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Panasonic PT-AE900U shutting off

post #1 of 19
8/1/12 at 9:30pm
Thread Starter 
My AE900 randomly shuts off, then will turn itself back on. It could happen after 1 hr or 5 minutes. Thinking it might be the iris, I lubricated it according to a YouTube video mentioned in another thread.

I'm thinking of disconnecting the iris, but wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this, and what solution was found.

When it shuts off and come back on, the fan doesn't follow the usual long cooling cycle. The power light comes on and off as it tries to turn itself back on. The bulb is new, and only has about 300 hrs. I tried to get into the self check menu but it didn't appear after pressing OFF, right, up, down, up, down, then ENTER.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!
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post #2 of 19
8/2/12 at 7:56am
Is the new bulb a Panasonic OEM or a clone?

Did you replace the filter with the new bulb?
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Edited by Mr.G - 8/2/12 at 8:03am
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post #3 of 19
8/2/12 at 11:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.G View Post

Is the new bulb a Panasonic OEM or a clone?
Did you replace the filter with the new bulb?
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It's a clone bulb. I disassembled the filter and cleaned it. I don't think it's a temperature problem, since the TEMP light never comes on.

I believe the bulb is from Pureland supply.

Thanks!
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post #4 of 19
8/2/12 at 1:13pm
Are you also experiencing a noisy iris? Or just going through the process of elimination?

If you still have the old bulb put it back in and see if problem replicates itself.

If it doesn't occur with the old bulb then you've probably found the culprit.

Also this is pretty basic so I'm reluctant to ask but... did you reset the lamptime counter when you installed the new bulb?
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Edited by Mr.G - 8/2/12 at 1:30pm
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post #5 of 19
8/2/12 at 2:51pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.G View Post

Are you also experiencing a noisy iris? Or just going through the process of elimination?
If you still have the old bulb put it back in and see if problem replicates itself.
If it doesn't occur with the old bulb then you've probably found the culprit.
Also this is pretty basic so I'm reluctant to ask but... did you reset the lamptime counter when you installed the new bulb?
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Unfortunately, I no longer have an old Panasonic bulb (I think)... I'll dig it up later.

Nope, I'm not hearing the Iris noise, but I did at one time until I lubricated it.

And yep... the counter is only 312 hours!

What happens when the lamp ballast fails? Does it turn off/on intermittently?

I think I might disconnect the iris tonight as a test (especially if it's easy to plug back in later).

Thanks for the replies! I hope many more are to come....
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post #6 of 19
8/2/12 at 5:55pm
Thread Starter 
I'm posting my investigation for the sake of other Panny AE900 users that have the same problem in the future.

My research suggests intermittent off/restart problems are likely due to 1) lamp ballast problem, 2) dynamic iris 'sticking', or 3) defective/substandard lamps.

Since I can't test the ballast, and haven't found my old bulb, I decided to disconnect the dynamic iris circuit (It can be easily reconnected).

Another thread here gave instructions for disconnecting the dynamic iris circuit. I 'll add the procedure to this thread later for easy reference. So far I'm encouraged. It's run for 20 minutes without shutting down. Last night it ran for nearly an hour, so I won't declare success until it runs cleanly for a couple of hours.

Thanks for your suggestions so far. I hope others can chime in if they have had similar problems. There may be other causes for intermittent shutdowns other than the three I'm considering!

Here are the instructions per wgf_bean on 3/3/08 for disconnecting the iris.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wgf_bean View Post

I've opened my unit and proved it was the dynamic iris servo making all the noise. Since I don't want to send the unit out for repair and loose it for who knows how long (and potentially get a unit back that fails eventually again) I've temporarily "fixed it" by unplugging the servo module and told the system not to use the iris. I have the service manual and unfortunately there isn’t a theory of operation for me to troubleshoot if the problem is with the signal coming from the main board which goes to the iris module, or the module itself. Back in the 80’s service manuals like for TVs gave a theory of operation along with waveform so a service tech could troubleshoot down to the faulty component.


