lamp counter has exceeded lamp life hours

[TheAberdeenKid]

Okay now. I have an Infocus 4805, which I bought in August of 2004.
I went to turn it on last night, but the LED blinked twice, no picture.
I looked up the error code this morning, it is:

The lamp counter hours have exceeded lamp life hours. Replace the lamp and reset the lamp hours counter.

To me it sounds like, the lamp is still good, the counter reads that it reached its theoretical maximum life.

My question is do I need to buy a new lamp? Can I just reset the counter and use this lamp until it actually fails.

Is this just a way of Infocus getting me to buy a new bulb when I don't need one or is there a real reason why I can't use the lamp beyond the max lamp counter hours?

[George Bellefontaine]

It will probably work if you reset the timer but I wouldn't do it.When you exceed those built-in lamp hour timers you risk the possibility of the lamp exploding and damaging the projector's innards.

[Brandon B]

You will also be somewhat surprised at how dim the lamp has become if you buy a new one and replace the old.

As George says, you are spinning the roulette wheel though. Some lamps do explode, not most, and often the explosion is contained within the lamp assembly and doesn't damage the rest of the projector, but even at 1 in 20 odds or so, do you want to chance it?

BB

[nikos]

I have my first projector ever...nearing that magical number.
I guess you can't go wrong with Georges advise...but if you do reset...why not just do it for a conservative extended time...maybe 50 more hours...
Is there a way for the mfg to know you reset the timer, if it where to explode and you where still under warranty.... just wondering...

N

[Kevin P]

Order a new bulb, and reset the counter and use the old bulb until the new one arrives.

Then install the new bulb and keep the old one as a backup.

But the reason for the counter is because halide bulbs don't "burn out" like regular bulbs, they wear out and when they do fail, it's usually catastrophic (bulb shatters). Thus it's a good idea to replace it when the hours are used up.

[TheAberdeenKid]

thank you for your advice. I have a guy at work who is an "expert". I asked him the same question, and his answer was generally that so you don't have a catastrophic failure. My question is though, I have seen on this board, and other board, countless times where someone posts that their lamp had catastrophically failed after so many X hours. If that seems to be the norm, is it that detrimental to use the old bulb until it "pops".

My plan was to use the projector sparingly while I searched ebay or other venues for an relative inexpensive lamp.

[Jack Gilvey]

I've had my old IF 4805 set up in my brother's basement/rec area for the last year, things have been hectic and I haven't paid any attention to lamp life. Anyway, he recently experienced "catastrophic failure" of the (probably well past max) bulb. As noted, the glass was contained in the cage, but even with the new bulb he had purchased a while ago it wouldn't work, shuts off after a few minutes.
So, instead of paying the $295 flat repair fee to IF, he got a new IF IN72 for ~$495 after rebate.

Moral: change the bulb when it says to!

[Kevin P]

If the PJ shuts off after a few minutes, check and clean the filters. The PJ is probably overheating.

[Jack Gilvey]

If the PJ shuts off after a few minutes, check and clean the filters. The PJ is probably overheating.

As I recall (it's still at my bro's), the filters are part of the bulb housing, and this is happening with a new bulb. Overheating makes sense, though, so maybe there's a fan issue which could have contributed to the failure in the first place. When I get it back I'll check it out.
He's digging the IN72, though, even got it set up without my help (I did walk him through the menus over the phone by looking at pics of them in a review). We lucked out in that he was able to modify the mount we used for the 4805 by drilling some new holes.

[Briz vegas]

This is a variation on the original question. How many years should you keep using a "low mileage" bulb before replacing it. If you only watch one movie a week it will take quite a few years to get to 2,000. Should you replace a bulb after 4 years or keep running it because it is only at 1,200 hours?

[Kevin P]

The bulb wears out from usage, AFAIK their shelf life is largely indefinite, so a low mileage bulb can last for years.

In other words, they don't degrade when they aren't lit. You're safe to keep it in there until it reaches its 2,000 hours.

[Chris D]

Projector lamps and twinkies... made out of the same thing that makes their shelf life indefinite?

[Briz vegas]

Projector lamps and twinkies... made out of the same thing that makes their shelf life indefinite?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

My next blub is gonna be a twinkies - its alot cheaper.

I have noticed that bulbs are dropping in price -my projectors bulbs are about a 1/3 of their original price. I just hope they continue to be available.

[Dean McManis]

I've run a couple projector bulbs past their rated hours.
But it's a risk that I wouldn't suggest for others to take.
I had a couple JVC projectors with 1000Hr recommended lifespans, and the bulbs cost $1000 each new at the time. But I had talked with some friends at Disneyland who had the same projectors used there and regularly ran the bulbs until they failed, and the bulbs usually lasted over 2000 hours, and they hadn't had any bulb failures that caused damage to the projectors.

So in that case I risked running my bulbs (one to 1700Hrs, and the other to 2100Hrs) both bulbs had VERY diminished light output compared to the new bulbs when they were replaced, and neither caused any problems as they both failed by eventually not being able to start up (strike).

But I have seen one projector at work that did burst it's bulb and ruin the projectors internal optics.
It seems that bulb life depends a lot on how many strikes the bulb has had even more than total hours used, plus factors like temperature variations, cool down time, getting jarred a lot in portable projectors.

I had the original bulb in my Sony LCD RPTV last over 9000 Hrs, and it still looked bright even when I sold it. But FPTV's bulbs are pushed much harder than bulbs in FPTVs.

With my last 3 FPTVs I just bought and replaced the bulbs when the rated time came up. The bulb life has gone up, and the prices have dropped over the years. But I'm still hoping that my next FPTV will have a LED light source when I make the leap again. :T

I've had a couple bulbs that were bought as spares for my projectors when the projector was new, and sat one a shelf for 1-3 years with no ill effects, and full lifespan reached, so I'd believe that the shelf life is virtually unlimited (like Twinkies) 8)