (See previous post)

Epson EMP-S1     Rated: 1200 lumens     Tested: 460 Lux
Pyle PRJD907      Rated: 2000 lumens     Tested: 230 Lux
No Name CL312   Rated: 2000 lumens     Tested: 100 Lux (Note: damaged LCD)
Pyle PRJG65        Rated: 150 lumens       Tested: 30 Lux
Erisan                   Rated: 1200 Lumens    Tested: 40 Lux
Crenova XPE460 Rated: 1200 Lumens    Tested: 60 Lux

2018 Projector brightness in Lux.

Dell 1201 DLP           Res: 800x600       Rated: 2000 Lumens    Tested: 600-800 Lux
Fugetek FG-857        Res: 1280x800     Rated: 2300 Lumens    Tested: 80-200 Lux
Blusmart LED 9400   Res: 800x600       Rated: 1800 Lumens    Tested:  30-60 Lux

Comments: 
FG-857 is big and bright with a great native resolution too.
LED 9400 is bright for its small size.

Testing the FG-857:


Testing LED 9400:


Testing the Dell 1201 projector:

Alternate power supply for Dell 2300MP Projector

After some experimenting I have come up with an alternate power supply for the Dell 2300MP Projectors.  At first I bought some that did not work then I found out that with a slight modification this CT-300 power supply works.

This is my collection of dead Dell power supplies.

This is a size comparison. The new power supply is a little bigger but the projector has plenty of room for the power supply.  Note that the cable to the motherboard is backwards and that there are 2 extra pins towards the 110 volt connector end of the power supply.

The new power supply will not turn the projectors bulb on.  It needs a modification to supply 5 volts to the extra pin that is not ground via a 1 K resistor as seen in this picture.

Comparing LED Projectors part 4 Pyle PRJD907

I recently received a shipment of LED Projectors, they are 2000 lumen Pyle PRJD907's.  They were all sold "as-is" broken but they were easy to fix.  One had a bad soldering connection in the power supply.  They all had loose power supplies, the mounting needs to be improved.  I glued the power supplies to the light cover at the end closest to the heat sink.

This picture shows what is inside the projector.  At the back is the LED heat sink with cooling fan.  In the middle is the LCD screen.  At the front is the projection lens.

This is what the projector guts looks like when it is running.

Here is the video on YouTube.  I hope to compare several 2000 lumen projectors at a time in the near future.  I have also ordered a light meter so I can find out what the actual lumens is for each projector.



I have managed to find a place where I can compare multiple projectors.  Here are a couple of videos showing 3 projectors at a time.




Here is a quick summary of my findings;
Epson EMP-S1    Rated: 1200 lumens     Tested: 460 Lux
Pyle PRJD907     Rated: 2000 lumens     Tested: 230 Lux
No Name CL312 Rated 2000 lumens      Tested: 100 Lux (Note: damaged LCD)
Pyle PRJG65       Rated: 150 lumens       Tested: 30 Lux
Erisan                  Rated: 1200 Lumens    Tested: 40 Lux
Crenova XPE460 Rated: 1200 Lumens   Tested: 60 Lux

The Crenova XPE460 is the best under $100 projector in my opinion.  They have replaced it with a newer model the XPE480.

Comparing LED Projectors Part 3 CL312 vs Crenova

Over the weekend my first 2000 lumen LED projector arrived.  It needed minor repairs, it had been dropped and the power supply and one lens were loose.  This projector can be used with the lights on but it is no way near as bright as the 2300 lumen Dell 2300MP projector.

Here it is with the room lights on.

Here it is with the lights off and the Crenova 1000 lumen projector is on the left side for comparison.

This is what the insides look like, notice the big fan cooled heat sink on the LED light source in the back.

Here is a picture of the CL312 projector running with the cover off.  The LED is blindingly bright!

Here is the video on YouTube. 

Comparing LED Projectors part 2 Crenova vs Erisan

I now have two of the 1000 lumen LED projectors to compare.  In the last post I compared the Crenova to a 1500 lumen Light Bulb type Epson projector.  Now it is next to a Erisan LED projector.  These projectors are sold under a number of different names and you have to go by the picture not by the "brand" name.

