Thursday, August 30, 2018

What is a projector lamp?


The technical description of a modern projector pears that it is an ultra high mercury ARC lamp. Projector lamps are categorized as either halogen lamps or ultra high mercury lamps. Philips has a trademarked name "UHP lamp" for their projector lamp. 


How does a projector project work?

In a projector bulb there is an ARC gap that is filled with ultra high pressure-insulated mercury vapor; The lamp works by sending an electrical current across this ARC hole. It illuminates the mercury vapor and causes the lamp to produce very bright light. This shining light emits an LCD display or DLP panel, which again produces the amazing images that projectors are known for.

Projector lamps are a very complex technology, with specifications for each bulb that has been developed at a high cost to the manufacturer. The price of projector lamps can therefore be quite high.

Where is my projector lamp?
A projector lamp can be found by placing a square or rectangular plastic plate somewhere on the outside of the projector; The disc is usually on the bottom of the projector, but can sometimes be found on the top or the sides.

This cover is usually secured with two screws; Unscrew these screws and lift the plate to reveal at the bottom of the plastic module that holds the projector lamp in place in your projector.

This plastic cabinet usually has a handle that is attached to it. Gently pull the handle to remove the projector lamp from the projector.

The projector lamp is the most important part of the projector because it creates the light that shines through the DLP or LCD system and makes the live images in your projector.
Replace a projector lamp
Whether you have purchased a lamp with module (black plastic housing) or a nude projector, it's easy to replace your projector lamp.


When do I know if my projector lamp is dead?

Often a projector will have a built-in timer that tracks how long your bulb has run inside the projector. As a rule, it will be a couple of hours before the lifetime is complete, a message on the screen projector will come up. This warning is a good indicator that it is time for you to search for the MyProjectorLamp database after a new projector.

If your light still works and the warning message has appeared, it is possible to deactivate the warning message. Search for this topic in your projector manual or by navigating the on-screen menu to learn how to disable the warning message.

Not all projectors work the same way. Some projectors will turn off the projector lamp when the timer reaches a certain point, even if your bulb is not exhausted. In this case, it is useful to reset your hourly timer as it may give you some extra hours. Once again, refer to your projector's manual for how to reset your hourly timer.

If you regularly use your projector lamp for important presentations, weekly events or home theater, it's always a good idea to have a back-up projector lamp in stock so you never miss a minute without the projector.
The anatomy behind the projector lamp
There are several elements in the production of projector lamps. These components include the ARC tube, ultra high pressure insulation mercury vapor, electrical wires, a quartz globe or reflector, a fastener, a spoke, a nut, a screw, and finally the black plastic box (commonly referred to as the module).

ARC-Tube - The ARC tube is a piece of blown, high temperature resistant glass metering, approx. 3 inches in length. It rises from the bottom of the quartz globe. When the lamp is manufactured, the ARC tube is positioned using very precise instruments, then it is put in place with additional reinforcement plastics.

Mercury vapor - The mercury vapor inside most of the projector lamps ARC tubes is ultra high pressure and very sensitive to electric current. Controls inside the projector control the electrical current that stimulates mercury vapor. When the projector is on, the ballasts produce a high voltage to ignite the mercury vapor. When the gas is illuminated, the projector reduces the voltage to a level required to maintain the projector light intensity.

Electrical Wires - The electric wires on a projector lamp are melted into the quartz ARC tube and run out of the pipe through the side of the reflector. The electrical current runs as a circuit from the back of the lamp, up through the side and back to the projector via the electrical wires. The amount of electricity supplied to projector lamps is regulated by ballasts inside the projector (as mentioned in the section above: "Kviksølvsvamp").

The quartz globe - the quartz globe, also known as a reflector, is the hard exterior of the projector lamp. The ink is usually coated on the inside with a highly reflective metal material. The coating reflects the light generated by the ignition of the ARC tube mercury vapor.

Fasteners, nut and screw - A fastener, nut and screw hold the electrical wires of your lamp (it is the same electrical wires that are written in "Electrical Wires" above).

The lock is a small metal piece that is on the projector lamp and is either glued, soldered or clamped. This fastener uses a screw to attach the power cord to the projector lamp.

To complete an electrical circuit, there is a metal thread in the back of the quartz globe. This thread is normal and used with a nut used to hold the other wire in place.

The plastic cabinet (module) - The plastic cabinet or module is a black, high temperature resistant plastic that holds the lamp in place inside the projector. A clip usually locks the lamp in this module. The projector lamp can also be held in place by screws, and the module itself always has screws that secure it to the projector.

Who is doing projector lamps?
High-quality projector lamps that meet the standards required by projectors are only produced by a pair of projector lamp manufacturers in the world. Projector lamp production is an incredibly expensive and challenging technological process that only a few companies are able to meet.

The major manufacturers in the projector lamp industry are -

Philips - Philips is the largest in the projector lamp world. They began researching and developing the first halogen lamps in 1995. Finally, they developed a mercury vapor projector lamp, which they called for a UHP lamp or ultra high-speed mercury vapor. The new development made it possible for projection systems to derive a brightness, never seen before, enabling digital projectors. Philips still dominates the projector lamp industry, and some estimates indicate that Philips has more than 70% control over projector lamp manufacturing and market sales worldwide today.

Ushio - Ushio is a company founded in Japan, but now has offices in Europe and around the world. The company manufactures hundreds of different industrial lights, lamps and bulbs. The company began in 1964 as an industrial light producer. Ushio manufactures projector lamps for Sony, Sanyo, BenQ and many other companies. Estimates indicate that they have a 10% share in the projector lamp market.

Osram - Osram is a company that started in Germany. The company specializes in producing ARC tubes in halogen lamps and mercury vapor lamps. Osram claims to be the second largest light producer in the world, the company has a market share of 7% of the market.

The rest - There are a handful of projector lamp manufacturers in Taiwan, Japan and China. The most notable manufacturer is Matsushita, a subsidiary of Epson and produces all of Epson's lamps. Most smaller projector lamp manufacturers do not produce high quality lamps and are usually not found in brand new projectors.
Why are projector lights so expensive?
Customers are usually shocked when buying a new projector lamp due to the price, which is a good reason for this. Compressed inside the ARC tube of the projector lamp is an ultra high mercury vaporizer that is ignited when electricity jumps or bends across the hole filled with this gas. The ignition of the gas when the electric current jumps or bends through it is what produces the very powerful light of the projector lamp.

The technology that goes into the manufacture of a projector lamp is not cheap. In fact, the machines that are required to produce a single projector lamp cost the producer millions of dollars.

In addition to the purchase cost of the machine, manufacturers must hire scientists and engineers to ensure that the projector lamp that you purchase meets the standards required by the projector. The mercury vapor must be precisely pressure regulated and the ARC tube and quartz reflector should be positioned at the correct angle. If any of these items are not calibrated exactly as they should be, the projector lamp can not produce the expected brightness and may burn the LCD panel within the projector or fail to ignite.

Each projector lamp also has different ignitions, voltages and wattages. These configurations produce different brightness levels (ANSI lumen rates). Therefore, the machines that manufacture projector lamps are complex and expensive to maintain. They must also be adjusted for each specific lamp setting. There is no easy way around this process if the manufacturer wishes to produce a high quality projector lamp.

Projector lamps are expensive to manufacture and therefore there are only four or five major manufacturers in the world. These manufacturers have spent a lot of money researching and developing projector lamps. They also need to maintain assembly plants where the projector lamps are made. Costs to develop and make projector lamps limit competition on the market, both of these factors increase the cost of projector lamps. 


More Article:
  1. The 20 Best Projectors 2018

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