InFocus X1A - while watching, the picture went out and then the unit had a flashing red light where before its always been constant green indicating the unit was on. I dont have a manual. Any ideas?

The constant green LED means the alarm has AC power.
A flashing green light every 2 seconds without an audible alert means the unit recently sounded ( was the one activated ) and is now in latching mode to let you know that it was the unit that detected the problem. To clear the latching mode hold down the test button for 5 seconds.
Red LED flashing once per minute means that the back-up battery is connected and functioning.
Red light flashing constantly during alarm means that it is the unit that initiated the alarm siren.

This is a clear indication of a new bulb requirement

Check lamp power supply

is the led on the top of the projector blinkng at all? if there is no led lit, the fuse on the power supply may be blown or the power supply itself needs replacing. turn the projector on. you should hear the fans and a high-pitched whir. if you don't hear that whir or it sounds like a noisy motor, the colorwheel needs replacing. if it sounds good but no light, make sure you have the correct lamp. the x1a takes the sp-lamp-009 lamp. it should have 2 white wires, each at opposite ends of the plug. if you have a lamp with a red wire and a white wire, you have a lamp for an x2. also make sure the lamp door is closed completely. if the door is closed (hitting the switch), the lamp is correct, the led is green, and the sounds are good and it still does not light, the ballast is bad and needs replacing.

Sounds like the power supply is weak if it has to run for awhile before it functions. The control board could also be the issue. Does it make any grinding or buzzing noises?

if the lamp is new, it could be the power supply (the ballast is built in to the ps). but make sure you have the right lamp. the X1 and X1a have an sp-lamp-019 and the similar X2 and X3 have an sp-lamp-018. the lamps are almost identical except for the wire configuration on the lamp plug. make sure the wires in the plug match the positions in the socket. also, when you turn it on, if you don't hear a high pitch squeal, the colorwheel is not working. and if that isn't working, the lamp won't either. also check to see if the lamp door is closing properly and hitting the switch at the top of the opening.

3 red flashing is a lamp error, not the fans. the lamp has a problem striking. make sure it's pushed in and plugged in all the way. if the lamp is not that old, the power supply needs replacing.

Hello,
This is a common problem and is most always caused by a failing "light pipe/tunnel" They are not to difficult to
replace but it can be tedious. The part is around $80 US


Cheers

This model projector is very sensitive to internal heat. I f by some reason the projector was abruptly powered down without the use of its normal procedure, in other words, unpluging cord from wall while on or power outage in premises, then the heat remains trapped and the sensors overheat and subsequently shuts down the unit. Now, although, once the sensors cool down it should reinstate operation some sensors become permanently damaged due to the extreme heat. In this case without having more facts, i believe it is the cause. I recommend a free check up to your nearest shop, most shops will offer free check ups.

Hi there

I just sent you an email through fixya and I don't know if it went through but I was just saying about the fan and the grey bar. The problem with the fan, is not the fan itself, but the controller board not supplying enough voltage to the fan (you can see this by powering the fan on its own using a 6volt supply, you will fine that the fan will work perfectly normal), thus having to replace the entire control board at around $650+, this is a very common fault for these models. The grey bar as meantioned in my post is caused by the faulty light tunnel, there is a link I've posted here somewhere which tells you how to fix it, but you need extremely strong glue and electronics skills lol, otherwise infocus wouldn't sell me the part on its own, only the whole optical enigne at another $450+. Very poor service in regards to infocus.

Cheers
Rusteee