This is the back view of the projectors.

 This is the front view.

This is what it looks like on a white wall.  The Crenova is on the left.

Here is the video of those two projectors.


Soon I will be comparing 2000 Lumen LED projectors to see how they perform.

Comparing Projectors: 1200 Lumen Crenova XPE460 to 1600 Lumen Epson EMP-S3

Those who follow my blog might know that I like to refurbish used projectors and send them overseas with missionaries.  Recently someone told me that he can get brand new 1200 lumen projectors for only $79.  I asked him if he still wanted the refurbished projectors and he said "Yes, they are much brighter!"  Really? So I purchased a dead XPE460 and fixed it.  There was a bad connection at the power plug.  The loose power wire can be seen in the lower right corner of this picture.

Next I set it up next to a 1600 lumen Epson EMP-S3 for comparison.  The picture was taken with the projectors about 7 feet from the wall.  The EMP-S3 projector is on the left.  If this is 1600 lumens versus 1200 lumens I will eat my hat!  Looks to me like it is 1600 lumens versus maybe 400 lumens.

In a totally dark room the Crenova XPE460 works fine, well almost.  The cheap lens makes if difficult to focus the center of the picture and the outside edges at the same time.  This is the screen in a dark room. (I turned off the other projector).

However as far a small size the Crenova LCD projector (The closer one) is much smaller that the Dell 2300MP DLP Projector (Back Left) or the Epson EMP-S3 LCD (back right).

Long term I can foresee that eventually LED powered LCD projectors will take over the market. They are cheaper and more reliable than the projectors that use light bulbs.

Dell 2300MP repairs part 3 - Replacing capacitors in the power supply

I spent some time fixing Dell 2300MP projectors for Africa once again. As usual I replaced the 22 uF at 50 volt capacitors (see previous posts).  This time I also replaced another capacitor.  The new capacitor is rated at 1500 uF at 16 volts.  Here is a picture showing the new capacitor to change.  The capacitor is oozing goo so the problem is rather obvious!

Here is a pile of Dell 2300MP power supplies to try to fix.  I needed to fix four power supplies for the current pile of projectors.

Here is the pile of projectors, I managed to fix three of them.  I only had two bulbs so that is more than what I have all of the parts for.  I still have three projectors that are parts piles.

Epson Powerlite 62C Repair

I recently purchased another pile of used projectors to repair and then send to Africa.  However three of them need more than just cleaning.  I have determined that the problem is in the optics.  Basically the blue LCD is about 30-50% shot.  There are lots of dark spots in a blue background.

The problem is that the LCD section is one unit otherwise I could swap the LCD's between the three projectors and hopefully get two of them to work.

I like the Epson LCD projectors because they are a lot more rugged that the Dell 2300MP DLP projectors.  However the LCD's have an air filter and if it gets clogged the projector overheats and damages the LCD's.  I explained how to replace the filter in a previous post.

Here is what the outside of them looks like.

Refurbishing Projectors for Africa.

I spent a weekend fixing seven Dell 2300MP Projectors.  In every projector the power supply was not working.  I replaced the same capacitor in all seven projectors.  The problem part is a 22uF at 50 volt cap.  I replaced it with a 22uF at 63 volt cap.  Out of the seven projectors changing the capacitor fixed five of them.  One power supply had some burnt parts and a burnt circuit board.

This is what my closet looks like.  The 2300MP projector are on the right.

Here is a picture of how to bend the leads on the capacitor.

This picture shows where the capacitor goes.  It is not yet soldered in the picture.

 Here is a picture of a pile of projectors, I worked on them three or four at a time.

I had to glue some of the power supply support posts in place.  The projectors had all been dropped, likely in shipping, and the support posts that hold them together were loose.

Dell 2300MP DLP Projector Repair

My church had a fairly new Dell 2300 MP DLP Projector that had died.  I came across a video on YouTube that said this one capacitor in the power supply was the problem.  Here is a picture of the old 22uF capacitor to the left of the trensformer.

