projector troubleshooting 2012

7/30/2019 Projector Troubleshooting 2012

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ease note : Its been over 10 years now, since I decided to sit down one Saturday anrite down all the tips and tricks I had learned on how to get and keep a projector upnd running . What started out as a few quick tips grew into several pages over seveaturdays. While technology has changed in all areas, and especially in terms ofresentation technology, as I review the information in this document most of it remas relevants, and hopefully useful as it was a decade ago. I hope you find this useful

pdated, December 15, 2012.

umerous studies have shown that the one phobia that most peoplehare is the fear of public speaking. When you add to that fear, theoncern that your data video projector may not perform as you expeou have a syndrome that my friend, David Pogue, the author ofumerous How-to books, and the Technology Correspondent for ew York Times, once referred to in an article as Panic at theodium. But even David, who can explain almost anything, hasnt

aken on explaining projectors.

n fact, although I hadnt seen him in 13 years, I sat in the front row s keynote at Infocomm in Las Vegas a couple of years ago. It wasreat presentation, and he combined some real insights into Web 2ith some songs he had written, including accompanying himself on

he piano. Infocomm is the big international show for all the AV ner the world, and there was just ONE small problem with his demo: trojector was out of focus the whole timeIt was a rear screenrojector and he assumed the AV nerds who set it up knew what theere doing and had everything ready to go before he started. Theydnt. So even the great and Powerful Pogue , can fall afoul of somV glitches.


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o I am going to boldly go where even the most powerful propelleread fears to tread and give you some tips and hints foroubleshooting your data video projector, so you dont have Panic

he Podium.

irst of all I need to explain the term data video projector. That is tmost accurate and precise term to describe an external device whoob it is to project data from a Pc or Mac, or video from a video

ayer( DVD, VCR, or even a PC that plays DVDs) onto an externalcreen. You will also see these incorrectly described by the internaardware that produces the image. There two most commonly usedardwares are LCD ( Liquid Crystal Display ) or DLP ( Digital Light

rocessor) and a lesser known and used hardware is LCOS( Liquidrystal on Silicon). But the point here is how the image is produced

mostly irrelevant and you can read about the differences at suchebsites as www.projectorcentral.Com . My role here is to help you

make these devices work and the term data video projector is mostescriptive in what these devices will do, leaving aside HOW they d

he first step in trouble shooting any data video projector is to take EEP BREATH. Chances are it is something easy to solve.

you dont want to read any further: I will make a QUICK TIP list hend now

Step 1--Check and make sure you have Power. That includesmaking sure plugs are firmly plugged in.

Step 2 Check the cable from the PC to the projector. Make sure itugged in the right place and firmly seated.
http://www.projector/http://www.projector/


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Step 3-If using a laptop, use the video mirroring key to toggle thedeo( If you dont understand this, read on)

Step 4I f you have already turned on your computer, shut it downnd restart. The UVRS(Universal Reset Switch), also known as the

ON/OFF button has been known to be a panacea for many computeroblems)

Step 5-Once it is turned back on confirm the Projector is set to thght source or input.

ow, if you want to understand why these steps work, or if they didn

ork and you want to know what to do next, read on further.

rojectors are actually very reliable technology, and it is completelyxtraordinary for one to precipitously fail. So, if your projector is notorking as you expect, it is not working for a reason. You just have gure out what that reason is.

ery few people love to RTM ( read the manual) . Alas, the manualshat come with your projectors will vary in their usefulness and clarithese were written by technogeeks, not real people. However, if yoo have the manual, you might want to have it handy as you read

hese suggestions. If you do have the original manual, and have noone so already, make a photo copy and put the original in a safeace. Some, but not ALL , projector companies now post their

manuals in .pdf format on their web site, so loosing the manual mayot be a hassle: but why take a chance ?

you have to pay for a replacement manual, it is both a hassle andxpense. Take care of the one you received, of find the web site for


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our manufacturer and look for the manuals. Or just make ahotocopy of the original

nother important thing to know, especially if you efforts tooubleshoot fail, is exactly which projector you have. Now, this mayeem like an obvious thing, but many people do not know, based on

he calls I get all the time, which projector they have. Some may knhe brand, since that is usually written in fairly large print on the boxnd may also appear on the projector. In fairness, there are noonsistent marking or labeling conventions, so you may have to( gaead the manual to see exactly which model you have and the exacersion.

is important to know the brand, and the model number. Some folkave gotten into the habit of referring to a data/video projector by arand name. For example, someone might say My Epson is notorking . Or My Sony turns on, but I dont get an image Howeverometimes I find folks are using a brand name to refer to ANY datadeo projector. This makes it hard to give them the proper informat

hey need. Any projector, will have a brand name and a model

umber:

or example, a projector maybe be referred to as a Dukane Imagep052, or a Mitsubishi Powerview S5Oux or an Epson Powerlite 50caving this exact information is important, because there is afference between a Dukane 8052 and 8053, and there is afference between a Mitsubishi SA51 and S50ux and an Epson

owerlite 50c and 52c.

n each of these cases shown above you have a manufacturer, therand name for their projector, and the model number


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hus : Dukane( Manufacturer) Imagepro ( Brandname) 8052 Modeumber

Or Mitsubishi (Manufacturer) Powerlite ( Brandname) S50ux

ow, sometimes the model number carried significant information. A

Mitsubishi Projectors that are SVGA have an S prefix. All of theirGA projectors have an X prefix. But all manufacturers dont reallyse numbers that have an inherent significance. But these numbersO mean something to the people you may need to communicateith. So make sure you know what these names and numbers are.

he tips I will supply below are meant to be general, but if you needelp with your projector, you will need this info. If the manufactureras not clearly labeled this info on your unit, it is a good idea to put

his information on a label, along with the tech support number.ukane puts their Tech support # on every projector, but not all

manufacturers do this.

ou may want to stop at this point and call the tech support people.ome companies have put that number on the projector. Certainly aill have it on the website. If it is NOT on your projector, take some

masking tape or label maker and put it on there, so you will have ithen you need it most.

ow, lets dive into getting your projector to work.

tep 1

irst of all , DONT turn anything on yet. There is some checkinghat needs to be done. Start with everything shut down. If you areeading this after already trying. Shut everything down NOW.


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ou should start with everything shut down and turned off: Projectoomputer, VCR. DVD player, document camera.

efore checking the video connections, be sure you have checked t

ower cable. This is an obvious but important consideration. Yourrojector should be plugged into a known good power source. AndES, makes sure it is plugged in FIRMLY on both ends. I know, I haashed into a building, soaked from the soggy S.C humidity, takenverything out, plugged it in, turned in on and No happenings. I thscovered the power is plugged into the outlet or powerstrip, but thnd that went into the computer was not firmly seated. It not for

othing that Murphys first law of technology is check the cables !

using a Power strip, be sure the strip is turned on. Yes, thatsbvious, but necessary.

ome projector power on with a toggle switch. Some are on when trojector is plugged in, and power button engages the lamp.

his is also a good time to stop and check another obvious but vitalem. Have you removed the lens cap? I have started presentations

myself and had the lens cap still on including once in front of a roomull of engineers at the Westinghouse Savannah River plantI musther have done a good job from there, or they felt sorry for me,

ause they bought a dozen projectors! By the way, a piece of velcr

n the outside of the lens cap, and on the side of the projector, is aood way to keep up with this easy-to lose item.

Once you have confirmed that the Power cable is firmly seated, andugged into a known good power source. I recently did a demo


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here, once everything was plugged in, nothing worked. It turned ohe Power outlet on the wall was not working.

