Sanyo PLC XU41 Projector

[yippeeyo]

Hi All,

I have a problem with 2 XU41's in our classrooms, the units power on but then go into standby (red light blinking) and the fans speed up.

They were ok before the holidays.

I've searched around the forums and this looks like a common fault.

Theres even a video on Youtube showing the problem:
http://youtu.be/oW1S_X_fyz0

Does anyone have any ideas on how to troubleshoot/ fix this?

Regards,
YYo

[Chris_Cook]

There are a few threads on this forum for this projector. It would be worth reading them all if you have this model. It could be a few things:

1. The projector has crashed/overheated (common if projector is left on over a holiday). Turn it off at the wall, and turn it off again. If that doesn't work, take it down and leave it off for an hour or so, then try again.
2. Dead bulb - swap the bulb with another one. Replace if this fixes it and put the working bulb back in its original projector. Reset the lamp hours counter.
3. Lamp life counter is over limit (3000 hours IIRC). Reset counter, if this fixes it, replace the bulb. If you run the bulb for longer than necessary, it can explode and apparently over stress the projector. This causes a bigger cleanup job.
4. Themal cutout has tripped. This appears to be a common problem with Sanyo 40 and 41 projectors. There are instructions elsewhere on this forum for how to reset it. I would recommend finding a repair shop/company to do this if you are not experienced at taking this sort of stuff apart.

[yippeeyo]

Hi,

Thanks for replying .

I have read through the articles referencing Sanyo and Promethean on here - they show that a lot of people have this issue but no one has a conclusive fix. Several posts state they were returned for repair under warranty, but do not say what the fault was. We are out of warranty so not an option for us.

These were the results following the suggested troubleshooting steps:
1. The Projectors have been off over the weekend (unplugged), I started them this morning. One of the projectors lamps did come on and I was able to check and reset the lamp hours (it showed 738 hrs Total). Unfortunately, after I turned it off (unplugged) and on again it started exhibiting the same fault. The other one displayed the same fault immediately when powered on.

2. When powered on, the bulb lights briefly from dim to bright, it seems to go into standby when the bulb gets to its brightest. I have a couple of replacement bulbs which I have tried, but still the same fault. One of the projectors did start correctly on its original bulb (see #1 above) and I managed to reset the lamp hours, but the fault returned after powering off, unplugging, then re-plugging and powering on again.

3. Lamp life was under 3000 (see #2 above) and has been reset, still the same fault.

4. I have checked the Thermal Cutout - its accessible via a hole in the plastic casing located on the bottom of the XU41. I've pushed down on it with moderate pressure and it does not seem to have been tripped. My understanding is that if this had been tripped there would be no AC Power, so the unit would not even light up?

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as a cash strapped school we need all the help we can get!

Kind Regards,
YYo

[hallb15]

This probably isn't what you want to hear, but it sounds like you have taken all reasonable steps to solve the issue yourself. Its time to either get them looked at by a professional or replace them.
If you do decide to replace them, make sure you go for a projector with decent warranty. I was a big fan of Sanyo but have now started using Epson and have been impressed with the EB-X11 which comes with a 3-year lamp and projector warranty.
Epson EB-X11H - Epson
You can get them for around £290+VAT if you shop around.

[Brpilot99]

Hi ... Before xmas I took one of these apart to clean it for the first time ..... I very carefully plugged in all of the little plugs put it back together and heart in hand powered it up ... guess what ... same symptom ... powers up then fast fan and blinking light .... So I took it apart and double checked everything ... couldnt find a problem so tried powering it up a second time .... same problem .... I was called away for something and 5 minutes later came back a a perfectly working projector !!!
This might be a total red herring but leave the projectors powered up with the blinking red light and see if they eventually sort themselves out ...

[yippeeyo]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replies and advice

I had a similar experience as you brpilot99, one of the XU41's did work this morning... until I turned it off, then it was was the the same fault when power on. I can't remember if I left it plugged in for a while before turning it on though.

I'm going leave them unplugged tonight and go through the same steps that I did this morning, to see if I did something different.

Otherwise, we'll have to bite the bullet I guess and start searching for new projectors (I had already started to draft the justification!), thanks hallb15 for suggesting the Epson. I'll need a couple of alternatives in the same price range so I'll be doing some more research.

It just seems so strange that so many people have had this problem without a confirmed fix.

Kind Regards,
YYo

[Brpilot99]

I did a little testing on a spare today and it seems that if you turn it off from the plug rather than the red button then it goes through a cooling cycle on power on !!