I run the same with an EPSON 6100 ( the optical assy is just plain CHEAP as it gets ) which I got for free and gave to a friend to try and scavage a used part from e-bay as I do not mess with purchases from there. 6100 was NEVER cleaned, I actually got dead roaches from inside and tons of dust. Since it was free from my brother in law I decided to go for a 200 euro top cost to fix it. But, after 2 months no used parts have been found to that price range. Unit has a brand new genuine lamp also. Excellent video Frank, really unique info that can be found nowhere else. Thanks for your efforts.
It really bothers me that they have this deficiency. When they work, the image is great. But I $u$pect Ep$on ha$ $omething el$e in mind when they build the$e. Not $ure what their motivation$ would be..
How I relate with you Frank. I also fix projectors in my country, and LCD projectors are a pain in the ass. These particular models from Epson suffer from the same problem (burnt prism). If its not the prism, is the polarizer between LCD and prism. Some also have vertical lines projected on screen (purple, yellow, cyan). Now I feel more confortable dealing with these projectors and I do calibrate LCD panels (you dont need hours, but a lot of patience :P) P.S. I also have 2 of these sitted in my office waiting for someone who needs parts Thanks for all the videos in the channel. I do this since 2014 and still learning. If you need something, just ask :)
Same here, always learning! I will never call myself an expert. I just have been fortunate to get my hands on a lot of projectors. the problem I run into with LCD alignment is the cost effectiveness. People just don't want to pay what it costs to really align these and honestly I don't blame them. Thanks! I will likely take you up on your offer!
@@FixitFrank Would be nice to someday make a diy LCD alignment rig. If you could have some sort of setup to drive the lcds and programmatically drive a laser or something through the lcds I think alignment could be made a breeze.
I never though the dust could melt the prism, by catching the heat from the light. Also glad to see the optical parts (which I definitely don't want to mess with) from inside, nice video.
Thank you! My suspicion is that the dust allowed the coating to heat up. there is a set of vents right under the prism cube and it should keep it cool, but if the dust is on the prism it will not allow the air to cool the glass and then as the glass heats up the dust insulates the heat and allows the coating to bubble and fail. At least that is what I gathered. I may dig into it more in the future. I am really going to make a go of working on some LCD units. I don't like working on them and I suspect that is due to lack of experience. I need to give it a good real try and get out of my comfort zone.
@@FixitFrank It seems my lack of experience take the "dusty issues" the wrong way, after learned your explanation. I never (dare to)see the airway beneath the optical part😆 I think there might be a machine, that can solve the bubbling prism problem. In the JerryRigEverything video, there was a machine can mills off the scratches on the glass phone screen. But the process will also destroys the coating. And there might be some kind test box, to help aline those lcds' pixel. You just too modest about your skills on 3lcd. Hope see more troubleshooting videos from you.
I ran into something similar with some Panasonic 3LCD projectors I picked up on the cheap. But the prism wasn't damaged yet, however they were extremely hazy looking. Lots of accumulated dust in the optics. Essentially destroying the blue light filter, which leads to that burnt orange brown look in the middle of the picture that we see so many LCD projectors suffer from.. I do really like the picture the 3LCD design puts out, but the optics are so delicate.
I have heard(through random web threads) that its something to do with the type of plastic Epson uses for the optics. I do not see this with NEC or Panasonic/Sanyo like I do with Epson. I suspect its due to the amount of units in operation but I do wonder if Epson intentionally uses lower quality parts to ensure they have a steady stream of new sales...
@@FixitFrank Epson is the OEM for all of these 3LCD designs. AFAIK all other 3LCD manufacturers just use the reference designs and (HTPS) LCDs from Epson. They can probably do their own optics if they want, but the LCDs are made by Epson only.
As always top video Frank 👍 always a bonus then you have owned a projector that you are stripping down and repairing. All we need now is for you to sort a optoma 141x and you have covered every projector I have ever owned lol.
Undoubtedly the heat from the lamp burns away those polarizers. Very common problem. Ah, these lcd projectors particularly epson is the most vulnerable one of all the rest. 3lcd blocks are not replaceable parts. I often end up stripping them for parts. Nice to see that Frank did his best to repair it though.
I am thinking about trying to smooth out that prism. I know the coating will be shot but maybe it wont matter as much. I may try some acetone to see if it will melt the coating enough to smooth itself out and then let it evaporate. Im sure I'll end up ruining it but I need to try.
DLP is far easier to fix for home repair. I can see why you dislike LCD projector repairs. We underestimate how tricky it is to repair these machines while filming and narrating for our enjoyment. Thanks Frank. Love the animal thumbnails.... Lol.
I really hope I am not being unfair to LCD which is why I am pushing myself to look at more of them. Even if the end result supports my own feelings, at the least I can share the failure modes to save people the hassle of opening them up only to end up with a boat anchor. and thanks! The silly surprised faces actually work for some reason. after I started, I posted a few vids without and the engagement was definitely lower on those vids. I personally find the trend silly, so I figured I would make my own version that felt a little less ridiculous. I also like to post pics of my own animals for posterity. Our one cat is very photogenic and silly looking so his pics will be up a few more times.
@@FixitFrank You might get to like LCD units when you feel more comfortable dealing with their differences..... meanwhile we will watch you wrestle them into submission...lol. Keep the animal pics coming too. Take care bud.
