Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Function of UPS on Barco projector

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Posted by Frederick Lanoy (Member # 5416) on 08-29-2010, 02:53 PM:

Hello everybody,

I don't understand what is the function of the Uninterruptible Power Supply on Barco's projector. Barco user guide of DP 2K-20C doesn't help... Could anyone give me some explanations because it's really not clear for me. Is it really useful ?

Thank you very much for your help.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 08-29-2010, 02:59 PM:

It backs up the electronics ONLY. That is, if you have a power blip...the lamp will go out but the electronics will remain running like nothing happened. If you program the Barco correctly (I believe under the "installation" menu), it will reignite the lamp once power is restored too.

Posted by Frederick Lanoy (Member # 5416) on 08-29-2010, 04:53 PM:

Thank you for your quick and clear answer steve !

Posted by Ian Freer (Member # 1940) on 09-12-2010, 04:54 PM:

Is this feature available on earlier version Barco's? i.e. DP100, DP1500 etc?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 09-12-2010, 10:23 PM:

No, it started with the DP2K series...they have the AC for the electronics on a separate IEC connector.

I think Christie beat everyone on this feature (UPS).

Now it may be that the auto-reignite is possible on the earlier projectors with current software...I'm not sure.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 09-12-2010, 11:25 PM:

I believe this feature started late on the series one DP1200, 1500, and 2000.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 09-12-2010, 11:38 PM:

I'm not too sure on that Sam...I put in a DP2000 in December 2009...that is pretty late in the run and the feature was not there...I think I saw the feature in the software (Communicator) to have the lamp return to the previous state upon power up though.

Steve

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 09-13-2010, 09:21 AM:

I definitely saw series one with UPS at 2009 trade shows in Hong Kong and Amsterdam. Maybe they never made it to cinemas but I'm pretty sure a few did. Does not really matter though except for purposes of debate.

Posted by Chase Taylor (Member # 778) on 09-13-2010, 02:45 PM:

I put in two DP-1200 in June 2009 that had it, but I never saw a 1500, or 2000 with it.

Posted by Joseph Pandolfi (Member # 223) on 09-13-2010, 08:34 PM:

To me I think it is a waste for the UPS supply to tie in with the Barco. and no the lamp will not relite after a power blip. I am totally against it having them in my DP100. First the UPS will run a self test every two weeks, so if a show is running strange things will happen with the video switcher and the doremi server. I had many calls to resume playback on a show that "paused" or 'no picture' because of the self test. So I do a manual self test on each of the units outside our showtimes (like 9 AM on a given day or right after a power blip). Still I have two units that still act up on it's own. Second, is the batteries, they last two years before they are replaced. If you ignore the warning (and the burning smell) these batteries will go dead and even on AC power the unit will not work at all to run the server and whatever is plugged in. Make sure you have a good power strip as a backup, you'll need it.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 09-14-2010, 05:53 AM:

It true that in a lot of places, UPS cause more problems than they solve. If you do not already experience power drops once in a while during shows, it's simply better to just avoid them. The only drop outs my computer ever experienced was due to UPS issues, not power outages.

- Carsten

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 09-14-2010, 09:36 AM:

It does depend on your power in the area...also the UPS' you have. Ours do not self-test randomly. And if they did...since they are sine wave out and have a zero transfer time...none are the wiser (including the equipment).

The current Barcos will self-reignite the lamp too.

Steve

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 09-14-2010, 04:48 PM:

quote: Joseph Pandolfi
... Second, is the batteries, they last two years before they are replaced. If you ignore the warning (and the burning smell) these batteries will go dead and even on AC power the unit will not work at all to run the server and whatever is plugged in. Make sure you have a good power strip as a backup, you'll need it.

Well surprise Joseph, like any other hi-tech gear a UPS regardless of brand WILL need regular maintenance and checkups. If you have learned that the batteries only last two years, why aren't you scheduling replacements in advance? Batteries are cheap compared to lost shows and/or equipment damage from power issues, which any QUALITY UPS will prevent. (BTW, any vendor who puts a cheap UPS in such expensive gear as a DLP machine deserves a swift kick in the nads.)

Again, those who think DLP is a "set it and forget it" proposition are seriously deluded.

A "power strip" is not in any way shape or form a "backup" to anything.

Regular maintenance would have prevented the issues you experienced.

Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 11-21-2012, 07:11 PM:

It has been 799 days since the last post.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 11-21-2012, 07:11 PM:

Speaking of UPS back-up power... how big and how much does it need to power. We're putting in Barco DP2k-23B's with GDC SX2000A servers. What all should be hooked up to the UPS and what size UPS should I be looking at?

I have a quote that includes a Tripplite Smart 1500 - but I have no idea if it's big enough to do the job.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-21-2012, 07:21 PM:

It is big enough and a good size for what you described you will be hooking up to it. You could get away with a 1000 or possibly a 750 but why run it to the edge. The extra capacity will show up in how long it can sustain the load during a power outage.

