Is it safe to replace a projector lamp yourself?

[yoda313]

I bought a eiki lc330 and the replace bulb light is on. I bought a replacement bulb on ebay cheap. Can I do this myself?

I got two quotes from local stores - one would install for $75 the other would do it for $35 if I have the bulb myself.

Would it be better to have a service shop do it or can I simlpy do it myself? The bulb comes in the cartridge unit. I imagine all I would need to do is simply swap them out.

I've been trying to find detailed guides for eiki projectors. So far all I've seen is a simple picture showing how to open the unit not how to insert it. Also - do you need special screwdrivers or is it simply plug and play? (snapfit?) Thanks.

[ROF]

Open your owners manual to the 3 step instructions for replacing the bulb or pay someone 1/3 or more of the cost of the bulb to follow those 3 instructions.

[dphirschler]

It's easy. Make sure you clean the air filter too when you replace the lamp.


Darryl

[Marty2003]

and don't get any dirt or grease from your fingers on the bulb.

[SLK001]

Actually, you shouldn't even TOUCH the bulb with your bare hands. The oil from your hand, combined with the high operating temperature, will etch the bulb , severely shortening the life of the bulb (even if you attempt to CLEAN the oil off after you're done).

Use a pair of cotton socks and put them on your hands when you handle the bulb.

[yoda313]

Ok so it sounds like it shouldn't be too difficult. Thanks for the tips.

Now what about installing? Do they have special screws or is it all standard stuff?

[jagabo]

You'll find out soon enough if you try doing it yourself!

[mikel]

...and if there is one, don't forget to reset the bulb life hour meter.

[yoda313]

Is that normally a simple push button? I couldn't find out where the hour meter is to show the current usage on this model....

[mikel]

On all the projectors that I've worked with...it is reset in the menu.

[garryheather]

Use a pair of cotton socks and put them on your hands when you handle the bulb.

Preferably clean socks, not the ones you've got on now !

[SLK001]

Sorry... yes... my bad. Use a pair of CLEAN cotton socks.

[MeDiCo_BrUjO]

Hey Yoda... were you able to do it?

[SingSing]

Yoda313 needs a pair of socks to handle the bulb. He was not able to buy them from the church Sunday sales, and is in the process of knitting a pair himself, with EIKI logo on them.

[SLK001]

Yoda313 needs a pair of socks to handle the bulb. He was not able to buy a pair of sock from the church Sunday sales, and is the process of knitting a pair himself, with EIKI logo on them.

Uh oh... I hope that he is knitting COTTON socks after successfully spinning the boles. If he is knitting WOOL socks and is planning on using them, then that would be a BIG mistake. WOOL contains natural oils that will damage the bulb.

New bulb go "poof"!

[handyguy]

You can use photographers gloves, they are white cotton.

[TooLFooL]

how many yodas does it take to change a lightbulb?

[ROF]

how many yodas does it take to change a lightbulb?

None. Use the force.

[yoda313]

BUMP!

Ok I wanted to revist this. At the time I bought the replacement bulb on ebay. It looked like the one in the projector however the connector leads did not fit.

Is it possible to snip those off and solder on the correct leads from the bulb that does fit? I'd only do that once the working bulb actually fails.

I have been using the projector sparingly to save the bulb. I probably use it only 10 hours a year tops. I've actually have used it to play guitar hero on my ps2. That is kinda fun having it larger than life



Another question - I know have a spare computer power supply since upgrading my vista pc to a 650 watt psu. This is a 300watt psu that I have spare. IS THERE A WAY TO UTILIZE THIS FOR A DO IT YOURSELF PROJECT?

I believe someone said something about lumenlabs being a retrofit website.

Recommendations?

Also is there a way to do the retrofit without physically damaging the unit? I still have some life left in the bulb and would like to preserve it.

How do the electronics connect to retro unit? I mean the projector itself has the svideo and composite connections but when its rigged up how do the connections get made?

[redwudz]

If you feel confident about soldering the leads to the new bulb/holder it might be worth a try. I'm assuming you can't exchange/return the bulb. Be careful around that bulb. If it shatters you could get injured or make quite a mess with small glass shards. And never touch the glass surface of the bulb. If you do, wipe it down with alcohol to remove the finger oils or it will fail quickly.

Not sure about your power supply question, it depends on what you want to use it for. You can jumper the 'ON' terminal to a 'Common' terminal and activate the PS, but it may need a load on certain rails to regulate properly, so not really a good choice for just using the different voltages in other applications.



Not clear on the retrofit question either. Do you mean modify the projector for a different model of bulb? Maybe, if the new bulb would fit otherwise. I never really looked that close when changing bulbs in my projectors. The bulb is just a light source. My projectors use a LCD shutter system and a spinning color wheel. Reminds me of the early days of color TV. But it seems to work fairly well.

You could check with the projector manufacturer or see if there is a maintenance manual out there somewhere that would give you more information on the 'internals'. I'm not sure if the bulb runs off the 120VAC line voltage or from a regulated and filtered DC lower voltage. My old Sony VPL- HS2 is still working and I have a used bulb with about 30% life in it if the present bulb fails.

I probably missed it, as I didn't read this entire thread, but what brand and model of projector do you have?

EDIT: Oh, a eiki lc330

[yoda313]

@redwudz - thanks. Yeah i bought the replacement on ebay about the time I started the thread. I tried getting in touch with the seller but no go. That's ok - I generally treat anything I buy on ebay as "throw away" money in the event it doesn't work or I dont' get it.

I think i might give the soldering a try when the working bulb goes. Though I've never really soldered so wh knows.....

[redwudz]

Probably for what you have a mind, a visit to a local Radio Shack store will likely get you what is needed. If the wires are fairly large, then a soldering gun, maybe 100W may be needed. For most wires such as the size a computer has, a 40W soldering iron would be large enough. I use a 15- 25W for PC boards. A short soldering guide: http://www.elexp.com/t_solder.htm A little practice before you tackle the 'real' job is also advised.

[TooLFooL]

question: how hot do these bulbs get?? is it possible they get hot enough that your solder will melt?...

[SingSing]

The melting point of solder is 400 °C (800 °F).

[Jim44]

The melting point of solder is 400 °C (800 °F).

Off by a factor of 2. Typical lead/tin solder melts in the neighborhood of 200°C - which is ~400°F, maybe that's what you meant?

[redwudz]

You won't find much tin/lead solder anymore. It was replaced with a tin/silver based solder, which, IMO, doesn't work as well. It has a slightly higher melting point, but still around 400 - 470F, depending on the tin/silver mixture.

The part of the bulb housing with the connectors won't get anywhere near that hot, at least with my projectors. But I wouldn't want to solder anything directly to the bulb. That may use a much higher temperature solder.

[Jim44]

You won't find much tin/lead solder anymore. It was replaced with a tin/silver based solder, which, IMO, doesn't work as well. It has a slightly higher melting point, but still around 400 - 470F, depending on the tin/silver mixture.

Right, of course. I shoulda known that, since we switched all our assembly processes to lead-free a couple of years ago.

Must of been all the lead fumes I inhaled early in my career

[yoda313]

Thanks for the info everyone.

FYI the leads are on the side of the metal enclosure around the bulb. I'd never touch the bulb itself. I still might try this once the working bulb does fail....


Now comes the hard part of FINDING that darn bulb (shouldn't have waited two years I guess)

[redwudz]

I bought a spare bulb when I bought my old projector, but it was only about $90US. My new projector's bulbs are closer to $200, so I haven't got a spare yet.

[SingSing]

The melting point of solder is 400 °C (800 °F).

I mean what you should set the soldering to :