Technology really has made our life more simple and at times and I’m loving all the new home automation. I can press one button on my home theatre room setup and have the Philips Hue lights dim, the projector screen will come down, the outdoor window roller shutters will close and the sound system will turn on.
All that I am left to do is to turn on my home theatre PC or DVD/Blu-ray player. But all this new automation comes at a cost, be it financial or it can be too complicated for the average consumer. But what happens when something goes wrong? Who can repair it all?
One of my favorite purchases is our Yodolla 100-inch automatic motorized projector screen. It has given us hundreds of hours of family fun movie nights. It’s simple to operate, easy to set up, and easy to repair when things go wrong. They are 1/2 the price of the popular Elite screens.
Table of Contents
- 1 Motorized projector screen failure symptoms.
- 2 Why did my motorized projector screen fail?
- 3 How to Remove the faulty projector screen motor 60KTYZ.
- 4 How to adjust motorized projector screens up and down the full length.
- 5 Elite screens troubleshooting
- 6 The motorized projector screen won’t go down.
- 7 Conclusion
Motorized projector screen failure symptoms.
The other day after we had finished watching a Blueray movie I pressed the button on the Logitech remote to retract the projector screen and just walked away. I came running back after I started to hear grinding noises. (This was the first time this had ever happened)
What had happened was that the projector screen had retracted all the way up and drove through the upper limit. The metal bar weight on the bottom of the screen was now jammed internally. The screen would not go down and just made this horrible grinding sound.
There was nothing left to do but remove this large projector screen and dismantle it to work out what had actually happened. Being an electrician has taught me many things and one thing always stands out to me. “Parts rarely fail without something else causing that problem.”
Taking apart the projector screen was simple enough but was made easier with an extra pair of hands. The projector screen has 4 main parts.
- The long metal outer housing
- AC 110vSyncro motor 60KTYZ 10rpm or 230v shown below
- AC 230V 14W High Torque 50Hz Gear-Box 60KTYZ
- Endstop adjustable limit switches for up and down
- Painted screen fabric with included metal weights.
After a full investigation, I came up with the following sequence of events. Sounds like a crime scene!
Why did my motorized projector screen fail?
All that holds the screen in place is a small metal circlip. For some reason, this had come adrift causing the screen to pop out of its housing. This small drop of about 5mm was undetectable but enough to cause the mechanical screw to miss striking the limit switch.
There is now no safety limit for the up position. When the weighted screen bar came to the top it slammed into the metal housing causing the projector screen motor (60KTYZ) to destroy its internal gears. This is the grinding noise I heard.
Removing the motor and inspecting its internal gear sprockets confirmed this. These reduction gears are used to reduce the rotation speed and provide extra torque. So a new motor is required.
This is why the motorized projector screen won’t go down.
Projector screen motor replace procedure
The motor I needed was an AC 220V 14W High Torque 50Hz Gear-Box 60KTYZ. This is a Permanent Synchronous Gear Motor with a preset speed. Just be aware this is the 230v model for Australia, not 110v.
If you are after the 110v 60KTYZ model then check it out here over at Amazon.
Rotating Speed options: 5 / 15 / 20 / 30 / 60 / 110 r/min. These are selectable but only from the manufacturer as its different internal gears.
60KTYZ Motor uses and specs
These motors are mainly used in stage lighting, advertising exhibition equipment, medical equipment, sports equipment, automatic curtain control, electric table, electric posters, electric shelves, automatic turntables, dishwashers, scientific and educational equipment, optical fiber Christmas lights, fiber optic flowers, rotating lights, and outdoor roller shutters.
- Model: 60KTYZ
- Shaft Style: in center
- Power: 14W
- Voltage: AC110V
- Frequency: 50HZ
- Rated speed: 15r/min
- The torque output: 7.5kg.cm
- Shaft Diameter: 6mm;
- Moter Part Size: 60*60mm(D*H)
- Total Height: 86mm;
- Weight: 0.55kg
These projector screen motor replacements are cheap to buy and can be installed in around 1/2 hour.
There are really no replaceable parts inside, just the motor and a few gears all held together with a large circlip. Just make sure you buy the correct voltage for your country.
110v for the USA, 230v for Australia, and some other countries. If you wire them up back to front all that will happen is the up button will go down and down will go up. Make sure that when you do a test run you are ready to pull the power plug. We don’t want to destroy another motor.
What speed of motor do I need for the projector screen?
This is a personal preference. But usually, it’s around 10 to 15 revolutions per minute. I found that the slower the motor is the quieter it will be.
I chose the 15 rpm synchro motor so that the screen would do down and up quickly.
How to Remove the faulty projector screen motor 60KTYZ.
Make sure to fully power down your projector screen. The mains voltage is dangerous. Remove the screws that hold the projector screen end caps. This will give you access to remove the synchro motor.
If you look at the end of the motor it is held in the projector frame by 4 small screws. Just remove these. There may also be a few other screws that hold a rigid bracket in place.
Disconnect the 3 cables going to the motor as well as an earth wire if one is installed. It’s best to take a photo of the motor connections for future reference. Once the screws are removed and the cables the synchro motor will pull out.
Be careful not to lose the plastic coupling that attaches the motor to the projector screen. All that is required is the reinstall the new projector screen motor and wire it up.