Hi Frank. Thanks for the very informative video. It helped me identify the issue with my projector. (Burnt green side of prism) You mentioned being able to buy a whole new optic assembly, but I can't find one online. Where would you suggest I look? Thanks.
Hi Derrick! The company I use is on holiday for the Lunar new year until the end of the month, but I would try them. You're not going to find a new optic assembly unfortunately. They just don't exist. You will need to get a used/good optic assembly. Personally, I would suggest against repairing this projector. There is a good chance other parts are going to fail and this will turn into a money pit quickly. I actually stopped working on epson because of this. However if you really want to give it a go, contact Gydz@timeprojectorlamp.com You might not hear back until the end of the month but the rest of the year they are very responsive. Good luck with it!
My first real projector purchase was my Epson HC 1040 in 2016 and it worked great for about 8 months until it began to discolor (pinkish on one corner, greenish on the other), so Epson replaced it under warranty and within around 9 or so months, that one developed the same issue (though not as bad.) I tried a few different projectors--A BenQ 2050A which unfortunately was too short of a throw for my room (but was otherwise amazing and I wish I'd been able to accommodate it) and an Optoma something 36 darbee which had a really noisy color wheel, so I..well went with an Epson 2150 which had enough flexibility for my weird setup. It had (and still has) a great picture but it's really noisy which bugs me and I just know I'm going to have another LCD failure. ..though I did have to get its lamp replaced under warranty since it began flickering at around 70 hours OOF. ..so yea my last Epson (and LCD PJ in general unless something big changes). I still have my 1040 kicking around as an outdoor use projector where the discoloration isn't noticeable. But yea. I'm just kinda done with LCD projectors and my next one will absolutely be DLP. I'm just very sensitive to color wheel noise, so if it's a squealy one, it won't work for me. Seems like the newer BenQ's from the last 4 or 5 years are quiet, but Optoma's..I can hear them squeal even over youtube LOL
I'll tell you what. If you have the money, look at Sony LCOS or JVC DiLA projectors. They use the best of both worlds. Personally I think the Sony LCOS projectors are gorgeous. Almost as nice as the 3DLP Sim2(the best in my opinion) but actually cost effective to buy. you can find them used too for a good price. The DLA-RS1 can be had for under $500 but the brightness isn't as good as some of the newer models. LCOS/DiLA are close enough to be lumped together.
Frank, great video as usual. You make me revisit the 3500 Epson, which has convergence issue and a slight blue shift. This pj was dropped, if you remember. By the way which is your own projector? I own an Epson 5040ub, the one I'm actually using myself in the garage. Build a home theater there.
Hi Tibor! I definitely remember your 3500. Currently I am using an HT1075 and a Digital Projection Dvision 30 XL in the office. There is a Sim2 Domino 60(BenQ W5000 really) that I want to use and is supposed to have the half picture issue that they are known for but I can't get it to act up yet. I want to use that for the office but I need it to actually break so I can fix it. I know if I just put it in, it will break inconveniently and I'd like to avoid that.
i am a student that is trying to repair the projector and boy ribon csbles are a pain in the butt including putting the lamp basket back into place i was successful on my first repair after two weeks it has been done the lamp/side got to hot too touch and now runs just fine without any issues and is not running hot snymore
I have an Epson 2045 that I've not used in a couple of years due to a blue haze covering a corner of the screen. It starts out covering like 30% of the image and gradually goes down to like 10% of the image after the projector warms up. I've had it apart a couple times for lamp replacements and cleaning etc. Never could figure it out, and never had any luck on research online. Is that something that you have ever experienced before?
Hi, thanks for the video! I took my epson 6500UB apart to fix the red band issue, but when I put it back together everything is green, unless I unplug the green LCD. It looks like the light is getting to the LCDs the way they should, have any ideas what I might have done to mess it up?
You're welcome! Most likely your red/blue LCD cables are not seated as well as you think. They can feel seated but need a little more push to get them in all the way. those compound flex cables will drive you nuts. try removing and re-inserting them all and make sure they are all the way in. If it persists after that, let me know.
So I was messing with the cables and realized if I unplug the board that is on top of the main board while it is running, it will display white as desired. Then after a second, it goes right back to all green.
Quick question, if one of the LCD panels goes out, is it worth it to replace just the one, or would it be better to replace the entire assembly? Cost wise it’s looking like $100 vs $300 for my 2250u
Best way is to replace all of them. But alignment can be difficult and sometimes impossible. Unless you really like that projector, I don't recommend putting any money into it. They're very repair unfriendly. This depends on why you need to replace the panel. Some problems are more terminal for the projector then others. At least in my opinion.
@@FixitFrank The way I understand alignment (If I’m not mistaken) is that it’s done electronically in the projector menu. It sounds tedious more than anything. Is alignment needed if you replace the entire prism block with panels already mounted, or only when replacing one panel? I was removing the main board and accidentally damaged the ribbon cable to the red LCD panel. The repair cost suddenly doubled. I’m not sure if I want to spend $400+ in parts to repair this projector.
