Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Focus Issues with NEC

This is topic Focus Issues with NEC in forum Digital Cinema Forum at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.

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Posted by Sonja O'Reilly (Member # 1322) on 01-02-2010, 01:03 AM:

Our NEC digital is having issues with staying in focus with the film Avatar. I always assumed that the digital projectors would never have to be focused, but I was wrong.
Does anyone know what could fix this, short of calling in an old priest and a young priest? I know how to manually focus the lens, but its not staying focused.

Thanks!

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 01-02-2010, 01:08 AM:

You can do that with the remote with the cabling that goes from the remote to the jack on the side of the unit with the unit powered down in standby mode when you connect the remote, but it's best to get your DCI "tekkie" there to do this task since it could be an issue with the lens focusing assembly itself.

Good luck-Monte

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 01-02-2010, 01:38 AM:

Digital should never have to be focused once setup. You should get your tech in there because something is wrong.

Posted by Sonja O'Reilly (Member # 1322) on 01-02-2010, 03:13 AM:

Thanks, our tech is coming out tomorrow to take a look; I was just trying to see what I could do in the interim. We manually start our digital projectors as we only have the two.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 01-02-2010, 06:41 AM:

I wouldn't say "never" has to be refocused...but it shouldn't have to be focused during the movie...they are much more stable than that.

Steve

Posted by Kris Verhanneman (Member # 5562) on 01-02-2010, 09:55 AM:

If it's the same bug as in the barco projector
Don't use the cues that change your projector screen (leave it in scope) and remove the cues flat and scope from the show.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 01-02-2010, 10:05 AM:

The Barco bug has been fixed...firmware update.

Posted by Kris Verhanneman (Member # 5562) on 01-02-2010, 10:53 AM:

Do you have a version number that I can check?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 01-02-2010, 11:19 AM:

Do you have a projector model? For instance, update package 1.03.60 is for the DP2000.

Posted by Kris Verhanneman (Member # 5562) on 01-02-2010, 03:47 PM:

The problem is always due to the operator. Switching macro (scope to flat) and shutting down to fast. Strangly only on DP3000 (not on DP2000 DP1500 or DP1200).

There have been updates from our projectors a few weeks ago. I should chech out the version that is loaded.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 01-02-2010, 04:17 PM:

For the DP3000, it is v01.02.00.

Steve

Posted by Kris Verhanneman (Member # 5562) on 01-03-2010, 03:27 AM:

ok thanks for the information

Posted by Sonja O'Reilly (Member # 1322) on 01-04-2010, 10:02 PM:

Apparently, there were some internal screws loose and our tech has taken care of them. Either the lens lock was loose or the lens position accuracy was off. I wasn't there when he fixed it this morning, but its fixed!

Posted by Elise Brandt (Member # 5552) on 01-06-2010, 07:33 AM:

Bug? What kind of a Barco bug? We have a DP1200 and getting a software update this week, and we've been having some problems that are seriously not easy to explain.

Something to do with the cues? How?

Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 01-06-2010, 07:52 AM:

In the old version of Barco firmware, there were issues that the lens settings were being lost. This was happening when a macro was executed and the operator shut down the complete projector before allowing the lens to reach the final position therefore the lens files were corrupted. as of version 1.02 Barco has considered the issue solved forever and I think this was only on the DP3000 and DP100 series. The Barcos with 0.98' chip did not have this issue.
Demetris

Posted by Elise Brandt (Member # 5552) on 01-06-2010, 10:04 AM:

That would sound exatly like our dear little 1200. I have a hard time believing the guys would shut off the machine too early since they have no reason whatsoever to run any macros after the last show ends, of course switching off the lamp but even after that the projector stays on for at least 15 mins for cooling the lamp down... since they don't need to run anything, and have been especially told not to -several times- how on earth could that be it? But it does seem to be the only valid explanation at this point, as to why the lense settings seem to flip the bird at me every two weeks or so.

Did that bug by any chance have anything to do with the dowser getting sticky? It seems to take forever opening, and then sometimes works without a glitch. Works better with scope, worse with flat if that makes any sense.

Thank goodness for you people. For the first time I feel like there's actually knowledge out there and a way to ask for help, the support network out here isn't that great. They guy (yes, one guy) is hard to reach since he's always doing new installments...

Posted by Demetris Thoupis (Member # 833) on 01-06-2010, 10:11 AM:

So what exactly is the problem you are facing? Note that you do need to press a bit longer than normal the buttons on the Barco panel to activate them on the DP1200-1500-2000-3000 series. If you press the lamp button and immediately the dowser it will not work. You need to give it some time of like 3 to 4 seconds. From there on it should work. This is not valid for commands triggered from an external server like a Dolby or Qube or Doremi. What server do you have?
Demetris

Posted by Kris Verhanneman (Member # 5562) on 01-06-2010, 03:34 PM:

Yes it was (is) a problem on the DP3000.

There have been a problem here with the wiring of the lensholder. But then we corrupted the files each time we changed the lens position.

If you still have that problem (and your projector is still under waranty) ask them to swap the board that keeps the lensfiles.
If you have to pay for it ask your boss!

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 01-06-2010, 04:42 PM:

quote:
If you have to pay for it ask your boss!

If it's BARCO's problem why should you have to pay for it?

Posted by Elise Brandt (Member # 5552) on 01-07-2010, 09:23 AM:

Dolby server... on the dowser, I waited several seconds after lighting the lamp, the pressed the dowser and it did flash blue like it's supposed to but didn't stay blue. I gave it a full minute because I thought it's just dragging behind but the darn thing never opened at all, not before the test pattern was taken off. Just that one time it did that, other times it may well work -or not. Seems to have a mind of its own and no pattern that I can tell.

Weird. Well, the update is coming next week, not this week and then I'll string the seller guy over the screen by his chest hair and grill him on this. Metaphorically. He's about three times my size and just as mean.

Posted by Kris Verhanneman (Member # 5562) on 01-07-2010, 11:04 AM:

Ah dowser problems.
Today we had a dowser malfunction on a dp100, removed the lens, removed the dowser and wiring open/close ...
Just getting the damn lens back in place was a huge problem. I just think it was one of those "beeeeep" days.

Or maybe the projector feels it's one of his last screenings. Next week we replace the old bastard with a new dp3000.