This time the engineers a different group. I was demoing to wembarrassed--gotta love it) This is also a good point to mention thaour projectors should be used with a quality Power strip/surge

rotector. Some Powerstrips are just plug multipliers. They offer nourge protection or Power filtering. They simply give you moreutputs. You want to be sure to protect your investment with a GOOurge protector. Especially if you are going into a place where theower may be suspect. I once saw a vendor at a trade show I wasith plug in TWO powerstrips into the same socket in a brand newuilding where a product show was held. The first went POOF. He

gured that the Power strip was bad. The second went POOF andtarting pouring smoke. Turns out someone had mistakenly wired tharticular outlet in this new building with 220 volts instead of 110. A

his vendor was about to plug a $6,000 21 inch monitor into that outguess that tells you that was a few years ago). I also remember thas one heavy sucker too.

nother handy tip is to invest in a cord reel. These are about $15 atny big box home hardware center. This will allow you to quicklyeach the outlet, which is always on the opposite side of the room frhere you need it to be. It also makes packing up a snap..just wind

he cord.

you travel, or if you simply want to make sure your equipment doe

ot wander , it is a good idea to put your name , phone number anmail address on all your constituent parts. I have screwdrivers andxtension cords from Walhalla to Winyah Bay, from Boiling Springs eaufort, and left the Power supply for my laptop in Dallas once.ortunately, I taped my card to the Power supply and got it back.


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tep 2

ata video projectors, as the name implies, can accept input from aomputer. They can also accept video input from a source such as CR or DVD player. (Sometimes you will hear LCD(Liquid Crystal

isplay) projector, or even DLP ( Digital Light processor projector).here are now LCOS ( Liquid Crystal on Silicon, and you may hear

more of that soon) In car terms, this is like saying Gas motor ,diesemotor, or electric motor. Not that you CANT use these terms. They

st arent correct. The correct generic name is Data-Video projecto

With this in mind, its time to state Murphys universal law of

echnology again: Check the cables!

ou will want to confirm that the connection to your source, be it a Pr VCR are plugged in and seated properly.

ll data video projectors use a 15 pin , male to male, cable to bring

ata from the PC ( or Mac) to the projector.

ou will want to take a look at the end of the cable BEFORE you tryug it in. Please note that it is a trapezoid, NOT a square. So upsidown and rightside up DOES make a difference. You will also note

hat the male pins are small and need to be aligned properly with themale connection. If you get the cable upside down, and PUSH, yo

ill bend those pins. That is not in itself an irrevocable mistake. Thens, if bent out of alignment can be straightened, but that is certaincase with an once of care is worth several pounds of cure. You alant to be sure that if someone else has used the projector prior toou, that they have not bent the pins. I have also seen rare cases ohere someone has BENT the cable in the middle, causing one of t


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ns to break. This rare , but it does happen. If you have spare 15 pmale to male cable, try that one instead of the one you have been

sing. Cant hurt, might help.

On the projector, you will see a female ( with holes) connection forour data cable.

n often-made mistake occurs at this point.

ake a second to look at the connections on your projector.

LL projectors will necessarily have 15 pin female connection. It isormally labeled Computer IN Some projectors may allow two

omputers to be attached to the projectors at the same time. In thisase you will have a second Computer in

Quick tip..If you put your data connection in Computer in 2, and youre looking from input from Computer IN 1, you will not find it.

One of the most common mistakes also occurs at this very point.

Many, but not all projectors will also have a second female connecthat says Computer out

his connection is for monitor redrive. If you have a laptop computeou will not use this connection. But, if you have a desktop Pc witheparate monitor, the computer out, or monitor redrive connectionslows a mirror image of what is being projected to you group to be

een on a Monitor, if the monitors cable is plugged into this port.

he mistake occurs when you plug the data cable that should carryata from the computer (and which should be plugged into theomputer IN connection) into the computer out. When this happens

he projectors doesnt receive any data, and you get a blank screen


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his is one of the MOST common mistakes that people made, and asily rectified by moving the data cable from out to in.

OT TIP- There is a second use for the Computer Out port. If, byhance you have two projectors and want to show the same image oth projectors at the same time. , If you run a cable from computer

ut on projector 1 to computer in or projector 2, you can have a mirrmage being projected on both projectors. This is a sales trick wheant to compare the same image on two different projectors. But th

may be useful if you have large group, or have some reason to showhe same image on two different screens.

Ok, you have checked and made sure the cable is plugged into the

orrect port on the projector. Now, lets make sure it is plugged intohe correct place on the computer.

ou will find, on any computer, laptop or desktop, Mac or PC 15 pemale port exactly like the Computer IN (sometimes RGB IN) on throjector. In this case, it is the video OUT port on your computer.

owever, FINDING that port may be a problem.

ets take the scenario of a desktop PC. The video out port is typicaready in use BEFORE you tried to attach a projector to it. The

Monitor for the Desktop PC was plugged into that port. You had tonplug the monitor to use that port. Hopefully you read the manual,nd figured out that you plugged the monitor into the Monitor OUT p

n your PC, and have a picture on both the screen (using the dataoming out of the video port, and the monitor (using the data comino the monitor from the monitor out Port.). Be sure the cable is seatermly into the video port.


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s you may have already discovered, there might not be a place onour projector, to plug in the desktop PC monitor. Some projectors,specially very lightweight projectors, left off this port, because somngineer decided that everyone using that projector was going to besing a laptop and that port would not be needed. If that is the caseno monitor out port on your projector) and you REALLY need to se

he monitor AND the projector, dont despair. You can get a videoplitter box fairly reasonably, that will SPLIT the video coming out ohe one video port to two sources.

ow , lets look at the case of a laptop PC. Again, somewhere on theack of the laptop, you will see a 15 pin FEMALE port, like the on thde of the projector. This is where you will plug in the cable from th

rojector to the laptop. Once again, if you are troubleshooting makeure this cable is seated firmly.

ow, again, before turning on your projector and computer, here isome information vital to know:

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ERE IS THE NUMBER 1 REASON FOLKS DONT GET AICTURE ON THEIR PROJECTOR.

ay close attention. This is important.

he main problem that causes people to panic, curse their projector

nd call tech support technicians in a panic is caused by the averagersons lack of understanding of a an aspect of laptops PCs calleddeo mirroring..

laptop PC has a monitor that is built in. The PC and monitor are ahole , not two separate pieces. Laptop PCs are also designed with


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he idea that people may get tired of looking at the small screen andant to add an external monitor. So almost all( and notice that I saidLMOST) laptops have a port for an external monitor. And it is thatxternal monitor port, or video out, that allows us to use that signal

meant for an external monitor , and with the 15 pin cable , connect to a projector, and thus project the image up big where everyone

an see it.

ow.heres the rub. The engineers that designed PC laptops saidHmmmmmm. Some folks might never use two monitors

o , they built into every laptop PC( that I have seen a FUNCTIONey or F key that allows you to

-Send all the video to your laptop screen and NONE of it to thexternal video out port

-The same key can SPLIT the video and send half to the externaldeo source( it can be either a projector on a monitor)

-To send ALL the video to the external source and none to the laptcreen( Why in the heck would you want to do this? Stay tuned)

he problem, dear user, can often be not in your stars, or in yourrojector, but in your computer. It is a fact, which folks often find o

FTER they bought a projector, that the laptop they chose, were givr inherited , is not really ideal for driving two monitors, which also

means it cant drive a projector as well.

he key factor here is another one of those acronyms that computeeeks love..VRAM or Video RAM.


