My 17" Projector

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superdaveumo

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Joined 2005
#1
Ok I've finally got the projector to a point that I can call "finished". Of course there is more to do, but it's good enough to use and looks finished. Here are the parts I used:

- 17" LCD - Dell 1702FP (20ms, 400:1, E-Bay)
- 220mm Back Fresnel (DIY Projector Company)
- 550mm Field Fresnel (3DLabs)
- Opaque Projector Lens (18" FL; Beseler off E-Bay)
- 12" x 16" FS Mirror (DIYPC)
- UV Filter (DIYPC)
- IR Filter (DIYPC)
- Ushio 400W Bulb (AtlantaLightBulbs)
- 400W Magnetic Ballast (GoodMart)
- Base Mogul Style (Lumen Lab)
- 2 Squirrel Fans (100 CFM, Lumen Lab)
- 1 90mm Fan (CompUSA)
- 1 80mm Fan (CompUSA)
- 500mA AC/DC Converter (Radio Shack)
- Switch (Radio Shack)
- Hardware (Screws, Nuts, Plug, Power Cord, Blank Face Plate, Angle Brackets, Flashing; Home Depot and Lowes)
- Frames (Poplar, Lowes)
- Box (Oak, Lowes)
- Stand (Oak and Pine, Lowes)
- Screen (1/4" MDF with a white surface, Home Depot)
- Soup Ladel (Crate & Barrel)

So after I got all the parts together, I made the frames first. I used a miter saw ($20 at Lowes). Made it much easier. Cut the poplar wood with 45 degree corners.

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An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


I used 3/4" framing to hold the fresnels in there.

Next, I built the LCD frame.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


The circuit boards are mounted with screws and the spacers are nuts.
 
#2
From here, I built the box. This was made out of oak and I used a jigsaw to cut everything.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


I used foam to seal the sides (from light leakage). The current design doesn't have dual exhaust fans anymore and there is flashing installed and a reflector. I used angle brackets to mounts all the parts.

Here are the pics from the blub mount and projection lens mount.

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An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


The bulb mount is adjustable. I utilized the projection lens mount from the opaque projector.

Here are the pics after it was stained.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
 
#3
After I found that my temps were a little too high, I rearranged the fans to blow more directly on the LCD.

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Now the temps are around 92F between the LCD and 550mm fresnel and around 110F between the IR/UV filter and 220mm fresnel.

I also changed the 220mm fresnel mount. It was originally just hot glued on, but that didn't stick to the fresnel very well. So I ended up drilling holes into the fresnel and mounting it with wood to the LCD frame.

So the next part was the stand. The projector is mounted perpendicular to the wall.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


I used angle brackets to attach everything together. I found the stand a little wobbly when I put the projector on it. So, I took metal coat hangers, staightened them and used them as cross members to stablize the legs. The stand is stained the same color as the projector (special walnut and 2 gloss clear coats; from Lowes).
 
#4
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


The final piece is the screen. Like I said before, it's just some 1/4" MDF with a white layer on one of the faces. Originally I was just using the wall. You can see how much of a difference the wall and the MDF are. The picture color is MUCH better with the MDF. I haven't tried the paint ideas from avsforum.com. Maybe later. I mounted the screen using a wedge brace. There are 6 braces: 3 on top and 3 on bottom with 3 spacers (plain blocks) in the middle to keep it from sagging.

Here is the whole projector all put together on its stand.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


I added a couple papasans to the room. Very comfy. The projector and stand is 1360mm (53.5") tall and the throw is 2250mm (88.5"). The screen size is about 165.5mm (78") diagonal.
 
#5
Ok, now for the screenshots. These haven't been edited except to correct for barrel distortion and to increase the JPG compression.

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An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


The first 8 are from about a month ago. They are before I removed the anti-glare (AG) layer from my LCD and before I put up the MDF screen. The color grids are comparing the wall (top part) to the MDF screen (bottom). The color grids are after the AG removal. The Patriots game is from today. It is entirely on the MDF board, the AG layer was removed, and it's from an HD broadcast (720p). The guy smoking and the scene from Robots is also in 720p. The others are upsized (interpolated) to be full screen.

