Video and data projection

My Sharp XGMB70X projector won't turn on and none of the buttons work. What's wrong?

This model projector has a keylock feature which, when activated, will lock out all of the buttons on the projector. To be sure this is why the power button, etc. won't work on your projector, try turning it on using the remote. When the keylock is active, the remote will still continue to function normally. Also, if you turn on the projector with the remote, you will see the following message on the screen when you press a button on the projector with keylock active: "All buttons on projector are locked"

Solution: To unlock the projector keypad, simply press the turquoise teardrop shaped 'ON' button on the projector keypad and hold it for 3-5 seconds. You will know it worked because the projector will turn on.

Why does this happen: With good intentions, Sharp made the keylock function easy to activate from the projector keypad, rather than having to navigate through menus to find it. To activate the keylock function, all you do is press the 'ON' button on the projector and hold it for 3-5 seconds. "Keylock function ON" will be displayed on the screen. That's simple enough, but since the projector doesn't have an 'OFF' button, users tend to think the 'ON' button is a toggle on/off button. A frustrated and hurried user is likely to hit the 'ON' button and then wondering why it's not working, hold it down to see if that works. They are not likely to see the keylock message on the screen when this occurs and will probably resort to pulling the plug or finding the remote to turn it off. Once the projector is off, there is no way to see that the keylock is active unless you turn the projector on with the remote. (Sharp didn't realize that laptop computer users have been trained to hold power buttons when things don't work!)

For the record, the proper way to shut off the MB70 is to press the 'STANDBY' button and then press it again when prompted to confirm.

It's also worth noting that Sharp is aware of this issue and we may see a firmware upgrade to increase the hold time or change the button that puts the unit into keylock mode. We will post information here if such an upgrade becomes available.