DLPDLCR3010EVM-G2: stopped working

Hello Thomas,

Firstly, I would recommend them to re-program the EVM by using the DLPLCRD-GUI with latest firmware that can be found in the Firmware selector tool. 

Please let us know if the EVM still cannot work properly after re-programming, then we can look into the issue as next step.

Regards,

Lori 

Hi Lori,

Thank you for your response. We have advised the customer to try these steps but it has not solved their issues unfortunately.

Kind regards

Thomas

The customer has meanwhile ordered another unit as they need it for their project, and they have reported that the second unit has also failed:

With the second projector, the projection failed immediately after the first use. But it was more obvious because it smoked and smelled a little (very little).''

We asked them to confirm what power supply they are using and they replied:

"

A 19V power supply unit (90W, 4.74A) with a 5.5x2.5mm hollow plug was

      used, as stated in the User Guide on page 5 under "6 Quick-Start

      Procedure".The power supply has the CE, ROHS and FCC seals. It was also

      checked before use and outputs 19V as expected. Plus is on the inside of

      the barrel connector and minus is on the outside. With the identical power

      supply unit, the first projector worked again and again for weeks. Only

      with the second projector did it start to smoke immediately after the

      first time it was switched on with the toggle lever. The smoke could be

      seen on the upper circuit board under the black metal cover, i.e. where

      the DLPA3000PMIC and LED driver are located according to user Guide."

Hello Thomas,

Did the customer ordered the second EVM recently? Can you please ask them to confirm if that is the G2 of DLPDLCR3010EVM? Can they see any obvious physical damage of the EVM when they received it?

Regards,

Lori 

Hi Lori, they ordered the second unit on 18 October 2024. There was no physical damage. They have confirmed it is the G2. It seems very odd that two units would fail within one week. The customer did mention smoke so maybe their choice of power supply is the culprit after all?

Thank you, Thomas

Hi Thomas,

I agree, this behavior seems odd and is not one we've seen before. I believe it is most likely the power supply. Did the first board smoke as well or did it simply stop working? If the customer would like to check if either unit is salvageable, I would recommend first probing each of the DLPA power lines to make sure the startup sequences are correct and that each line properly comes up; likely if the DLPA is blown at least one (if not all) of these will not come up. I would also recommend using a different power supply, one that can supply less current would probably be safe to start.

Best,

Max

Hi Maximus,

Thank you for your response. The customer replied: 

    ''The first board did not smoke, it just stopped working.

      Since the second board smoked, I don't think this will be salvageable. I

      can do some probing on the first board though. Where can I find the test

      points to do the probing? So far I measured the output for the red, green

      and blue LEDs with a multimeter. There is no voltage on the 6-pin

      connectors.

      To access the test points, do I need to remove the heat sink on top? I

      just want to make sure this won't void the warranty of the device.''

Kind regards

Thomas