NEC 1200c and 2000c becoming sluggish

[Gordon McLeod]

Recently at several locations I have noticed that either a NEC 1200c or 2000c have become repeatedly sluggish in responding whether it be a format change or lamp on or dowser cue it will sit for approximately 7min saying processing please wait and ignor any other commands. Also if one attempts to log in with DCC it will report connection failed projector busy. The error logs report no errors at all

[Steve Guttag]

I have not seen that, myself. But I'd start by checking the internal router and if not an NEC made one, replace it. I'd also reseat boards. If they are having communication issues, they'd behave slowly.

[Jim Cassedy]

A 2000c at one of the private screening rooms I sometimes work at slowed down
dramatically after a software update (not done by me) a couple of years ago. But
it's not taking anywhere near 7min to do a format, or whatever, change. When you
send it a command, it seems to 'think about it' for almost 10sec before execution.
This is a simple set up, as there is only the server (Dolby DSS200) & the Projector.
The delay is usually not a problem since at all shows everything (lights, curtain,
sound format & volume, lens aspect ratio, etc ) are all run manually. I cant even
remember the last time I used an automation cue there. But I do remember the
projector being more responsive before one particular software upgrade was done
several years ago. (No, I don't remember which upgrade it was. It was the same
year I had some major surgery & complications that put me on a lot of drugs, so I
don't recall much about that year anyway. I'm ok now, but I miss the drugs! LOL)

[Fraser Falconer]

Hi Gordon,
I don't know whether this helps, but I had a NC2000 that had exactly the same symptoms after a channel (Title) change, The machine became completely unresponsive for about 5 to 10 minutes. I worked out that it was actually an issue with the Lens mount and caused the CPU to hang. There were no errors logged which made it a challenge to find. Once I worked out that the issue was occurring on a channel change, I then starting removing items out of the "Title" until I regained typical NEC responsiveness after Channel change. Then after working out it was a Lens issue, I applied a new memory and then started adding Lens adjustments until I found the issue. In this case it was a vertical Lens shift issue.

I hope this is some help.

Cheers Fraser

[Jon Dent]

We currently have the same issue with one of our 1200s. I've had narrowed it down to a lens issue as well and am in the process of fixing it. Did it happen just from using the lens shift or was there a specific adjustment that caused the issue?

[Gordon McLeod]

This was a issue also with lamp on and dowser open was it a hardware repair required or just reset the software

[Jon Dent]

This was a issue also with lamp on and dowser open was it a hardware repair required or just reset the software

If the lens is causing the projector to lock up then it'll ripple to any other command you try to give it (like lamp on or dowser). Are you starting the lamp with a macro from your server? If so it may have a format change embedded in it that's causing the lockup.

[Fraser Falconer]

Hi,
In this case, it was a hardware failure, the Lens controller PCB was faulty, caused a jammed Lens mount. As I didn't have the parts I required on me, as I didn't know what I was looking for when heading to site. Luckily the Lens was in FLAT so I just used the Presentation to shift the image on the panel while I was waiting for parts to turn up. Of course the zoom and focus was still operation, so everything looked normal from a presentation point of view.

Gordon, If this happens when you strike the lamp first or on a dowser open without any other functions being triggered you may have a CPU issue, but it usually displays itself as "blank screen of death" on the side panel. DCC is hit and miss when it is in this state. A projector log will clearly show the issue. Multiple firmware restarts, memory dumps and the like. Luckily I have only had one CPU that was dead from this issue. The CPU PCB can normally be recovered if it is this state by re-flashing the CPU. I hope this is of some assistance.

Cheers Fraser

[Gordon McLeod]

Hi,
In this case, it was a hardware failure, the Lens controller PCB was faulty, caused a jammed Lens mount. As I didn't have the parts I required on me, as I didn't know what I was looking for when heading to site. Luckily the Lens was in FLAT so I just used the Presentation to shift the image on the panel while I was waiting for parts to turn up. Of course the zoom and focus was still operation, so everything looked normal from a presentation point of view.

Gordon, If this happens when you strike the lamp first or on a dowser open without any other functions being triggered you may have a CPU issue, but it usually displays itself as "blank screen of death" on the side panel. DCC is hit and miss when it is in this state. A projector log will clearly show the issue. Multiple firmware restarts, memory dumps and the like. Luckily I have only had one CPU that was dead from this issue. The CPU PCB can normally be recovered if it is this state by re-flashing the CPU. I hope this is of some assistance.

Cheers Fraser

The logs show no errors at all

[Fraser Falconer]

Hi Gordon,
You do have an interesting issue then. Does the log show any missing information, ie fan speeds or temperature logging. If so, you may have a dodgy PJ-DIV PCB. If not, it could be the router as Steve suggested. We haven't had many NEC router issues in this region, touch wood. I had one though that couldn't remember it's IP, That was fun.
Good luck! If you have any further information to add, I'll try to assist if I can.

Cheers Fraser

[Jon Dent]

So for us, the issue was also related to the lens shift, but I managed to get everything working again by only using vertical shift. As a result our flat framing may be a bit off center, but it really isn't noticeable unless you break out a ruler.