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ow, lets hope by now anyone who has bought or been given aomputer to use, by the year 2012 , knows what RAM is . It is themount of active memory your computer has available to use to operograms, and to do tasks. (Random Access Memory, if you still donow the term.) However, what most people dont know (because th

avent HAD to know is that all computers dont have the samemount of VRAM. Video RAM is memory assigned to the monitor. Itetermines how many colors you can display256 color to 16 millioolors. Some PCs , to save money , only include enough VRAM torive ONE monitor at millions of colors. That is why the PC engineeave you the option to drive the internal monitor, to drive two monitor just to drive your external monitor. If you dont have enough

OOMPH on your video card to do mirroring. If that is the case, you cend all the video to the External source.

his feature, meant for good reasons, is the Number 1 cause ofeople NOT being able to show a picture, even if the projector isorrectly connected to the laptop and everything else is working finedeo mirroring is turned off, no matter how hard you pray, curse, or

ap dance, you will not get an image on your projector.

ow, the good news is this problem is VERY easy to fix.

ou need to find two keys on your laptop.

irst, find the FUNCTION key. It is in the lower left hand side of you

aptops keys.

ext, Find the row of F keys on the top row of the laptop.

owbrace yourself, Not all PCS use the same F key to turn videmirroring on and off.


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may be Function F5, It may be Function F7, or Function F 10.

he fact is that Bill Gates rules the world, but he rules the world ofOFTWARE. Dell, IBM, Gateway , and HP and all the 0ther guys

make their HARDWARE however it suits them.

nd even worse, it is not always labeled the same way. And the sarand of Laptops ( Think pads for example use Function F7 on somhinkpads and Function F9 on others) Remember, the guys who

make these kinds of decisions are the guys that the Dilbert comic stall about. Using the same Function Key for all of the laptops wou

mean some poor engineer might be out of job doing tech support.!

ut , the good news is that this is EASY to figure out.

OOK at the function keys. If you are lucky, there is a key labeledCD/CRT . (A CRT is Cathode Ray Tube, which is geek talk for a

Monitor). If you have found a key that says LCD/CRT you are almos

here. On the lastest Dell computers I have seen it is F8, but it CANnother key.

ow, if you DONT see a key that says LCD/CRT you again, need take a deep breath. The good news is that it is there..somewhere. Tther label that is used is an Icon( picture) of a monitor. Find it?

Ok, once you have found the Fkey , find the function key..Dont gethead of me here.

RESS AND HOLD the function key. While you are pressing andolding the function key, Press the Fkey. Your projector, should blinhink and one of three things will happen.


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-The video will be mirrored between the two screens..projector aaptop

-The video will all be on the laptop

-The video will be on the projector.

epending on which one of the three settings your laptop was usingEFORE you pressed the function key, it will jump to the second. Ifou press the FUNCTION key, and hold it, it will jump to the 3rd. If yress FUNCTION, the F key it will jump back to the first.

ow, the other thing you will see that , when you went to the mirrorimode., the screen either looked JUST as good( if you have a laptop

ith sufficient video RAM) or lousy. (If you dont) . If the color looksousy, try sending ALL the video to the external source.

012 Update: The introduction of Windows 7 includes a connect torojector feature in the control Panels. Apparently the Windows fol

ound out that this was an ongoing problem and added that feature.

lll of the above steps you will do once you turn on the projector anomputer. But we arent quite there yet.

.tep 4-TURN ON ( Or Restart the COMPUTER).but not QUITE

et.

ow , the inevitable question: What do you turn on first, and in whatrder. ?


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ere is my best advice: Always turn on the projector FIRST. Onlyfter the projector is on, and showing a blank screen, do you turn on

he computer.

eres why. Most projectors have chips in side that look for, and tryve the best connection to, the computer they are trying to talk to

nless the projector is on FIRST, these chips built into the projectoront have a chance to work. Now, your projector may work anywand that is all good. But basically, when you turn on the projector, it aying , to whatever is connected to it by the cable Talk to me! . Ifhe computer is turned on first, the projectors doesnt get a chance task what it is talking to, and either they may not communicate at ar the sync of the image may not be correct, The image may not b

splayed completely on the screen.

was at a conference not long ago, I was trying to get 4 projectors, our separate rooms, going during a change of presenters. The lasoom I got to , no matter what I did, the projector would not see theomputer. Being in a hurry, even I forgot to ask a key question. Andure enough, they had tried to hot plug the laptop. Meaning they h

urned on the laptop first and then plugged in the video cable to therojector. As soon as they RESTARTED the computer, it worked finnd this was not a knock off laptop, but one of the so called toper PC laptops, so the principal of start with the projector on FIRSTnd then starting up the computer applies all, not just some.

o, youve checked the cables, checked the Power and turned on

our PC

Once the computer has booted( started) all the way to the Windowsesktop, now you can use the FUNCTION F Key as described abov

tep 5


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ou turned on your projector, and checked the cables. The video-mirroring key has been toggled, and nothing happens. What s wron

gain, a deep breathe. Remember, this is a Data/ VIDEO projector.s such, a data video projector can show data from a computer, an

deo from a VCR or DVD. This is a relatively simple problem tovercome, and it arises from the fact that many people have only us

heir projector to show computer data. If someone sets it to the videhannel, you can try all the other settings above, and still get nocture.

ON the projector, there will be a button that says either source or

put. This lets you, in a sense change channels

ll projectors I have seen have at least 3 inputs. Data, Compositedeo, and S video. If the projector has been set to the Svideo chany a previous user or inadvertently, it will stay there until you tell it towitch to the other input channel.

he confusion is compounded by the fact that sometimesmanufacturers refer to the computer data input channel as

GB( again, if you need to know what this means, it is RED, GREELUE, the primary colors that computer data uses to make all of theolors). So either with your remote, our with the source/input buttonour projector, toggle to the input where your computer is plugged ind you should see the computer data. Now you can breath.

his input situation can get REALLY confusing, as now we have somrojectors with up to 6 inputs. This is a good thing, as it means youan, in some cases have up to Six devices attached to a singlerojector at one time.


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he Dukane 8942 is an example of one such projector. It is a 4000-men projector, the kind typically used in a conference hall orallroom. Since these are often permanently installed, they haveonnections for almost any conveyable device that could output adeo.

has the following inputs

-Computer data 1-Computer Data 2-DVI/HDMI (HDMI is a newer standard that also carries audio)-Component-Composite

-S Video

once received a frantic call from a client with one of these projectohey couldnt get a picture, and it was 5 minutes before a presentat

o a 100 visiting doctors. I made it to the Mills Hyatt House as theoctors were settling in their seats. I took the remote, pressed RGBnd the presentation appeared. Someone had set the input to anoth

etting, and although they had tried everything with their computer, as set to the wrong input.

his is a bit of a tangent from the troubleshooting scenario, but anxplanation of these inputs, and why they are there, is perhaps inrder.

s I mentioned, every projector I have seen, including the nowvailable sub 5-pound projector has 3 inputs

-Computer Data (the 15 pin female connection)


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Why do some projectors have 2 computer inputs? There are a coupf reasons.

-If you have back-to-back presenters. It means that 2 computers ce attached in advance of presentations beginning. This means theno need for a break in the action while once PC is unplugged an

nother is attached. It also means in cases where projectors areermanently installed, a second PC can be attached to theermanently mounted projector.

-Composite (this is the yellow for video, and red and white for audionnection. Most VCRs have this connection

-S video. Also a connection for DVDs or VCRS.

Others may have:

-Component Also a connection for DVDS and some VCRS. It isreen, blue, and red.

- DVIthis is a relatively new connection. It stands for Digital videoterface. Computer data is digital (codes of 0s and 1s, aka digits).p until recently, the data on your computer was changed to annalog (wave signal) by the video card in your computer, so it coulde sent to a monitor. (Which used Red, Green, and blue sync. This so why you cant show computer data on your TV, without a scan

onverter, (like one of the Aver keys.)

The new DVI interface, which we are starting to see on some PCsnd even a few laptops, will give a direct digital connection from the

ogic board to the output device (monitor or projector. This does givVERY crisp image, and we will see this DVI interface become mo

ommon as more PCs include it). My relatively new TV has an HDM


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terface, which carries the crispest signal from the cable box to theV (including audio). Some high-end projectors include HDMI.

ou should be seeing an image. If not, dont loose hope, but there amore complicated steps ahead. If you are seeing an image but it is

hopped off or otherwise not up to par, the answer lies ahead.