If you have an AE900U that’s noisy most all the time then you probably have a faulty iris and your dynamic control is useless. For those that don’t want to send their unit in for repair and are brave enough to go inside, here’s how to shut down the iris:


(1) Remove the lens shift lever by unscrewing it and giving a tug. It will pull right out. Be sure to unscrew it enough so you don't strip the threads.


(2) Remove the screws on the bottom. There are little arrows on the chassis bottom pointing to the screw locations.


(3) Remove one screw from the unit back panel. It’s the one at the top middle of the panel.


(4) Lift the top cover off the unit.


(5) Locate the main printed circuit board. It’s the one that has the 3 fancy ribbon cables connecting each LCD and right over/inline with the lens system. The board has several connectors around its sides. On the front side of that board find a connector in the middle labeled "A23". These connectors can be a bit of a pain to remove without snapping the plastic ends. Although you normally aren't supposed to yank on the wires to remove a connector this is typically the safest way with this type of connector. We use them in stuff we design where I work. So try to grab all the wires on that connector together then pull toward the front of the unit (inline with the wires as they leave the connector) to unplug it from the board. The iris is now unplugged.


(6) Reassemble the unit in the reverse order, of course leaving the iris unplugged.


(7) Turn the unit on and disable the dynamic iris in the system menu. Note: The unit doesn't know the iris is not working so it will not be optimally controlling the LCD. With the iris faulty the dynamic range (contrast ratio) will actually be worse than a system that doesn't use an iris. That's because the electronics is counting on the iris to do part of the job. This is why you must tell the projector to not use the iris so you can regain part of the dynamic range.


Your projector should now be as quiet as when it was new.

Edited by fbunn - 8/2/12 at 6:34pm
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post #7 of 19
8/2/12 at 6:42pm
Thread Starter 
Darn it!

The projector reset after approximately 2 hours:(

On the bright side, it came back almost immediately. It seems much better than before, but the engineer in me (BSEE) reminds me that's just wishful thinking. If it were the iris causing a shutdown, disconnecting it would stop the problem entirely. What do you guys think?
(Update. 30 mins later it has reset 4-5 times within 10 minutes)

I guess that leaves the bulb, the ballast, or something else I'm unaware of as the problem source. Any other suggestions?

One other odd thing I didn't mention before... When the projector resets, the audio mutes as well. Could this be caused by the HDMI copy protection mechanism losing its encryption temporarily?

What are the symptoms of a defective/substandard bulb? Would the behavior be different between high/low lamp power settings?

Perhaps I could convince the supplier to exchange my bulb for another one. Anyone else use bulbs from pureland supply?
Edited by fbunn - 8/2/12 at 6:54pm
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post #8 of 19
8/2/12 at 7:21pm
Thread Starter 
Is there anyone out there who would be willing to loan me a used (dim is ok) but functional AE900 lamp? I would hate to spend $300 on a bulb if that's not the problem!

I promise I would send it back! I just want to run a real Panasonic or known good bulb for an evening to see if my projector is broken or if I'm just being punished for buying a non-Panasonic lamp smile.gif

I would gladly pay for shipping and insurance.
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post #9 of 19
8/3/12 at 5:48am
Yes, I've got an old bulb I can send you. Just PM your name and address.
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post #10 of 19
8/3/12 at 7:23am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.G View Post

Yes, I've got an old bulb I can send you. Just PM your name and address.

That's wonderful! Fantastic!

Thank you so much!

I'll PM my name and address asap.

