[kev249]

I don't post often but I do come here for answers. I figured I'd share some info that may help somebody else.

The issue is a rattling fan in a Benq w1070. The projector was only used outside for the first year and a half and stayed in its box when not in use. It only had about 20 hours tops.

I recently mounted the projector inside the house and it looks fantastic. After about the 140hr mark it started to make a rattling noise after it had been on for a while. I couldn't really hear it during loud scenes but as soon as it got quiet it was like I was sitting under an old movie projector.

I soon found that a replacement fan on Amazon was about $68 and could take several weeks to get. The only other suppliers were in China with 30 day shipping and at least $40 with shipping not to mention the unknown reputations of the sellers. I started to look for a replacement with the same specs when I realized the I should really look at replacing the bearings in the fan. The fan is spec'd out with 2 shielded ball bearings.

I took the w1070 apart to get the fan out and then disassembled the fan to measure the bearings to order the replacements.

If you are not aware, the fans are only held together by a tiny "c" clip on the end of the shaft. Remove the round sticker on the fan housing to reveal the clip and one of the bearings. There is a small preload spring on the shaft to keep an eye on.

To disassemble, put the fan inside a clear plastic bag and use 2 small picks to pry the clip off. The plastic bag keeps the clip from flying off and being lost forever.

The bearings measured 8mm tall, 4mm wide, and 3mm bore. There are 2 of them in the fan and they are a light press fit and are easily removed. There are no marking on the bearings.

If you look on eBay, you can get them for about 10 to 15 dollars for ten of them including free shipping.. AND it only takes a couple days to get them.

I reassembled the fan but before I did I stretched the preload spring a very small amount. Remember a little goes a long way on that spring. I reinstalled the fan and buttoned up the projector while I wait for the bearings. The projector was mounted back on the ceiling and reconnected. To my surprise, the rattle sound Is gone, without the new bearings.

I did not take any photos of the disassembly but I will when the new bearings get here.

The bearing size I listed above is for the fan in the front of the projector next to the lens. I have not checked the other fans but I can't see why the same fix wouldn't work for them the same way. Try it and if it doesn't work, you needed to take the fan apart anyway to measure the bearing to order new ones.

 

[kev249]

Just an update to is fan fix. It's been a month and a half since the fix and there is still no rattling noise. I have not replacement the bearing yet, I have them but since the fan isn't making any noise there's no need to mess with it at this time.


I've tried to answer the pm's that I received about the fan fix but the forum says my post count is to low to send pm's. I'll try and fix that and reply soon.

 

[RLBURNSIDE]

Thanks. Mine rattles sometimes, but rarely. I built a hushbox which I leave open for the most part since I don't find the volume high anyway. I should probably close it but it's impossible to adjust the focus and zoom effectively with the hushbox closed. It's a good projector, great even, for the price, but there are lots of little annoyances with it too.

 

[kev249]

I've got over 400 hrs on the projector since taking the fan apart and so far so good. No noise other than the four fans blowing air. My rattle was so loud I could hear it in in the next room. The bearings are dirt cheap, they are the same size as a popular r/c car wheel bearing. I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same size in the other fans in the projector but I have not checked that. You can run the unit with the top off and put a screw driver handle to your ear and the screwdriver tip unto the housing of thee running fans to determine which fan is making the noise. You'll no it when you hear it.

 

[hotjt133]

So what you did was just simply assemble the fan with a stretch on the clip, not even changing the bearing? Which indicate the rattle is coming from the clip? I want to try it but fear I might mess up the fan and render the projector not usable. Has anyone else tried this fix and got good result?

 

[kev249]

So what you did was just simply assemble the fan with a stretch on the clip, not even changing the bearing? Which indicate the rattle is coming from the clip? I want to try it but fear I might mess up the fan and render the projector not usable. Has anyone else tried this fix and got good result?

Well, yes and no.. I did take the fan apart and reassemble it. But I don think it was the clip. The clip is tight, it's all the holds the fan blade in. What I made sure I did was mark the bearings when I took them out. Then, upon reassembly, I made sure the bearings were flipped over from their original position. That way any of the thrust forces on the bearing will be reversed. I added a slight amount of spring pressure by stretching it. That's it.