012 Update. HDMI has become more of a standard and while allomputers I have seen still come with the 15 pin RGB video, HDMI ecoming more common on computers and it also present on inputevices such as DVR and BlueRay Players. The Apple TV device ,hich allows one to share either the computer screen or video from

pad or a Mac with the Mac OS Mountain Lion Software, uses HDMom the Apple TV box to the output device( Projector or LCD

Monitor). The Apple TV box in my house allows me to share videoom either my Ipad 2 or Macbook Pro on my 42 LCD TV.

Steps 1-5 did not work, we get into some deeper nerd stuff. If

ou dont feel competent, stop NOW and call tech support.

his part causes many users to break out in a cold chill. Because thre used to just turning on their computer and using it. So when you

ell people they need to check the SETTINGS, they are deathly afraf messing something up. Not to work, this is not going to hurt youC or make your IT manager angry. It WILL confirm that you are

oing to get the picture you need.

n the START menu of your Windows PC is a category calledETTINGS. Click on this and you will see a category calledONTROL PANELS. Click on this and you will see an icon that look

ke a monitor. This is called DISPLAY. This is the one you need to


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heck. Click on Display and the tab at the top on the far right side isalled SETTINGS. Click on settings.

ow, brace yourself for some geek talk. Your data video projectoreally, in essence nothing more than a monitor. It shows what isappening on your computer, just like you monitor does. And just lik

he size of the picture and the colors that you see depend on the siznd capability of your monitor, so does your projector. Here is the p

hat 99 percent of the people that I talk to dont understand.

ot only does your computer depend on the size and capability of thmonitor, it also depends on the computers own ability to display vid

nd this is dependent on the video card in your computer.

When you click on SETTINGS you will see two things. A slider thaets you adjust the resolution. This slider, depending on youromputer, and how new or old it is, and how good the video card is,ill let you slide the resolution anywhere from40x480 pixels up to perhaps as high as 1600x 1400 pixels.

ow, this is also where it is VITAL you know what kind of projectorou have. Here is why.

rojectors and monitors can be anyone of the following resolutions.esolution refers to the number of pixels (dots) in the screen. So a40x480 pixel screen is 640 pixels wide and 480 pixels high.

GA 640x480there are not many of these left our there, but theriginal data video projectors were capable of supporting thisesolution, and this resolution ONLY

VGA 800x600 The vast majority of projectors in the K-12 market aVGA projectors. This is strictly a price thing. SVGA projectors are


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east resolution made now, and projectors companies would have qmaking these too, if they had their druthers, but schools keep buyinhem, because they cost 20-30 per cent less than a comparable XGrojector.

GA 1024x768 this is the minimum resolution of most new laptops.

heir video card EXPECTS to see an XGA monitor or projector. Wehat if you projector is

280x1024 this is SXGA. SXGA projectors are still relativelyxpensive, especially give the price drops seen on SVGA and XGArojectors .

XGA projectors.1400x 1280 Yes, there are a few companies offerXGA projectors. No one has ever asked ME for one, and most me

mortals dont need them.

ow, to get the BEST image on your screen, the setting of your videard show match exactly the resolutions of your projector. So if youave an SVGA projector, you video card should be set to SVGA

800x600). If y you have an XGA projector, you video card should bet to 1024 x 768(XGA).

012 Update: Again, the Windows control panel now automates thisor you. But it is still good to know the info above.

Makes sense, right?

Ok, here is the sticky wicket. The program you are using, or theowerpoint presentation someone did and sent you you make NEEn XGA setting. If you have an SVGA projector, are you stuck?


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o, and heres why. Since the projector companies stopped makinGA projectors, they built something called a compression algorithto the chip that controls the LCD glass that is inside your projectorhe good news about this is that an SVGA projector can display anGA image, and an XGA projector can display an SXGA image.

you are like me, and once of those people that needs to know HOomething works, here it is

n SVGA projector, when showing an XGA image, basically averagut the pixels

here are only 800 dots, but is show 1024 dots by going 1 (Drop on

(drop one) 3 4 (drop one) 5 6 (.drop one) 7 8.

then takes the actual pixels and the dropped pixels, smooth it ous best it can, and you eyes see an image that is 1100 pixels wide.

enerally, a projector will show the next HIGHEST resolution in thismulated mode.

or more people with an SVGA projector, it can show an XGA imagell enough for their use. Especially if you are using your projector owerPoint and the Internet (which is how most schools use them) ill show XGA just fine. In fact most people with SVGA projectors ahowing XGA images everyday, and dont know the difference.gnorance is bliss, and they are in paradise!

owever, for those who do a lot of spreadsheets, statistical drawingr CAD drawing, or look at digital photos, they need to for what theyee on their screen, to be what they get on the projector. So theseolks make a point to BUY an XGA projector.


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he users of SXGA projectors are people with SUN And SPARCorkstations, and people with a high-end video card, (and deepockets)

ere is the gist of the explanation about resolutions. If you video ca

set to a resolution your projector wont or cant support, you willther not get a picture, or get a picture you cant use. The resolution

etting may either need to be slid UP to SVGA or XGA, or down toGA.

ome laptops will now support the higher resolutions, up to 1400 x280. This how this nice new small laptops allow you to see a lot of

ata on a small Screen. However, if your projector wont supports thesolution, either high or low, it will NOT give you the picture youeed.

OTE: In May of 2010, I got an email from what turned out to be vece gentleman in New Zealand. His church just got a new laptop anwould not work with their projector, which had worked fine with the

revious projector.

My tip to the problem was new computer. I asked what kind ofrojector it was. Turns out is was one with a native SVGA( 800x60esolution. As I suspected the resolution in the display control paneas set to 1700 x 1280. His new laptop had more pixels that hisrojector was able to project. He said the resolution BACK to

024x768 and it worked. Now, to show all the real estate his newomputer was capable of , he would have to updated, but as long ae designs his Powerpoints at that resolution, he will be OK, and geear of two more use from his projector. And I suppose I will be ableet a free cold beverage if I am ever in Auckland.


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ow, just a second to talk about VGA. The first projectors to come ohere VGA. And there are still some out there in the schools. I ranto one the other day, and the folks who had it were decrying the fawould not work with their new laptop.

Well, I solved the problem by showing them how to set the resolutio

he laptop down to VGA. Keep in mind this will only show a portion tcreen you normally would see on your laptop. But they were happyhat they could get some use of this older projector.

