Barco SP4K-20 in closed space with AC?

[Marlon Martins]

Hi, the owner of the local cinema in my small town is considering upgrading the two 19b units they have here, they have less than 4 years each, but they had gazillions of problems and replaced parts due to salty air (the cinema is in front of the beach).

the owner is thinking about getting the laser ones, and i'm also thinking may be a good idea due to one fact: as the power consumption is lower, may be able to sit them in a closed room with a decent AC on the room to "zero" or at least get to around 30ºC making the room "sealed" to prevent salt coming in, cause projectors do not last here. everything gets corroded and i change fans on the equipment every few months (gets corroded, wires from them, get oxidated and break)

would this be possible? the projector specs says 2.1kw , the audio amps/decoder get around 1kw, a decent AC should be able to deal with that.

thanks in advance!

[Steve Guttag]

You definitely would want to seal the room up because the SP4K series is VERY OPEN. You could literally pour a drink into them from the top they are so open. The optics are sealed but not the electronics. Barco still seems to invest in low-rent connectors for the card cage. So, if you had corrosion problems before, you'd have them again. If you use the ICMP-X...I'll say this, it fits VERY tight but I still think that Barco will have issues until they alter their choice of edge connectors. If they did for the SP4K, I'm unaware of it and I have already had to reseat ICP-D boards.

Their power consumption is indeed quite low and the heat they give off is low (they also list their BTU/hr so you can figure out your AC requirements). If you can maintain the air quality (both cleanliness and RH), I think they'll do well for you. It is almost always on the humidity change around here (so twice a year) I get the ICP reseat issues on the S2 Barcos (and the other DLPs but it is at least a 10:1 disparity on the Barcos).

[Marlon Martins]

Thanks for the answer. the climate here is also very humid (88% at the moment) so it is a win-win scenario with the AC (adjust temperature and reduce humidity). also, they already have dehumidifiers on the room, but they can't handle it. when i clean the 19b filters, they look like sandpaper, so as you imagine, electronics failures are a standard occurrence. Stuff dies 3 to 4 times faster than normal. (computers, amplifiers, fans, the projectors boards, both light engines where send for repairs. During covid times, as the cinemas are closed, we are planning the future if everything comes to normal eventually. both 19b are down for repairs.