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Author Topic: projectors flicker... switcher problem??  (Read 8479 times)

Greg Holland

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projectors flicker... switcher problem??
« on: September 24, 2006, 01:52:38 AM »

Hello, this is my first time on here. I'm kinda new at spear heading the projection crew... and I admit as a College Student I don't know much. Our church's two projectors have been flickering (keeping the image on the screen, but putting a purple or sometimes blue overtone to the image). Lately during the services on Sundays and has become a distraction during the worship experience. Our initial thoughts were that the projector bulbs might be going bad, but both flicker at the same exact time. Does anyone have any suggestions on what might be causing this? we only have the problem with the computer, not the DVD player which is also plugged into the switcher, and it isn't the computer because we just had our old one die when our church got struck with lightning (the projectors flickered before the lightning) and it did it to that one, the two or three laptops we used for a month in the middle and now with the brand new computer. Our current thoughts are the it might have a dirty switch. can anyone shed some light on the subject? or does anyone need to hear more about the problem?
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Brad Weber

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Re: projectors flicker... switcher problem??
« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2006, 10:20:41 PM »

Greg,

Could you explain a little more about what signals you run out of the computer and DVD, what switcher you use and how you get the signal to two projectors?

My first thought is a bad cable or connection, especially if it is RGBHV or VGA out of the computer, but then I started wondering what you are running out of the computer and what switcher you use since you said both the DVD and computer go through the same switcher.  If you took a lighting hit that took out a computer and made the projectors flicker then you may have damaged other equipment.  Knowing what you have and what signals are run might help point to more likely possibilities.
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Brad Weber
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Greg Holland

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Re: projectors flicker... switcher problem??
« Reply #2 on: September 29, 2006, 06:36:07 PM »

The dvd player is run component, but that isn't causing the problem. The computer is the only thing that makes them flicker, and it is put in through DVI I think. I know its not VGA or RGBHV. I have tried connecting it VGA and it did the same thing. One of the problems is that I'm a college student and don't have the money to run home midweek and look at the equipment very much, and another problem is that I don't know very much and I'd be the first to admit it. Anyways, the projectors were flashing before the lightning strike, so that isn't what caused it, and when I tried the VGA cable I thought that would take out the "bad cable" theory. The head sound guy thinks it might be a dirty switch. He's slightly more experienced in many ways than I am, but again his knowledge is limited.
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Brad Weber

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Re: projectors flicker... switcher problem??
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2006, 12:04:41 AM »

I sort of doubt a "dirty switch".  I'm trying to understand what you have for a switch that switches both DVI and component video, how the output of the switch gets to two projectors, how far it is from the computer to the switcher and then from there to the projectors, what cabling is run to the projectors, etc.

A switch that handles DVI, VGA and component and that can feed two projectors seems odd, maybe a switcher/scaler instead of a switcher but then your dealing with an active processing device and the issue could be in the switcher/scaler setup or in the box itself.  In any case, I get the feeling there are likely other active devices and/or cabling in the signal path.

Losing the green signal would give the purple tone and losing green and red could cause the blue so it sounds like the problem is something affecting the individual color signals either in the processing in an active device, in the cabling or in some terminations.  Then again, it could also simply be trying to run DVI too far and causing problems with the processing somewhere in the chain.

I know you don't have ready access to the equipment or system, but it's difficult to tell much without knowing more about what is really there, how it is wired and the distances involved.
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Brad Weber
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Greg Holland

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Re: projectors flicker... switcher problem??
« Reply #4 on: October 01, 2006, 03:28:33 PM »

Ok, I am at the church now. Just stayed after on Sunday from the service and as I was talking earlier today with some people I found that it is a scaler/switcher, not just a switcher. and to tell you the truthi didn' know there was a difference.

It is a "Kramer- Seamless Switcher/ Scaler" VP-7190s. the computer is plugged in through the DVI plug, and has also been plugged in before throughthe VGA plug. the DVD player is plugged in through the component plugs, and the output in the back goes into a "TV One MS-3004 1x4 RGBHV Distribution Amplifier"

The signal comes fomr the computer and travels through one short (4-6 foot) DVI cable, then out of the scaler/ switcher in a 6ish foot cable, then into the amplifier, and then from there is split to the two projectors. we also came to the conclusion today that we aren't sure that the DVD player doesn't turn purple as well... its never really been on long enough to see and the problem comes and goes, its not a constant. so it could possibly effect the DVD player too.

I hope some of this may help you. I really appreciate the help and if there is any other information i can get to better inform you please let me know.
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Brad Weber

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Re: projectors flicker... switcher problem??
« Reply #5 on: October 02, 2006, 12:37:19 AM »

Knowing whether it is just one source or all of them that have the color shift would help.  I would first check the cables and connections from the switcher/scaler to the DA.  I would also verify the settings for the switcher/scaler, especially the inputs related to the computer and that the output settings match your projectors.

Intermittent problems can be very hard to track down, it may take some time trying to tie any specific action or concurrent event to the problem.  If you had a spare monitor then I believe the Kramer has a second output and you could connect a local VGA monitor to that to see if you also notice the problem on the monitor when it occurs at the projectors.  That might tell you if the problem occurs before the switcher/scaler output.
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Brad Weber
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Greg Holland

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Re: projectors flicker... switcher problem??
« Reply #6 on: October 02, 2006, 11:54:38 AM »

Thank you Brad. I'll ave to try the second monitor and I'll also track down the manual on how to check the settings. I really appreciate your help.
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Brad Weber

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Re: projectors flicker... switcher problem??
« Reply #7 on: October 03, 2006, 12:00:30 AM »

Greg,

I think the User Manual is available online on the Kramer Electronics web site of you can't find it.  Biggest things are to make sure the output is set to the native resolution of the projectors and a scan rate they can handle and that the computer is set for a resolution and scan rate the Kramer scaler/switcher can handle.  But there may be some other settings that could affect it.
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Brad Weber
muse Audio Video
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ProSoundWeb Community

Re: projectors flicker... switcher problem??
« Reply #7 on: October 03, 2006, 12:00:30 AM »


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