Hi all, I have an sharp XG-E3500U lcd projector that i'm trying to repair,
I've purchased a copy of the service manual (email me off list if you'd
like a copy) and have a pretty good idea of how things are working. when i
got the unit, the main fuse on the power board was blown and the person
who gave it to me suspected that the power supply was bad. when i replace
the fuse and power up, the lamp arcs 2-3 but never lights. the fuse blows
immediately afterward. my assumption is that either the warm-up arc isn't
able to ignite the lamp because it's bad, or that the lower voltage
componant supplied by the ballast is isn't there so the thing keeps
pulsing then blows a fuse. Will a bad bulb cause a fuse to blow because it
won't conduct a current after being hit with the warm up arc? I figured
I'd send a message to the list to get an opinion before i spend $300 on a
new bulb.. maybe i need to focus more on trouble shooting the ballast. Is
there an easy check for visual or electronic signs of a bad metal halide
bulb? Thanks for any help, Steve

p.s., please don't warn me about the high voltage.. i may sound like a
novice but my heart is healthy and i'm quite intent on getting this thing
to work.