The new capacitor is a bit tricky to install.  There are surface mount components close to it on the bottom side.  I decided to replace the capacitor on the top side of the circuit board.

Here is a picture of the projector now that it is working.  Just a little more assembly to do.

NEC LT-265 LCD Projector repair

The other day I had a NEC LT-265 projector that would not focus and had a rattling sound.  To open it up remove the screws on the bottom, one screw is under the handle and the top cover lifts off at the front first then the back so that that it clears the jacks on the rear.

Removing the lens assembly was not easy.  I had to remove the circuit board first.  There were a lot of screws hidden way down inside and behind things.  When I got to the rattle it was the leveling foot that had gone up inside of the projector.  The focus issue was still there and there was nothing obvious that was causing it.  I took a hold of the lens and forced it to turn and to pull out.  The lens then popped into place and started working!  I guess I never needed to take it apart in the first place.

Hitachi CP-X809 High power LCD Projector repair.

Yesterday I dissembled a Hitachi CP-X809 Projector to see why "dust" was stuck in between the lenses or LCD's.

There are a lot of screws to remove to get to the LCD assembly.  There are about 6 screws accessed from the bottom of the projector.  You have to remove the cover around the lens first.  There are four screws, two are hidden under a flip out panel that hold the lens cover in place.  There are three screws on the back panel that are not marked.  Then you can remove the top cover.  To remove the circuit boards there are another 6 or 8 screws.  Do not forget the screws on the back cover.

The circuit boards can be folded up and out of the way like this.

You need to disconnect some wires and the three LCD ribbon cables and then the circuit board flips back revealing the LCD and lens assembly.  The plastic around the rear jacks needs to be bent out of the way a little.  Here is the LCD and lens assembly.

Here is the problem with the projector, the left color filter is totally shot.  It was not dust that was causing the problem.  I have never seen one so badly damaged.  It must have been severely overheated.  Does anyone know where to get one of these?

By the way I should point out that this kind of damage is usually from overheating because the air filter is clogged.  Usually it is not this severe.

Projectors for Africa

A few years ago I purchased a bunch of projectors and sent them over to pastors in Africa.  Recently a pastor has been asking me for some more projectors.  So I went on eBay, looked around, and bought eight of them for $160.  That is $20 per projector.  They are Epson EMP-S3's.  The catch is that they all have around 2000 hours on their lamps so they need new lamps that cost at least $50 each.  If anyone wants to donate to this cause it would be greatly appreciated. 

Epson EMP S3 Projectors

Someone suggested that I try to retrofit them with LED's instead.  Well the high intensity LED's are almost as expensive as the 170 watt lamps so the conversion would not save much.  But LED's sure would last a lot longer than 2000 hours.  There are some 10 watt LED's that put out about 1000 lumens at 12 volts.  Those LED's might just do the trick.  I have ordered some to give it a try.

Epson EMP S3 Projectors

The projectors arrived and almost all of them worked.  Two of them needed new lamps.  One would not start at all and one only sometimes started.  The lamp hours on most of them are likely bogus, they are running around 1000 lumens and that is typical of a lamp with more than 2000 hours on it.   The biggest problem I am facing is the air filters.  The projector filters are completely clogged and if you try to wash them out they disintegrate into nothing.  Someone on eBay is charging $20 for a replacement filter but you can buy several feet of filter material at WallMart for $1 and make your own replacement filters.
   

Epson EMP S3 Projector filters

Just cut the filter material to the right size, then glue it along the edges.  It is a tight fit to get it into the projectors, but if you tuck in the leading edge the filter fill fit nicely.

Rear Projection Setup

I have seen a church allot 30 feet behind the projection screen for a rear projection setup. this is unnecessary all you need is a mirror. There are two setups that can be used, project from below up to the mirror and from just below the screen at the mirror. The setups are diagrammed below:

Projector located below the mirror.

Projector located just behind the screen.

Now about the screen.  As you may know a glass bead screen is by far the best screen.  After that a white sheet also works.  In forward projection setups you can use reflective white paint or regular white paint as well.