There is a convergence adjustment in the menu(panel alignment) but they still need to be close enough to make that work. Some people have had success but its one of those situations where I don't want to recommend something that might turn into a huge hassle. Obviously you don't want to turn it into a money pit. All that said, if the only problem is the torn cable on the LCD, I'd probably give it a shot. There is a reasonable chance that it might work. My main worry was that if the polarizers had failed or it had the color blob problem, I wouldnt put a dime into this. But if the image was good and the only problem is the torn LCD, I think it's worth $70-100. If you want, contact the person I use for parts. gydz@timeprojectorlamp.com They take paypal and use DHL. She might be able to get you a good used panel for even less. The entire block would be the way to go if you had polarizer or prism problems. That tends to be the usual problem with those. That is why I mentioned it. I didnt realize your problem was just the cable.
Hi Frank! I have problem with my projector Epson 7200. Four Blue vertical lines. Thenks to you I menage to find out wich part is the problem. Left lcd panel(red color I think). Whre can i find this part. Surch everywhere, but no luck.
Hi Koira, That is going to be difficult to locate. Its an older LCD and after 7-8 years parts are hard to find. I'd contact the company I use and send them some pics. Gydz@timeprojectorlamp.com. If they can't find it, you are probably out of luck. One thing to check is to make sure its not the connection at the ZIF connector. Be sure that cable is seating fully.if you flex the cable and lines pop in and out that would confirm its the panel/cable.
@@FixitFrank Hmm, honeestly the cable/panel look perfect. No sign of bending or cuting, but when I diskonnect the panel from motherboard lines goes away(of course with the whole colour). I trai to cleen cable and ZIF connector, but without luck
Thanks brother! I cant tell you how much I appreciate that. I'm hoping to get a used DSLR soon. I like using my phone for a camera but the closeups with a DSLR would be so much better.
I use an S21+ and I have to say the quality is amazing. I could record in 4K but editing takes soooo long waiting for things to load. The lack of ability to change lenses is limiting too. All in all the phone is fine (wonderful even) but I know I can do more with a better camera.
Hi, recently I change my epson 8350 red LCD panel after that I got double image pink and white (not clear image). Please help me how to alignment the LCD panel
I wish I knew a trick for that. I won't replace LCD Panels just because of this reason. The only way to get it aligned is to move it slightly, re-install and try again. Replacing LCD panels is something I stay away from because of the hours required to re-align the panel. I don't think I have ever successfully replaced single LCD panel. I always replace the entire optic block. I wish you all the luck though. If you take your time and adjust it slightly each time, you may be able to succeed.
Hey there! Really love your channel! I have a question. I have an optoma uhd65. Are there some bulbs that offer more brightness or color than others? Is the big difference really lamp life? I wanna get the bulb that's going to give me the best possible image. Thank you so much!
Hi! Thank you so much! I love your user name! Bulbs are a weird thing. There are brighter bulbs but your picture will actually be worse. The engineers balance the contrast and brightness. They pick a bare lamp that will work best in that aim to achieve the best balance between a bright and colorful image and good contrast. If you were to use a brighter lamp, you would likely lose contrast. The blacks would be more grey for instance. The other issue is that even if you found a 350-450W bulb that would fit, you would need to upgrade the ballast/lamp driver. Projector lamps are Arc lamp and need a dedicated power source. The ballast is what really sets the power output the lamp. If you put a 350w bulb into your projector as it sits, you would only get 240W of power sent to the lamp. Think of it more like a speaker/amplifier relationship. In fact that is more akin to what is happening than say an incandescent lamp. The amplifier dictates the power to the speaker. If you connect a 100W amp to a 300W speaker, you are only going to get the power the amp puts out. The only way to drive the lamp harder would be with a more powerful ballast, but then you have to worry about the main power supply feeding the new ballast with enough amps, so its domino affect. At the end you would spend more on upgrading than it would cost for a brighter projector and you would still have poor contrast. Kind of a zero sum result. However, while I am not really an expert on installs, I would say that a good screen can give you more bang for your buck. Those ALR(ambient light rejection) screens are really nice(check ebay/scAmazon). Also, something as simple as using sherwin williams universal grey would help the colors appear more vibrant. There are some AVSforum threads on screen treatments that would likely benefit you more than trying to hack in a brighter bulb. If the image looks great at night/without ambient light, the ALR screen would be the first thing I would try. If cost is an issue, check into the universal grey paint I mentioned.
@@FixitFrank This is awesome thank you so much! So with that in mind does it make much of a difference which bulb I buy? Do you have a recommendation? Does the bulb have any impact on vignetting?
There are a few things to consider. The main one is warranty. In the states, you need to use the manufacturers original or you technically violate your warranty. That said, they can only hold you to that if you had a problem AND sent them the projector with the non Optoma original lamp assembly inside. Otherwise there are some aftermarket lamp assemblies that will treat you as well as the original. Knowing what to look for is your best tool for saving some money without putting a nice projector at risk. Lamp assemblies are kind of like car tires. Many people want to cheap out on tires, yet they are the only thing between your car and the road. Same with a lamp assembly. Its the main source of light. I can go on for hours about cheap/good lamp assemblies but instead I will direct you to this video. I think the info in here will give you the tools you need. ua-cam.com/video/pym7D7etOcM/v-deo.html
You videos are really good!!! I just picked up an 8100. It has 2300 hours on it, but still projects a decent picture. Problem is: The are pink and blue bands (pink on top, blue on bottom). I've have been reading about a possible fix for it, but they talk about the PLC. Heck, I don't know what the PLC is, nor how to locate it. Any help would be appreciated.
