Change the Panasonic PT-AR100U projector lamp in 3 easy steps
Changing the Panasonic PT-AR100U projector lamp is as easy as 1-2-3!
Step 1: Know when to replace the lamp
When the Panasonic PT-AR100U projector lamp reaches over 1800 hours the REPLACE LAMP message will display for 30 seconds but disappears when you press any button. Over 2000 hours, the message will be displayed on screen for longer. Watch for these telltale signs that your Panasonic PT-AR100U projector lamp is approaching end of life:
- the lamp indicator will light up red and stay lit until the lamp is replaced
- picture has poor colour quality
- image vibrancy and definition has deteriorated
- a warning message appears on screen: “Replace Lamp”
When you see any of these signs, especially the warning message, change the lamp immediately. Avoid the temptation to left the projector run longer as it can result in a complete shut down of the Panasonic PT-AR100U projector.
Step 2: Buy an authentic projector lamp
It can be confusing trying to find the correct projector lamp since there are so many choices. It’s easy to get duped into buying an inferior knock-off lamp posing as an authentic lamp. Always look for the seal of approval and watch for telltale signs you are about to purchase a counterfeit lamp:
Buyer beware! You get want you pay for and with generic “compatible” lamps that usually means a host of problems that can leave you with a damaged Panasonic PT-AR100U projector:
- generics have inferior parts so are prone or overheat and explode
- generics have a short life and don’t last longer than a few months
- Often these lamps use toxic chemicals as substitutes
- generic’s can’t be calibrated properly and will damage your projector’s optics
- copycat manufacturers offer no guarantee or refunds
- the warranty on your Panasonic PT-AR100U projector will become void.
Find this lamp sold on Amazon by the following authorized dealers:
Step 3: Installing the Panasonic ET-LAA110 projector lamp
Follow these important safety tips before changing the projector lamp:
- Switch off the power to the projector by pressing the Power/Standby button.
- After waiting 30 seconds, disconnect the power cord.
- Disconnect the video cable cord as well.
- Allow the projector to cool down for at least 30 minutes. If should be cool to the touch. These projectors run using high temperatures and you can burn yourself badly if you don’t allow the projector to cool down.
A. Hold the protrusion at the front cover of the projector and push up to open. Be careful not to open the panel too far. If the panel comes off, hold the cover in the middle, align the hinge with the support. Push the arm in the direction of the arrow towards the inner side of the projector and push it into the groove.
Note: When the projector is mounted on the ceiling, stand at the left side of the projectors when opening/close the top cover.
B. Use a Philips screwdriver to loosen screw holding the Panasonic PT-AR100U projector lamp cover in place.
C. Loosen the two screws holding the Panasonic ET-LAA110 projector lamp in place. Holding the handle of the projector lamp unit with the lock held in the direction of the black arrow, pull up the lamp in a vertical motion. Be careful not to hit the projector lamp or you can cause it to break. Learn what to do if the lamp is broken inside the projector.
NOTE: The Panasonic ET-LAA110 projector lamp contains mercury and should not be thrown into regular garbage. Recycle this projector lamp!
D. Insert the new projector lamp making sure its facing the right direction. Gently press down on the A section (see image above)at the the top of the lamp gently to make sure the lamp is installed all the way. Tighten the two screws to make sure the lamp is secure. Put the lamp cover back on and tighten the screw so it stays in place. Close the projector lamp cover and re-install the video cable and power cord. Turn on the projector to reset the lamp timer.
Reset the Panasonic PT-AR100U projector lamp timer
Your Panasonic PT-AR100U comes equipped with an automatic lamp timer that tracks the number of hours left for the Panasonic ET-LAA110 projector lamp. Each time you change the lamp you need to reset the lamp timer. Failure to do so may cause the projector to use the lamp over the recommended period of 2000 hours time resulting in the projector lamp exploding.
- Press the MENU button to display the menu screen.
- Selection OPTION using the arrows buttons to scroll up or down.
- Press the ENTER button and select LAMP RUNTIME.
- Hold the ENTER button down to 3 seconds for the confirmation message to appear.
- Using the arrow buttons scroll over the OK field.
- Click ENTER.
