I have a toshiba tdp-mt8 home theatre digital projector that has set the "change lamp" warning. I have several questions and comments. 1)First the manual says that this warning should appear for a short time and go out, but it stays on all the time. 2)The manual gives a procedure to reset this by holding down both brightness switches as the same time after unplugging/plugging and turning unit on, but this does not eliminate it either. 3)warning supposedly comes on at about 1980 hours and bulb is ok till 2000 but there are not that many hours on this thing, not since it's installation in this house, and it was supposed to be new out of the box.(house was just built and installation was by a sub-contractor) 4)Does the actual lamp have to be replaced in order to reset the counter. I went so far as to remove the lamp from the projector and reinstalled same lamp and made another attempt to reset counter but again no good. 5) I would like to reset the warning lamp and utilize the same lamp that is in it if possible because it still looks great- I will change bulb at another time, is this possible or does the bulb have to be new to be reset. 6)a partial answer/clue to this is in the fact that in the About menu (where the lamp time is accumulated) it states "0" for lamp hours used.
If anyone out there has some clarification or personal knowledge about this problem, I would like to hear from you. DCastle
change lamp warning and reset
Sat, 12/24/2005 - 00:34
#1
change lamp warning and reset
I am currently experiencing the exact same symptoms. I have also tried removing and reseating the lamp assembly, with no affect. I was having trouble resetting the lamp use hours, but after some persistency was able to reset it. However the message still appears after the projector is on for a few minutes.
FYI, the original lamp lasted only around 1400 hours, if that, before it blew. When it blows by the way, it sounds like a loud pop. This lamp design is a real cluster, as explained to me by eele, a company in NY state, which has attempted numerous times to refurbish the lamp. More about eele later, if your interested.
Back to the "change lamp" message. In my conversation with the local dealer, where I purchased my projector, screen and installation, I mentioned there were no fault indications. As described in the manual, a red LED usually flashes a code when the lamp or associated fans have a problem. The guy I spoke with was of little help, likening this to the "check engine" indicator on most cars. Some are designed to come on around 50K miles, just to get you into the dealership to reset, and while there, purchase some service.
I have a spare blower, which is part of the lamp assembly, and looks to be easyily replaceable, though if the blower or chassis fan isn't working, the lamp won't start, as part of a safety interlock feature. I had this problem not long ago where eele, who had refurbished the lamp, told me it worked fine at their facility, but everytime I got it back and tried it, it wouldn't start. I took it to the local dealer, and after $130, they said the blower was bad and replaced it.
As in your scenario, this lamp only has around 300 actual hours on it and no indications of a problem; the picture looks great with the brightness and contrast levels at 50 or less. Maybe the blower is turning, but not as fast as it should, causing a temperature problem, but still, I would expect the red LED indicator to flash a code. While this projector looks great when working, I view it as a money pit. Go price a replacement lamp! eele was offering to refurbish the lamp, or exchange with a refurb'd unit for $250 - a great deal, but after the problems they had with mine, they may no longer refurb this particular lamp - it's a bad design and now somewhat obsolete. Huh, my projector's only 3 years old.
I'll let you know if changing the blower (about $30) has a positive affect.
tko
I changed the blower on the lamp with a new one, but it still didn't get rid of the "change lamp" message, which displays only a few minutes after turn on. A factory reset and unchecking the box that enables displays didn't have an affect either. I'm still waiting for a response from the dealer's technician....glad I'm not holding my breath!
The refurbished lamp is your problem. You should only use NEW lamps in this set unless you want all sorts of headaches as well as the lamp going out every 300 to 500 hours.. Get a NEW lamp from mcmone.com or from tritronics.com.. You try to save but it will cost you more in the long run to have these lamps refurbished.Good Luck
Larry, do you have first-hand experience with this particular problem?
A new lamp (P/N TDP-LMT8) is $400. I suspect this particular problem is in the firmware of the projector and not the lamp, since the picture looks great at the default settings for brightness and contrast.
Since the original lamp only lasted 1400 hours and not the 1980 hours at which point this "change lamp" message is supposed to appear, I believe there's a suitable replacement lamp with better performance and at a cheaper price. Perhaps you should visit eele.com, from which I purchased this replacement lamp. Their site is more applicable than tritronics.com, which manufactures "American Made Electronic Dog Training Equipment".
I could be wrong! If so and I find it is the lamp, I guess I'll take your suggestion and replace it with a new lamp. I'll gladly post whatever the fix turns out to be.
tko
The amount of time that a lamp will last depends on alot of factors. How often is the set turned on and off? Is there good air circulation around the vents of the TV set. If there are filters on the set, are they cleaned every so often? Is the set on a surge protector or on a UPS power supply. The ups power supply will condition the AC and stop those pesky overvoltage spikes.
I agree with all your comments. So what's causing the "change lamp" to be displayed if the lamp is functioning well, the fans are unblocked and cooling, the room is cool, there are no LED fault indications and the picture's never looked better?
Maybe a software glitch. I will ask around to see if there is a remidy.