Barco DP2K-10S SPG failure twice.

[Miguel Moreno]

Hi friends.

About a week ago I was informed that one of my 10s projectors did not want to turn on the lamp, making a strange noise when trying to turn on.
In the communicator's warnings came the replacement of the lamp, the change of LPS and the change of the SPG so I replaced both that i took from another 10S projector that i have as spare parts in order to be sure it works fine on weekend
but the surprise was that a week later the SPG failed again and this time i install a brand new SPG module.

I'm worried that it will fail again because I wouldn't know what else could cause the failure since I even tried the lamp and the lamp house in another room and it worked fine.

What would you recommend to ensure it doesn't fail again?

Thanks for your help

Mike Moreno
Mexico

[Leo Enticknap]

My first thought was that there could be multiple lamp power supply modules in this projector, and that you swapped out a good one, leaving a bad one in place. But I see from the service manual that there is only one in the 10S, so it isn't that.

Was there any visible evidence of overheating damage on both the failed SPGs? This is the telltale sign of one that is not long for this world:

image.png

If yes, I think it's as unsinister as that you had one actually die, and the one in the spare projector was on its last legs. If not, that's a bit of a puzzler. I'm wondering about the AC power supply to the projector., e.g, multiple surges?

[Miguel Moreno]

It is rainy time in my region and specifically in this cinema they have many problems with electricity.
maybe that could be the cause

[Marin Zorica]

Interesting! I've gad similar situation. A two year old 10s had spg dead, which was replaced by new one. And now, a year after that spg died again. There is nothing strange or any power supply problems. Or it is just radom failure?

[Leo Enticknap]

I'm not an expert on the S series (I only ever had two among my regular service customers, and now zero), but SPGs are one of the most common parts failures on the C series (and possibly the most), and also happen regularly on Bs. Once a projector gets to 6-7 years old and assuming it's seen regular duty (e.g. the lamp lit for 8-12 hours a day, seven days a week), it's a question of when rather than if. I always advise customers with C series projectors more than around 5-6 years old (which is now pretty much all of them) to consider keeping a spare SPG on site.

I'm 99.9% sure that every single SPG I've swapped out that has kicked the bucket had the visible heat damage on it shown in the photo above. I cannot remember a failed one that didn't.

If you have one that was installed new and only lasted a year, my inclination would be to check out airflow through the projector. Are there any relevant fan blades or intakes clogged with dust? Do the fan speeds and lamphouse extract air CFM seem OK?

Something I've also seen on C series projectors with failed SPGs is that the gills of the heatsink behind the cold mirror have gotten clogged with dust, which will likely add to the ambient temperature in that compartment. Not sure if that could also be a factor in the S.

[Marcel Birgelen]

With single-digit sample sizes and no clear external indicators, it's hard to guess if there is a connection between those failures. I'd consider anything beyond 10 years on "borrowed time" in those digital machines. I'm not aware of the SPG being a "troublesome child" in the S-series either.

Unstable power-feeds though, are a common recipe for shortening the lifespan of electronics, this is especially true for electronics operating at high power levels...

[Leo Enticknap]

The DP2K-S series has its own SPG (part R7681046K): this isn't the same model as in the DP2K-C series (R7648225K). So it might not have the same vulnerability or tendency to overheat that causes me to have to replace three or four C-series SPGs a year on average, but I'm sure the difference between the two amounts to little more than form factor.

[Steve Guttag]

Leo, are you seeing that the current "C" version with the teflon deflector is also having issues. I've had a few SPGs fail but nothing approaching 3-4 a year. Additionally, the "B" SPG is yet a different unit too.

[Leo Enticknap]

If you want detailed figures I'd have to trawl through service reports, but my recollection is that the SPGs that are failing are those that were factory installed in projectors manufactured from around 2010-16.

I have a strong suspicion that the failures are heat-related. In many of them, the air filter covering the intake above the cold mirror fan was gross and disgusting (i.e. it had not been washed regularly), and I discovered years' worth of dust and crud on the fan blades and cold mirror heatsink. Add to that the telltale blistering on the SPG case, and I believe that the compartment behind the lamphouse is fundamentally susceptible to overheating if the filter on the intake air isn't kept clear.

[Steve Guttag]

I'm starting to carry replacement filters. It is cheaper to buy new ones than to pay me to try and undo the sticky mess that they become. Naturally, it is FAR cheaper for the theatre people to keep them clean. I'm still an advocate of Arm and Hammer's Super Washing Soda.

The UV blistering is something I see on all of them (particularly those with 3KW and above lamps). I'm also really getting into torquing the various connections...particularly the Cathode cable where it attaches to the brass connector (hidden by the z adjuster). I've yet to find a "B" projector where that nut was properly torqued anymore (17Nm)...I'd say about half of the "C" lamphouses have lost their torque (they have a star washer...the "B" just has a flat washer).

Of the current SPGs with the teflon shield, I've not had any failures.

[Harshitkumar Thakker]

We have ten DP2K-10S projectors since 2017 and have had to replace 4 SPGs so far for the 10S series. Twice in one projector about 2 years apart, once in two other projectors. None show any visible damage. They just stop working, usually the first show of the day. We have 4 other C series and 1 B series projector at the same site all installed in 2017 and none of those had an SPG failure. Also, we have 42 other C series projects installed in 2010 and 2011 and haven't had an issue with SPG in any of them. I think there is definitely an issue with quality or the design of the 10S SPGs.

[Leo Enticknap]

Interesting. As I wrote above, I've had numerous "C" SPGs bite the dust, almost if not absolutely all of them with visible signs of heat damage; but way fewer "B"s. I only ever had two regular service customers with "S" projectors, and they both did light duties (one was in a high end residence theater and the other in a university lecture theater), so I'm not surprised that those SPGs never gave trouble.

Certainly most of the "C" SPGs I've had die were in projectors that we did not have a service contract on and did not (as far as I could tell) receive any regular maintenance beyond lamp changes, and if they were lucky, air filter cleanings. They only ever received any attention from a tech if and when they broke down. I can only recall one that had a SPG done in a projector that has actually had regular, full scale internal cleaning done, per maintenance C: that was last year in a projector manufactured in 2010 and working full time in a multiplex ever since (apart from the covid closure period). It had well over 100K card cage hours on the clock.

[Juan Jose Garcia Calvo]

We have 2 of these projectors, Barco DP2K10S, but we use it 4 to 6 shows per week, so I hope we will find this SPG problem in a far future...
Meanwhile... anyone knows any cheap way to get at least 2 spare SPGs for these units?