[Now all i have to do is to post some videos. I finished modding the projector and it is working fine.]

Hi everybody, I am Sunny and it is the first time that i am posting my own topic on lumenlab. I have a Mitsubishi SA51U projector which lights up but needs a lamp and since a new lamp is around £300 i said i go on to modifiy the lamp.

I read so many posts on www.allinbox.com and www.diyaudio.com and made so many researches on lamps, lamp types, voltages, wattage, compatibility and so many other things. I thought i should go on to modify my projector. The reason why i am posting in Lumenlab website is because i am a frequent reader of the posts, i got my diy projector parts from lumenlab, i am more used to the website and ,most importantly i want lumenlab to dedicate a section for modding in the future because there are loads of good projectors that are ending up in bins which is obviously not good for our environment.

This is my projector:



This projector needs a 150watts SHP lamp which is a kind of metal halide lamp. SHP, UHP, HTI, HQI lamps, are all metal halide lamps but they do have small differences. For my projector I planned to replace the SHP 150w lamp with a 150w metal halide lamp and this is in the picture below. I read in diyaudio that there are ac, dc, short arc and so many different kinds of lamps but i did not bother much as we dont have it here in the UK and they are expensive.

So, after my research i decided to replace it with a metal halide lamp and see if it works. This is the lamp.


http://www.lampspecs.co.uk/Light-Bulbs-Tub...light-White-BLV

This lamp is the ideal one as it is a 5200k daylight white lamp, it is a G12 lamp which means that it is small, and it matches the wattage of my projector e-ballast.

I ordered the lamp from the website link above and i got the lamp the next day which is quite fast and i also talked to them to ask the voltage and they were quite helpful. Actually the lamp in their website is a topflood but they sent me a topspot which is still much better.

I got the lamp today, connected it to the ballast of the projector and turned it on, it started and worked fine. Flickering at the beginning but got brighter and stayed for a few minutes till i turned it off.

What i had to do:
- i had to remove the tempered glass from the lamp which was very difficult and i ended up breaking it as it was already half cracked.

- i had to scrape off the cement that hold the bulb inside the reflecttor to remove it as it exploded inside

- i had to break the uv coating of the new lamp and take out the bulb from it without breaking it

- i had to put the new bulb in the old reflector

- i had to connect the pins of the bulb using copper connectors


Cons:

- i did everything as planned but while putting it back i broke one pin off the bulb which made it useless. I got really depressed because i got everything that was needed but i could not use it at all.
But i ordered another one which should be here soon. I will post pictures as soon as i host them somewhere.

Now, here are some pictures of the lamp of the projector which is an SHP (Super High Pressure) 150w.

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In the second photo you can see the UV glass which is half cracked and got broken while I tried to remove it and also remains of the bulb after it exploded.

Some more pictures of the lamp.

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Here in the first picture you can see the back of the lamp with a metal wire holding the reflector. I removed this carefully, then unscrew the electric plug from the frame.

Second picture: white ceramic base held in place with ceramic cement, and the glass rod that's in the middle of the base is the original lamp end. I removed the metal grid from the base with a screw driver.

And two heat resistant wires for power.

Cleaning the reflector for modding.

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Photo 1: This is what is written on the base of the lamp

Photo 2: I had to scrape off some of the ceramic cement to remove the glass rod for the old bulb.
I used a cotton bud to soak the cement with water, that way it became easy for me to remove the ceramic cement using a very small screw driver.




Photo 3: This is what I had to remove from the reflector, the old bulb. This is what was left of the old bulb after it exploded.

This is what i did but did not take pictures because i was making a video and taking pictures at the same time, it was so delicate that i could not bother to take photos. But, but, very soon you will see the video of the lamp in my next post or in YouTube. Doesnt matter.

I did not mess up with the e-ballast as i dont know much about electronics, so the projector or the ballast circuit still sense the lamp and it flashes when there is no lamp. I have seen posts where people go on to play with what is called the opto devices in the ballast circuit to fool the projector by stoppping the sensing signal.

And if i tried to do that, i would have to replace the ballast. I also disconnect the e-ballast completely from the projector but it still gives me lamp error (flashing) so just imagine if i put an external ballast it will still not light up. I emailed YWH but he cant tell me and either i cant tell him whether i have a DC lamp or not so i said i try my luck. It is working you will see it very soon.

Lamp

Here are some pics of the lamp I ordered:
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It says BLV TOPSPOT UV-Protected 150w. Mind you this is a 6000 Hours lamp!!!!!!


I did a closeup shot of the bulb inside.

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Testing new lamp

I connected the lamp to the e-ballast using a connector and the existing wires. I was a bit scared, i took the projector around the house to look for the ideal place where i can connect the projector, hide behind something and light it up with the lamp hanging outside using a mop stick so that in case if it explodes I wont get hurt.



Future diyers please note the connector that i have used is very helpful.

It worked perfectly, flickering at the beginning for 5 seconds, then got steady and brighter and brighter after 30 seconds. In around 3 minutes it reached its maximum brightness.

Putting the new bulb in the reflector.

Before putting the lamp I had to remove the top UV filter from the reflector which got broken as it was already half cracked.


The UV glass broke while i was removing it. Anyone is welcomed to suggest how this can be removed easily.

- Next is the reflector cleaned and wiped to make it shine and
- the new lamp ready to be modified and
- clear tape that i will use to put on the UV-glass of the new lamp to prevent glass from flying all over when i break it
- a hex screw driver which i will use to break the UV glass of the new lamp, you can use anything but small knocks are much better rather than hitting it hard and smashing everything.

Apology

Sorry i could not take pictures of the lamp while i was breaking it because it was such a risky and delicate thing to do but still i have a good video showing everything from wrapping the lamp with tape, breaking the UV glass and then removing the bulb which i will put here or on YouTube.

