BENQ PE7700 lamp problem (1 Viewer)

[David Payne]

I bought a BENQ PE7700 projector in June last year. So far I've only had 318 hours use out of it, and the lamp life indicator is already showing 90% and showing signs of failing - and this is in eco mode! I know there were problems with this at one point, but they were meant to have been fixed at the time I bought it (build date is also June 2006). Does anyone know if the old lamp problems are still around? Or of any other cause for this? I can't imagine it's an overheating problem. I've taken good care of it, and it has plenty of room to breathe. Also, burning out at around 350 hours compared to the expected 2000-3000 hours is pretty drastic. Surely this is a technical fault?

 

[Mark-P]

I have had the PE7700 for a year and three months and the lamp is still working beautifully. The 90% is how much life is left in your lamp, not how much it has used. It is simply calculated from 3000 minus hours used divided by 3000. What exactly are the signs of failing you mentioned? Is it getting dimmer, or flickering?

 

[David Payne]

Ah so 90% is the life left! Okay, now I feel slightly dumb. But it is flickering mildly - that's what led me to look at the usage in the first place. Any ideas what it could be if the lamp is still alive and well?

 

[Mark-P]

If you see flickering, it sounds like the lamp is defective. Since you bought it in June, it should still be under warranty. I would contact BENQ and inquire if the warranty covers a defective lamp. Obviously it wouldn't if the lamp had already been replaced, but since this is the original lamp and it only has 318 hours on it, I would try contacting them.

 

[David Payne]

Thanks, I'll be watching some movies over the bank holiday weekend, so I'll see if the problem persists and then get in touch with BENQ. As I said, it is fairly mild and only occurs for a couple of minutes at a time. Is there any chance this could be due to overheating? I ask this because the other day I fixed a faulty radiator in the room which was jammed on. I've watched one movie since and didn't see flickering. Could very well be a coincidence though!

 

[Mark-P]

DRAT!!!!! I spoke too soon. Today my lamp has apparently burnt out after just 750 hours! The manufacturer warranty only covers the lamp for 90 days. I've ordered a replacement lamp. I hope it's the lamp that failed and not something internally in the projector.

 

[David Payne]

That's worrying. What were the symptoms leading up to it buring out? Mine has been fine since I started this thread, and I've become convinced it was just a temperature problem (we were experiencing some extreme heat here at the time!). But I did have a panick the other day though, when the lamp warning light came on after a momentary power outage when the projector was on. It wouldn't power back up at first, but did after I switched the mains off and on again. The mild flickering returned for a while after that, but dissapeared after the projector cooled down.

 

[Mark-P]

I wouldn't fret about it if I were you. S--t happens. There's a reason the the warranty on the lamp is so short. Simply, it's a consumable product.


As for the symptoms, I was watching one movie when the lamp just went dark. The fan was still running and the indicator was green, so the projector did not even detect that the lamp had gone out. So I powered it down, waited for it to complete its shutdown cycle and then powered it back up. The lamp came on and worked fine for the rest of the movie. I watched another movie with no problems. The next day the same thing happened, the lamp just went dark. But this time when I powered it back up, the lamp dimly flickered and there was an faint arcing noise inside and then the red indicator came on. I even took the lamp out and reseated it, still no dice. When the new lamp arrives in about a week, I'll know for sure whether the lamp burned out or there's another problem.

 

[David Payne]

Let me know what happens. Oddly enough my flickering problem came back today (coincidence that I had the red light the other day?). This time I left it running after the movie finished and noticed it goes after a while. Maybe it's not temperature related but something else?

 

[Mark-P]

David,
Received the new lamp. It's working great, so obviously it was a lamp failure. At $300 a pop, I sure hope this lamp lasts longer than 750 hours!

 

[David Payne]

That's good news. And I'm starting to wonder if my problem is actually to do with the electricity supply. I noticed that the light in another room starts flickering in a similar way and then stops.