When should projector lamps be replaced?

Typically, aging lamps decrease slightly in their intensity. You can check the number of hours each lamp has been in use by checking Lamp Hours in individual lamp submenus. From the Lamp menu, you can also set a Lamp Limit (max 20,000 hours) and enable the projector to send a lamp replacement, warning message when it’s powered on. At anytime during operation, you can check the status of a lamp by checking the Lamp Strike Status in individual lamp submenus — More, Lamp 1 or More, Lamp 2. You will see one of six states: “Good”, “Cooling Fan #3 Failed”, “Cooling Fan #5 Failed, “Interlock Tripped”, “Failed to Strike” and “Turned Off Unexpectedly”. A status of “failed to strike” or “turned off unexpectedly” indicates a failure that requires further investigation and may or may not be directly related to the lamp.

If you have ruled out the cause being an aged lamp or another component in the projector, it may indicate that your lamp has prematurely burned out or failed for some other reason (check status LEDs and/or error codes through RS-232, if possible). Burned out lamps or lamps that have failed due to some characteristic flaw should be replaced, as soon as possible. In general, monitor the performance of your projector and replace lamps as needed.