[ironic]

A few weeks ago, I tried to turn off my Z1 (by using the soft-off button on the top of the machine), but found that it was totally unresponsive.

In the end I shut off the machine by cutting the power and turned it on again right away to keep the fans running. After the 30 second warm up, the lamp seemed fine and with lots of power, but after about 30 seconds more it dimmed to almost nothing. I say almost, because if I keep my hand in front of the lens, I can see the picture displayed on my hand. But the light is so dim it does not reach the screen.


Turned it off using soft button. Waited a day. Turned it on, but the same. At first (now just a second or so) the light is fine, but is then dimmed almost completely.


I have about 400 hours on the lamp and never experienced any problems before.


Is this simply a lamp that needs replacement or is something else wrong? Anyone seen this behaviour before?


Best regards,


- Soren

 

[mike.cf]

Yes. Mine went the same way. You need a new lamp.

 

[Huey]

The worst thing you can do is ignite a hot lamp as it ruins your bulb. The bulb should be cooled with fan and/or naturally to room temperature before restarting your PJ. The fan of the PJ merely enhance the cooling so you could restart the PJ quicker than letting it air cool naturally. Thus, if power goes out then let the machine cool completely to room temperature before turning on your PJ. Alternatively have a computer UPS to prevent sudden loss or power. If it locks up then just let it cool down naturally after you unplug the machine before firing her up again. Some may use external fan cooling to aid this cooling process if you need to restart the PJ quicker.

 

[ironic]

Alright. Can I buy a Z3 lamp (as these seem to have longer life than the Z1 ones) or do I need to buy a Z1 lamp? Both are about $300 which is insane since the Z1 now has a street price of $650...


- Soren

 

[madbrain]

I doubt the Z3 lamps are compatible. You have to use a Z1 lamp. And yes it's kind of crazy with the current Z1 street price .


FYI, with my past 6 (!!!) Z1 lamps, once the brightness dropped, the lamps lasted only another 15 hours or so, until they exploded .

 

[RCOVJR]

I have the same problem but I just replaced the bulb. The lamp light indicator stays red, before and after I replaced the bulb. Can anyone help with this problem

 

[bslam]

This the fate of Sanyo projector lamp, just 500 hrs and then dimmed dramatically. I've already told this story before.

 

[edwardr132]

The Z1 Sanyo Projector's record on bulb life is terrible. There have only been a few users who have been able to get higher than 1,000 hours out of their bulbs. It may be cheaper to upgrade projectors than continue to "invest" in bulbs. Problem is that now I have heard some of the other home theater projectors are having problems as well..... Do your research.....

 

[joesthai]

6 lamps? Are you buying these? My z-1 bulb just went off suddenly. If it burst, wouldn't I know it? There may have been an audible click, but it also may have been a sound from some of the kids who were watching... I would expect a noticable pop at least! Luckily I have my 'frree bulb' stashed away. If it popped, can I still replace the bulb myself? ( I did replace the mainboard myself when that quit. Sanyo gave me the part under warranty.) I'm pissed if the bulb is gone at 650 hours! Comments and advice appreciated. It's true that every model uses a different bulb.

 

[Bobby_M]

Well, I made it to 850 hours on my first bulb and it still had plenty of brightness when I sold it. People spout off figures like they know conclusively. We all know people are much louder when things go wrong for them and everyone loves to vent. *SOME* people have had very short bulb life for *MOST* projector models including Sanyo's. This is really a risk you take when you purchase these things. If you're going through a bulb every 300 hours, there's obviously a problem with the unit itself and you need to take it up with the repair dept.

 

[joesthai]

Actually, mine also had plenty of brightness at over 850 hours! (Duh! I lost track of the ~250 hours it had when the new mainboard arrived! So 250 hours + 650 hours= 900 hours bulb life.) I'm less pissed now, but I clean and take excellent care of the ceiling mounted projecto. All hours in low-lamp mode. I think I'll wait for a z-3 with free bulb offer for my upgrade!

Sorry for the misinformation on hours a few posts back. 900 sounds better than 650, but I was nursing it to get 2000!