Viewsonic Pro8500 DLP Projector Repair | No Light | Power Supply Failure

[@clubsport9118]

Priceless... ! I ripped my Viewsonic Pro8200 (which failed to light) and found the exact same 3 x bulged caps. I have my fingers crossed this fixes it...

[@clubsport9118]

FIXT ! - the caps replaced and that lovely "Zeeeing" of the colour wheel, followed by fans, followed by the light shining. I repaired my 42" plasma TV 5yrs back on my lounge floor (power supply), fixed my dishwater, (suction pump), my washing machine (brushes in motor) and also my Home Theatre ouput stage (3 faulty mosfets). - in all cases, the wife said "get a new one..." but for time and a few pounds in parts, surely better to make do and repair ? Thanks again Fix-It Frank....

[@FixitFrank]

Great Job!!

[@kidminlabs]

Thank you, thank you! Your video was clear and step by step. Our church projector was same model and having the same problem. I'd never attempted a fix on a motherboard but with your clear instructions and video I was able to repair it and most importantly get it all back together. It's working like a champ. Thanks again!

[@Kujokouklos]

Excellent and dope repair Frankie!!! Love seeing these older beasts get a new life. 11K hours on a machine like that is no small deed!

[@FixitFrank]

Thanks man! The construction quality really hit an apex around this time. It has only dropped off since. I suspect this one will run another 5 years at least.

[@DrainCleaningAUSTRALIA]

Great content. Clearly explaining the whole process which is great for people like me who have absolutely no idea how to fix electronics! Thoroughly enjoying your content Frank! Cheers mate!

[@FixitFrank]

Much appreciated!

[@chessguru900]

I fixed one of these about 5 years ago. I think it had a color wheel problem. Easy dmd access saves hell of a time not having to remove the mainboard. Good work again as always.

[@FixitFrank]

Thanks my friend! I was very happy about that. I wish more companies followed that but I guess these days its all about cramming it all into a tiny metal casting that will overheat.

[@chessguru900]

@@FixitFrank Frank check email

[@FixitFrank]

I replied about 7 hours ago!

[@FixitFrank]

in fact check to see if I am marked as spam. I sent you a handful of emails over the past few weeks that I never heard back on. Nothing pressing but it was weird.

[@robertbaldwin1056]

I followed your lead and found out my power supply was no good...it had the same Caps bad but also burn areas all over the place...having trouble finding another board....you sound just like Seth Rogan by the way....thx

[@FixitFrank]

LOL, You're not the first person to tell me that. I have a scrap Pro8500 here that has a good power supply but bad mainboard. If you are in the states, email me(about page).

[@vmakosiy]

Found this video while trying to fix my Pro8200. Thank you for very detailed explanation. My projector stopped working a while ago after I smelled smoke. After following your video to disassemble, I found that the soldered connection from 120V connector to the board had missing all of the solder especially on the hot wire, it was so bad that part of the trace melted away. So I'm guessing it was overheating or something. Anyway, I fixed that and replaced all of the capacitors with new ones, which made it better. But it still doesn't work. When I turn it on, only the little fan by the lamp is turning on. For the voltages, I'm getting 3.2, 5.6, 2.8, 1.2 and nothing on the 12V lines. I've seen some people suggest replacing the MR4020 IC. So I'm going to try that next, but not finding a lot of places selling it, so might have to order it from china. Any other ideas? Things that I can check for? Thank you

[@FixitFrank]

If you have any voltage on the low V side(seems that you do) I think that chip is working. Do you have access to an oscilloscope? Seeing the waveforms might help. The 5.6 is good but the rest are all low. something is either pulling those voltages down or they are not receiving the 380 from the PFC boost circuit. I would (carefully) see if you have 380V across the main filter capacitor when connected. Does the power supply look like it is the same as the Pro8500 here? If so, I have the power supply I pulled from the BenQ W1200 which is the same. If you are in the USA, I would be happy to sell it to you.

[@raulgil8459]

Excellent!! I have the ViewSonic PRO8400 the lamp was bad and I just replace it sometimes it stays on for 10 minutes or up to one hour and turns off..... not very consistent. Any subjections?

[@FixitFrank]

Was it an Amazon lamp? Also, what are the LEDs flashing when it fails?

[@themarquis8716]

For some reason, the screw in the front wont come off! I tried my hand drill and a little screwdriver. I just need to replace the bulb! Can you help?

[@FixitFrank]

It might not come out all the way. try pushing on the door towards the front as you loosen the screw. Maybe its stripped a little and that pushing will get some good threads to catch? Is the screw head stripped out?

[@Anorexiaification]

Don't you think, that speakers can be removed to improve ventilation?

[@FixitFrank]

I guess they could but this has so many fans, that I don't think it will make much of a difference. It might even slow down the velocity of the air since the volume will increase.

[@livre-riodosul3070]

thanks for your video. helped a lot. we have a pro8500 and doesn't shut on completely. there is a click inside and then shuts off. I'll try with the power supply too. couldn't find service here to get it repaired. where can I order this parts?

[@FixitFrank]

you can try the folks I use. [e-mail] They are in China but they ship worldwide and take paypal.