I am confused too. I know the term PLC(programmable logic controller) but I have never heard of it in reference to an epson. However, what you are seeing is likely the fish eye objective array or the prism in the front end of the optics. i.imgur.com/PlKr6Gd.png here is a picture that I put some marks on to show where I mean. Usually one of the pieces of glass has slipped and if you look for witness marks from the glue, you can usually line it back up. Here is another view with an optic block removed. i.imgur.com/V4j9eSH.jpg
Very interesting. How would I clean the projector myself? It seems quite complicated. My 8350 has got pink spots all over the screen. I can focus on these spots. When projecting an image I just see pinkish out of focus spots, only see these on white. Wonder if this is dust or something went bad and I'd rather buy another projector. Which projectors are higher quality and more reliable? I can not use DLP as I see rainbow effect and I need lens shift.
Hi Russell, I suspect you have failing polarizers over dust. The 8350 has a finite life span(most LCD projectors do) and you are at about the end of what I would expect one to run. The parts that fail are not easy or cost effective to replace. I think buying a new projector is your best option here. As much as I love to repair things, these are just not worthwhile at this point. I would suggest checking out Sony and JVC over Epson. The LCoS/SXRD technology is better than DLP/LCD in my opinion and they last for years. They are slightly more expensive but I feel its worth it. I would at least check them out to see if they will fit your needs better.
@@FixitFrank Thank you very much. You mentioned the cleaning. Is it even possible to do a routine cleaning on my own or I would need to a professional to do so? I am ok with fixing simple things in electronics, but not advanced. This is my second epson, the reason I bought it as I wanted 1080p and I gave my 720p to a friend, which I bought in 2008 and it is still going well, he uses it a lot. But this one is quite a surprise. I bought refurbished from epson in 2015.
@@russella5296 I've (anecdotally)noticed that in the past 5-ish years that epson has increasingly made their lower end projectors less serviceable. I have a video coming up about a newer 2150 that has bad optics after 6-7 years and it was unrepairable due to the way epson redesigned a part, making it impossible to take out without damage to the LCD block. Older projectors seem to hold up better. I personally think the best years for medium cost($1-3K) was 2010-2015. After that, the build quality has been "optimized". this is not just Epson, but also BenQ and Optoma. Routine cleaning is really dependent on the model you end up with. I always say less is more. the less you take apart, the better chance you have of not running into a self-created problem. I would say with a new projector, if you give it a superficial cleaning every few months( run a vacuum with brush around the outside, and over the vents) and maybe use a smaller vac attachment to address the lamp area(take the lamp out) it will cut down on the need to do a deep cleaning where the unit is taken apart. I would not do that yourself unless you are confident in what you are doing. If you keep up on the superficial cleaning, the need for a deep cleaning will be minimized.
My 5025ub is going out, it's developed a vertical dead pixel band in the red channel, leaving me with a teal strip in my image, I was surprised to see how common this failure is for Epson projectors. For the thousands of dollars people are paying for these units it is a shame they have a shelf life of about 5-7 years. Up until this I have been very happy with my projector. Now I'm looking at ali express to see if I can get a replacement lcd block to drop into it and keep it going. I worry that if I buy something like the LS11000 for twice the cost of my 5025ub, will it last more than 5 years? Maybe the laser lightsource runs cooler than a bulb, I don't know. If these new projectors are using the same 0.74" LCD panels that Epson has been using for a decade do I want to spend essentially $600/yr for 5 years of use?
Oof. I am kind of biased against epsons honeslty. I see so many failing like yours and failing like this one and a 2150 that was 5 years old and it has soured my opinion of their engineering and manufacturing. The pictures are fantastic. I will not discount that, but the build quality is not great in my opinion. If I were you, I would look at Sony (just released a new model) and JVC. I feel they are the next step up from Epson (epson uses a lot of sony chips). If you need a vendor to talk to, reach out to Projectorscreen.com They are a really tight outfit and they know their stuff. Let them know I sent you over if you give them a shout. They have a YT channel here as well.
Hi and thank you for work that you make. After i cleaned my color wheel and sensor on my benq w1070 it helped with blinking and rainbow effect. But now i got gray blobs all over screen that i can see on white background. It cleaned with air comresos so it not dust. So what can be the problem?
It kind of sounds like some dust may have broken loose inside the optic assembly. See if you can adjust the focus to make the blobs clearer. If so, you may need to pull the DMD chip out (dlp chip) and clean its face with a chamois or Kimwipe/glasses wipe.
Sadly they are all shot. Polarizers drive me nuts with how they fail. Actually did you happen to post on Reddit about an 8350? I might be able to help.
@@FixitFrank I may have commented, but I don't think I posted a question. I'll take what ever help I can get. Ps, thanks for responding so quickly on old post of yours.
I run the same with an EPSON 6100 ( the optical assy is just plain CHEAP as it gets ) which I got for free and gave to a friend to try and scavage a used part from e-bay as I do not mess with purchases from there. 6100 was NEVER cleaned, I actually got dead roaches from inside and tons of dust. Since it was free from my brother in law I decided to go for a 200 euro top cost to fix it. But, after 2 months no used parts have been found to that price range. Unit has a brand new genuine lamp also.
Excellent video Frank, really unique info that can be found nowhere else. Thanks for your efforts.
It really bothers me that they have this deficiency. When they work, the image is great. But I $u$pect Ep$on ha$ $omething el$e in mind when they build the$e. Not $ure what their motivation$ would be..