While you are in the setting are of your control panel, check theolorsIt will either show 256 color, Thousands of colors, Millions oolors (16 bit ) or Multimillion colors (32 bit). You want to set this as

IGH as your computer will go.

ow, we come to a stickey wicket when it applies to laptopsspecially. Not all laptops have as good a video card as others.

emember the explanation about video mirroring. You may ONLY bble to get XGA and 32 bit color unless you TOGGLE the video to a

o OUT to just the monitor. In other words, the video card in youraptop will NOT drive its own screen and the external screen (in thease of the video projector) at the same time. The only way to knowhis about your laptop is to try it. If it will let you turn up the colors anhe resolution the highest setting appropriate for your projector, thatl good.

you are getting poor colors, or can drive your projector at XGA , ifhat is what you need. Use the function and CRT LCD keys, asescribed above, to send ALL the video to the projector.

ow, all this explanation of setting displays is something most folksont know, and havent looked at . They have turned on the project


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nd laptop and it works. Good for them! But remember, this is meano be a troubleshooting guide and if you are having trouble , this isne common cause.

ow, we come to a problem that affects a very small percentage ofomputers, particularly laptops. You can do all the steps above, set

he resolution correctly, and it STILL doesnt work. Just as computeave printer drivers, that tell them how to talk to printers( and if yourrinter wont print, sometimes you need to reinstall the printeroftware), computers have video drivers that tell them how to talk to

monitors. Software can become corrupted. It doesnt happen often,ut it does happen. Or someone did a bad job of writing the videorivers for your computer, and the company that sold you the

omputer realized that( after hundreds of complaints) and wrote somMO BETTER drivers and posted them on their web site. This isomething your projector tech support people dont and cant know.here are just too many computers out there. Again, this only affect

maybe .01 percent of the computers out there, but this DOES happecall to your computer tech support line, or a visit to their web site

may encourage you to update your video drivers. This Power nerd

tuff, so if you have an IT person, ask them. This is also, in some rccasions, why a laptop will work fine with one projector, and notnother. Folks want to blame the projector, which is a dumb device.GETS video, it will show video. If it is not getting video, and it is noable problem, it has to lie in the computer.

ound and your data video projector

data video projector is designed to be a part of a multimediaresentation. In most cases people use this to present a single

media form: Powerpoint or computer data images. All projectors havpeakers built into them. The quality of the speakers varies greatly.ut it is possible to use the speakers in the projector to add sound tour presentation. In most cases this is accomplished with a male-to


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male min-din connection (the same kind of male male connection thugs into the headphone jack on your laptop PC. This cable may, o

may not be included with your projector. When it comes to sound anata video projectors, your local Radio Shack is the best source toasily find these cables , and other adapters that may come in hand

he reason you would want sound when doing a Powerpointresentation is the fact that you can build transition sounds into yoresentation. These sounds are built-in to Powerpoint,and provide audible transition alert from one slide to another. These can be rathnnoying when over used, but on the other hand, if used judiciouslyan add to your presentation.

o bring the sounds from your desktop PC or laptop to the projectoou would plug the min din cable into the headphone jack on theomputer and into the audio-in port on your projector.

ow, keep in mind, if you have speakers that came with your PC, it robably better to plug THESE into the headphone jack, because thre almost certainly better in sound quality than the sound that com

ut of your projectors speakers.

he same is true of connecting a VCR or DVD to your projector. Aftl, it is a data VIDEO projector, and attaching a VCR or DVD to therojector will allow you to show a movie, to a group. The Yellow, whred cable that came with your projector allows you to carry video aound from the composite port on the VCR or DVD to the projector

e sure, when looking at the back of your VCR

etting your remote to work as a mouse.

ll projectors have remote control. Some remotes( but not all) alsounction as a mouse. This means you can use your remote as you


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ould use a mouse. You can move the cursor around on the screenou can also click a button on the remote ..and this is the mostommon useto advance the Powerpoint slides on your presentati

ow, it order to get this function to work, you need to understand atle bit about how this works.

Most projectors talk to the remote via an infrared signal. If you lookour projector closely, you will see a little black window somewhern the front of the projector. There may be ( but not always) a similaack window on the back of the projector. This is how your remoteALKS to the projector. The signal from the remote is read by thatindow.

t is human nature to aim the remote at the screen , where the imaprojected, and that works just fine. What is actually happening

owever, is the image is BOUNCING off the screen back to theeceiver window. Infrared is always line-of-sight, meaning the imageot just broadcast out in the air is travels in a straight line from temote to the projector, except where is can cleanly bounce back

he receiver. For this reason, many projectors, especially one that me ceiling mounted (where the front receiver may be blocked, oftenave a second receiver on the back as well. When using the remote

he one thing you DONT want to do is aim the remote at the side ofhe projector. I once set up a projector for a demonstration athattanooga University Hospital in Chattanooga Tennessee. Ourompany gave our part of the presentation, and I handed off the

emote to a software vendor. Presenting to 30 Hospital Administratond Surgeons is a little daunting, and this rep was more than a littleervous. He stood beside the projector, and when he was ready todvance his slides, he pointed the remote AT the side of the projectthought the poor fellow would push the button THROUGH theemote, trying to get his slides to advance. So as unobtrusively as


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ossible, I walked up and whispered (Psst..point your remote at theCREEN . He was fine after that.

he main purpose of the remote, is to, of course, remotely control thmain functions of the Projector . On/OFF, focus, etc. This sameemote can, in most cases also serves as a remote mouse. But ther

almost always some set up involved before this function is possib

ow, in order for the signal that tells the computer to move the cursr advance the slides to get from the projector to the Computer, the

S going to be a cable involved,running from the projector to the PChere are three kinds of cables. The side of your projector will eitheave

-a 9 pin Male serial connection-A USB cable-A round PS connection

Why THREE possible cables.

hat is because the connection to your computer can be either a

-9 pin serial Male cable

-A PS /2 mouse connection

- A USB connection.

s PC laptops standardize on USB , this is going to be a whole lotasier. Most of the new projectors ( introduced in the last two yearsse a USB cable. USB, for those of you who are acronym-challengetands for Universal Serial Bus ..USB.


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SB cables are fairly easy to recognize and understand. On therojector there will be a small square connection. On the laptop oresktop there will be a flat rectangular connection.

he problem here is frankly all projector manufacturers dont includehis cable. I dont know why, but I suppose they figure USB cables a

o common now, that most folks have a USB cable somewhere. If yont , they are fairly easy to find at any computer store: Staples,

Office Max, Office Depot etc. Again, this is where a good computerectronics store can save you some $$$. The USB cable you pay20 for in a big box store, you will find there for about $5. It is theame USB cable that goes from a PC to a printer. ( All macs since t3 models came out use USB. If you need ADB (Apple Desktop Bu

ables you are using a Mac that is fairly old. There are adapters forhis too.But this is a fairly rare need these days.

here are a lot of PC laptops that still use either a serial ( 9 pinonnection) on the back of the computer for mouse connections. Ictually had a group of teachers once ASK the difference between

male and female cable. Picture a shy Scotch Irishman turning BEET

ed. A PS 2 mouse connection is a round connection.

012 Update : USB is now the standard and I would be surprised ifhere are any PCs out there, still in use with serial or PS 2 connectout I also know there are some out there somewhere , so again, thebove info may remain useful, if only as history

Once you figure out which connection your projector has, and whichmouse port you PC has, you simply plug the cable between the two

gain, this is something that should be done in ADVANCE of turninNYTHING ON.


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ow, there is an alternative to using the remote as your portablemouse. There are a number of vendors that make remote mice. Theall into two categories.

-Infrared

-Radio

N both cases there is some kind of receiver that will plug into youromputer. The remote talks DIRECTLY to the computer, without thegnal going through the projector.

n the case of Infrared , some of the makers of these are Varatouch

nterlink and several others.

yration is one maker of Radio remotes. Radio remotes dont needne of sight. You can stand anywhere in the room, aim the remotenywhere you want, the remote will follow your hand motion

here are also some fairly affordable combinations of Wireless

eyboard and wireless mice. This combination allows you to sitnywhere in the room and control your presentation.

nother alternative is a wireless tablet. These are made by severalmanufacturers as well. This gives you the remote mouse capability

ell as the ability to to some kind of annotation, since most areundled with some kind of software that allows for the John Madde

ffect of drawing arrows or circles on your projected image.


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One thing to keep in mind when troubleshooting remote miceroblems is that infrared CAN be sensitive to interference, especiallom fluorescent lights. If you have checked your connections, andour infrared mouse isnt working, try simply turning OFF theuorescent lights. This is a fairly uncommon problem, but it doesappen. I once sent a projector back THREE times to a manufactur

nly to find out if I used the projector in another room, it worked FINhe problem was that the fluorescent lights in that room were throwut so much interference; it played havoc, not only with the remote,ut with the basic controls of the projector itself. This is the only time

his has ever happened to me, but again, turning off the lights is aairly quick and simple step to try if you are having this particularroblem.

