Modules, Lamps and Bulbs

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Modules, Lamps and Bulbs

Terminology, Modules, Lamps and Bulbs

Terminology is very loosely thrown around about what is a lamp and what is a bulb. Nobody is
wrong in what they say, but to keep some semblance of sense this article describes a module and a
lamp as one and the same, being the chassis that slots in and out of a projector containing a bulb. A
bulb therefore is the ‘glass’ bit that has the wires and terminal block, the mirrored reflector and the
envelope. The envelope is the little bit in the middle where all the action takes place to produce the
light.

History, Letting there be light

The first digital projection devices were flat LCD panels placed on top of an overhead projector,
thereby using an existing light source. However, demands for portability created solutions with an internal
light source, the same incandescent light used in the OHP. It operates in the same way as a domestic
light bulb, where a wire filament glows white hot when an electric current is applied. As ‘off the shelf’
low cost bulbs, these were comparatively cheap, but had a life of just 40 to 60 hours and were of limited
brightness.
Next on the evolutionary path were metal halide arc lamps, comparable to those found in outdoor
lighting in that their design is a long transparent quartz tube with a bulbous centre. There is a bit
of science involved in how this light process works, but in simple terms a pressurized chamber contains
two electrodes separated by a short gap in dense gas. With sufficient electric current a ‘spark’ of electricity
can be formed to join the two electrodes. This spark is continually maintained as an ‘arc’, which is
the light source. The brightness of this type of light was much higher than incandescent, with a better
colour spectrum for a whiter light and longer life of up to 1000 hours. These metal halide bulbs were
also, in general, standard products so the cost in most instances was still under #100 for a replacement
unit.
The revolution in projector lamp technology came about in 1992 with the launch of the UHP
lamp from Philips. UHP stands for ultra high performance, but is generally known as ultra high pressure
for the extreme pressures produced inside the envelope, which these days typically run at over 200
atmospheres or 200bar.
Compare this with a car tyre, where the pressure is typically under 3bar. At increased pressures, more
mercury gas could be used as the vaporized conductor to form a better arc. Also the arc gap was
reduced and with a smaller source of light the optics could be refined for increased efficiency.
For the highest brightness applications, xenon technology gives the best results. Xenon works in
much the same way as UHP lamps but uses a pure vapor of xenon gas instead of mercury. It requires
far more power but generates a whiter light, the trade-off being far more heat and a shorter life.
However, as UHP is the general lighting source of most projectors, we shall focus on the market for
these bulbs.

Lamp Life Explained

Anyone who deals in projectors would have experienced an early lamp failure versus the 2000
hours typically quoted, but what is meant by 2000 hours ?
According to the bulb manufacturers the lifetime a lamp is rated at means that half of the lamps
sold will exceed that lifetime in hours and half would have a brightness of more than 50 per cent of
their starting brightness.
As an analogy, if four shiny new cars were advertised with a two year warranty and a top speed
of 100 mph, then by lamp life measurements, the model would be deemed successful if in two years
time two were still running and could achieve a top speed of 51 mph. Clearly this is a misleading
method of measurement and the industry recognizes that a new standard of measurement is required,
particularly for the consumer market.

Lamp Life Why do lamps fail ?

It is often the case is that lamps do not actually fail, they just get old and dim. Over the course
of usage, the conducting gas depletes and the pressure in the lamp falls. Additionally, the electrodes
burn back creating a longer arc, adversely affecting the optical performance.
The net result of all these features is that the light output to the screen is reduced and the
change in pressure often results in a color shift and a greenish tinge.
More catastrophic or, as one manufacturer describes it, ‘non passive’, failures can occur for a
number of reasons, all affecting the quartz envelope. Overheating through poor ventilation or blocked
filters, mechanical shock (dropping it) and incorrect cooling - where the envelope gets stressed when
the projector isn’t allowed its’ cooling down process - can all cause failures.