The projector is super easy to take apart. There are no surprises when you open it up. It's really well engineered and was a pleasure to work on. All you're going to be concerned about is pulling the fan out then put the projector aside while you work on the fan.

 

[kev249]

Another update to the bearing issue.

Today my original bulb with 6006 trouble free hours blew up. Luckily I had already purchased a spare bare bulb. I decided to replace the fan bearings while I had the projector down for cleaning the glass and dust from the the inside.

I would recommend that if your projector is mounted upside down when the bulb bursts, leave it upside down as you take it down so as not to dump the glass fragments into the rest of the projector. It's pretty easy to remove the cover and bulb housing while still keeping it upside down. After you get the majority of the glass out then flip it over and get the rest out.

Anyway, I removed the the original bearings and replaced them with the new ones I got off of eBay. The measurements that I listed above worked perfectly. The only issue was with the sticker that covers the clip holding the fan in. It would no longer stick. A piece of packing tape cut in a circle did the trick.

Now the payoff.....
The projector is now super quite. I can't believe how loud the original bearings were. Wayyyyyyy quieter than before. I can't believe I thought the sound was 'ok' before. I got used the fan noise. My projector is about 4' away from my head so the difference is readily apparent.

So, in summary, if you have loud fan noise just change the bearings. I wish I had done it in the beginning when I got the bearings last year.

(I just realized we put 5500 hrs on the projector in the last year... Probably 1/3 of that being Xbox.)

 

[Brian Clark]

Quick Comment:
I'm assuming the bearings for this fan are non-flanged. I've been looking them up on ebay.

Also, the way to measure bearings is iDxoDxW (InnerxOuterxWidth)

So, assuming the measurements you stated are correct, they should be 3mmX8mmX4mm.

I'm going to be ordering some from eBay, and wanted to make sure this was accurate.

Thanks!

 

[Splityew]

I don't post often but I do come here for answers. I figured I'd share some info that may help somebody else.

The issue is a rattling fan in a Benq w1070. The projector was only used outside for the first year and a half and stayed in its box when not in use. It only had about 20 hours tops.

I recently mounted the projector inside the house and it looks fantastic. After about the 140hr mark it started to make a rattling noise after it had been on for a while. I couldn't really hear it during loud scenes but as soon as it got quiet it was like I was sitting under an old movie projector.

I soon found that a replacement fan on Amazon was about $68 and could take several weeks to get. The only other suppliers were in China with 30 day shipping and at least $40 with shipping not to mention the unknown reputations of the sellers. I started to look for a replacement with the same specs when I realized the I should really look at replacing the bearings in the fan. The fan is spec'd out with 2 shielded ball bearings.

I took the w1070 apart to get the fan out and then disassembled the fan to measure the bearings to order the replacements.

If you are not aware, the fans are only held together by a tiny "c" clip on the end of the shaft. Remove the round sticker on the fan housing to reveal the clip and one of the bearings. There is a small preload spring on the shaft to keep an eye on.

To disassemble, put the fan inside a clear plastic bag and use 2 small picks to pry the clip off. The plastic bag keeps the clip from flying off and being lost forever.

The bearings measured 8mm tall, 4mm wide, and 3mm bore. There are 2 of them in the fan and they are a light press fit and are easily removed. There are no marking on the bearings.

If you look on eBay, you can get them for about 10 to 15 dollars for ten of them including free shipping.. AND it only takes a couple days to get them.

I reassembled the fan but before I did I stretched the preload spring a very small amount. Remember a little goes a long way on that spring. I reinstalled the fan and buttoned up the projector while I wait for the bearings. The projector was mounted back on the ceiling and reconnected. To my surprise, the rattle sound Is gone, without the new bearings.

I did not take any photos of the disassembly but I will when the new bearings get here.

The bearing size I listed above is for the fan in the front of the projector next to the lens. I have not checked the other fans but I can't see why the same fix wouldn't work for them the same way. Try it and if it doesn't work, you needed to take the fan apart anyway to measure the bearing to order new ones.

Hi Kev249

I've tried unsuccessfully to find replacement bearings specifically for benq projectors on ebay and the web in general. Could you please let me know your search criteria?
My projector is a ht1085st.

Thanks

 

[Czarek Szpadzik]

Hi!

That is my first post here. I have BENQ W1070+ for almost 2 years. Few days ago I heard a really annoying sound which appears from time to time. I recorded a video

Insterenting is that noise can disappear (sometimes for a few hours) when I slightly hit the projector.