[@angelestepan9297]

Hello. I have this same projector, but 8400. Mine keeps shutting off after 7 minutes or so.

[@FixitFrank]

That could be a fan issue if it's running for 7 minutes. I would check fans and check to see if the lamp is overheating and becoming discolored

[@dillon8212]

Awesome content! I was given a Pro8450w from work which had similar issues...IT just didn't want to waste anymore time trying to fix it. Power light flashes when plugged in, but when you try to turn it on, it stays solid for about a second then there is an audible click as it shuts itself off. It will keep looping like this until it's unplugged. I suspect it's the ballast, but looking at this repair it could be the power board. How would I know which one is bad without seeing obvious signs that the capacitors went bad? Are there cheaper places to find parts rather than ViewSonic?

[@FixitFrank]

Hi Dillon! That does sound like a ballast or PFC issue. I suspect you have some shorted mosfets in the ballast more than bad caps. However if you want to check, see if you have a clean 12 volts at the output of the power supply. If the voltage is fluctuating up and down by a volt or more, you can figure the caps are bad. Their main job is to filter the power and keep that voltage even. Does it show any other LEDs after it clicks?

[@victoriavespertino9363]

I have a viewsonic pro 8500 that has the EXACT same problem that you showed here and thanks to you my husband and I were able to figure out the problem. The power ballast is completely fried though and I can’t seem to find a replacement for cheaper than $80. Is this a normal price for a ballast replacement. It kind of seems like I might have high hopes for finding one that’s cheaper than $80! 😂 in your opinion, is this projector worth spending that much to fix? Any kind of advice would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you so much for such a detailed video!!

[@FixitFrank]

Hi Victoria, Are you in the USA? I have some used/working parts around. I could sell them for much less if you are interested. It's definitely worth fixing because it is still a good 1080p projector. While not 4K it is still quite good, even by todays standards. My personal opinion is anything under $150(total) would be reasonable, but if you can find the ballast for less, that is always a good thing. No need to spend $150 but I Would make that my cutoff on parts.

[@bjornkarlsson2245]

Great stuff, I have 96v in the lamp socket, is that correct, live in Finland so we 220v. I bought a lamp plugged it in and there she went, blow one fuse in the fuse cabinet. So with out too much knowledge the power board went. It starts up fans goes on but no light. Can I check with the multimeter if the lamp is ok, it looks fine nothing broken. Br, Björne

[@FixitFrank]

Hi Bjorn, you don't want to measure voltage at the lamp socket. These use a ballast to control the arc lamp. The ignition voltage is many thousands of volts. You can damage your meter if it is connected during ignition. If the fuse blew, you have a high voltage short somewhere. If the lamp was a cheaper version that can cause this. Cheap lamps can damage the ballast and pfc circuit.

[@JoeHenry734]

Nevermind, got to the part where you showed the tops domed.

[@FixitFrank]

Thats how you can physically tell. sometimes they will look fine and you need to check their ESR and microfarad rating. I love it when they bake potato because it saves me a lot of testing.

[@angeloviedo7156]

Great video! Great video! my projector now turns on! (the "repair man" lost that switch thingy you said) but i have this weird issue, some black vertical lines appears in the image, i saw in some page that is some bad solding, but can't find where. Any advice?

[@FixitFrank]

Probably a bad connection between the main board and DMD card.

[@angeloviedo7156]

@@FixitFrank THanks, i'll check it!

[@rahulkashyap2009]

I have the same projector. It starts and work for 5 seconds (bulb and everything) then bulb stops working but blue light fan and everything looks normal in working condition but bulb doesn’t start. What could be the reason? Can you please help?

[@FixitFrank]

If the blue fan light comes on, you probably have one of the fans being stuck. did you have a bulb explode inside before? If yes, check the blower fan next to the lamp. The small fan in the middle. See if it has been jammed.

[@rahulkashyap2009]

@@FixitFrank thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. The bulb never exploded in the past. This is the first time it stopped working and I see all the fans are working. Maybe related to motherboard?

[@paulj3592]

Hi I have viewsonic pjd5112 There is power to switch. Hafe of the switch light up when I press the switch There is click sound. No light from the lens. After couple of seconds. The switch light comes back. All I can say that it's seem low voltage trying to turn the high voltage. If you can help plz. By way your videos are great source for fixing stuff

[@FixitFrank]

If you just hear a click, then no fans, no color wheel, I suspect a power supply problem. It may even be the same as this problem. In this unit, the capacitors had not fully failed. Once they fully fail, I think I would see the same thing as you see.

[@paulj3592]

Visually I checked all the stuff for cracked, burned,swollen parts. I couldn't find any. I saw your videos where you replaced swollen capacitor. Your replaced on viewsonic. I thought I would get something like that but not in my case. I have do some study. Can you able tell me where you want me look into more deep.What area.?? Thanks

[@FixitFrank]

@@paulj3592 Measuring voltages is your best option at this point. You want to see if the 12v, 5.3 and 3v pins have power. If they do, its possible the main power supply is not sending 380v to the ballast. The problem is that any other troubleshooting is going to involve checking power that can be dangerous and easy to get hurt.