Keystone 8mm projector k-108 smoking light bulb

[Nevan Tolman]

So I got this projector and turned it on to see if it works. Everything seems to work fine. But it starts smoking up anytime I turn on the light. Does anyone know what the problem is and how I can fix?

[Steve Klare]

Hi Nevan,

This is quite a common problem with old projectors that have been in storage for a long time: they get dust inside the lamp house which smokes when the lamp is energized. The thing to do is open up the lamp house. First inspect wiring and the socket to make sure they aren't themselves burning up. Then clean up as much as you can inside there: on the surfaces and on the lamp itself. Try not to touch the glass surfaces, as the oils on your skin may cause the glass to break when you heat it up again.

The best thing to clean with is soft, white cotton cloths and rubbing alcohol, just do it in a well-ventilated space and also (-in honor of it being flammable) let the whole thing sit for a day or so before you power up again. (If you didn't like smoke, you'll just hate Fire!)

You probably won't get it all, so when you run the machine post-cleaning tolerate a little smoke for something under a minute and hopefully watch it trail off and soon stop.

[Nevan Tolman]

I tried blowing out as much dust as I could. But I can look again.