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Author Topic: Sony SRX-R220 Bulb explosions Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 09-29-2011 08:35 PM                     Mark...comparing the two models...if anything, the FX8XL has slightly more air flow (about 20cfm more). -Steve  |  IP: Logged Mark Gulbrandsen Resident Trollmaster Posts: 16657 From: Music City Registered: Jun 99 posted 09-30-2011 09:50 AM                     You're right Steve... It is just slightly more. I use the fg8xl up to ~3kw generally. After that the Fantechs go to a 10 inch fitting.... Makes it a bit trickier to deal with. Not many places have off the shelf 10" to 8" step downs.... Monte.... Is Sony really going to come around to see if you've removed that screen? The NEC's also have a screen but it is a fairly course weave. I believe it is actually there so nothing can fall back down the stack and get into the lamphouse. In Fallon Nevada I once removed the carcas of a dead crow from the booth exhaust blower...  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 09-30-2011 01:22 PM                     quote: Mark Gulbrandsen Is Sony really going to come around to see if you've removed that screen Prob not, but unfort, these units belong to someone else along with not having the authority to do any sort of mods, why it's best that I keep "my hands clean" of the matter. I pull out black bulbs when I put in clear ones in...and that's how it goes... -Monte  |  IP: Logged Steven Wold Film Handler Posts: 12 From: Raleigh, NC. USA Registered: Sep 2011 posted 10-07-2011 09:24 PM                     Update on everything so far. Right now we have 79 hours on the current bulb. 0 lumin. offset lemp power is currently at 80% with max of 4.2 kw it is also our biggest house we have too. (why a 220 instead of our other 320s in teh biggest theatre I dont know.. but they did.) that is all I know at the moment, as I am a manager, not full fledge projectionist. Also, I am not sure that it is airflow as it only happens after 450 and before 500 hours... maybe a UPS problem? I do remember that when it was initially installed they did have a problem with the UPS and communication between it. But has been fixed since, and before the first two bulbs blew. (first one blew at 489 hours ,second at 478 hours.) and they have all have blown during ignition.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-07-2011 11:09 PM                     ...220's were made for the larger screens (up to 100' wide), whereas the 320's for the small to middle sized screens Can't be UPS since that device backs up all of the 120v circuitry. ..almost sounds like a 'ballast' (rectifier) issue. Do you have multiple strikes before the bulb ignites when you get age on them? What about the 16 digit code that you use when you do the bulb install? For the code is what sets the amperage output for the rectifier to run the bulb. Need to get your SONY tech back to check this all out.. -Monte  |  IP: Logged Steven Wold Film Handler Posts: 12 From: Raleigh, NC. USA Registered: Sep 2011 posted 10-07-2011 11:25 PM                     Actually, the ballast sounds quite right.. we have gotten a couple random ballast errors on it before... though random, and not often. (they appear like the TMS servers do with "cannot communicate with project..." errors randomly.). and yes, there are multiple strikes alot of the time. What should I check for with the ballast. No offense to our "Tech" for our location, but he sucks and is quite useless... I do most of the repairs myself. I can take apart things and put them back together to make them work, but I dont always know WHY they do what they do. (I know how to replace and repair circuit boards, but I cant tell you how it operates, etc..., I can do maint. on a car, but cant tell you what and how everyting does its job.) And for this unit, it is safe to assume we have had whatever error you may want to know of at some point in its life.