@@FixitFrank HA HA! INDEED! I agree 100%!
Great idea, to glue the polarizers (toasted by 50% of the energy on a square inch) into the assembly. 👍
How I relate with you Frank. I also fix projectors in my country, and LCD projectors are a pain in the ass. These particular models from Epson suffer from the same problem (burnt prism). If its not the prism, is the polarizer between LCD and prism. Some also have vertical lines projected on screen (purple, yellow, cyan). Now I feel more confortable dealing with these projectors and I do calibrate LCD panels (you dont need hours, but a lot of patience :P)
P.S. I also have 2 of these sitted in my office waiting for someone who needs parts
Thanks for all the videos in the channel. I do this since 2014 and still learning. If you need something, just ask :)
Same here, always learning! I will never call myself an expert. I just have been fortunate to get my hands on a lot of projectors. the problem I run into with LCD alignment is the cost effectiveness. People just don't want to pay what it costs to really align these and honestly I don't blame them. Thanks! I will likely take you up on your offer!
@@FixitFrank Would be nice to someday make a diy LCD alignment rig. If you could have some sort of setup to drive the lcds and programmatically drive a laser or something through the lcds I think alignment could be made a breeze.
I never though the dust could melt the prism, by catching the heat from the light. Also glad to see the optical parts
(which I definitely don't want to mess with) from inside, nice video.
Thank you! My suspicion is that the dust allowed the coating to heat up. there is a set of vents right under the prism cube and it should keep it cool, but if the dust is on the prism it will not allow the air to cool the glass and then as the glass heats up the dust insulates the heat and allows the coating to bubble and fail. At least that is what I gathered. I may dig into it more in the future. I am really going to make a go of working on some LCD units. I don't like working on them and I suspect that is due to lack of experience. I need to give it a good real try and get out of my comfort zone.
@@FixitFrank It seems my lack of experience take the "dusty issues" the wrong way, after learned your explanation. I never (dare to)see the airway beneath the optical part😆
I think there might be a machine, that can solve the bubbling prism problem. In the JerryRigEverything video, there was a machine can mills off the scratches on the glass phone screen. But the process will also destroys the coating. And there might be some kind test box, to help aline those lcds' pixel.
You just too modest about your skills on 3lcd. Hope see more troubleshooting videos from you.
I ran into something similar with some Panasonic 3LCD projectors I picked up on the cheap. But the prism wasn't damaged yet, however they were extremely hazy looking. Lots of accumulated dust in the optics. Essentially destroying the blue light filter, which leads to that burnt orange brown look in the middle of the picture that we see so many LCD projectors suffer from.. I do really like the picture the 3LCD design puts out, but the optics are so delicate.
I have heard(through random web threads) that its something to do with the type of plastic Epson uses for the optics. I do not see this with NEC or Panasonic/Sanyo like I do with Epson. I suspect its due to the amount of units in operation but I do wonder if Epson intentionally uses lower quality parts to ensure they have a steady stream of new sales...
@@FixitFrank Yep. Gotta love planned obsolescence.
@@FixitFrank Epson is the OEM for all of these 3LCD designs. AFAIK all other 3LCD manufacturers just use the reference designs and (HTPS) LCDs from Epson. They can probably do their own optics if they want, but the LCDs are made by Epson only.
As always top video Frank 👍 always a bonus then you have owned a projector that you are stripping down and repairing.
All we need now is for you to sort a optoma 141x and you have covered every projector I have ever owned lol.
:) ua-cam.com/video/MJbg72g3Vm8/v-deo.html Like this one?
@@FixitFrank Ha God knows how I missed this one on you channel. Thanks a bunch Frank 👍
Undoubtedly the heat from the lamp burns away those polarizers. Very common problem. Ah, these lcd projectors particularly epson is the most vulnerable one of all the rest. 3lcd blocks are not replaceable parts. I often end up stripping them for parts. Nice to see that Frank did his best to repair it though.
I am thinking about trying to smooth out that prism. I know the coating will be shot but maybe it wont matter as much. I may try some acetone to see if it will melt the coating enough to smooth itself out and then let it evaporate. Im sure I'll end up ruining it but I need to try.
@@FixitFrank did you try? 😀
DLP is far easier to fix for home repair. I can see why you dislike LCD projector repairs. We underestimate how tricky it is to repair these machines while filming and narrating for our enjoyment. Thanks Frank. Love the animal thumbnails.... Lol.
I really hope I am not being unfair to LCD which is why I am pushing myself to look at more of them. Even if the end result supports my own feelings, at the least I can share the failure modes to save people the hassle of opening them up only to end up with a boat anchor.
and thanks! The silly surprised faces actually work for some reason. after I started, I posted a few vids without and the engagement was definitely lower on those vids. I personally find the trend silly, so I figured I would make my own version that felt a little less ridiculous. I also like to post pics of my own animals for posterity. Our one cat is very photogenic and silly looking so his pics will be up a few more times.
@@FixitFrank You might get to like LCD units when you feel more comfortable dealing with their differences..... meanwhile we will watch you wrestle them into submission...lol. Keep the animal pics coming too. Take care bud.
Enjoy watching your videos very informative!
Thanks man! I really appreciate it.
Hi Frank. Thanks for the very informative video. It helped me identify the issue with my projector. (Burnt green side of prism) You mentioned being able to buy a whole new optic assembly, but I can't find one online. Where would you suggest I look? Thanks.
