Barco 500/800/801  

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      >> Layout and Setup Tips 
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Having problems setting up your CRT projector? Watch a pro do a setup from start to finish on this CRT Projector Setup video!

The Barco 800/801 is one of the more popular projector chassis out there. I’ve sold dozens, if not a couple of hundred of these. I always do all of the mods required to these sets to ensure long term reliability.

Around 1990, Barco came out with the 500 and 800 models. The 500 is a 7” version of the 8” Barco 800. The 500 put out 600 lumens, the 800 put out 825 lumens. The projectors have digital convergence which is very easy to set up, and lots of on screen menus to guide you through the setup procedure. ES focus on all of these sets. The 500 used the Sony SD 187 tubes, the 800 used the 07MP tubes.

In about 1993 Barco came out with the Barco 801. The 801 was very similar to the 800, but had an extra circuit called AKB that compensates for picture tube wear. Basically the same overall picture as the Barco 800. ES focus on this set as well. This set used the later version 07MSP tubes that were slightly sharper than the 07MP tubes.

There are two versions of Barco 500 and 800 as well as other Barco models. There are Graphics and Data models of most projectors. The Data models use hybrid lenses and do not scan as high as the Graphics versions, which also have all glass lenses. The Graphics are somewhat more desirable, but in most cases the scan rate of the Data projectors is more than adequate for home theatre use.

The Data 500, 800 and 801 scan to 58 Khz, (line tripling), the Graphics scan to 92 Khz.

The Barco 500 series that used the smaller 7” tubes. The chassis of the 500 and 800 is identical but the 500 does not have a built in wired keypad. A keypad from an 800 or 801 may be installed into a 500 chassis as the plug in for the keypad is on the motherboard, it just isn’t being used.

The chassis of the Barco 500/800/801 series are very similar, and some parts and modules can be interchanged between sets.

To see how this projector ranks in relation to other projectors for use in a home theater environment see the Projector Rankings page.

For full specifications on this and other projectors, see the Projector Specifications page.

For an overview and history of Barco see the CRT Primer.

See the Advanced Procedures page for various DIY instructions on maintaining and improving CRT projectors.

Having problems with your Barco projector? Don't forget to check the Troubleshooting Tips section!

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