These are some pictures of the new bulb fixed inside the reflector.

The top pin of the bulb goes through the side hole and then it is twisted outside and sealed to the screw.
Note: if you bend the pins too much or too hard they might break from the glass base. And always bend the pins with a plier while holding it and never bend the pins from the base.


This is the outside view of the pin which is connected to a metal connector.
On my first attempt I connected the pin to the copper connector, but on my second attempt (after i broke the first bulb's pin) I twisted the bulb pin that comes from the top around the screw so I didn't had to use a connector and this makes the lamp fit easily in the projector.


Rest is the base where the lower pin comes out and twisted on the side and connected with the help of a metal connector.
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The longer the base pin the better, makes screwing it to the metal connector easier.

More Pics of the lamp with pins


Note in this picture the pin that came outside was twisted around before the screw to hold it temporarily while I was adjusting the base pin, but in my final attempt, as explained above it is twisted around the screw so it saves me one connector and a cleaner work.

Compared to the original lamp.



In the original lamp, the pin that comes from the top is soldered to the metal piece before the screw.

Unfortunately eveything did not go smoothly and as planned.

The lamp was modified successfully, but when I tried to place in back, it got jammed and also it did not go in completely because of the size of the connectors and their positions.

This is the result of the first attempt:


As you can see the copper connectors project outside and so fastening the lamp plug becomes difficult.

Connectors easily help to connect the pins and support high temperature but they are quite big given the small space the reflector has to fit in the projector.

I removed the whole setup and moved the pins and connectors so that nothing comes in their way and prevent the lamp from going inside. While doing so I twisted the lower pin from its base and it broke.

Never bend or twist bulb pins from their base, always bend the metal pin while holding another piece of the metal pin itself.

So this is the result of bending the metal pin from its base.



I had to purchase another lamp immediately and before the lamp came I got so much nitemare, I was thinking I will try to modify the second lamp and something wrong will happen again.

A small advice: while attempting to repair your lamp, if you get stuck somewhere, take tea break or a coffee break and get some fresh air, then start again that will help a lot, believe me.

So this is the second lamp. This time I made use of my pliers !!!



And I started again. I used only one connector to connect the lower pin while the upper one was wound around the screw.

Some more pics of new lamp

I took some more pics during my second attempt. Below is a comparison of the bulb and the reflector.



And some of the tools is used.

Projector | Projector | Projector
So now I will post some pictures of the projected image. I tried it with a movie first because I did not had a photo cd, neither could I connect it to my computer.

The projector switched on.

I worked continuously and forgot to change the setting on my camera that's why the image is yellowish.

Second picture.


Third picture.
The power light was a constant green but the lamp light was flashing between red and green. But when I power it off it tells me to press power button twice to turn off, which was not appearing before, so the projector is working quite well with the new lamp.

Result | Result | Result
Now I think it is time to post some sample pictures.

First picture I took was from a movie.
Only s short distance from the projector. Note my wallpaper is cream in color.


Second image. (The following images were taken in another room and not in my room)
The image looks greenish because of my camera setting. This was projected on a patterned wallpaper which is not white.


Third image.


Fourth image.


FiTH


More . . . . . . . .

Sixth image.


Seventh image.


Eighth image.


Nineth image.
This is me with the projector showing menu in blue screen with no video source

The projected image is blue when there is no image source. This shows how uniform the brightness is and also the focus of the lamp.

Projected on non white patterned wallpaper.

I think you broke your UV glass at the front of the lamp assembly.To your knowledge i would suggest you to place some UV protective glass or sheet as you have broken the outer cover of the bulb and you could be exposed to UV radiation.
Anyways what type of projector is it?A dlp or an LCD?

Nice.

But a tip.

Put on a shirt when taking pictures unless you are a bodybuilder.

Why are obsessed with UV glass and all that stuff. Not trying to be mean its just kinda annoying in every single thread.

Feel my pain.

Hi Umesh and Jonjandran, thanks for your comments.

Yeah i did break the protective glass, but i dont know for sure whether it is a UV filter as well. I think glass does filter uv radiation. But I did put the glass back in place, it barely moves so you can just see the crack but no opening.

Anyone is welcomed to post instructions on how the UV glass can be removed easily and safely but no mess though.
That's an LCD projector. http://www.bdt.co.nz/projectors/data/manual/sa51u.pdf

I started doing body building a few months ago, here it is summer and hot sometimes, so most of the time I dont wear a shirt when i am at home.

Hey guys remember there are videos coming as well.
Can I make it play directly on the LL forum or i was thinking of putting in on youtube because it will allow bigger file sizes.

Some more pictures with my freeview box



Sorry that's live tv i can't pause it.


And the whites finally




Videos are still not ready. Will be here soon. thanks

The young man's poor setup

nice! So it really looks white, do you have a computer monitor where you can do a side by side comparison of white screens?

HI NinHowFritz, i will have to wait until its dark then i'll do it.

Hi everybody. It is taking me time to prepare the video because my laptop has got an overheating problem and so whenever i am working, it switches itself off randomly.

hahahahahahaha

would one of these help?

If you're not sure this is from overheating, it could also be from bad RAM. I got a laptop from someone (really old) that would run normally, but then give the blue screen at random, and then restart.

Can someone please confirm this as I've read on Wiki that UHP lamps are not metal halides:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UHP_(lamp)

Also, can someone please let those who don't know the small differences between the lamps please shed some light on this topic. Can I replace a UHP lamp with a SHP lamp and still use the same ballast? Can I use any MH lamps on a UHP ballast?

Thanks in advance

BTW I have no intention of hijacking your thread Sunny. I only intend to do what you have done only mines is an Infocus X2 which takes a 200W UHP DC lamp.