lamp hours shows the number of hours logged on the current lamp. whenever you record a new lamp serial number this value automatically resets to “0”, where it begins to log time for the new lamp. note: read-only. this information also appears in the status menu.
lamp s/n is the serial number recorded for the current lamp. when you install a new lamp and enter its serial number, the number will appear here. note: read-only.
enter a checkmark for lamp message to enable a warning message that will appear upon power-up when the lamp has reached the specified lamp limit and should be replaced. delete the checkmark to prevent display of this message—instead, when your lamp expires, only the status display messages on the back of the projector will provide the visual warning to replace the lamp.
set lamp limit to the number of hours you expect to log on the current lamp before replacing it. this will trigger a lamp message on-screen (if enabled).
1) if you change modes over the life of a lamp, the lamp limit you originally expected may no longer be possible. 2) turning the lamp on and off reduces lamp life significantly, as do other factors. 3) it is recommended that lamp limit not exceed the warranted lamp life, otherwise a lamp could become dangerously fragile with overuse.
set which lamp mode you want to use in order to control the light output. you can choose to run the lamp as bright as possible (i.e., always using maximum power—this is the default upon power up). alternatively, power the lamp with a specific wattage appropriate for the installed lamp, or set a desired intensity (brightness) to maintain. although there are exceptions, generally higher light output or higher power settings can shorten lamp life.
use the lamp mode that best suits your brightness needs. for example, in a tiled application you may want to precisely match brightness levels between adjacent images—judge by eye and set each individual lamp power setting as necessary. or you may always want images to be as bright as possible—choose max brightness. keep in mind that higher lamp power settings shorten lamp life.
lamp modes are described below:
max brightness: the lamp will always burn as brightly as possible, driven by 100% of the power level rating for the installed lamp (see section 6, specifications). keep in mind that the “maximum brightness” for any lamp gradually diminishes with age—images will become dimmer over time. its current output level appears in the “intensity” option (note: not in lumens).
intensity: brightness will remain close to a specified level for as long as possible. once you select this option, enter a number representing the intensity level (brightness) you wish to maintain—the projector will automatically adjust power as needed to maintain this intensity as closely as possible. note that the intensity value is a correlation only and does not represent an actual lumens level. see “intensity” below.
power: the power supplied to the lamp will remain at your specified wattage level. once you select this option, enter the number of watts representing the power level you wish to maintain. see “power” below.
power-this slidebar and number indicates how many watts are applied to the lamp. you can apply anywhere from approximately 60-65% of the maximum power intended for the installed lamp up to 100% of the lamp rating. set for the number of watts as desired, keeping in mind that lower power levels produce dimmer images. when in either power or max brightness modes, the power level remains constant. specifying a maximum power level here is the same as operating in max brightness mode.
power level can be set only if the lamp is in power mode.
intensity–this value and slidebar represents the current brightness of your lamp, decreasing over time when you are operating in max brightness mode or at a specific power level. when you are operating in “intensity” mode, this value remains at the original “intensity” setting chosen and cannot be adjusted.
the number shown for “intensity” is not the actual lumen output, but rather a correlated value only—1246 may represent 3500 lumens, for example.
to use “intensity” mode, judge by eye or meter and set the level as desired for your application. over time, the projector will automatically increase the power supplied to the lamp as needed to maintain the chosen intensity as closely as possible. this mode is known as “brightness tracking” or “liteloc.”.
how long can i maintain brightness? software can maintain your “intensity” setting until the required power reaches the maximum rating for the lamp. the lower the setting, the longer it will take to reach this threshold, and the longer you can maintain the desired brightness. keep in mind that once the lamp power reaches its maximum wattage (see “power”, above), this tracking is no longer possible. at this point, the lamp will gradually begin to dim as usual, even though your original “intensity” value will still appear in the menu. to resume accurate tracking, reduce the intensity setting so that the resulting “power” value is less than its maximum—the lower the intensity, the longer it can be maintained.
for example, a 1000 watt lamp can be driven at no more than 1000 watts. to produce desired brightness at the screen, a new lamp would likely need less than this maximum rating—perhaps 812 watts (example only). over time, however, the lamp will require more and more current in order to generate the desired light, until eventually the lamp wattage reaches its 1000-watt maximum and the lamp power automatically levels off. at this point, the tracking function terminates (i.e., the power level stabilizes) and the lamp will begin to dim normally. either reduce your “intensity” setting or replace the lamp.
do not lower the “intensity” so much that the corresponding “power” value reaches its minimum—the intensity setting will be inaccurate and cannot be maintained. for best results in achieving uniform intensity amongst tiled images, choose an “intensity” setting that enables all lamps to operate at less than the maximum number of watts available in your projector but high enough to keep the corresponding lamp power above its minimum. see “power”, above.
1) lamps become more stable over time, thus a specific intensity is more easily maintained as the lamp ages. 2) intensity can be set only if the lamp is in "intensity" mode 3) intensity cannot exceed the output of max brightness mode.
optical aperture - the optical aperture inside the projector controls the diameter of the light beam passing through the system.
with a fully open aperture (slidebar default of “0”), the maximum amount of light passes through for maximum brightness in your images. increase the slidebar setting to reduce the aperture diameter and maximize contrast ratio instead.
lamp history - this read-only option lists the lamps most recently installed and recorded in the projector. lamp history automatically updates whenever you record a new lamp serial number—the new lamp is added to the bottom of the list.
use change lamp to record the serial number for a newly installed lamp:
enter a serial number only if you have just installed a new lamp. this will help ensure that lamp timer is not reset on an old lamp and that the number of hours logged on the lamp will be accurate.
always record the serial number of a new lamp.
how old is the lamp?
when a new lamp is installed and its serial number recorded by selecting “change lamp” in the lamp menu, the lamp timer resets to “0” and begins logging time for the new lamp. this tally appears in both the lamp menu (see right) and the status menu.
to review the number of hours logged for previous lamps, consult the lamp history menu.
when to replace the lamp
if the “lamp message” checkbox has been enabled in the lamp menu (recommended), an expiry message will appear upon power-up when the lamp has reached its defined “lamp limit”. the lamp should be replaced.
the “lamp limit” setting should not exceed the warrantied lamp lifetime, as an old lamp becomes increasingly fragile and more prone to sudden failure.
see also 4.4, replacing the lamp & filter and section 6, specifications.