- The Lamp Runtime will be reset to 0 and the projector will power down. In a few minutes it will enter standby mode and be ready for use.
Extend the life of the Panasonic ET-LAA110 projector lamp:
You can reduce power and extend the life of the Panasonic ET-LAA110 projector lamp with the ECO management option.
- Press the MENU button to display the menu screen.
- Selection OPTION using the arrows buttons to scroll up or down.
- Press the ENTER button and select ECO MANAGEMENT
- Select AUTO POWER SAVE.
- Hold the ENTER button turn on
- Click ENTER to exit the MENU.
- The projector Lamp Runtime will be reset to 0 and the projector will power down. In a few minutes it will enter standby mode and be ready for use.
Note: Lamp power will not decrease in the following cases: Immediately after the lamp illuminates or after the Lamp Power is set.
PROJECTOR WILL TURN ON FOR A SECOND WITH TWO RED LIGHTS AND THEN JUST SHUT OFF AS IF POWER WAS CUT. THERE IS NO BULB IN IT CURRENTLY AND THIS EVEN HAPPENS WHEN A NEW BULB HAS BEEN INSTALLED.????ANY IDEAS?
Hi David,
Even after installing a new lamp, you need to reset the automatic lamp timer back to zero. Otherwise the lamp still reads the hours used for the previous old lamp that has reached end of life and is finished. If you have no bulb installed, the projector will not turn on at all.
Regards,
Shelagh
I am having a very difficult time with the two screws to loosen. Any suggestions. It seems like they are wanting to strip.
Hi Ben,
Many projectors have screws that won’t come all the way out of the socket. You only loosen them enough to take off the projector lamp cover. This is doen so the screws don’t go missing since the projector won’t turn on if the lamp cover is loose at all.
Cheers,
Shelagh
My lamp warning message is coming on, but the picture still looks outstanding. Do I really need to change the lamp out at this time?
Hi Andrew,
The lamp warning is letting you know the lamp is approaching end of life and you need to get ready for a new lamp. Sometimes the picture doesn’t deteriorate until just before the lamp blows. While you can use the projector now, the lamp is coming to an end and you should prepare for the eventual replacements.
Cheers,
Shelagh
My cover/panel came off and I am having a lot of trouble getting back on. Are there more detailed instructions anywhere?
Hi Chris,
Those were the most detailed pictures we could find. What exactly is the problem? Send me some pics and I may able to help. I would suggest joining our forum at http://www.fixyourdlp.com/forum/ where there are experts who know more than me and can help you out. You can post pics there.
Cheers,
Shelagh
After installing the new lamp it did not go at all, so I put back in the old lamp that still worked and reset the lamp hours to zero. Then reinstalled the new lamp, it then worked.
Model Panasonic PT-AR100.
Hi Kevin,
That is a cool tip. Thanks for sharing that. I will suggest that to other people having problems.
Regards,
Shelagh
Changed the bulb, but still get temp warning and the projector will automatically shutdown. Could it be the projector and not the bulb?
Hi Brad,
Have you checked your air filters and cleaned them? If they are dirty or very very old they will not allow proper air circulation. This can cause the projector to overheat and shut down to protect itself. The other to check is that you have updated the lamp timer, resetting it to zero. If those things don’t fix the issues, check the lamp. Is this a genuine OEM lamp. Counterfeit lamps can cause the projector to shut down suddenly because it sense the calibration with the counterfeit is not in synch. Hope these suggestions help out.
Regards,
Shelagh
The filter is new that came with the new OEM bulb and the lamp timer has been reset. It will work when I set high altitude to on, but never had to do that with the last 2 bulbs. Can I remove the case and clean the inside of the projector?
Hi Brad,
Yes — clean the projector. It’s probably got a blocked air filter and that is causing it to overheat. Clearing out any dust and cleaning the air filter will stop the overheating.
Regards,
Shelagh
My projector is a Panasonic PT-LM1E and I had used the lamp until it was over its life hours but still worked. I have replaced the bulb but now the Standby lamp and the Lamp light are constantly on and the projector will not come on.
Having paid more than the projector was worth just for the bulb, I can’t afford expensive repairs. Any ideas?
