Christie CP4220 power issue, hum and taillights flickering on and off

[Andrew Thomas]

To appease Tony, I called Christie and…they told me
to do all the stuff I’ve already done and then threw their hands up

Will start checking continuity along all the 24v paths when I have some free time

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

No appeasement necessary, and no need to get snarky. As I mentioned before, I have no idea what your background as a tech is, so I tried to offer up advice and cautions to help you out.

As was said to Mozart in the film Amadeus, "A little humility might suit you better."

[Andrew Thomas]

If you don't have anything else to contribute to the topic, you are free to move on.

[Arnold Chase]

I can't tell you how grateful I am for this forum. Thanks to the detailed responses that guided another person on the topic of Christie power supply problems, when my CP4230 all of a sudden would not boot I was able to use that advice to start my own troubleshooting. My Christie standby PS (being a basic switching supply) was indicating +24 volts output as expected, but apparently that only occurred under NO load whatsoever. Thanks to the guidance from Carsten I was able to finally find on eBay an almost exact match for the OEM supply (it just had the typical barrel connector output). Since Carsten also posted the model number for the needed plug converter (which I found at Mouser), I was GTG. Everything fired up instantly and the projector is 100% back to normal.

FYI the guy on eBay was asking $60 for the supply, but took an offer for $50. He apparently has over 200 brand new ones still in stock so grab 'em while you can.

Again, my sincere Thanks and appreciation for all the grief this forum spared me from!

[Andrew Thomas]

I can't tell you how grateful I am for this forum. Thanks to the detailed responses that guided another person on the topic of Christie power supply problems, when my CP4230 all of a sudden would not boot I was able to use that advice to start my own troubleshooting. My Christie standby PS (being a basic switching supply) was indicating +24 volts output as expected, but apparently that only occurred under NO load whatsoever. Thanks to the guidance from Carsten I was able to finally find on eBay an almost exact match for the OEM supply (it just had the typical barrel connector output). Since Carsten also posted the model number for the needed plug converter (which I found at Mouser), I was GTG. Everything fired up instantly and the projector is 100% back to normal.

FYI the guy on eBay was asking $60 for the supply, but took an offer for $50. He apparently has over 200 brand new ones still in stock so grab 'em while you can.

Again, my sincere Thanks and appreciation for all the grief this forum spared me!

Yeah, those pesky standby PSs are apparently quite unreliable. I've had to swap them in all of my series 2 Christies. I actually now have a few on hand for their eventual failure. Always nice when a Film-techer can point you in the right direction!

[John Thomas]

Pro-tip on the Christie standby supply: If you're in a pinch, check the concession stand. A lot of receipt printers use the exact same power supply.

[Arnold Chase]

What really threw me was the odd output connector on the standby PS. Is that something unique to the CPxx30 projectors due to their external lamp power supply? All the more reason to pick up the output plug adapter (DC PLUG-P1J-R6B) that Carsten posted.

[Marcel Birgelen]

What really threw me was the odd output connector on the standby PS. Is that something unique to the CPxx30 projectors due to their external lamp power supply? All the more reason to pick up the output plug adapter (DC PLUG-P1J-R6B) that Carsten posted.

I guess those Mini-DIN style plugs are considered to be more professional than those typical barrel-style plugs. As Andrew indicated, those ticket printers are often fitted with similar style power plugs. Maybe those DIN-style plugs have a higher heat-resistance than those typical barrel-style plugs.

[Arnold Chase]

My guess is that unlike the barrel plugs, the DIN style have a locking feature that prevents accidental pull-out.

[Marcel Birgelen]

Yes, some of them have those locks and they're pretty neat. I guess that's why they're often used for stuff like those ticket printers. You simply pull back the plug to release them, but pulling on the cord won't trigger the release. But I don't remember this plug having a locking mechanism.