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-07-2011 11:36 PM                     When I get a 'ballast error'(which is rare), I flip the switch above the USB port to turn the projector off (not the media block) and leave it off for a minute. Then flip it back on. What you're doing is doing a 'cold reboot' on the projector. We had to replace that ballast twice in this one unit. The first one totally died, and the other one was having a hard time striking the bulb. The 208/3ph current coming from the wall was right on. Definitely sounds like you got a bad ballast and it needs replacing (there is nothing that you can do inside being all circuitry) if it's popping that many bulbs...their like a STRONG switcher: they can suddenly shove WAY too much amperage after a ignition and that will pop a bulb in a heartbeat since it's suddenly being over driven. It's also wise to go into the menu-into "restart SMS" then "shutdown" once a week so the UPS gradually shuts down the entire unit where the media block and projector can rid of stray memory and start fresh. I do this on a weekly basis and I never have a problem with our Sonys... Good Luck -Monte  |  IP: Logged Steven Wold Film Handler Posts: 12 From: Raleigh, NC. USA Registered: Sep 2011 posted 10-07-2011 11:51 PM                     Yea, we do weekly shutdowns, and we do have to do the force shutdown (cold reboot) and it only blows after so many hours which leads me away from airflow. I will check into that ballast. is there a way to "test" the ballast? Since we are out of warranty, I would like to figure out before we do test runs to see how far we can get to reduce costs.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-08-2011 03:59 AM                     quote: Steven Wold is there a way to "test" the ballast? That, I don't know since those 'ballasts' are all but sealed up. I bet that SONY got that one all locked up where it's just a "repair/exchange" or something else where you have to get a replacement only.  |  IP: Logged Steven Wold Film Handler Posts: 12 From: Raleigh, NC. USA Registered: Sep 2011 posted 10-10-2011 12:25 PM                     The "tech" mentioned earlier is the sony rep, who essentailly said it was our problem. The company tech we have (who is probably one of the best techs iv seen) has replaced the ballast, and all potential issues would have all been addressed when it was first happeneing. He, along with the rest of us, just wants to get rid of that thing. So all options from here have all been addressed, and no luck, stumping all of us...  |  IP: Logged Bruce McGee Phenomenal Film Handler Posts: 1776 From: Asheville, NC USA... Nowhere in Particular. Registered: Aug 1999 posted 10-10-2011 01:16 PM                     All of us want to get rid of our Sony's. I think we are all in the same boat, here.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-10-2011 04:24 PM                     I know that the lot would love to send these unfortunates to STRONG to add to their salvage pile for recycle, but unfort .. not going to happen since they're not our machines-we have to work with them. Now, comes the 2nd step: finding a way to work with these units so the will behave as they supposed to in an orderly manner. (Makes one wonder why these things were never bench tested or researched out before installations, unless it was a blind boardroom decision..) -Monte  |  IP: Logged John Thomas Film Handler Posts: 75 From: Boston, MA Registered: Sep 2011 posted 10-10-2011 06:24 PM                     quote: Steven Wold and they have all have blown during ignition. quote: Steven Wold and yes, there are multiple strikes alot of the time. The igniter is separate from the ballast; was that replaced as well? I've had an igniter go bad and the alarm it gave was for the ballast.  |  IP: Logged Monte L Fullmer Film God Posts: 8367 From: Nampa, Idaho, USA Registered: Nov 2004 posted 10-10-2011 06:50 PM                     I'm still pointing towards the ballast, for if the igniter was bad, it wouldn't strike the bulb at all. Yet, if John had an igniter go bad, what were the symptoms of a bad igniter - like the same as a film projector igniter? I had a igniter crap out on a BARCO and it had the classic symptoms: hearing the ballast ramp up with power, a pause, then shutdown...then the error on the display screen pertaining to bad igniter.  |  IP: Logged John Thomas Film Handler Posts: 75 From: Boston, MA Registered: Sep 2011 posted 10-10-2011 07:59 PM                     True Monte, and the symptom of my bad igniter was that one day it struck fine and the next morning it wouldn't make a sound, so it doesn't quite fit here. I only mentioned the igniter because at this point it sounds like it's the ballast but he said the ballast was replaced. Are we ruling out that the replacement was defective? It's far from impossible with Sony. What about checking the power source/breaker? The possibility of this being the problem is beyond my expertise, but is it worth mentioning? Also I don't think it's been mentioned here yet: Are you striking per-show or per-day? Striking per-show causes premature difficulty with striking.  |  IP: Logged

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