Discolored Projector Image

Projector image discoloration is one of the most common issues, and is not resolved by replacing your projector lamp.  If your projector shows a yellow, red, purple, or blue tint along all or part of your image, it needs to be professionally serviced.  A discolored image means that there is an issue with the color wheel (DLP projectors) or polarizing plates (LCD projectors). If caught early on LCD projectors, this repair only requires cleaning, labor, and recallibration of the color module.  If you wait too long, this repair involves replacement of the polarizing plates or prism assembly which can be quite expensive.

Dust, Specks, and Dark Spots on Projector Image

Projectors require cleaning and maintenance.  Failure to do so on an annual or semi-annual basis can lead to dust within the optical section which will show up as dots or specks on your projector image.  If the dots are a tinted color or hue, this means that the dust has settled on the color module, which means that the polarizing plates need to be cleaned (lcd projector) or the color wheel needs to be cleaned (dlp projector).  Less commonly, this could also be a result of a damaged dlp chip (from being dropped or otherwise), or a damaged section in the prism assembly or optical block.

Projector Won’t Power On & Other Projector Power Issues

If your projector unexpectedly shuts off or won’t power on, there may be an issue with the power supply, ballast, software, or cooling system. In some cases, there may be damage to the internal circuit boards.  This repair will involve pinpointing the cause of the problem, along with a thorough cleaning of hard to reach cooling channels.  This is not a user serviceable repair.

Projector Has Blinking Light

A constantly blinking green or red status light may indicate one of a few system messages.  Depending on the make and model of the projector, a blinking status light may mean it’s time to replace the lamp, the projector is over-heating, or needs to be cleaned.  If the status light is accompanied by a power-on issues, then this may be indicative of more significant issues such as main board failure, ballast failure, or needs replacement fans.

Part of Projector Image is Black or Missing

If you have a DLP projector, a broken DLP chip is the likely cause and will require a replacement.  On all projectors, this could be the result of damage to the prism assembly or optical block.

Projector Image is Dull or Dim

The likely culprit of a dim projector is the bulb. High bulb hours will require a replacement of the bulbs in the unit.  While replacing the lamp can be done by the end user, it is important to realize that the lamp is usually one of the last things that needs to be replaced.  We recommend replacing bulbs after 3000 hours of use, which is well outside the annual use range for most recreational projector users.  Often times, we receive calls from customers who have spent a few hundred dollars replacing their lamps, only to find that the lamp was not the cause of their discoloration, power on issues, or blinking status lights.  Some projectors use more than one lamp, such as the such as the Sanyo PLC-Xf46, which uses 4.

Quality lamps can be quite expensive and we recommend only replacing the lamps when needed.  Just because a website claims that they sell ‘OEM lamps’ does not mean that those lamps are original quality.  These OEM lamps have been known to cause power fluctuations, leading to power supply failure, ballast failure, or even main board failure.  Trying to save a couple hundred dollars on lamps ended up causing nearly $5000 dollars of damage on a recent Sanyo PLC-XF46 that we repaired for a church in Southern California.

No Inputs Recognized by Projector

The issue could be either software or hardware. Try switching to a different input, for example, use your laptop to plug into the VGA or HDMI port you previously were not using. Make sure that your projector is on the right display mode.  Sometimes, broken remotes or broken buttons on the projector will prevent you from switching to the correct input, so test these too. If you have confirmed that the projector’s hardware or software is the cause of your input issue, it is likely that the interface board may need replacement.

Cracked Projector Lens Assembly or Projector Housing

Mishandled projectors that have been dropped may need work to replace physical features of the projector, including replacement of any mounting brackets for lenses, or the lenses themselves. Lenses are not repaired, but they are rather replaced.

Preventative Maintenance for your Projector

Preventative Maintenance will increase the lifetime of your expensive projector, and we recommend this for projectors that cost more than $1500 new. For schools and businesses using projectors, especially high brightness projectors, a good Preventative Maintenance schedule calls for a cleaning and re-calibration once a year.  Churches and low hour users can usually get away with a semi-annual cleaning.