Hi Derrick! The company I use is on holiday for the Lunar new year until the end of the month, but I would try them. You're not going to find a new optic assembly unfortunately. They just don't exist. You will need to get a used/good optic assembly.
Personally, I would suggest against repairing this projector. There is a good chance other parts are going to fail and this will turn into a money pit quickly. I actually stopped working on epson because of this.
However if you really want to give it a go, contact Gydz@timeprojectorlamp.com You might not hear back until the end of the month but the rest of the year they are very responsive.
Good luck with it!
@@FixitFrank thanks for the response.
My first real projector purchase was my Epson HC 1040 in 2016 and it worked great for about 8 months until it began to discolor (pinkish on one corner, greenish on the other), so Epson replaced it under warranty and within around 9 or so months, that one developed the same issue (though not as bad.) I tried a few different projectors--A BenQ 2050A which unfortunately was too short of a throw for my room (but was otherwise amazing and I wish I'd been able to accommodate it) and an Optoma something 36 darbee which had a really noisy color wheel, so I..well went with an Epson 2150 which had enough flexibility for my weird setup. It had (and still has) a great picture but it's really noisy which bugs me and I just know I'm going to have another LCD failure. ..though I did have to get its lamp replaced under warranty since it began flickering at around 70 hours OOF. ..so yea my last Epson (and LCD PJ in general unless something big changes). I still have my 1040 kicking around as an outdoor use projector where the discoloration isn't noticeable.
But yea. I'm just kinda done with LCD projectors and my next one will absolutely be DLP. I'm just very sensitive to color wheel noise, so if it's a squealy one, it won't work for me. Seems like the newer BenQ's from the last 4 or 5 years are quiet, but Optoma's..I can hear them squeal even over youtube LOL
I'll tell you what. If you have the money, look at Sony LCOS or JVC DiLA projectors. They use the best of both worlds. Personally I think the Sony LCOS projectors are gorgeous. Almost as nice as the 3DLP Sim2(the best in my opinion) but actually cost effective to buy. you can find them used too for a good price. The DLA-RS1 can be had for under $500 but the brightness isn't as good as some of the newer models. LCOS/DiLA are close enough to be lumped together.
Frank, great video as usual. You make me revisit the 3500 Epson, which has convergence issue and a slight blue shift. This pj was dropped, if you remember.
By the way which is your own projector? I own an Epson 5040ub, the one I'm actually using myself in the garage. Build a home theater there.
Hi Tibor! I definitely remember your 3500. Currently I am using an HT1075 and a Digital Projection Dvision 30 XL in the office. There is a Sim2 Domino 60(BenQ W5000 really) that I want to use and is supposed to have the half picture issue that they are known for but I can't get it to act up yet. I want to use that for the office but I need it to actually break so I can fix it. I know if I just put it in, it will break inconveniently and I'd like to avoid that.
i am a student that is trying to repair the projector and boy ribon csbles are a pain in the butt including putting the lamp basket back into place i was successful on my first repair after two weeks it has been done the lamp/side got to hot too touch and now runs just fine without any issues and is not running hot snymore
Nice job my man. I could not agree more. Those ribbon cables can be insanely tricky.
I have an Epson 2045 that I've not used in a couple of years due to a blue haze covering a corner of the screen. It starts out covering like 30% of the image and gradually goes down to like 10% of the image after the projector warms up. I've had it apart a couple times for lamp replacements and cleaning etc. Never could figure it out, and never had any luck on research online. Is that something that you have ever experienced before?
Hi, thanks for the video! I took my epson 6500UB apart to fix the red band issue, but when I put it back together everything is green, unless I unplug the green LCD. It looks like the light is getting to the LCDs the way they should, have any ideas what I might have done to mess it up?
You're welcome! Most likely your red/blue LCD cables are not seated as well as you think. They can feel seated but need a little more push to get them in all the way. those compound flex cables will drive you nuts. try removing and re-inserting them all and make sure they are all the way in. If it persists after that, let me know.
So I was messing with the cables and realized if I unplug the board that is on top of the main board while it is running, it will display white as desired. Then after a second, it goes right back to all green.
Quick question, if one of the LCD panels goes out, is it worth it to replace just the one, or would it be better to replace the entire assembly? Cost wise it’s looking like $100 vs $300 for my 2250u
Best way is to replace all of them. But alignment can be difficult and sometimes impossible. Unless you really like that projector, I don't recommend putting any money into it. They're very repair unfriendly.
This depends on why you need to replace the panel. Some problems are more terminal for the projector then others. At least in my opinion.
@@FixitFrank The way I understand alignment (If I’m not mistaken) is that it’s done electronically in the projector menu. It sounds tedious more than anything. Is alignment needed if you replace the entire prism block with panels already mounted, or only when replacing one panel?
I was removing the main board and accidentally damaged the ribbon cable to the red LCD panel. The repair cost suddenly doubled. I’m not sure if I want to spend $400+ in parts to repair this projector.
There is a convergence adjustment in the menu(panel alignment) but they still need to be close enough to make that work. Some people have had success but its one of those situations where I don't want to recommend something that might turn into a huge hassle. Obviously you don't want to turn it into a money pit.