What about MACS?

or you hearty souls ,who have kept the Apple faith, the good newshat since Apple introduced the G3 computers, the video produced

Mac is PC compatible. Back in the old days Macs need adaptersecause their monitors used a different pin configuration. So , if you

mac has video out ( some of the first Ibooks and Imacs didnt havehis) you can use a data video projector with your Mac. Instead ofsing FUNCTION keys, your Mac will either recognize the second

monitor( your data video display) on start up, or you will need to go

he Display icon Under system preferences( This is the same things video mirroring described above..

he current round of Macbook Pros DONT come with a dongle in ox. (In the past, some did include the dongle) So if you plan to hoone of those Macs up to an external monitor or projector, dont


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ssume it comes in the box with the laptop. As far as I know, it is nos they say sold separately .

forced to upgrade from a Macbook to a Macbook Pro. I was got too so because Otis the Wonder Puppy jumped up and knocked a cf good ole S.C. sweet tea all the way across the table and

SPLOOSH, right into my laptop.

got two learning opportunities from this . The first is that theMacbook Pro uses an entirely different( and incompatible ) dongle

om the one I had for the Imac laptop and Macbook. So I have 3fferent dongles in my bag of tricks, which I hope will come in han

he second is I learned it might be good to have one of thosekeyboard skins for my laptop and that is also not a bad trick for aaveling presenter, either Mac or PC. After all, it only takes one spltarbucks in a strange city to make trip into a nightmare.

y the way, if you save your Powerpoint files with the .ppt suffix thaWindows requires, you can move them back and forth from Mac to

C.

n ounce of prevention is worth a Pound of Cure.

am not sure Ben Franklin was thinking about Data video projectorshen he wrote that in his Poor Richards Almanac but it certainly

pplies to data video projectors.

side from not know how to do the video mirroring, I would say the ource of an unsuccessful presentation is that someone gets to thete of their presentation, gets the projector out of the bag, and finds

hat the cable or cables they need are not in the BAG! . Now, that isold sweat time.


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he two cables you absolutely HAVE To have are a Power cable an15 pin male to male cable. The good news is that there is nothing

pecial about the Power cable. It is the same three plug female to 3ug male cable used by Desktop PCS, and printers. Chances are if

here are any PCs anywhere around, someone will have a spare, or

ou can simply borrow one to get through your presentation.

y the way, here is a useful tip. Buy one of those 3 female/2 maleugs that go on the end of a Power cord and put in with yourrojector. WHY ? This is a trick I need to credit my former coworkerho was a light and sound guru with. Some buildings have static on

heir ground line. ( The bottom plug on a three plug projector. If you

ee wavy or rolling lines in your projected image, try using theroundless plug adapter. This has saved my bacon twice now. I keene with me at all times.

ow, if you left the 15 pin cable behind, you may be in deeper do. Tood news is that 95 per cent of projectors use the same 15 pin ma

o male cables. ( There are a few dinosaurs out there that use a

fferent cable, but those are few and far between). So if your hostwns a projector, you may be able to borrow theirs.

ut , getting back to my point about prevention vs. cure, this is whelittle prior planning can prevent poor performance.

you are the sole user of your projector, you just need to remind

ourself to check BEFORE you leave to make sure you have all theables you need. In fact, I put a spare pair of Power/data cables in m

aptop bag too, JUST in case.


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lear Ziploc bags are great. They allow you to store the cables in yoag without them getting tangled. It allows allows you to SEE whatables are inside.

n fact, if you want to make a mobile projection Toolkit, here are someas on things to include:

-a Small flashlight. Sometimes the connections are hard to read, ohe back of the laptop( esp. if you are using a strange one)

- A tape measure. You can guess distance from projector to screer measure. 15 feet is usually the best, depending on severalariables.

- S video cable, RCA cables, USB cable, Serial cable( More on theater)

- Consider taking your own VCR. Why? Because when you get theou know it will work. Many schools have bought VCRs with only coonnections. Some el cheapo VCRS have no s-video connections.

ou are planning to show a VCR tape, that is one hassle you donteed. Besides, the VCR may be in a cart or otherwise a pain to unpnd use. Take you own. You will be glad to you did.

Spare cables. Check you local phonebook to see if there is anectrical/cable supply company before you go to Radio Shack or Buy and pay twice as much as you should for these cables. You mig

so want to consider investing in a LONGER than the standard 5 foable that comes with your projector. This comes in handy if you neo set up your computer farther from your projector than a few feetway.


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Gaffers tape. Now , this is a trick that is relatively new to me, butell known to sound guys . If you are a geek like me that reads movredits, you will see Gaffers listed. These are basically guys that sep equipment, especially sound equipment. If you use Duck tape to

ape down cables so folks dont trip over them, you are going to havlovely time getting that sticky stuff off of your cables. Gaffers tape

st stickey enough to work, but when you go to break down, it pullsght off with no residue.

Cable covers or raceway. I used to refer to this as speedbumpsut it that plastic cord cover you can buy that allows you to put cablside, and sits flat on the floor, so folks dont trip over it. Again, thisnice accessory especially in a booth or in a room where folks mig

ip over your projector.

A tool kit. Projector uses connections designed to be handghtened. But you basic screwdriver, pliers and etc are always hando have.

-A USB Flash drive. These are the little flash memory cards, start

t about 250 mb. Someone once said there are two kinds of hardrivesThose about to crash, and those that have already crashed

he Powerpoint presentation you took a week to prepare getsccidentally deleted, or if your hard drive crashes , if you have yourowerpoint backed up on a flash drive, you can easily restore ituickly, or hopefully find another PC to use.

0 Here is a new neat gadget. A company calledww.justaddpower.com, sells a widget called the projectoronnector. You can buy two of their pocket projector connectors reasonable price and use standard cat-5(Ethernet Cable) to conn

hem. If you are a road warrior and want to be sure you have a lonnough cable for a unseen eventuality, a 25 foot piece of cat 5 cabl
http://www.justaddpower.com/http://www.justaddpower.com/


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a whole lot lighter and easier to travel with than a 25 foot VGA caor just travel with the connectors if you are certain you can get athernet cable at your presentation site, if you need one. Any good

big box technology store will have cat-5 cable. Not all will have aonger than 6 foot VGA cable.

nvested in a book called Dont Sweat the Small Stuff ( Mensdition) and I found some useful ideas , some of which were easy to and made sense. One idea was that anything you need( and

oose ) regularly, get two of . So I have a couple of cell phone ACdapters, several power cables for projectors and various othereeded-daily widgets for daily life. It has been my pleasure more thafew times to present with , or support a former Air Force officer in

resentation. You dont have to tell someone whose life depended oedundant systems about the need to be prepared. They haveways come ready to rumble.

he Care of feeding of your Data Video projector

rojectors are , as I have stated several times previously, generally

retty reliable. And there is not much maintenance that needs to beone.

here IS one thing that you should do regularly, and that is clean thr filter on your projector. If you read the manual, it says to clean thr filers every 100 hours.

ow, this is REALLY easy to do. You may have to look at the manuut generally the air filer is located outside of the fan. . This should

make sense, because all projectors have a fan , to cool the lamp. Tr filter is a piece of thin foam usually. Over time, it will get dustier a

he fan has drawn air across it. This is , as it would seem obviousspecially true in an environment like a dusty schoolroom, or aestaurant or bar. Cleaning the air filter simply consists of removing


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he filter, and blowing out the dust . The best way to do this is with aan of dry compressed air, which is also handy to clean out your Pcnd can be found in any good office products store. If you are in anch, you can remove the filter, take a deep breath and go POOF,nd blow out the dust.

this task has been neglected long enough, your filter will get soogged that so little air gets through that the fan cant cool the lampnough, the lamp gets hot , and the automatic temperature shut offcks in, and your projector shuts off before it can start. This is very

are, but I have had a couple of instances where, upon cleaning ther filters, a presumed-dead projector started working fine. Thisappens so seldom, that I didnt include it in the what do I do

hecklist, but if you think about it a clogged air filter is not good, andasily remedied.

n the last few years, we have seen a new generation of projectorsith long life filters of up to 5, 000 hours. Thats great, but I stillncourage people every so often to take the good ole can of air andow it out.

