AV Technology - June 2008 - (Page 24)

business PRE-EMPTING PROJECTOR BREAKDOWN When is the right time to perform preventive maintenance, and should it be kept in-house or outsourced? by Katie Parrish Business leaders, school instructors, and field trainers who rely on projectors to execute lesson plans and training have come to expect seamless projector operation in the field, corporate office, and classroom. But when a lamp dies and the projector fails, the dream of a flawless presentation quickly comes to an end. It could take several minutes, hours, or even weeks for the projector to be fully functional. Preventive projector maintenance often plays a hand in averting lamp failure, and AV companies providing programs to service projectors on a yearly, semi-annual, quarterly, or monthly basis help eliminate unexpected breakdowns. But is this service right for you? In many cases, the environment, knowledge of the staff, and available time all take part in determining the need for an outsourced preventive maintenance program. FACTORS CAUSING FAILURE According to Chris Frederick, help desk manager for Sensory Technologies, Indianapolis, IN, the average life of a typical projector lamp is between 1,200 and 1,500 hours with the environment and usage presenting the biggest variables. “For instance, if you have a projector in a bar or smoky location, the projector is going to get less good, clean air filtered through it,” he says. “It’s going to run hotter, and, in turn, the lamp won’t last as long.” In a classroom environment, chalk dust circulating through the air also will be picked up in the projector, creating a similar situation. Another factor affecting lamp life is how long it is being used. Is the projector on for an hour and then turned off, receiving adequate time to cool down, or is it running 24 hours a day with no chance to cool off? “The hotter the projector runs, the less life you are going to have on your projector lamp,” Frederick says. “It’s like your car. If you keep friction down, you’re going to get more life out of your components.” Even turning off the projector can impinge on lamp life. Odilia McLeod, director of sales PHOTO COURTESY OF PROJECTOR DOCTOR Projector Doctor technician checks the colors, quality, clarity, and brightness of a projector during the 41-point quality control inspection. and marketing for Projector Doctor, Poway, CA, says users not well-versed in audiovisual equipment will often turn off the projector instead of powering it down, which can significantly shorten the lamp life. “It’s important that they power it down and allow the fans to run and cool down the lamp,” she says. “Every component on the board that does not cool properly will fail eventually.” In environments where the projector is running all day every day, McLeod says the projector should be powered down at least once during this time period. This allows for the unit to cool off, plus any carbon build-up inside the bulb will burn off when the lamp is ignited. It also will help extend the life of the lamp, she says. Without a regular cleaning, a projector’s life has limits. For example, dust in the air can become magnified, attaching to the LCD panels and causing burn spots in the panels, says Bob Normandin, owner of Carolina Projector Solutions, Raleigh, NC. “If you burn one of the panels on a $2,000 projector, it’s going to cost $1,500 to replace the panel,” he adds. Roy Sartipi, CEO of LCD Presentation Systems, Poway, CA, says he has seen cases where dirty filters have caused the machine to overheat and damage the LCD panels and optics. “They have more cost in the long run than they would if they had regular maintenance,” he says. AN ARRAY OF SERVICES OFFERED Preventive maintenance programs vary by the provider and location. Carolina Projector Solutions requires projectors to be sent to its office in Raleigh, where the lenses are cleaned, the optics are cleaned and aligned, and lamp life is checked. The highand low-voltage power supplies are also checked to make sure they are putting out the right amount of power. “When a projector leaves here, it is in the best shape it can be in without making any replacements,” Normandin says. Projector Doctor and other service providers offer similar preventive maintenance programs, which include cleaning and aligning the optics and LCD panels; cleaning or replacing the air filter; and multi-point inspections that include verifying color quality, testing inputs, checking keypad functionality, and testing the focus and zoom functions of the lens. “For our clients www.avtechnologyonline.com 24 | AVTECHNOLOGY | june 2008 http://www.avtechnologyonline.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AV Technology - June 2008

AV Technology - June 2008 Contents Precedent Corporate: Global Standardization Government: Strategic Technology Planning Education: It’s All Just a Click Pre-Empting Projector Breakdown Dealing With Technophobes Keeping Ahead of Technology Obsolescence Understanding Video Codecs Rules of Engagement Network, See & Learn Sound From the Heart Sportsbook Makes an Impact Upgrading an AV Image Product Review: Polycom’s RealPresence Experience HD Tech Horizons: A True AV Networking Standard? Product Spotlight: Digital Media Servers; Flat Panel New Products Ad Index AV MO: Calculating Fiber Optic Transmission Distance

AV Technology - June 2008

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