The hardest part was to align the motor with the screen. I was able to do this with the help of a few screwdrivers to prop up the heavy screen into the center so that the coupling could be inserted.
Don’t forget to test-run the motor to make sure it is going the right way.
How to adjust motorized projector screens up and down the full length.
Having the ability to adjust the top and bottom travel stops on the projector screen and motorized window shutters are something we all should get acquainted with.
This is so you can get your screen perfectly centered for your viewing habits. There are 2 limit switches mounted on an adjustable screw. The projector screen has a spline that will move an end stop closer to each limit switch while it is in motion.
If you look at one end of your projector screen you will see 2 little holes. This is where you will insert a small screwdriver to adjust the small micro switches.
It’s best to only make small adjustments and then test your projector screen for the correct length.
I found that 1/2 turn will make around 1 inch of screen travel. That’s about it. Outdoor roller blinds and window shutters usually have the same motor. They are very common and usually very reliable. Just don’t get them wet or put any extra load on them, so that they will last many years.
Elite screens troubleshooting
First, we need to make sure that power is supplied to the Elite projector screen. Try changing the batteries in the wireless remotes to make the screen go up or down. Use the manual up and down buttons on the wall control box to check if the remote sensor is failing.
If the screen is driving through the limits you will need to make an adjustment to the limits or open up the projector screen to see if the limit switch has failed.
The motorized projector screen won’t go down.
If you find that your screen won’t go down then you have either a bad down limit switch, your motor is faulty, or there is a power problem. If it is a blown fuse then it will need to be replaced and the fault rectified.
Faulty limit switches are the number one reason that an electric projector screen will not retract or do down.
This was a fun DIY projector screen motor replacement job. I’m sure now it should give us many more years of full autonomous home theatre enjoyment. Especially now that we have an outdoor backyard movie projector for when the weather is good.
Bring on the outdoor cinema. Fun times.
Conclusion
These sync motors are often found in automatic window roller shutters. So the above procedure will work well to repair your faulty electric window roller shutter.
For those wanting to know what equipment I have you can read about my home theater room setup here. We also use color-changing Philips Hue light globes and light strips throughout our house.
With downloadable digital media, we are finding that we use our Android TV box with optical out more often than any other home theater device.
Let me know in the comments below if you have any further questions.
I am a qualified Industrial Electrician for the past 20 years and I love to share my knowledge on home repair and maintenance jobs.
I love fast toys like Motorcycles, Cars, Jetskis, Boats, and Computers so writing about them is easy. Working on them is fun.
To keeps costs down I do all my own mods, repairs, and servicing. These skills I want to share with everyone. DIY is a skill everyone can learn.
Thx, my electr 100in screen did not pull up anymore, identical noise.
ordered motor, fingers x-ed
All the best repairing it. If you need any help drop me a line. Just check both ends to make sure nothing else has moved or come out of alignment.
My screen went up fine ..no noise..next day went out to watch the game and screen wouldn’t come down. Wall unit doesn’t beep when you push button and remote does nothing any idea what’s going on
Just make sure you have power at the projector screen. Your down limit could also be stuck in. So that seems more like the logical reason both limits are activated up and down. You will have to open up the limit hatch cover and check it out. A small screwdriver can be used to press on the limit to see if its stuck in. Remember to turn off the power first.
By chance when you had it open up did you notice how the screen is attached to the roller? I need to flip the screen around for viewing and was wondering if you think that is possible or not?
I never totally unraveled the whole screen fabric off the roller. But the roller is connected at the motor end via a push on coupling.
The other end has a screw spline. So I don’t think it will be possible to swap it around without some modification to the metal frame.
I would just flip the whole screen unit around. I’m thinking this cant be done due to the power cord being on one side only.
any chance you know a model for the controller box on this model? My box appears to have fried, while the motor appears intact.
I had the same problem where I left after pushing the button on my harmony remote and heard the grinding upstairs and came down and stopped it. The only difference is that my screen goes up and down just fine, but won’t stop going up when retracting. I tried to reset the limiter and even gave it a good 2 inches before the bar hits the top, and that worked for a couple days until it went passed that and started grinding again. So now I keep it retracted so I can use it but I want to fix it. I don’t think it’s a motor issue, I think it’s the limiter. Are they available to be replaced? Is it almost the same method? Or should I just buy a new one for $120. It’s about 10+ years old and I can’t complain. Thanks
The limit striker could be missing the limit, or the limit is getting stuck or failed. I would look at taking out the up limit and testing it. Im sure they are a cheap part.
I have homegear 110 projector screen it went up well but is not coming down…only beeps sound comes with remote light but does not come down… can you guess what can b ed the issue…
My projector screen went up finish but won’t stop… any idea what control unit is stopping the motor after the screen finish went up?
I have my projector screen some how tied into my projector. Before once I turned on the projector my screen would automatically roll down. Now nothing happens? Problem is I have built a drywall soffit around it to keep it looking slick. So I’ll probably have to cut some drywall out huh?
Excellent article – I am an electrical engineer myself and DIY enthusiast with over 80 IOT products. My elite screens control board failed a second time ( probably using 230/110 V converter), and I decided to take the plunge to replace the controller and motor to convert to 230
Tracked down all the parts on and off I go.
thanks so much