All that said, if the only problem is the torn cable on the LCD, I'd probably give it a shot. There is a reasonable chance that it might work. My main worry was that if the polarizers had failed or it had the color blob problem, I wouldnt put a dime into this. But if the image was good and the only problem is the torn LCD, I think it's worth $70-100. If you want, contact the person I use for parts. gydz@timeprojectorlamp.com They take paypal and use DHL. She might be able to get you a good used panel for even less.
The entire block would be the way to go if you had polarizer or prism problems. That tends to be the usual problem with those. That is why I mentioned it. I didnt realize your problem was just the cable.
Hi Frank! I have problem with my projector Epson 7200. Four Blue vertical lines. Thenks to you I menage to find out wich part is the problem. Left lcd panel(red color I think). Whre can i find this part. Surch everywhere, but no luck.
Hi Koira, That is going to be difficult to locate. Its an older LCD and after 7-8 years parts are hard to find. I'd contact the company I use and send them some pics. Gydz@timeprojectorlamp.com. If they can't find it, you are probably out of luck.
One thing to check is to make sure its not the connection at the ZIF connector. Be sure that cable is seating fully.if you flex the cable and lines pop in and out that would confirm its the panel/cable.
@@FixitFrank Hmm, honeestly the cable/panel look perfect. No sign of bending or cuting, but when I diskonnect the panel from motherboard lines goes away(of course with the whole colour). I trai to cleen cable and ZIF connector, but without luck
You're not going to see the damage. It's microscopic. It won't be visible to your eyes. That is the usual cause at least.
Ευχαριστούμε!
Thanks brother! I cant tell you how much I appreciate that. I'm hoping to get a used DSLR soon. I like using my phone for a camera but the closeups with a DSLR would be so much better.
@@FixitFrank Awesome! Production value through the roof! I cannot wait! Although phone filming is fine too!
I use an S21+ and I have to say the quality is amazing. I could record in 4K but editing takes soooo long waiting for things to load. The lack of ability to change lenses is limiting too. All in all the phone is fine (wonderful even) but I know I can do more with a better camera.
Hi, recently I change my epson 8350 red LCD panel after that I got double image pink and white (not clear image). Please help me how to alignment the LCD panel
I wish I knew a trick for that. I won't replace LCD Panels just because of this reason. The only way to get it aligned is to move it slightly, re-install and try again. Replacing LCD panels is something I stay away from because of the hours required to re-align the panel. I don't think I have ever successfully replaced single LCD panel. I always replace the entire optic block. I wish you all the luck though. If you take your time and adjust it slightly each time, you may be able to succeed.
Hey there! Really love your channel! I have a question. I have an optoma uhd65. Are there some bulbs that offer more brightness or color than others? Is the big difference really lamp life? I wanna get the bulb that's going to give me the best possible image. Thank you so much!
Hi! Thank you so much! I love your user name! Bulbs are a weird thing. There are brighter bulbs but your picture will actually be worse. The engineers balance the contrast and brightness. They pick a bare lamp that will work best in that aim to achieve the best balance between a bright and colorful image and good contrast. If you were to use a brighter lamp, you would likely lose contrast. The blacks would be more grey for instance. The other issue is that even if you found a 350-450W bulb that would fit, you would need to upgrade the ballast/lamp driver. Projector lamps are Arc lamp and need a dedicated power source. The ballast is what really sets the power output the lamp. If you put a 350w bulb into your projector as it sits, you would only get 240W of power sent to the lamp. Think of it more like a speaker/amplifier relationship. In fact that is more akin to what is happening than say an incandescent lamp. The amplifier dictates the power to the speaker. If you connect a 100W amp to a 300W speaker, you are only going to get the power the amp puts out. The only way to drive the lamp harder would be with a more powerful ballast, but then you have to worry about the main power supply feeding the new ballast with enough amps, so its domino affect. At the end you would spend more on upgrading than it would cost for a brighter projector and you would still have poor contrast. Kind of a zero sum result.
However, while I am not really an expert on installs, I would say that a good screen can give you more bang for your buck. Those ALR(ambient light rejection) screens are really nice(check ebay/scAmazon). Also, something as simple as using sherwin williams universal grey would help the colors appear more vibrant. There are some AVSforum threads on screen treatments that would likely benefit you more than trying to hack in a brighter bulb. If the image looks great at night/without ambient light, the ALR screen would be the first thing I would try. If cost is an issue, check into the universal grey paint I mentioned.
@@FixitFrank This is awesome thank you so much! So with that in mind does it make much of a difference which bulb I buy? Do you have a recommendation? Does the bulb have any impact on vignetting?
There are a few things to consider. The main one is warranty. In the states, you need to use the manufacturers original or you technically violate your warranty. That said, they can only hold you to that if you had a problem AND sent them the projector with the non Optoma original lamp assembly inside. Otherwise there are some aftermarket lamp assemblies that will treat you as well as the original. Knowing what to look for is your best tool for saving some money without putting a nice projector at risk. Lamp assemblies are kind of like car tires. Many people want to cheap out on tires, yet they are the only thing between your car and the road. Same with a lamp assembly. Its the main source of light.
I can go on for hours about cheap/good lamp assemblies but instead I will direct you to this video. I think the info in here will give you the tools you need. ua-cam.com/video/pym7D7etOcM/v-deo.html
You videos are really good!!! I just picked up an 8100. It has 2300 hours on it, but still projects a decent picture. Problem is: The are pink and blue bands (pink on top, blue on bottom). I've have been reading about a possible fix for it, but they talk about the PLC. Heck, I don't know what the PLC is, nor how to locate it. Any help would be appreciated.
