I run a mobile cinema unit that shows enviromental films in dusty hot conditions. I am looking for a projector. Budget approx GBP 1000, I have looked at the BenQ6210. Any suggestions for reliable projector that is bright, the shows are outside under the stars, roughly 50 to 300 people turn up. Our screen is 9ftx7ft.
Hi bushshow,
That sounds like a cool job you have.
I'd agree dust will be a major issue, since the air flow is so high on a projector. I suggest looking into a projector with "sealed optics". This significantly extends the life of the projector in dusty environments. Apparently sealed optics are more common with DLP projectors than LCD. The BenQ model you mention is a DLP, I can't tell whether it has sealed optics (apparently the BenQ 7800 does).
This forum is more oriented towards build-it-yourself LCD projection, and to my knowledge, none of the projector designs here include sealed optics. Perhaps www.avsforum.com would be a better place to ask, since that forum is more oriented towards commercially available projectors. However, you might also find people here who are interested in special / creative ways to handle dusty and hot environments.
If you're only running the projector at night when the air is cooler, I don't think that daytime heat would damage the projector (since they're designed to handle high heat).
However if it's still hot in the evening, the fan will have to work harder to keep the bulb cool, and the bulb might burn out sooner. Especially if the air filters get clogged with dust. The bulb for the BenQ 6210 appears to be "200NSH-LAMP". One source I found has it for US$369. Life span 2000-3000 hours.
You have a cinema unit -- how do you handle the dust issue? Do you have special equipment to keep your cameras / film projectors clean? Do you have other equipment with special needs for high temperature?
regards
That sounds like a cool job you have.
I'd agree dust will be a major issue, since the air flow is so high on a projector. I suggest looking into a projector with "sealed optics". This significantly extends the life of the projector in dusty environments. Apparently sealed optics are more common with DLP projectors than LCD. The BenQ model you mention is a DLP, I can't tell whether it has sealed optics (apparently the BenQ 7800 does).
This forum is more oriented towards build-it-yourself LCD projection, and to my knowledge, none of the projector designs here include sealed optics. Perhaps www.avsforum.com would be a better place to ask, since that forum is more oriented towards commercially available projectors. However, you might also find people here who are interested in special / creative ways to handle dusty and hot environments.
If you're only running the projector at night when the air is cooler, I don't think that daytime heat would damage the projector (since they're designed to handle high heat).
However if it's still hot in the evening, the fan will have to work harder to keep the bulb cool, and the bulb might burn out sooner. Especially if the air filters get clogged with dust. The bulb for the BenQ 6210 appears to be "200NSH-LAMP". One source I found has it for US$369. Life span 2000-3000 hours.
You have a cinema unit -- how do you handle the dust issue? Do you have special equipment to keep your cameras / film projectors clean? Do you have other equipment with special needs for high temperature?
regards
More on the bush show
Thanks Charlie 10,
In the past the projector that we used was a Sanyo , it was donated. It worked around Tanzania showing in the most remote areas, small villages, under trees, in Maasai "bomas", anyway it finally has started to fail. The projector would switch on, the light would come on for a second and then the whole thing would shut down, with no lamp warning. We do hope to get it repaired in the future, but now the idea is to buy a nice quality and robust machine that can travel in its Pelican to the next village and we show again. Our next films we hope to show on the edge of Kilimanjaro, films about water and trees.
The kit was a Sanyo PLC 9000, the screen is 9ft by 7, a choice of front projection or rear, Fender speakers and a DVD player, a tent and a truck.
We do only run it at night, if we ever run in a hot environment we have used fans in the past. We have very secure travel boxes and we regularly dust out the machine. However, in my search I am looking for a reasonably good projector that is a little robust (not much of the equipment is at a budget anyway). Can you do a little research and find out if the 6210 is sealed? I noticed the 7800 is only 800 ANSI, the 6210 is 2000 ANSI? Better the brighter picture?
Thanks Charlie 10,
In the past the projector that we used was a Sanyo , it was donated. It worked around Tanzania showing in the most remote areas, small villages, under trees, in Maasai "bomas", anyway it finally has started to fail. The projector would switch on, the light would come on for a second and then the whole thing would shut down, with no lamp warning. We do hope to get it repaired in the future, but now the idea is to buy a nice quality and robust machine that can travel in its Pelican to the next village and we show again. Our next films we hope to show on the edge of Kilimanjaro, films about water and trees.