Did you guys have issue like that?

Greetings from Warsaw, Poland.

 

[nindim]

Ball Bearing Type

The ball bearing type with these measurements:

Outside Diameter(OD) x Inside Diameter(ID) x Width(W): 8mm x 3mm x 4mm

seems to be known as 693-ZZ. In the UK, you can get them for about £1 each on ebay.

Searching for that code is far easier than wading through results based on the dimensions themselves (that seem to appear in random orders).

Hopefully they are the right ones... I'll be taking mine apart soon

 

[biztyke]

well i thought i would post my experience with this fix. hopefully others will learn from my mistakes.

first, don't get any old cheapy bearings off ebay. i originally bought a set of 10 for $10 and put them in the fan, after a month it was squealing pretty bad and way louder than stock.

i ordered a set from rcbearings.com to replace them. this is where the fun began.

i have over 18k hours on this projector now, and something to keep in mind with that many hours is that a lot of the plastics inside the PJ get very brittle with that kind of long term heat exposure. this of course includes the fan i was replacing the bearings(again) on. somehow i managed to break the center section of the plastic housing while trying to get one of the bearings out. while i was trying to refit it and make a plan to glue or epoxy it back together i managed to pull the 3 wires off the circuit board in the fan, and on the + lead pulled a section of trace off. after i figured out what wires went where i realized the heat had basically hardened and cracked the sheathing off all the wires. so, i spliced new wires in with the soldering iron and after gluing the fan case back together i gingerly soldered the 3 wires back to the circuit board. what i didn't realize is that the trace i pulled off had a jump to the underside of the circuit board, going to another circuit so the fan didn't work initially. i pulled the fan apart again and i used a small piece of wire to reroute that and jump it back to the + lead.

after spending hours trying to hobble this thing back together i managed to complete my franken-fan and the PJ is running again. i really don't know how the epoxy will hold up to the heat over time so i think i am gonna order a replacement fan anyways, but i typed all that out just to warn people(especially people with a lot of hours on their PJ) to be careful when doing this fix. it was easier than i thought for things to go south quick. in the end i think it is a little quieter than stock, but in my case probably not worth the hassle(even if it did go like clockwork). im just glad my PJ isnt dead(for now anyways).

either way OP thanks for discovering this, i'm sure it will make a lot of w1070s quieter.....just don't fumble it like ii did. the post above mine has the correct measurements and code for the bearings that fit.

 

[skoolpsyk]

ok, before I order could someone please confirm that I've got the right ones? (I've never taken a fan apart before...)



there's these: http://www.rcbearings.com/products/693zz-3-x-8-x-4-hq-bearing.html

these: http://www.rcbearings.com/products/693zz-3-x-8-x-4-bearing-hq.html

and these: http://www.rcbearings.com/products/s693zz-3-x-8-x-4-stainless-steel-bearing.html



I'm inclined to think the stainless are the way to go?

thanks!

 

[kev249]

I'm updating this thread to share some long term results. After approx 4500 hours on the cheap eBay bearings the projector is still just as quiet as it was when I installed the new bearings and the original noise has not returned.
The 693ZZ does appear to be the correct bearing number as posted above and thy are not flanged bearings.
If your projector has this fan noise don't hesitate doing this fix.

 

[Marki4711]

Hi,

I tried your solution and I was suprised, that the blower-fan had no ball bearing at all. The rest of the ball-bearings were replaced but I'm not sure if there is any difference. I don't hear any.

It is kind of a stupid question, but I have to ask because I might made a mistake during the assembling of the device:

From the three fans that are visible from the outside, two of them are blowing from the inside to the outside and one is sucking from the outside, to the inside.
This is correct, isn't it?

BR,
Marki

 

[Anton Manoo]

Does anyone know what fan #3 is on the BenQ 1085 or 1070?
Thanks

 

[Romain Loiseau]

Another update to the bearing issue.

Today my original bulb with 6006 trouble free hours blew up. Luckily I had already purchased a spare bare bulb. I decided to replace the fan bearings while I had the projector down for cleaning the glass and dust from the the inside.

