How To Safely Shutdown Your Equipment For An Extended Time Period
Sonic Equipment is committed to supporting our customers during this difficult Coronavirus situation. Some of you have reached out to let us know you will be closing your facilities for a few weeks. We wanted to make sure that we provided you with the proper shutdown procedures for your equipment.
Equipment Shutdown Procedure
When shutting down the projector for an extended time, we at the SOS suggest that the following is done.
Quick Links
Christie Projector with IMB
If the projector has an IMB installed, please do not pull the power when shutting down the projector. Instead create a schedule by going to Menu -> Administrator -> Time. Once there find the schedule and create a new schedule. The schedule needs to have the projector power on fully for 2 hours and then power off. This should be done every other day so that the IMB battery is charged up. This will help in keeping the IMB from losing the security which if lost will brick the IMB. If the security is lost in the IMB, the IMB will need to be replaced which could cost you 1000’s of dollars. We suggest this for all types of IMB’s installed. If you are having issues creating the schedule, please give us a call at 855-912-4767. Also, for more info from Christie regarding COVID-19 read Keep yourself and your cinema healthy (PDF).
NEC and Barco with IMB
If the projector is NEC or Barco, we suggest that you do not pull the power when shutting it down. We instead recommend that you put the projector into standby. We also recommend that you come to the theater every other day to power it on for 2 hours so that the IMB battery has a chance to re-charge.
GDC server with Media Block
If you have a GDC with a media block installed in the player, we recommend that you leave the server on during this time. You can power off the projector into standby and leave it there until you open back up. For more info read the GDC Server Shutdown Technical Notice (PDF).
Heating and Cooling
As with any electronics, the equipment needs to be kept at a constant temperature. We at Sonic recommend that the temperature in the booth is kept between 70 and 80 degrees. Please make sure that you keep either heat or AC on so that the equipment is left at that temperature. Once you do open back up, please make sure that before turning on any equipment, the booth will need to be warmed or cooled to the recommend temperature so that you do not damage the equipment.
QSC Amplifiers/Processors
As many cinemas consider temporary closings, it’s important to remember some basic guidelines when powering down equipment racks that contain power amplifiers and sensitive electronics. While QSC products are known for providing many years of reliable service, it’s good practice to follow these recommendations:
Poppers/Pumps
Properly Shutdown Cretors Poppers/Pumps for an extended period of time (click for PDF)
Seat Cleaning
Properly clean VIP Cinema Seating Recliner/Rocker products (click for PDF)
If you have any questions about any of these procedures, please call our SOS call center and we can assist. We plan to have our normal hours of operations during this time.
SOS: 855-912-4767
EMAIL: sos@sonicequipment.com
Sonic Equipment is committed to supporting our customers during this difficult Coronavirus situation. Some of you have reached out to let us know you will be closing your facilities for a few weeks. We wanted to make sure that we provided you with the proper shutdown procedures for your equipment.
Equipment Shutdown Procedure
When shutting down the projector for an extended time, we at the SOS suggest that the following is done.
Quick Links
- Christie Projector with IMB
- NEC and Barco with IMB
- GDC server with Media Block
- Heating and Cooling
- QSC Amplifiers/Processors
- Poppers/Pumps
- Seat Cleaning
- Contact Us
Christie Projector with IMB
If the projector has an IMB installed, please do not pull the power when shutting down the projector. Instead create a schedule by going to Menu -> Administrator -> Time. Once there find the schedule and create a new schedule. The schedule needs to have the projector power on fully for 2 hours and then power off. This should be done every other day so that the IMB battery is charged up. This will help in keeping the IMB from losing the security which if lost will brick the IMB. If the security is lost in the IMB, the IMB will need to be replaced which could cost you 1000’s of dollars. We suggest this for all types of IMB’s installed. If you are having issues creating the schedule, please give us a call at 855-912-4767. Also, for more info from Christie regarding COVID-19 read Keep yourself and your cinema healthy (PDF).
NEC and Barco with IMB
If the projector is NEC or Barco, we suggest that you do not pull the power when shutting it down. We instead recommend that you put the projector into standby. We also recommend that you come to the theater every other day to power it on for 2 hours so that the IMB battery has a chance to re-charge.
GDC server with Media Block
If you have a GDC with a media block installed in the player, we recommend that you leave the server on during this time. You can power off the projector into standby and leave it there until you open back up. For more info read the GDC Server Shutdown Technical Notice (PDF).
Heating and Cooling
As with any electronics, the equipment needs to be kept at a constant temperature. We at Sonic recommend that the temperature in the booth is kept between 70 and 80 degrees. Please make sure that you keep either heat or AC on so that the equipment is left at that temperature. Once you do open back up, please make sure that before turning on any equipment, the booth will need to be warmed or cooled to the recommend temperature so that you do not damage the equipment.
QSC Amplifiers/Processors
As many cinemas consider temporary closings, it’s important to remember some basic guidelines when powering down equipment racks that contain power amplifiers and sensitive electronics. While QSC products are known for providing many years of reliable service, it’s good practice to follow these recommendations:
- In general, all amplifiers should be powered down first before any processor is powered down.
- Q-SYS Cores can be powered down without any specific procedure. They will re-boot and the design will restart automatically when power is restored.
- Q-SYS amplifiers should be shut down before the Core is powered down. When re-starting, amplifiers should be powered on after the Core processor is running.
- If you are using legacy QSC Basis series processors, they should not be shut down at all. They need power to maintain backup information, since their batteries may be depleted, especially if they are many years old. If Basis units are powered down, they may not be useable when the power is reapplied.
Poppers/Pumps
Properly Shutdown Cretors Poppers/Pumps for an extended period of time (click for PDF)
Seat Cleaning
Properly clean VIP Cinema Seating Recliner/Rocker products (click for PDF)
If you have any questions about any of these procedures, please call our SOS call center and we can assist. We plan to have our normal hours of operations during this time.
SOS: 855-912-4767
EMAIL: sos@sonicequipment.com