I am confused too. I know the term PLC(programmable logic controller) but I have never heard of it in reference to an epson. However, what you are seeing is likely the fish eye objective array or the prism in the front end of the optics. i.imgur.com/PlKr6Gd.png here is a picture that I put some marks on to show where I mean. Usually one of the pieces of glass has slipped and if you look for witness marks from the glue, you can usually line it back up. Here is another view with an optic block removed. i.imgur.com/V4j9eSH.jpg
Very interesting. How would I clean the projector myself? It seems quite complicated. My 8350 has got pink spots all over the screen. I can focus on these spots. When projecting an image I just see pinkish out of focus spots, only see these on white. Wonder if this is dust or something went bad and I'd rather buy another projector. Which projectors are higher quality and more reliable? I can not use DLP as I see rainbow effect and I need lens shift.
Hi Russell, I suspect you have failing polarizers over dust. The 8350 has a finite life span(most LCD projectors do) and you are at about the end of what I would expect one to run. The parts that fail are not easy or cost effective to replace. I think buying a new projector is your best option here. As much as I love to repair things, these are just not worthwhile at this point. I would suggest checking out Sony and JVC over Epson. The LCoS/SXRD technology is better than DLP/LCD in my opinion and they last for years. They are slightly more expensive but I feel its worth it. I would at least check them out to see if they will fit your needs better.
@@FixitFrank Thank you very much. You mentioned the cleaning. Is it even possible to do a routine cleaning on my own or I would need to a professional to do so? I am ok with fixing simple things in electronics, but not advanced. This is my second epson, the reason I bought it as I wanted 1080p and I gave my 720p to a friend, which I bought in 2008 and it is still going well, he uses it a lot. But this one is quite a surprise. I bought refurbished from epson in 2015.
@@russella5296 I've (anecdotally)noticed that in the past 5-ish years that epson has increasingly made their lower end projectors less serviceable. I have a video coming up about a newer 2150 that has bad optics after 6-7 years and it was unrepairable due to the way epson redesigned a part, making it impossible to take out without damage to the LCD block. Older projectors seem to hold up better. I personally think the best years for medium cost($1-3K) was 2010-2015. After that, the build quality has been "optimized". this is not just Epson, but also BenQ and Optoma.
Routine cleaning is really dependent on the model you end up with. I always say less is more. the less you take apart, the better chance you have of not running into a self-created problem. I would say with a new projector, if you give it a superficial cleaning every few months( run a vacuum with brush around the outside, and over the vents) and maybe use a smaller vac attachment to address the lamp area(take the lamp out) it will cut down on the need to do a deep cleaning where the unit is taken apart. I would not do that yourself unless you are confident in what you are doing. If you keep up on the superficial cleaning, the need for a deep cleaning will be minimized.
My 5025ub is going out, it's developed a vertical dead pixel band in the red channel, leaving me with a teal strip in my image, I was surprised to see how common this failure is for Epson projectors. For the thousands of dollars people are paying for these units it is a shame they have a shelf life of about 5-7 years. Up until this I have been very happy with my projector. Now I'm looking at ali express to see if I can get a replacement lcd block to drop into it and keep it going. I worry that if I buy something like the LS11000 for twice the cost of my 5025ub, will it last more than 5 years? Maybe the laser lightsource runs cooler than a bulb, I don't know. If these new projectors are using the same 0.74" LCD panels that Epson has been using for a decade do I want to spend essentially $600/yr for 5 years of use?
Oof. I am kind of biased against epsons honeslty. I see so many failing like yours and failing like this one and a 2150 that was 5 years old and it has soured my opinion of their engineering and manufacturing. The pictures are fantastic. I will not discount that, but the build quality is not great in my opinion. If I were you, I would look at Sony (just released a new model) and JVC. I feel they are the next step up from Epson (epson uses a lot of sony chips). If you need a vendor to talk to, reach out to Projectorscreen.com They are a really tight outfit and they know their stuff. Let them know I sent you over if you give them a shout. They have a YT channel here as well.
Hi and thank you for work that you make. After i cleaned my color wheel and sensor on my benq w1070 it helped with blinking and rainbow effect. But now i got gray blobs all over screen that i can see on white background. It cleaned with air comresos so it not dust. So what can be the problem?
It kind of sounds like some dust may have broken loose inside the optic assembly. See if you can adjust the focus to make the blobs clearer. If so, you may need to pull the DMD chip out (dlp chip) and clean its face with a chamois or Kimwipe/glasses wipe.
@@FixitFrank Thanks it was really dust on dlp chip. I had to take it apart 5 times before i found a way to clean all dust from it.
I have been there. I think my record was 12 times disassembling and re-assembling. Nice job!
What's the dimensions of green polarizer filter? Glass itself?
Not sure. You have to buy the polarizer as an assembly as far as I know. I'll see if I can find the dimensions. I have a scrap unit around.
If you still have that red polarizer from the 8350, I think I could use it
Sadly they are all shot. Polarizers drive me nuts with how they fail.
Actually did you happen to post on Reddit about an 8350? I might be able to help.
@@FixitFrank I may have commented, but I don't think I posted a question. I'll take what ever help I can get. Ps, thanks for responding so quickly on old post of yours.
@@darrenmcgruther6851 Just saw your email. Im replying now
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