People like you are what make this forum great. I spent months here researching my original purchase of the AE900U.
The enthusiasm and good will of people on this forum is about the best you'll find anywhere smile.gif
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post #11 of 19
8/4/12 at 8:56am
Hi fbunn

You can see what went wrong if you enter in the Extended Options Menu.
It is a hidden Menu that you can access doing this:
1. When the projector is power ON, press "POWER" button on the main unit or remote control unit to display "POWER OFF"
confirmation screen.
2. Press the right-arrow ">" button to select "CANCEL" in the "POWER OFF" confirmation screen.
3. On the main unit or remote control unit, press the buttons in order of up-arrow "^", down-arrow "v", up-arrow "^",
down-arrow "v" and "ENTER".
(When the "ENTER" button is pressed, "EXT OPTION" menu is displayed.)
The go to the Self Check sub-menu. Check that nothing is in red or not OK

If you need the service manual, send me a PM with a e-mail direction.
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post #12 of 19
8/4/12 at 1:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ferbal View Post

Hi fbunn
You can see what went wrong if you enter in the Extended Options Menu.
It is a hidden Menu that you can access doing this:
1. When the projector is power ON, press "POWER" button on the main unit or remote control unit to display "POWER OFF"
confirmation screen.
2. Press the right-arrow ">" button to select "CANCEL" in the "POWER OFF" confirmation screen.
3. On the main unit or remote control unit, press the buttons in order of up-arrow "^", down-arrow "v", up-arrow "^",
down-arrow "v" and "ENTER".
(When the "ENTER" button is pressed, "EXT OPTION" menu is displayed.)
The go to the Self Check sub-menu. Check that nothing is in red or not OK
If you need the service manual, send me a PM with a e-mail direction.

Thanks for the suggestion.

I reconnected the Iris and ran the self check.

The good news is nothing is wrong.
The bad news is it's still shutting down.

Mr. G was extremely gracious, and is sending me an authentic Panasonic bulb to test with.

If it's not the bulb, I guess I'm down to either:
a) The ballast circuit
b) The power supply
c) Microprocessor board

If it were the micro board I doubt it would even power up.


Can anyone describe the usual symptoms of a ballast going out on one of these?
I would rather it be the ballast than the power supply, since the ballast is only $100. The PS is $230.

(On the plus side, my Iris works! At least that will preserve my black performance)

I managed to find and download a service manual already.
I appreciate the offer, though smile.gif


THANKS!!!
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post #13 of 19
8/6/12 at 7:12pm
Thread Starter 
A big thanks to Mr. G for loaning me an original Panasonic AE900 bulb to test with!
The projector ran for longer between resets with the Panasonic bulb, but alas, still reset.

Based on some other threads here, (about the AE700), it appears the likely culprit is the power supply, the ballast, or both circuits.

Does anyone know what the typical symptoms of a failing ballast are?
Also, what are the typical symptoms of a failing power supply?
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post #14 of 19
8/16/12 at 8:20pm
Thread Starter 
A final report to close out this thread.

Replacing the power supply fixed the problem completely!

Any AE900u owners... Feel free to email me for the exact part number of the power supply board. I also have a PDF of the service manual...

And finally......
THANK YOU Mr. G!!!!
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post #15 of 19
10/20/12 at 4:45am
Was replacing the power supply easy?
Mine has been starting to randomly shutdown earlier this week....

BTW, where did you buy the power supply? Directly on the panasonic website?

Thanks,
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post #16 of 19
12/18/12 at 10:56am
Anybody have news on power supplies?

What is the part #?
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post #17 of 19
12/18/12 at 12:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by S2G-Unit View Post

Anybody have news on power supplies?
What is the part #?

Refer to post #14, just send a PM to fbunn. It automatically triggers an email that is sent to his home email address.
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post #18 of 19
2/15/13 at 11:01am
Would you email the info you have on the power supply for AE900U.

Thanks,

Bryan Cothran
cbcothran@yahoo.com
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post #19 of 19
2/15/13 at 3:07pm
Unfortunately i'm late to the party, but about 18 months ago I had the same problem. I decided to bit the bullet and have the power supply replaced. I was so fortunately to bring it to a guy who got the diagnosis right the first time - not sure if that was luck or skill - but hey, my PJ works again.
I moving next month and am looking for an update. I've been happy with my 900 but after I saw a full HD projector fed by a BR I need a new one.....
rgds
Sparrow
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