Lamp Life How to extend the life of your projector lamp

• Do not allow the projector to overheat:
- Do not obstruct the air intake or exhaust vent
- Clean the air filter regularly (every 3 to 6 months depending on your usage and the environment)
- If the projector is built into a compartment, wall, ceiling or shelf mount, the minimum distance
requirement (usually at least 2 feet) stated in your owner's manual must be maintained
Manufacturers can test for failure due to overheating and any warranty might become
invalid
• Once you turn on your projector, wait at least five minutes before turning it off to allow the fan to
properly cool the unit
• Always switch off using the remote control and not by disconnecting the power, the projector will
invariably go into a cool down mode when the image is turned off and the fan accelerates to cool the
lamp in a controlled manner
• Do not move your projector until the lamp has cooled (about five minutes).
• If your projector is equipped with a "high/low lamp" switch you can extend your average lamp life by
using the "low lamp" position whenever possible.

Bulb and Projector Manufacturers

Ignoring, for the moment, recent developments in China and Taiwan, there are just a handful of
proprietary bulb manufacturers in the world. Philips, Osram and Ushio are regarded a the dominant
players and they all have their own versions of UHP, (P-VIP and HSH for the latter two) and work closely
with the projector manufacturers, which they describe as the OEMs. The OEMs buy under license that
prevent manufacturers from selling bulbs via any other channel to ensure exclusivity.
Bulb development is often carried out in conjunction with OEMs to develop a specific bulb for
the specific market application a new projector is intended for, based on requirements for brightness,
price, life, size, etc. Additionally, some manufacturers produce tailored ‘drivers’ - the electronic circuitry
that controls the bulb - and some OEMs develop their own.
At the of the development process, the OEM takes these items and designs an easily removable
housing to allow the bulb to be removed and replaced with precision alignment into the finished projector
to suit the designed optics. This is the ‘lamp’ or ‘module’ and each module differs from one projector
model to another, to ensure only the ‘designed in’ bulb is used.

Lamps Why are they so expensive ?

Bulb technology is continually evolving and so R&D costs are incurred, likewise, OEMs are refining
their designs with every model.
However, volume and exclusivity are probably the defining factors that determine the price.
Historically, projectors would have production runs of a few tens of thousands and spare lamps only in
the thousands, so tooling costs were high. This is changing with the rapid expansion of the market and
we will have to wait and see if OEMs have reached a point where economies of scale really count,
though exclusivity is sure to remain, whereby you must go back to the original OEM to buy a replacement
lamp.

Are third party manufacturers an option ?

A few bulb manufacturers have arisen in China and Korea with cheaper look-alike replacement
bulbs and in some cases complete lamps, but buyer beware ! They may look the same and they may
appear to operate the same, but these units are not tailored to the electronics of the projector and have
the potential to damage a projector beyond OEMs warranty. No doubt, in years to comes there will be
viable products to consider, but what is more likely in the short term is that OEMs will elect to develop
new projectors with these lower cost suppliers to bring prices down.

UHP Developments

After ten years of development, optimum performance is nearly a reality, but developments are
happening. As these improvements are sought, a physical balancing act also needs to take place.
More power produces more light, but shortens the life of the lamp and makes the electrodes
burn back faster, and there is more heat to deal with so bigger and or more noisy fans are required.
Higher pressure improves the color balance of the light, particularly red, but also reduces the
lamp life.
A smaller arc gap produces an intense focal point of light to improve the optics and the amount
of light delivered to the screen, additionally this requires less power, but as the electrodes of a lamp
burn back, the gap becomes proportionally much bigger than if it were larger to start with, resulting in
a more rapid reduction in light output on the screen.
Improved electronics provide an arc ‘shape’ which is now very stable, eliminating on screen
flicker, but components will continually get smaller and Philips has also developed a method of reducing
the ignition voltage to help further.
Philips has also adapted the design of the light envelope with one side of the sphere, where the
arc exists, coated with a dichroic mirror. All visible light is reflected by the sphere back to the point
source of the arc and to the mirror surface whilst all non-visible light and heat is allowed to escape. The
result is that the light collection area is substantially reduced, allowing for the smaller mirrors seen in
the micro portable projectors available today.

