Today a robot started sending me spam via my contact page. I think it is shameful that people out there create robots that send spam to people this way. I have added a Captcha to the page. We’ll see if that stops it. If it starts reading the captcha, I will make it more cryptic.
It may seem weird, but I built a mini-bench for the drill press. YAY!
Today dad and I installed the upper portion of the bookcase. You can now really see the project taking shape. I have the printers installed and working. The cabinet doors are on order and will come next week. We’ll probably install the rest of the trim pieces in the next few days as well as the remaining backing for the center section. I think it is looking really great so far.
Long ago it was agreed that a bookcase and cabinets would look delightful in my upstairs hallway area. Finally it will be reality. My dad and I are building it from scratch. It will have cupboards and drawers in the bottom; on the top it will have book shelves on the right and left sides, and an open area in the middle where I will put the printers. Here’s a picture of what it looks like so far.
I’ve just updated my blog design. I finally got around to upgrading WordPress to Version 3.0.4 and started using a Theme that allows for greater flexibility and has increased features. I have integrated (sort of) my existing webcam page, TigerCam, into my blog. I also added 4 cameras from my house as well. Check it out on the webcams menu. I plan to continue making improvements and work to make this site a more central one-stop-shop for all things Dan related.
Well, that day has finally come. My projector lamp finally died. I figured I would write this blog post in case it helps anyone else looking for more detailed information on this series of Sanyo projector. In the past I was never able to find any good detailed information relating to Lamp Life for my Projector, which was disappointing. Even the manual says NOTHING about lamp life. I called Sanyo directly and they would not give me a number of expected lamp hours for this model!
I have a Sanyo PLV-Z700 projector which I purchased about 2 years ago from Visualapex.com. I am very happy with my purchase. This information probably also goes for the Sanyo PLV-Z2000, PLV-Z3000, and the new PLV-Z4000 models as well. They all take the exact same lamp.
I run my projector lamp on A1 mode almost all the time. Never on Full brightness as the A1 mode looks almost the same and saves on lamp life. When I look at the OSD Lamp time vs. the Lamp time as reported by the serial interface, they differ tremendously. It is my theory that the Serial port reports true lamp “on” time where the OSD reports the effective calculated lamp time based on the lamp mode. i.e. Full, A1, A2, or Half brightness. I never could get Sanyo to explain to me the exact math involved.
When I reached 3000 hours true lamp “on” time as seen by the serial port, the OSD read slightly over 2000 hours. The “Replace Lamp” LED on the top of the projector illuminated precisely when it reach 3000 true hours. I should have bought a new lamp at that time but I waited too long. Today the projector shut off abruptly with serial status code 21, then 81.
“21†= Processing Cooling down after OFF due to lamp failure
“81†= Standby after Cooling down due to lamp failure
If I try to turn it back on, it attempts to start the lamp a few times, fails, and then shuts off again.
So if you are wondering how long the lamp will last on a Sanyo PLV-Z700, mine lasted 3159 hours (true time as reported by serial port) when in A1 mode almost all its life. The OSD time is probably about 2106 hours but I can’t tell right now since I cannot turn the projector on until my new lamp arrives. And yes, I ordered the replacement from Visualapex.com as well. 
9/10/2010 – Update: New Lamp came. Working great now. The OSD time before I reset it was 2118 hours.
Today I happened to have my work laptop at home and I was debating if I should drive in to work or work from home. I decided to stay home. As I worked I noticed an SDG&E truck drive down the street on my security cameras. Then it hit my like lightning to a golfer swinging his putter high in the air on top of a hill on a stormy day. (POW!). I shuffled through the papers on my desk and found the letter from SDG&E, “bla bl.. Maintenance.. bla bla… Wednesday July 28th 2010… bla bla.. 4 hours..” Quickly I shutdown all my servers and non-essential devices and went down and unplugged as much as I could from the UPS. Soon after the power went out. I ran the router, switch, modem, wifi, and my 24″ LCD screen for over 80 minutes via the UPS. When it finally gave out, I took my lunch break and moved over to my parents’ house close by. There I finished my work day sitting in the spare bedroom on a folding table by the IDF, feeding off the sweet sweet Internets and solar power.
Everything is back up now and I am back home. All servers came back online without a hitch.
Today I got a few things from Home Depot to start a little garden in my back yard. It’s a small modest vegetable garden, but I hope to ‘grow’ it in the future. I got 2 tomato plants, 1 bell pepper, and a few green onions. I also ran some drip irrigation with a timer so I don’t forget to water it and kill it. I also installed another security camera in that area so I can monitor the garden remotely as well as keep an eye on that site of the house.