Manufacturers of whatever product are always looking for acompetitive edge. Three years ago I was lucky enough to attend thne plus ultra trade show for these products, infocomm, and one

manufacturer of light engines had hired some very attractive girlsthey are called booth bunnies in the business) to parade around as Vegas convention center wearing surgical masksand not a

hole lot more. Well, they WERE wearing T-shirts that said No filteeded because the company claimed there optics were closed. Sasked a friend in the know about that, and yes, the optics are in annclosed box, but there is still, as with any projector a fan and a fan

means dust. So, the makers of the cans of compressed air haveothing to worry about, and you should be careful to clean out ANY


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rojector. Perhaps you want need to do it as often, or as thoroughlyut if dirty air is coming in, an occasional poof is like chicken soupcold :it cant hurt, and it might help.

AMPS..and why do those $@##@$%@#$@ lamps COST so much

Well, lets tackle the price of the lamps first. Generally, replacementamps run about $400 now..some more a few less, but that is abouthe median price. If you take 2000 hours( the average lamp life of arojector, and divide $400 by 2000 hours, you will find that it costs y0 cents an hour to operate your projector. And if you take 2000

ours, and assume that your projector is used 2 hours a day, 5 dayseek , 50 weeks a year, you lamp should last somewhere close to 5ears. That doesnt make the $400 replacement cost any less, but

east looking at it that way, make you wont get sticker shock!

eres what one web site on presentation technology said:

hese LCD bulbs and LCD projectors utilize sophisticated opticsechnologies that allow images to be very precisely projected with apecific brightness, color mix, and clarity that is far superior to earlieeneration projection equipment.

Second, the light bulb is assembled into a cage and is calibrated foonsistent performance. Since the light bulb in a "cage" is a new

eneration of light bulb, it is accompanied by some "depreciatedevelop costs.

Ok, want me to translate?. There is a lot of cost in developing theseamps, they use some expensive components( gold and other metand because the manufacturers wont get together and settle on


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tandard, the lamps are made differently for each new projector, toqueeze out as much brightness as possible.

nd , where are all of these lamps made? Not in the USA. So we hao settle for the prices our friendly Asian WTO partners will give us.

here is hope on the horizon. Engineers are working as we speak oolid state light sources( computer chips that generate light) and were most ( not all ) chips made. Do the names Motorola and Intel rinbell?

ntil the next generation of light-generating chips come along (Teunior to put down that soccer ball and go play on the computer

more), we are stuck with lamps as the best source of light for arojector.

he good news is that the current generation of metal halide lampsow in use are fairly reliable and dont (often) precipitously fail. So, ou treat your projector with a modicum of care, clean the filter, anday your prayers, it should be several years before you have to wor

bout a lamp.

What CAN cause your lamp to fail before it should is rough treatmef your projector. The filament inside the lamp ARE sensitive, and thass in the lamp is under pressure. If you drop the projector, or givejolt , the lamp may fail. It is very unusual for a lamp to go POOF,ut it has happened, but that can normally be traced to someone

ropping or jostling a projector.

Ok, now let me vent a pet peeve. An organization orders a projectohey are all anxious to spend that $$$ before it gets taken back.hen the projector sits in the box, especially if it came in just beforechool got out. And when someone finally OPENS the box, and the


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rojector lamp goes POOF( My Jack Russell Terrier loves everyonexcept two arch enemies..green lizards, and men in brown trucks wrown Bermuda shorts. I have tried to convince him no to bitethezards.) So, because the box was dropped on a loading dock, I get all with someone screaming that the projector that I SOLD THEMoesnt work, and what am I going to do about it. There is a key

hrase here to knowWrite it down and repeat it afterme..INOPERABLE ON FIRST USE. If you can prove a projector is

operable on first use, the options you will get a WHOLE lot differehan in other circumstances. However, if your first use is 8 monthsfter you GOT the projector, I will tell you where in the dictionary tond sympathy, because that is about the only place you will find it.eing serious, no one can help the fact that a projector arrives durin

break. But as SOON as possible, open your box, turn on yourrojector, and LEAVE it on for a while. If it is going to fail becauseome bonehead dropped the box, it is going to fail right away.

ow, there is nothing you can do about the handling your projectorets going from the factory to your door. But there are some thingsou CAN do to lessen the chance that your projector will be droppe

nd damaged.

he first, especially if you are planning to travel with your projector, o invest in a good, well padded bag. Most manufacturers include aag now, because people screamed so much about buying a bageparately, they gave in a provide a bag. But most of these areplacebo bags and not well padded or sturdy.

ou can find a good well padded shoulder bag for about $75. You cuy a padded rolling back specifically for your projector for about275.


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One sort of in-between trick I have found, it so go by one of those bastic containers at Family dollar. I generally travel with several

houlder bags, and they tend to shift in the back of my SUV. If theyre packed inside these cases, if something like a screen oromething hard and heavy fall on the projector, there is not problemhe plastic container serves as a outer shell. You can even go furt

nd pack it inside with bubble wrap. (Otis the Wonder Puppy eats af mine, but you can find it at any office supply store.)

HANGING THE LAMP

you want to hear a brave , veteran teacher, who faces down fiercemiddle schoolers all day get trepidation in her voice, suggest that th

eed to change their projector lamp. You will hear the fiercest teachurn meek.

owever, projector lamps are really, ( trust me on this ) a snap tohange. This is because they are now lamps, not bulbs. If you wanet a look of disdain from an AV professional, ask them about a bu

or your projector. Imagine someones eyes rolling when you call on

he phone and ask for a lamp . It is the same look I get when I telleenagers how great the Beatles were.

ctually, there really is a bulb in your projectors, but it is nowncased in a cage, a metal framework, and thus is almost alwayseferred to as a lamp. And because this cage pulls right out of aocket in the projector, you just pull out the lamp assembly, push in

he new one, and BINGO, you are back in business.

ack in ancient times, (10 years ago) , some projectors did use the alogen lamps, that had to be carefully treated, and installed with acrew driver and a prayer. I have the grey hairs to prove how muchun that was !


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he metal halide lamps are in cages, and designed to be quicklystalled. Metal halide lamps dont precipitously quit (unless jolted overheated by a clogged fan). What typically happens is, that as yo

amp approaches the end of its normal life expectancy, you will see otable decline in brightness. Your 1000 lumen projector will go to 8mens, then 700, then 500. Now is the time to get a lamp.

ome, alas not all, projectors have a lamp life counter in the projectmenu. Yes, you have to RTM to know whether your projector does o

ot. Most do have that features these days.

When you need a lamp, do know everything there is to know aboutour projector. Not just the manufacturer, but the model and model

e SURE of the model number. Even if it is similar projector, made he same manufacturer, it may be a different lamp. Most projectorompanies have a web site with the part # for the lamp you need. BONT call up and say I need a BULB for my Watusi( not a realrojector name) because the rep, at that point will already haveecided you are clueless, and even if you HAVE Watusi , braceourself for a stream of questions. Know this stuff, and make your li

nd everyone elses easier. And tech people tend to be nicer whenhey know they are not dealing with a buffoon to start with.

ou dont Plan to fail, but you may fail to plan.

entle readers, you may have taken all of my wisdom, andhastisements to heart. You know that your projector is a Brightstar200(Again, not a real name) , that is has 1800 lumens and is XGAou have a Dell Latitude laptop, you are fluent in Powerpoint and lifwonderful. Until that other teacher /coworker wants to use YOUR

quipment.


