SP 4K MKII Upgrade

[Shibu Paul]

Hi everyone,

We recently received an MKII Upgrade Kit along with a supported Light Engine for our Barco SP4K-25C projector.

Has anyone recently upgraded their SP4K projector to the MKII version?

I would appreciate your feedback on the following:

• What are the main advantages of the MKII upgrade?
• Have you noticed any improvements in image quality, stability, cooling, or reliability?
• Were there any compatibility issues or challenges during the upgrade?
• Is the upgrade worth performing if the projector is currently operating without any major issues?

Looking forward to hearing your experiences and recommendations. Thank you!

[Leo Enticknap]

I did my second upgrade yesterday.

Figure seven to ten hours from start to finish, the main variable being how long Scheimpflug and convergence adjustments, and remaking the lens position files takes once the job is done. You basically have to disassemble everything apart from the card cage, and also keep in mind that you need plenty of clearance on the light engine/light pipe side, above, and in front of the projector. If your projector is in a pod, on a high shelf, or basically anywhere other than on a pedestal with decent workspace around it (including in front), you will likely need to move it in order to do the job.

There are some significant gotchas, and on both the conversions I did, I had the interactive training videos on the Barco University site open, and followed them step by step. As an example, yesterday, I thought I could get ahead of myself by putting the light engine fan back earlier than the point at which they tell you to. Then I discovered that this blocks access to the hole in the card cage side of the light engine compartment, through which you need to poke your long T20 screwdriver for access to one of the light engine fasteners.

There are also some other things that make the job easier, that the training videos don't mention. An example would be that reseating the power connectors on the FMCB is very difficult with the duct lid holding two fans on top of it, immediately to the right of the FMCB, in place. However, undoing four easily accessible screws enables you to lift it away, providing easy access to the two FMCB power connections and their receptacles. Don't be afraid to vary the script a bit, but do make sure that you do the overall disassembly and reassembly steps in the order that the videos tell you to.

Seating the new light pipe in the locating pins on the back of the lens holder frame, and seating the old light pipe in the transport plate for return shipping is fiddly and requires a lot of patience.

The main reliability advantage is that you're getting a light engine that is no longer at heightened risk of sprouting bad pixels.

[Dave Macaulay]

As above. We did a 10 plex with the original kits, c & b units.
You really remove a lot. Lots of spare parts if you have other xenon projectors. We had a Barco tech supervising and that definitely helped.
Main benefits are lower heat load on the light engine and power savings. Not sure about TCO, the laser system won't be cheap to replace. Have had some driver card failures over the whole laser count we maintain.

[Marcel Birgelen]

We've also been offered the MKII upgrade.

Since this seems to be quite an intensive job, I guess it's best to do it in a proper and clean work environment, rather than right inside the booth?

As an example, yesterday, I thought I could get ahead of myself by putting the light engine fan back earlier than the point at which they tell you to. Then I discovered that this blocks access to the hole in the card cage side of the light engine compartment, through which you need to poke your long T20 screwdriver for access to one of the light engine fasteners.

That's IKEA assembly rule #1: Never assume you know more than the instructions tell you.

[Steve Guttag]

Dave...you are talking about something completely different. The SP4K-C MkII upgrade is a conversion kit for the SP4K to remove the "TRP" style light engine and move to the current "SST" style light engine. the TRP chips have a VERY high stick rate (knocking around 80% for us and climbing). The SST style chips are the more traditional single pivot chips so the stuck pixel rate should be similar to existing DLPs.

As Leo points out, give yourself 7-10 hours on that first one. I'm definitely below 6-hours now, per...including resetting the lens settings. In fact, I HIGHLY recommend setting the back focus of the lens mount upon commissioning. That is, before you start your procedure, make sure you are well centered/focused on your 1.85 (Flat) format. Then, after you convert the projector (as the kids say in their videos...a few hours later), start by turning the lasers all of the way down (20%) and quickly assess (even though it will be out of focus) that you need to adjust the fold mirror (your image will be high on screen...trust me) to center the light on the DMD and not heating them up...you can trim it more once you get the lens properly set but don't put the light/heat on the DMD until that mirror is reasonably well set.

Center the lens focus to the middle of its range (observe the outer barrel as you adjust it between extremes)

Then adjust the Scheimpflug to bring the image into focus and to locate it in the same spot on screen as before the conversion (before you touch any lens shift stuff)...again, getting it in the ballpark, at this stage is sufficient as this gets you to a good starting point.

Once all of that is done...THEN start a more precise alignment, including rehoming the lens. Remember, you changed the FMCB so all of the previous settings are meaningless. Rehoming the lens will keep you in the ballpark. Dial in the fold mirror, if it isn't exactly centered on the DMDs and really get the Scheimpflug dialed in so you have even focus across the image and, more or less, centered on your 1.85 image still. Final tweak with the lens files and reshoot colors and you're done.

There is no substitute for experience and the more you do, the faster you'll get and what order makes for the fastest/safest job.

The most dangerous part is removing the old light engine cradle because you can easily snap off the SAS connectors on the Signal Backplane. There is a piece of metal webbing on the old light pipe that gets in your way that you need to "pry" the plastic agains to clear (whilst keeping the SAS connectors safe).

Good luck.

[Leo Enticknap]

Another random suggestion: arm yourself with a supply of baggies (the 3x4 size is fine) to store fasteners in while they are out of the projector, plus a roll of Scotch tape to attach each baggie to its component, to prevent any from getting lost during the job.

[Steve Guttag]

I'll admit, since there are the unique ones on the lens mount (The T30 big boys, the extra looooooong ones to attach the lens support bracket to the light pipe), the rest are the same fastener. They all go in a cup for me, as they are fungible, plus they give you extras!). Having an 18" T10 driver is quite the handy thing too (I have long T10 and T20, plus regular T10, T20, T30. Somewhere I think they stated a T15 was needed...it isn't).

[Shibu Paul]

Yesterday, I successfully completed my first SP4K MKII Upgrade. The entire process took approximately 4 hours.

Tools used:Torx T10,Torx T20,Torx T30, T20 lengthy required for laser unit remove.

After the installation, a fold mirror minor adjustment was required. Once the adjustment was completed, the projector was tested and is now working well.
plan another one to next week.