Posted by Carsten Kurz (Member # 5396) on 11-21-2012, 07:48 PM:

1500VA is typical and mentioned in most manuals.

- Carsten

Posted by Tony Bandiera Jr (Member # 2365) on 11-21-2012, 08:26 PM:

And longer runtime is better..at the very least you should have one with at least the same length of loaded runtime as the time the cool-down fans run in the projector. (Typically around 10 minutes.)

That said, I have used 1500va with a Christie CP2210, Dolby DSS 200, CP 650 and some outboard gear (AMX automation) and get around 15-17 minutes of runtime.

Posted by Olivier Lemaire (Member # 5579) on 11-21-2012, 09:49 PM:

980W is okay to ensure small - 10 minutes max - power flip/flap (xenon will go of, but you'll be able to restart quickly your show - reigniting it after the flip/flap) for a IMB+DPxK..+automation controller (say a Integ JNIOR for example)+network switch+LCD screen+mouse+keyboard.

Tripplite Smart 1500 - I don't know about its reliability but could probably run 1 year 24/7 before having battery trouble (YYMMV depending on the environment and usage of course).

At work, we use APC Smart UPS 1500VA for at least 2 years now, on hundreds of screens - and that saved lots of shows, and we did not loose too much UPS battery so far (but I guess we are entering next year in the battery renewal cycle...).

Hope this'll help.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-22-2012, 06:24 AM:

Tripplite rates their batteries for 3-years. (typically)

Posted by Tom Sauter (Member # 616) on 11-22-2012, 07:44 AM:

In my experience the tripp-lite batteries outlast the APC 2:1. Thanks for reminding me, though, I do need to swap out some batteries soon!

Don't forget that backup power is just one purpose of a UPS. The other is that they are highly effective preventing damage from brownouts and surges. They are cheap insurance.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-22-2012, 09:17 AM:

In the case of the SmartOnline version of the Tripplite (SU series)...they are double-conversion so there is zero transfer time between line/battery...it is the ultimate in surge suppression because the load never really sees the line...it is always a regulated sine wave output. They are indeed cheap insurance. Another big benefit is now with all of the DCI stuff in place...it can prevent lengthy reboot processes.

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 11-22-2012, 05:23 PM:

The main issue is that the Barco input voltage on that IEC input has to be 200-250VAC. You could use a step-up transformer on a 120VAC UPS but that will have a weird power factor and you may have considerably reduced capacity from your UPS - they are always rated in VA which equals Watts for a pure resistive load but with an inductive load, real VA will be considerably more than Watts.
Barco says you can not use the IEC outlet that the jumper connects to for powering anything else, even a UPS running to the electronics input.
In the B installation manual under "installation requirements" it says you need a UPS capable of supplying 5.5A, that's 1320VA at 240V assuming a resistive load.
I have seen one place use a 240V UPS for this, but it cost a bunch. Probably in Europe things are reversed and 240V ones are cheap but you'd pay a bundle for a 120V unit.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 11-23-2012, 01:46 AM:

I have measured the load on the Barco...it is about 1-AMP at 230V...nowhere near what Barco is asking for (I tried it with the lamp on/off...booting up/shutting down...etc.

I have done the step up with an Autoformer as well as a conventional transformer (MUCH preferred).

Believe it or not, 230V UPSes are pretty easy to find and not that expensive and I have used them (preferred over the step up transformer).

Tripplite SMX1000 .

It prices pretty similar to an equivalent 1000VA 120V version. It uses IEC connectors for both input and output (and comes with two IEC M/F cords). This is a benefit since if the UPS fails, just plug around it. Since the Barco does not come with a long enough cord, you will need to get a suitable one (IEC to your 220V outlet or PDU).

The bigger bummer about the Barco 220V thing is the IEC connector to run an in-line blower on the B series. It is near impossible to find a 230V in line blower in the states and those you can find are indeed VERY pricey.

Posted by System Notices (Member # 2357) on 02-16-2019, 03:22 PM:

It has been 2276 days since the last post.

Posted by Mike Moreno (Member # 4887) on 02-16-2019, 03:22 PM:

how do you configure barco projector to start the lamp again after power restore?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 02-16-2019, 05:04 PM:

In Communicator. Installation>Lamp>Lamp Recovery

Posted by Sean McKinnon (Member # 612) on 02-19-2019, 12:26 PM:

anyone else using the MIT spike arrestor on the lamp side? Do you see any benefit?

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 02-19-2019, 02:52 PM:

I have used it in one place where it was specified. So far, no blown power supplies so I guess it's working. And that's just it. Using it on the lamp power...all you are protecting is the lamp power supplies and they DO fail and suffer from spikes. I have one site that has gone through a couple power supplies, partially because they are on the high side of power already (they are at or about 230VAC...old-city type power...high-leg and everything).

Posted by Marcel Birgelen (Member # 6801) on 02-19-2019, 05:26 PM:

It claims it can survive a direct lightning strike by sacrificing itself. I'm wondering how it pans out in a real-life situation...

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 02-19-2019, 06:42 PM:

It keeps track of how many times it has been "hit."