I would recommend that if your projector is mounted upside down when the bulb bursts, leave it upside down as you take it down so as not to dump the glass fragments into the rest of the projector. It's pretty easy to remove the cover and bulb housing while still keeping it upside down. After you get the majority of the glass out then flip it over and get the rest out.

Anyway, I removed the the original bearings and replaced them with the new ones I got off of eBay. The measurements that I listed above worked perfectly. The only issue was with the sticker that covers the clip holding the fan in. It would no longer stick. A piece of packing tape cut in a circle did the trick.

Now the payoff.....
The projector is now super quite. I can't believe how loud the original bearings were. Wayyyyyyy quieter than before. I can't believe I thought the sound was 'ok' before. I got used the fan noise. My projector is about 4' away from my head so the difference is readily apparent.

So, in summary, if you have loud fan noise just change the bearings. I wish I had done it in the beginning when I got the bearings last year.

(I just realized we put 5500 hrs on the projector in the last year... Probably 1/3 of that being Xbox.)

Hello everyone,
I also want to change the bearings of my benq w1070.
@kev249 is it easy to do ? Could you explain how to do it ?

I never dissassembled a fan and I haven't found proper instructions for bearings replacement.



thank you,

 

[kev249]

The hardest part of replacing the bearings is getting the fan out of the projector, which isn’t that difficult to do. After the fan is out do this:

1) peel the sticker off the side of the fan. This will expose a small “c” clip that retains the spinning part of the fan into the body of the fan.

2) slide the fan and shaft out of the bearings. It’s all one piece.

3) now remove the bearings from the housing. Each side comes “out” so you may need to use a small probe to push the first one out. They are not in there very tight and should be easy to remove.

4) Install the new bearings,

5) reinstall the the rotating part of the fan, along with the “c” clip, and the sticker.

That’s it. It super easy to do. I would be careful when removing the “c” clip as they have a tendency to fly across the room if you are not careful. Also mark the direction of the fan before you take it out so you know which way it goes back in..
It really is that simple.

I currently have about 23,000 hrs my Benq and it still works great. Bulb life is all over the place. 6006 hrs for the original, 10,832 hrs, 2522 hrs, and the current bulb is just shy of 3600 hrs. All cheap ones accept for the first one. The second bulb looked like the original but the last 2 looked a bit different.

Edit:
Make sure to read my first post above as I left out some minor details, like the small spring and a plastic bag so you don’t loose the clip..

 

[Romain Loiseau]

The hardest part of replacing the bearings is getting the fan out of the projector, which isn’t that difficult to do. After the fan is out do this:

1) peel the sticker off the side of the fan. This will expose a small “c” clip that retains the spinning part of the fan into the body of the fan.

2) slide the fan and shaft out of the bearings. It’s all one piece.

3) now remove the bearings from the housing. Each side comes “out” so you may need to use a small probe to push the first one out. They are not in there very tight and should be easy to remove.

4) Install the new bearings,

5) reinstall the the rotating part of the fan, along with the “c” clip, and the sticker.

That’s it. It super easy to do. I would be careful when removing the “c” clip as they have a tendency to fly across the room if you are not careful. Also mark the direction of the fan before you take it out so you know which way it goes back in..
It really is that simple.

I currently have about 23,000 hrs my Benq and it still works great. Bulb life is all over the place. 6006 hrs for the original, 10,832 hrs, 2522 hrs, and the current bulb is just shy of 3600 hrs. All cheap ones accept for the first one. The second bulb looked like the original but the last 2 looked a bit different.

Edit:
Make sure to read my first post above as I left out some minor details, like the small spring and a plastic bag so you don’t loose the clip..

Thank you so much for your quick reply !
Just to be sure, the bearings you changed was for the fan placed on the same side than the lens, right ?


thank you,

 

[kev249]

It sounds like the one I fixed. Most of the fans have the same type of construction. It’s also possible the issue is with another fan. The easiest way to find out is open the projector and turn it on to make sure. If you take a long screwdriver and touch the tip to a fan housing, then put the butt end of the handle to your ear and you will definitely hear which one is making the noise as you test each one.

https://stevenbreuls.com/2015/07/cleaning-w1070-beamer-and-fix-loud-fan-noise/
Some internal photos.(not mine).

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/BenQ+HT1075+Projector+Blower+Fan+Replacement/98303
Ifixit shows disassembly of a ht1075 and removal of a different fan. Use photos for reference.