Projector Screen Won't Retract

[Bedders]

Hi all,

 

It's been a while since I've dealt with projector screens but the one we have in our building has been pulled down all the way and now won't go back up. It's about 6-7 feet wide for scale.

 

 

It has been extended normally down for a couple of years and yesterday someone else tried to put it back up, but only accomplished pulling it all the way down (then they came to get me. Figures.)

You're meant to pull and hold it for 3 seconds for it to retract but it will not go back up. There's also only a centimetre or so of downwards movement left in the screen.

 

Has anyone got any ideas on how to get it to successfully retract? I've tried snapping my wrist downwards to jolt it, but I'm worried about it coming off the brackets. I've also tried pulling from towards both edges rather than the centre.

 

Thanks in advance!

[dhicks]

Has anyone got any ideas on how to get it to successfully retract?

 

Maybe try pulling it at an angle - bring the bottom of the screen towards you, away from the wall, then try giving it a pull.

[bald_pig]

That or a well positioned tap with a mallet to free up the mechanism.

[Bedders]

Hmm, I haven't tried hitting it yet, I usually reserve that for printers.

I've tried pulling at a slight angle but may go for more like a 20% angle rather than the 5% I was before. I don't want to have to take this screen down to do any work to it, especially I don't want it to fall down!

 

Thanks for the advice, I'll update if it works.

[Bedders]

No change. Is there somewhere specific I should be hitting?

My understand of these screens is that there are two springs one at each end. These are what rotates the main bar in the housing which the screen is attached to.

 

It's my belief that there isn't enough screen left in the housing to be pulled down, to disengage the lock that's holding the screen down and not allowing it to roll back up. Does this sound plausible?

 

I could always take it down and take it apart but that'll be a pig of a job, and I'd come back here first asking what gotcha's there are for taking one apart as I've never done it before.

[bald_pig]

it depends on the model, so couldn't say for sure where to tap. The other daft thing that sometimes works, try just pushing the screen back into the housing!

[SamanthaD]

Is the screen square? Sometimes if they've been opened too far on one side they jam...

[Andrew_C]

It may be that it has been pulled SO far down that you can't now release the pawls that lock it. In 30 years, I can't remember repairing one that has had that done to it.

[Bedders]

Is the screen square? Sometimes if they've been opened too far on one side they jam...

 

Don't think it's jammed because it still moves, but less than an inch.

 

It may be that it has been pulled SO far down that you can't now release the pawls that lock it. In 30 years, I can't remember repairing one that has had that done to it.

 

I think this is probably it as there's barely an inch of movement downwards...

My recommendation has been to leave it down considering it's so rarely used at the moment, and that if they want it fixing I can chance it and take it apart or we can get a professional in to take a look.

Edited August 5, 2021 by Bedders

[Andrew_C]

No one will come in and look at it. They are throw-away priced in that context.

 

I started specifying electric. About twice the price from memory, but tend not to get damaged by teachers that can't read "STOP".

[djm968]

Try pulling it down and releasing is very slowly, we had one in a hall do this and I think that's how they managed to release the mechanism.