Replacing A LCD projector bulb with alternative

[Mike Kennedy]

Hi, I was wondering if anybody has had some expierence with replacing bulbs
in LCD projectors with a different type of bulb, and what success and what
problems you had. I had though of using a HID head light bulb.. Or possibly
rebuilding the bulb itself. Its a 200w HID for a EIKI LC-360.

Any thoughts?
- Mike

 

[James Sweet]

Hi, I was wondering if anybody has had some expierence with replacing bulbs
in LCD projectors with a different type of bulb, and what success and what
problems you had. I had though of using a HID head light bulb.. Or possibly
rebuilding the bulb itself. Its a 200w HID for a EIKI LC-360.

Any thoughts?
- Mike

HID headlight bulbs are 35W, way too dim and not the right color balance. I
have heard of someone rebuilding a projector bulb but I don't recall where
they bought the replacement.

 

[Art]

Ballast circuits in the devices are designed to function with a specific
lamp, within those designed in parameters. Attempting to hack another type
of lamp, not knowing it's parameters, etc is assured to cause more damage to
the projector.

 

[James Sweet]

Ballast circuits in the devices are designed to function with a specific
lamp, within those designed in parameters. Attempting to hack another type
of lamp, not knowing it's parameters, etc is assured to cause more damage to
the projector.

I was assuming he meant to hack in another ballast to work with a different
wattage of bulb, otherwise what Art says is absolutely correct, a discharge
lamp needs to be closely matched to the ballast, a mismatch will often
result in either greatly reduced lamp life or lamp explosion. It is however
possible to find bare arc tubes of the correct type to rebuild projector
lamps but it takes some research.

 

[Mike Kennedy]

Yeah, I assumed I'd have to power it externally if I used a different type
of bulb. I had also thought if I could get the same type of bulb that is
mounted in the parabolic reflector that would be an ideal solution..

 

[LASERandDVDfan]

Yeah, I assumed I'd have to power it externally if I used a different type

of bulb. I had also thought if I could get the same type of bulb that is
mounted in the parabolic reflector that would be an ideal solution..

Just bite the bullet and buy the correct replacement lamp.

It's the solution with the least amount of safety and functionality concerns.
And, it's probably more economical, both with money AND time, to simply buy the
correct replacement than attempt to rebuild the worn lamp. - Reinhart

 

[Mike Kennedy]

Whats the fun in buying a bulb you can just thow in without any trouble : )

 

[Sam Goldwasser]

Whats the fun in buying a bulb you can just thow in without any trouble : )

A projector that works, no need for trip to ER when your bulb explodes, or
when you get electrocuted on the cobbled together ballast, etc.

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[LASERandDVDfan]

Whats the fun in buying a bulb you can just thow in without any trouble : )

A projector that works, no need for trip to ER when your bulb explodes, or
when you get electrocuted on the cobbled together ballast, etc.

Or risk breaking the projector to the point where the only economical thing
left to do is to chuck it and buy a replacement. - Reinhart

 

[t.hoehler]

Or risk breaking the projector to the point where the only economical thing
left to do is to chuck it and buy a replacement. - Reinhart

Seriously, I was present when a xenon arc projection bulb exploded- very
scary, sounded like a cherry bomb. Luckily, the projector held the bulb
shards, but these things are bad news when they decide to pop.
Regards,
Tom

 

[Chris]

Hi, I was wondering if anybody has had some expierence with replacing
bulbs in LCD projectors with a different type of bulb, and what
success and what problems you had. I had though of using a HID head
light bulb.. Or possibly rebuilding the bulb itself. Its a 200w HID
for a EIKI LC-360.

Any thoughts?
- Mike

Why?
Most lamp supplies can only drive one type of lamp. Power is fixed by
both the lamp and supply. Even if you put in a higher power lamp of the
same type, the supply will restrict the amount of power output.
Light output is important, too. Most lamps have UV filters but that only
does so much. The optics have a lot of filtering going on. Especially in
the UV and IR spectrum. UV tends to destroy dichroic filters and LCD
panels and IR creates a lot of heat, wears on the plastics, and burns
some of the other filters. All of these characteristics change with a
different type of lamp.
Cooling is another issue. Most projectors are designed for a specific
air flow. You can increase fan speed and air flow but it's very limited.
There are companies out there that you can purchase just the lamp
without the cage so you can rebuild the lamp yourself. A company I've
dealt with is Atlas Specialty Lighting if you want a place to start.
It's usually not worth rebuilding lamps unless you do it in large
quantities. And like everything else, rebuilds have their limitations.