crowtheartist,

If the Self-diagnostic for video passes, then it could be the bulb. 

I'm having this same issue with a 2200mp projector.  It's been used for a few years in an educational setting, and I got a sudden complaint of very dim output (unreadable even in a darkened room).  After looking at the unit, I cleaned it well (cleared any dust from accessible areas and the bulb bay/fans etc.).  I also noticed a streak (kind of a wavy darkend line toward the bottom of the image). 

After cleaning, still the same problem.  I assumed it was the bulb since the projector was farily heavily used, and ordered a replacement.  It arrived today, and I'm still having exactly the same issue.  Both the old bulb, and the new bulb put out the same image.

I've run the image diagnostics with both bulbs installed, same problem. 

Is this unit suffering from some other major failure?  The unit was ceiling mounted using a Dell mount (upside down) and didn't have excessive amounts of dust.  After doing some estimating, I show less than 1000 hours of total usage (the lamp counter appears to have been reset, showing only 89 hours of usage).

I've considered opening the unit up, but since the unit was mounted out of reach and hasn't sustained any physical trauma, I'm assuming the problem to be electronic at this point.

Any help greatly appreciated.

I hope that a Dell tech can give some tips on how to troubleshoot this. 

Having the extra bulb isn't a big deal for me, our organization has 60 or so of these projectors, so it will get used eventually.

I just need to know whether or not I need to retire this projector or not, and what caused the problem so I can try to avoid this in the future.

I wanted to add to this thread to further explain my problem.

It appears that the projected image has shifted toward the top of the projector lens somewhat and that the image is obscured some (causing the dark wavy lines at the bottom of the projected image).

Is it possible that something (a mirror, the DLP chip, some other part) has shifted inside the projector's DLP assembly?

Thanks,

AA

Last update . . . my 2200MP seems to be heading to the shelf for parts:

Upon closer inspection, I have found that there are some mirrors (4 of them, making a 'tunnel') just behind the color wheel.  I assume these mirrors are positioned to help focus the light from the lamp into the first lens element making a sharp and bright beam to be then hit the DLP chip.  These mirrors are between the color wheel and the first lens element.

These mirrors had come loose inside the assembly, and were sliding around.  One mirror was broken on the corner, and was the source of the blurred edges I was seeing in the projected image. 

As a result, the light is not being properly focused on the DLP chip resulting in a dim image as well as the mirrors distorting the light beam causing the darkened wavy shadows in the image.

I don't think that this projector is salvageable.

On the up side, the original lamp while it may have quite a few hours on it is still usable and can be kept as a backup lamp for one of the other 2200mp's that we have in service.

I am curious to hear from a Dell Technician about whether this has been observed in the past.  This projector has been ceiling mounted out of reach and should not have sustained any shock or trauma causing breakage.  It almost appears to be a heat issue where the glue or mounting mechanism for the mirrors failed.

If it is a common or known issue of any kind, is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening in the future.  I would expect a projector to far outlast its first bulb and this isn't the case with this unit.  I've not been made aware of any similar circumstances with other projectors that we have in service.

Thanks - hope this helps others....

AA

Right. It sounds like you are right and that would be the case where the projector is not really salvageable unless you send it back to dell and have them refurbish it, which would not really be worth our trouble. In my case, this projector is for personal use, so, the only thing I can do now is probably sell it 'as is- for parts'. If what you're saying is right about the broken mirror, I can't really sell it as a working unit, regardless of how well the image is on my projector.

My projector did not sustain any damage at all either. I took care of it really well. So, I see no reason for this to have happened aside from a mechanical problem inside the unit itself.

I'm guessing that you never got a letter for a recall, either, right.

The first individual that replied to my post is a Dell Technician. And you saw how helpful he was. After this experience, I have completely lost all trust in Dell. From their computers, to this now.

 I will try opening it up today, and find the cause of the problem, but sadly, most likely I will be looking for a new projector tomorrow.

I will let you what happens.

Nope - never heard of any recalls on this unit.  I'm a Dell Certified Systems Expert and take care of warranty dispatches for my site, so I know a bit about what I'm doing.  I'm not certified on the projectors, however a little 'digging' led me to my conclusion.  These projectors are pretty easy to work on so disassembly was easy and quickly identified the loose mirrors behind the color wheel.  I removed the mirrors, and there were what appeard to be burn marks on two of them and one of them was cracked on the corner.  It appeared that the mirrors depended on each other to help hold them in place.

Refurbishment isn't a consideration since there are many similar spec projectors on the market available for only $500. 

I personally use an Epson Home Cinema 400 for my home theater setup (720p widescreen projector) and have been thrilled with it (about 400 hours of use so far).  It has a solid reputation for durability and an image quality that's virtually impossible to beat for the price. 

At work we are buying Epson now.  Not so much because of durabilitiy but mostly due to price.  The Epson contract in Kentucky makes the XGA and other higher resolution projectors a much better value.  The LCD technology has also improved dramatically over the years.

If you are using your projector mainly for watching movies and gaming and considering replacing your Dell unit, I highly recommend the Home Cinema 400.  Of course, if you have deep pockets they also have a 1080p version that has a 50,000:1 constrast ratio but it rings in at around $2200 versus the $1100 of the 720p Home Cinema 400.

Good luck - and we'll see if a Dell Technican gets back on this thread.

hmm, well, I don't like the idea of spending more than $1000 on a projector. But, I guess I might have to. I have a friend that is interested in it, so, I will sell it to him at a very reasonable price and let him know what's going on. I was looking at a HP, and a Infocus. Both great brands. I want a projector this time that has Component Input, so, I have those two options. I will check out the projector you mentioned.

Thanks for your help. Let's cross our fingers and hope that a  Dell Tech reads this in time.

H.C.