The kit was a Sanyo PLC 9000, the screen is 9ft by 7, a choice of front projection or rear, Fender speakers and a DVD player, a tent and a truck.
We do only run it at night, if we ever run in a hot environment we have used fans in the past. We have very secure travel boxes and we regularly dust out the machine. However, in my search I am looking for a reasonably good projector that is a little robust (not much of the equipment is at a budget anyway). Can you do a little research and find out if the 6210 is sealed? I noticed the 7800 is only 800 ANSI, the 6210 is 2000 ANSI? Better the brighter picture?
I can't seem to find out the answer. A search for "sealed" on BenQ's own website came up with no answers. Neither did google. I would definitely suggest again asking at avsforum.com.
Concerning dust, I ran across a relevant news article, about a still camera, though the tech might be of interest to you:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/10/technology/circuits/10howw.html
(login required)
"Deep inside the Olympus Evolt E-300 is a dust-reduction system that relies on ultrasonic vibrations to remove particles that may collect on important optical elements of this eight-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera.
"In the Evolt, a small optical glass filter is positioned between the camera's shutter and its imaging chip, a charge-coupled device, or C.C.D. The filter is circular and set in a metal frame, which receives an electrical charge each time the camera is turned on (or activated manually from a menu on the camera's 1.8-inch liquid-crystal display). Mr. Pelkowski said the charge caused the filter to vibrate 350,000 times a second for about one and half seconds. This is indicated by a flickering blue light on the camera.
"The jolt of electricity is produced by a tiny transformer on the camera's circuit board that steps up the voltage, Mr. Pelkowski said. The dust that is shaken off the filter falls onto strips of adhesive material where it sticks like flies to flypaper.
"The result, Mr. Pelkowski said, is a practically particle-free filter, which enables the C.C.D. to record speckle-free images. The C.C.D. is tucked away behind an airtight seal to further protect it from dust, even the sort that is inevitably created by the workings of the camera's mechanical parts over time. (The dust strips can be replaced when the camera is cleaned and serviced.)"
Concerning dust, I ran across a relevant news article, about a still camera, though the tech might be of interest to you:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/10/technology/circuits/10howw.html
(login required)
"Deep inside the Olympus Evolt E-300 is a dust-reduction system that relies on ultrasonic vibrations to remove particles that may collect on important optical elements of this eight-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera.
"In the Evolt, a small optical glass filter is positioned between the camera's shutter and its imaging chip, a charge-coupled device, or C.C.D. The filter is circular and set in a metal frame, which receives an electrical charge each time the camera is turned on (or activated manually from a menu on the camera's 1.8-inch liquid-crystal display). Mr. Pelkowski said the charge caused the filter to vibrate 350,000 times a second for about one and half seconds. This is indicated by a flickering blue light on the camera.
"The jolt of electricity is produced by a tiny transformer on the camera's circuit board that steps up the voltage, Mr. Pelkowski said. The dust that is shaken off the filter falls onto strips of adhesive material where it sticks like flies to flypaper.
"The result, Mr. Pelkowski said, is a practically particle-free filter, which enables the C.C.D. to record speckle-free images. The C.C.D. is tucked away behind an airtight seal to further protect it from dust, even the sort that is inevitably created by the workings of the camera's mechanical parts over time. (The dust strips can be replaced when the camera is cleaned and serviced.)"
Filter box?
This may be simpleminded but since you have used fans in the past to help keep a pj cool, why not build a "filter box". Build an enclosure for the pj that is mostly flat air filters with fans blowing air through them into the box and out a hole directly in front of the pj objective lense. Three or four 20cm or around that fans some cheap "disposable" air filters or maybe even progressivly finer cloth as a prefilter and a final hepa filter. It would take some time to actually design considering things like availbility of filters for replacement and such, but the construction would likely take a very short time and cost little compared to the extended life it might be able to add to pj and lamp(s). With several fans all you would need is a hole in front of the pj to exhaust the air, that way you would not have to worry about keeping another piece of glass or plastic clean and polished.
Like I said pretty simple but may be useful.
