Projector flickering?

[collintowne]

Hi everybody,

One of our ASK Proxima 450C projectors is doing something strange. The picture is flickering. It still works and there is no deterioration in color or brightness, but it just looks like it's shaking/flickering. It is mounted on a beam and is stationary so movement is not causing it. I bought a new lamp for it, but as you all know, they are very expensive. I don't want to replace it unless I have to. Any thoughts?

collintowne

[milepost13]

it could have to do with the power supply.

Nate

[dtpuga]

Did the flickering start before or after you replaced the bulb? Maybe a loose wire and the fan is vibrating or even blowing on it enough to make a connection waver. Pay attention to your LED status lights. If JUST the image is flickering and the rest of the status lights look normal it can narrow down the issue. Also, some projectors have mute buttons that will kill the image without powering down the lamp maybe its getting triggered, but that sounds dumb as I type it. It sounds like the lamp is getting continuous power or it would be fading on and off, not flickering. I'd pull it down and hook it up on a desk where I could watch and listen to it. Another cause maybe your signal in, check your connections, wiggle them, all that good stuff. If the image stays bright but flickers it may be a bad connection, explaining why everything seems normal on the projector end of things and the image 'flickers' because its signal is broken. If it works on the desk and not in the ceiling, then you know it the cables in the install or perhaps the projector's physical orientation, like, all the sudden it is scared of heights or doesn't like hanging upside down and the blood is rushing to its head. Who knows?

Let us know how things pan out so we can put that in our melons for later use.

Hope this helps,
-Travis

[Adam Ogden]

Travis pointed out some good ideas. I would second him on the signal check...if it is flickering, and everything else seems good, it could be a signal issue. Check the length of your run. Check the cable and the connections on either side.

Lastly, because you said it is up on a beam way out of the way, I am going to guess that it doesnt get services a whole lot. As simple as it sounds, check the filters. Having the intake filters clogged will make the projector overheat, and start to do weird things like that. Some places (like here in the desert) have to clean them as often as once a month, while some places should do it quarterly or yearly.

I hope this helps.

[worshiptrench]

We have to blow ours out once a month. Note if there are two filters as our model has. For a while we didn't realize we weren't blowing out one of the filters on each projector.

[dtpuga]

You definitely have to keep your filters clean. However, flickering image would be a new symptom of bad air flow to me. That usually causes the projector to go into standby or shutdown, not flicker. Flickering is usually a signal issue.
-Travis

[Adam Ogden]

You are right, it normally is a signal issue....but overheating can cause the lamp to try and work too hard....kind of that limbo between where it ACTUALLY gets too hot, and when the sensors determine its too hot, and shut the unit down. I used to have two projectors that distinctly flickered when they needed their filters cleaned. After I cleaned them, they were fine, for another couple months. You are right though.....at elast 85% of the time....flickering is a signal issue.....but it never hurts to check all of your options.