Technology New technologies

So will the projectors of the future be brighter and not need replacement bulbs ? The answer is
yes, but don’t hold your breath, as UHP is going to be with us for some time yet.
As UHP technology is reaching many of its limits, there will be increases in temperature, pressure
and power together with reductions in arc gaps and component size, but all by small increments.
The main changes in this technology are going to be life - but only for rear projection TV, where 15.000
hours are predicted - and cost, where volumes and component charges will drive down prices with an
anticipated drop of 20 per cent year on year.
One possible evolution is the move from quartz as the envelope housing to a ceramic capable of
higher pressures and less chemical erosion, but if there is anything imminent, it’s a well kept secret.
Competing technologies are evolving, and bulb manufacturers regard LED as very likely for low
brightness ‘personal’ projectors and some RPTV’s, but not for business or home theatre use. Laser is an
option in the next decade (as it was in the last) but may possibly never be cheap enough.
OLED is the likely favorite together with a new contender in laser diodes, but again, sometime
next decade, so we’ll be changing lamps for some time yet.

Source: Dave Bethell article in the AV Magazine November/December 2004 (p.62-64)

Please check the Philips research website to know the status of new developments about UHP lamps, It is a rich website, you can watch videos of the new lamps and information.

http://www.research.philips.com/profile/people/researchers/uhp.html

Return to PHILIPS PROJECTOR LAMPS

NOTE: Some PHILIPS lamps are not longer available, hard to get or extremely expensive but we have a source of Philips bulbs (without case) with a price range between $250 to $390

If you need a UHP PHILIPS bulb not listed or hard to get, please email us to express@ercservice.com with the description of the bulb and if it is possible with actual pictures and size of the old bulb

We have many Philips UHP Bulbs (without case) in stock and not listed here, with the following power 100W, 120W, 150W and 200W

Manufacturer's Web Site

Need More Information?
Please visit the manufacturer's web site by using the convenient link below.

http://www.research.philips.com/profile/people/researchers/uhp.html

Don't miss out on your favorite programs. Keep an extra Philips bulb on hand. You never know when your lamp run out. Shelf life is forever.

Prices usually rise as inventory is sold off. Website updated daily to reflect current stock and prices. Click Buy Now button above, and order at today's prices.

Not all Lamps are Listed Here, we stock many models still not listed !!!

If you need some lamp not listed here contact us at express@ercservice.com

Lamps are items not returnable, if your projector doesn't turn on and you are not sure if the problem is the Lamp, please send your projector to us for evaluation, if the problem is the lamp we will replaced it at no extra charge and plus we will give 90 days warranty on the lamp. If the problem is not the lamp you will received an estimate of the repair work with the exact part your projector needs

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Need a Projector Repair and Maintenance ? Check Here

...Did you know

The effective cooling of your projector is crucial for trouble free operation and a long projector life. Dust filters need to be cleaned regularly to ensure that the projector is properly ventilated and does not overheat. This is vital to the life of both projector and lamp.

Always read the User Manual of your unit for detailed Instructions about the maintenance.
The interval required between each cleaning of the dust filter is dependent on the projector usage, as well as the operating environment. Naturally, extended use or a dusty environment will necessitate more frequent cleaning. The rule of thumb is about once every 3 months but at least every 200 operating hours. Problems resulting from allowing the filters to become clogged can include one or more of the following temporary or permanent problems:

• Poor image quality and/or uniformity.

• A "Hotspot" in the middle of a projected image caused by an overheated LCD module.

• Lamp fusing or shortened lamp life.

• A burning smell caused by the optical engine melt down.

• A temporary or permanent projector shutdown caused by an overheated temperature safety switch or a repeatedly over-heated power supply.

Your Digital projector is an expensive asset – a little maintenance will make it last!

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