This may be simpleminded but since you have used fans in the past to help keep a pj cool, why not build a "filter box". Build an enclosure for the pj that is mostly flat air filters with fans blowing air through them into the box and out a hole directly in front of the pj objective lense. Three or four 20cm or around that fans some cheap "disposable" air filters or maybe even progressivly finer cloth as a prefilter and a final hepa filter. It would take some time to actually design considering things like availbility of filters for replacement and such, but the construction would likely take a very short time and cost little compared to the extended life it might be able to add to pj and lamp(s). With several fans all you would need is a hole in front of the pj to exhaust the air, that way you would not have to worry about keeping another piece of glass or plastic clean and polished.
Like I said pretty simple but may be useful.
I recommend a 'dustbox', fronted by washable clear plastic or glass, with its own exhaust (A centrifugal blower preferably) and several layers of replaceable air filters on the intake. Buy a bunch of cheap ventillation filters, replace every time one fills up.
A 2000 lumen projector will allow you to use a screen with the same brightness as an 800 lumen screen, that's 1.58 times as large.
The Sanyo PLV-Z3 has a system wherein you blow pressurized air at the LCD with a pump, hopefully cleaning off dust particles: http://www.projectorcentral.com/sanyo_plv-z3.htm
Check out http://www.avsforum.com/ and http://www.projectorcentral.com/ 's review section, they have far, far more knowledge of commercial projectors than we do.
What we specialize in is building your own projector out of an LCD screen. This has some of the traits that you're looking for, a screen that's relatively easy to clean, large enough that dust particles only effect a few pixels, a long, long bulb life, etc.
What it doesn't tend to have is a giant amount of brightness, but then again, neither do most home theater projectors.
What is the maximum resolution of your source material?
A 2000 lumen projector will allow you to use a screen with the same brightness as an 800 lumen screen, that's 1.58 times as large.
The Sanyo PLV-Z3 has a system wherein you blow pressurized air at the LCD with a pump, hopefully cleaning off dust particles: http://www.projectorcentral.com/sanyo_plv-z3.htm
Check out http://www.avsforum.com/ and http://www.projectorcentral.com/ 's review section, they have far, far more knowledge of commercial projectors than we do.
What we specialize in is building your own projector out of an LCD screen. This has some of the traits that you're looking for, a screen that's relatively easy to clean, large enough that dust particles only effect a few pixels, a long, long bulb life, etc.
What it doesn't tend to have is a giant amount of brightness, but then again, neither do most home theater projectors.
What is the maximum resolution of your source material?
Going from a 2000 lumen projector to a 800 lumen projector, if you want to have the same brightness multiply your screen dimensions by 63%.
After reading your site, you'd probably prefer a higher lumen projector to what DIY can offer - unless longevity is a major problem.
The BenQ PE8700 has sealed optics, but only 1000 lumens, and $4000 🙁
Reading up on the sanyo 9000 series: It looks like it was an excellent, huge presentation projector from several years back(MSRP is > $10,000). Since then, bulb life has improved, contrast ratio has gone way up, and projector cost has gone way down, but most people still don't need more than 2000 lumens.
Is simply getting a replacement bulb a possibility? I'm seeing US $275 replacement price for it.
Edit: Found your AVSForum post 🙂 DEFINITELY approach the manufacturer for sponsorship opportunities, I would JUMP on this if I were marketting a dust prevention feature.
After reading your site, you'd probably prefer a higher lumen projector to what DIY can offer - unless longevity is a major problem.
The BenQ PE8700 has sealed optics, but only 1000 lumens, and $4000 🙁
Reading up on the sanyo 9000 series: It looks like it was an excellent, huge presentation projector from several years back(MSRP is > $10,000). Since then, bulb life has improved, contrast ratio has gone way up, and projector cost has gone way down, but most people still don't need more than 2000 lumens.
Is simply getting a replacement bulb a possibility? I'm seeing US $275 replacement price for it.
Edit: Found your AVSForum post 🙂 DEFINITELY approach the manufacturer for sponsorship opportunities, I would JUMP on this if I were marketting a dust prevention feature.
Hey ya bushmaster i have an idea for your airfilter. How about a reusable, cleanable, last as long as you live filter for your machine? Just pull it off wash it in a little gasoline and reoil it. Just a very light coating is all you would use so none should be injested into your machine. You will have to tape over any place that the fan can pull in air but i dont see why you couldnt mod one of these puppies to do the job for ya Jim
http://knfilters.com/universal/universal.htm
http://knfilters.com/universal/universal.htm
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