Looking after your Projectors, Touch screens and Interactive Whiteboards.

For those of us in schools who rode the interactive whiteboard rage over 10 years ago, our projectors are in need a bit of TLC or even replacement. Unfortunately, nothing lasts for ever these days and although there is nothing wrong with most of the interactivity, looking at some of the projectors that have been around for over 10 years, they have done amazingly well.  Most of the projector companies suggest cleaning filters at least twice a term (more often if possible) to prevent dust form getting inside the projector and affecting the image.  Most schools who have followed that regime of ongoing maintenance are still getting reasonably good images.

The general rule for your projectors is to leave it on if coming back to it within 30 mins. If it’s going to be longer, then turn it off.  Projector lamps wear out in a couple of ways- by leaving them on all the time and by turning them on and off, on and off. To extend its life, NEVER leave your projector on overnight. Turning it on and off too regularly will also affect the ballast- the firing mechanism for the lamp. It will eventually fail, which means the lamp just won’t come on.  Although ballast in most projectors can be replaced, it is costly.

Cleaning your Interactive Whiteboards.

Nothing is worse than trying to project onto a dirty board. Check with your supplier or google how to clean your particular brand of Whiteboard. If you have a TeamBoard, call us on 0398440429 and we’ll help you get it back to it’s original white state!

Multi touch screens and televisions.

The move is towards interactive touch screens and even domestic televisions. The advantage of both of these is there are no shadows when working with them. Although, not as large as interactive whiteboards (most schools tend to go for a 55 inch) they provide a great image. But, Buyer beware. Some of the readily available and inexpensive televisions are not intended for use in a “commercial” environment and can burn out pretty quickly. Repairs can be costly and in most cases a replacement is needed. Like projectors, always ensure they are turned off when not in use, and definitely off overnight and try and avoid turning it on and off too many times during a day. Keep them clean and dust with a microfibre cloth.