Hi Pip,
Did you reset the lamp timer? If it hasn’t been set back to zero then the project will keep itself in standby mode to protect itself. If that doesn’t do the trick, try reloading the lamp, making sure all connections are tight and touching properly. What happened before changing the projector’s old lamp? Did it explode or overheat? If that happened it could be your color wheel or ballast that has been damaged. That is a more costly repair. Go with resetting your lamp timer and see if that solves the issue.
Regards,
Shelagh
I reset the lamp timing with the old lamp just before it gave up the ghost. I replaced with an OEM (Ushio that cost $250) and the red lamp light is now out but when I turned on, the ON light went solid green for about 5-10 secs and then it flashed for about 2 mins and then the lamplight started flashing red and then the projector turned itself off. Any tips?
Hi Vincent,
It sounds like you haven’t reset the lamp timer back to zero. Scroll down to the bottom of the post and you will see instructions on how to reset the lamp timer to zero. That’s the final step and if you don’t do that the projector just thinks the lamp has still reached end of life even when the lamp has been changed. Trying doing this and see if that solves the problem.
Regards,
Shelagh
Lamp died a month ago. Replaced it and the projector worked fine. I tried to reset the counter but it was ‘greyed out” – could not access the counter to reset it. Now red light + screen warning + auto shut off after a couple of minutes. The picture looks great for the 2 minutes the projector runs.
Hi Smitty,
Have you tried the following steps:
Press the Power button so that a picture is projected onto the screen
Press the Menu button to display the “Main Menu”, and then press the F or G button to select “Option”
Press the Enter button to display the “Option” menu, and then press the 5 or 6 button to select “Lamp Runtime”
Press and hold the Enter button for approximately 3 seconds
The “Lamp Runtime” will change to “Time Reset [Power Off]”
Turn off the power and disconnect the power cord
This should reset the lamp timer. The other problem might be with the lamp itself. Did you buy from an OEM manufacuter? Some of the lamps that have bargain prices are counterfeits and won’t work with the projector optics. The projector can read that it’s not the calibrated lamp and will shut down. Try resetting the timer and if they doesn’t work then check the lamp.
Hope this helps,
Shelagh
I changed the lamp on my PT-AR100 and now no power after reattaching the power cord. Is there a reset or safety switch?
Hi Brad,
Have you reset the lamp timer? Unless it is reset back to zero the projector will think the lamp is still finished. The other possibility is that the lamp is not an OEM authentic lamp and the projector can’t connect to it. If you paid a very low amount for the lamp then it might be a counterfeit and you will need a new lamp. Here is how to reset the lamp timer:
Press the MENU button to display the menu screen.
Selection OPTION using the arrows buttons to scroll up or down.
Press the ENTER button and select LAMP RUNTIME.
Hold the ENTER button down to 3 seconds for the confirmation message to appear.
Using the arrow buttons scroll over the OK field.
Click ENTER.
The Lamp Runtime will be reset to 0 and the projector will power down. In a few minutes it will enter standby mode and be ready for use.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Shelagh
I have AR 100 panasonic projector.When i start it standby light and lamp red light going on.projector is not start.
Hi Vikram,
If the projector will not start and if the standby light keeps coming on you probably need to replace the projector lamp. When the lamp has reached end of life the timer in the projector turns it off to protect it from running with a dead lamp. I would start off replacing your lamp.
Regards,
Shelagh
I am trying to change my lamp in my projector and one of the screws is not stripped on top, but it seems like the threads are stripped – it spins and spins but doesn’t come out. What doesn’t make sense about this is that if the threads were stripped, you would think we could just pull the lamp up and out, but the lamp won’t budge. Any ideas?
Hi Leila,
Most screws on projector lamps are designed to just become loose but not leave the socket to prevent them from falling into the projetor. If the screws are spinning they have are untightened. This projector also has a lamp unit lock that has to be undone. It will look like a small latch at the top that you will have to push towards the arrow indicated (towards the inside of the projector). Once the lock is released you can pull the lamp up and out. Here’s a link to the online manaual where you can read more: https://manualsbrain.com/en/manuals/1815516/
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Shelagh
Holding the handle of the projector lamp unit with the lock held in the direction of the black arrow, pull up the lamp in a vertical motion.