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ou can staple their feet to the floor, until they read the manual , ( innglish, German,and Spanish) or you can assume that no one elseoing to figure this out ,so you can take matters into hand.

ake that digital camera you promised your boss/ principal that youAD to have , and which has 5 pictures of your dog on the memory

ard, and take pictures of your projector from every angle . Attach thables and take pictures.Take pictures of all the cables Take picturef the remote. And use your Powerpoint wisdom to create aowerpoint for all of the other myrmidons with which you work to leaow to use the projector. If you get your projector back in one pieceith all of the cables, then it was worth the trouble, wasnt it ?

eriously, a Powerpoint file, now that the war is over, and Bill Gatesules not only world, but the hard drives of all the computers in it, is reat way not only to give a presentation, but to SHARE someaining. Because everyone who has MS Office, can open aowerpoint, and people who wouldnt read a manual if the life of theear grandmother depended on it, WILL look at a Powerpoint.

A Final Thought:

erhaps I am being a master of the obvious here, but one of the momportant things I have found in terms of being able to give auccessful presentation can best be described as a people

management trick. And that trick is simply managing the people wave asked you to present to,, especially if you are walking into a nace. I try, whenever possible to be there an hour early. That ismply because no matter how many questions you ask in advancessurances you get, there is always going to be some gotcha: rooithout a handy electrical outlet or one you need to rearrange the


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ables or chairs. Being there early simply means you have time to gverything in, set up, and ready to go, before people come in and ssking you questions. Your presentation will go smoother, and youill be more confident if you can manage to get their early and setverything up and do a dry run before your start.

nother tip is never let people help you pack , as well-meaning ashey might be. You will find if you have adapters or cables if you tame to pack carefully AFTER the show, you will be able to find themext time. Now, once everything is packed, I am always wiling foreople to help me tote, but only after I make an idiot sweep of thoom to make sure I havent laid down a remote, or a cable or a

owerstrip somewhere.

One final thought. The subject of designing good presentations isnother subject for another time. However, I attended a conferencend heard a presenter who gave 2 simple rules for designing a goodresentation

-One graphic per slide

-Only one line of text per slide.

adly, many folks dont follow these simple rules and the results arke these :

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YefStVmvTnc&feature=related

nother 2012 Update.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YefStVmvTnc&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YefStVmvTnc&feature=related


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Pads can easily be directly connected to a projector . However, asith the Macbooks, the dongle or connector you need is NOTcluded in the box with the iPad.

here are two kinds of connectors you can use, an RGB or HDMIdapter. You will also need a 15 pin Male to Male RGB cable or a

milar HDMI cable.

While there are , of course, sources for all kinds of Ipad accessoriesutside of Apple, here are the products and part Numbers from thepple Store website :

GA adapter

tp://store.apple.com/us/product/MC552ZM/B/apple-vga-adapter?fnode=3a

DMI Adapter

tp://store.apple.com/us/product/MD098ZM/A/apple-digital-av-adapter

he ability to use the HDMI cable will of course depend on your projector having an HD

put port.

s of this writing , all data video projectors have the 15 pin RGB input. So you are prett

uch assured that the RGB adapter will work .

fact, some projectors , including most ( not all) of the projectors offered by Dukane h

wo RGB inputs. Thats a feature that is not always a benefit , since most people will hav

ngle computer connected to the projector at one time. And some people simply havent

alized what that second input can be used for . So , my point is simply if you have a

ojector with 2 RGB inputs, you can keep the computer you have been using in RGB in

ne, and put your ipad on RGB #2 , as needed. Use your remote for the projector to swi
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC552ZM/B/apple-vga-adapter?fnode=3ahttp://store.apple.com/us/product/MD098ZM/A/apple-digital-av-adapterhttp://store.apple.com/us/product/MC552ZM/B/apple-vga-adapter?fnode=3ahttp://store.apple.com/us/product/MD098ZM/A/apple-digital-av-adapter


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etween RGB 1 and RGB 2. If your projector is not ceiling mounted and you can touch

ou can also use the top of the projector controls to switch between inputs.

By way of disclosure, I do work as a consultant for Dukane. Of course, I know they ma

xcellent products, so I chose them for that reason).

ow, you can now connect an iPad or Mac with Mac OS Moutain Lion wirelessly to a

ojector or large screen LCD TV using an Apple TV box. Again, this is where an HDM

put comes in handy because it require an HDMI connection from the Apple TV to the

utput device. I have an Apple TV box at home and it works fine with both..

Which is better ? The direct connection works first time, every time. Apple TV connect

our school or office internet connection and network. If your network is fast and troubl

ee, no worries. If it is not, the results with an Apple TV box is going to be as good as y

etwork connection.

ere is the Apple TV info on the Apple store site :

pple TV

tp://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/shop_ipod/family/apple_tv

an you connect on of the other tablets that use Android or Windows 8 to a projector?

ou probably can.

ry to limit my advice to things I have done myself, or information that comes from a

usted source. two different people and if I get the same answer twice, I feel safe to shar

here are so many Android and Win 8 tablet coming on the market, and I havent tried

em, I simply do not know. I am not making a value judgment on Ipad vs Android or W

. I simply have not had a chance to try it, so I don't want to share information on

mething I cant independently verify.


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you have tricks or tips or wisdom to share, I would love to knowhem.

ou can email me at [email protected]

nd, just in case these insights dont help at the crucial moment, I

ecommend any movie with Gregory Hines or Fred Astaire movie foap dance lessons.

ill McIntosh

lease note:

his file was done for the use of my customers, clients . and friendseel free to print it out, to forward it to a fellow worker, and otherwishare it as needed.

would, respectfully ask that this file is not published or excerptedithout my permission.

nd if you do receive this file from someone other than me, feel freerop me an email with your comments or questions at

mail: [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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he opinions expressed above and mine alone and do not reflecthose of any manufacturer, past or present, that I have worked with

have made every effort to make this non denominational in termsot making references or recommendations to a particular

manufacturer. I did, in a few cases use real names simply becausenow those products and was confident in the facts about them.

he facts are true, to the best of my knowledge, keeping in mind tha

ith technology it is very akin to what Alice said about Wonderland:akes all the running you can do to stay in one place

encourage everyone to consult with whoever might be theirechnology/IT/Ed tech expert . The information here is simplyformation based on questions I have been asked, and informationave gathered in working with educational technology for almost 25

ears.

ocument revised : December 15, 2012.

Addendum.. Here is a generic service request form . Mostrojector manufacturers have a fax number. You can use ths a guide to what you need to have handy before you makeall, or, if you are having trouble getting through, you may

want to consider using this form. One thing I have foundolds true, is while people can ignore phone calls or emails

hey hesitate to ignore a fax, because you have written proohat you did contact them.


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ou might also simply copy and paste this into an email,nswering the questions as you do. That would be the ideaor a service person, to have this info as they seek to answeour question. Good tech support is a 2 way process, androviding a service tech with good and accurate information

makes everyone have a a better day.

Audio Visual Service Request Form

ate:__________________________

nd User name _____________________________________________________

nd User Company Name: ____________________________________________

ddress:___________________________________________________________

ty:_________________________ State:___________ Zip:__________________

ontact:______________________________ Phone No:_____________________

Model No:___________________ Serial No:__________________ate Purchased:_____________________ Product under Warranty: Yes No

escription of Problem:_________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________


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ow would you like to be contacted regarding action taken?) Phone) Fax) Neither

ction Taken_____________________________________________________

ate:___________________________________________________________

chnician Comments:_____________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

projector troubleshooting 2012

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