You can see the color difference in the shots with the color grid. The wall is off-white and textured.
 
#6
Some final thoughts? Well, the projector is nice and quiet. You can hear the fans, but it's about the same as a desktop computer (an off-the-shelf type). The picture is great; especially in HDTV. The stand works awesome! The stand/projector is a nice complement to the room. I've hooked up a Radio Shack HD receiver to the projector (HDMI out of receiver to DVI in projector). So I now have both TV and computer inputs. The screen size is very comfortable at a 10ft view distance (the seats are about 10ft away).

Improvements? Well, the right side is slightly dark. The corners and edges are a little out of focus. Might try the pro lens from LL in the future. The mirror is only mounted from the bottom and not the top. So it bounces every time the projector is touched (making the picture move). Gotta stablize that. I have some small light leakage. Aside from that, it works! It's alive! I want to thank the people here for giving me advice and helping me with my questions.

I hope this walk-through can help others with their projectors. Here are some links to my other threads about this projector:

Anti-Glare
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?postid=781724#post781724

Bulb and Ballast
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65296

LCD Disassembly
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=65002

Opaque Projector / 18" FL Projection Lens
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=64473
 
#10
Very nice, thanks for sharing with us! So opaque lens can be used with success. I remember I had read somewhere else that it's not suitable, I even remember who claimed that...

In the picture where you compare MDF screen to the wall, do you mean a white wall, or coloured one, like in the pictures of the screen?

Regards
 
#11
Yes I did say the opaque projector lens wasn't absolutely suitable. It's not. If you look at the Charmed and UT2004 screenshots, notice the 4 corners are more blurred than the middle. The 16:9 shots don't look blurred because the corners are not used. It's a 1280x1024 screen and at 16:9, I'm only using 1280x720; removing the corners from use. Anyways, everywhere else on the screen looks great! Movies you don't even notice it unless you stop the movie and examine the screen closely.

The wall I mentioned is the same wall that the MDF screen is mounted on. So if you look at the MDF screen pics, you can see the wall behind it. If you look at the shot of the MDF screen mount, you can see how the wall is textured. The difference you see in the photos is about the same difference in real life.
 
#12
I meant someone else, not you, who claimed in "another" forum, that opaque lens is not suitable. You got very nice results with this lens. And your desing is almost LL-free 🙂

How about the brightness? I checked the picture of football players, it was shot with 0.8s exposure time and f=2.8, which is pretty well compared to typical results of other DIY projectors. What is your screen size?
 
#13
Originally posted by pepe303 So opaque lens can be used with success [/B]
Click to expand...


I have said it lots of times.

The lens can be used?

YES, there are no hidden forces that make the lens crack or makes the triplet fall down when you turn on the projector 😀.

Is the image accptable?

I can´t answer this question for you, I only can say it is not accptable for me, and not for some people I heard about having a 17" and this triplet.

But those next points are FACTS;

1)This lens was not designed for any image source larger than 12" diagonal.

2)There is nobody claiming corner to corner focus with this lens and 17".

3)There are some unsatisfied 135 triplet owners.
 
#14
Let the peace remain. 🙂 No the lens isn't razor sharp from corner to corner. No you can't really see the blur when watching movies. Yes it's definitely noticable when working in WinXP / Linux / MacOS.

If your application necesitates a razor sharp image (corner to corner) and a 17" LCD then I'd say use something else. Else, I think this lens will work just fine. Movies, games, pictures, etc.
 
#16
superdaveumo,

Could you tell me the width and length of the Beseler lens you're using? I also bought a 18 inch focal length opaque projector lens but there is no manufacturers name on the lens. I'm curious if the dimensions of the lenses are the same.

Mike
 
#17
My lens is slightly off as far as centered on everything. With this being said, the left side on my projector is a little out of focus. Here are some pics to show you what I mean. They are all 16:9; 1280x720. They have been corrected for barrel distortion, the JPEG compression increased, and image cropped. In real life, the lighting is even ( minus the right side being a little darker) and the pictures are sharper / cleaner.

An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.


If you check the link about the opaque projector, it'll give you all the dimensions of the projection lens.
 
#20
ramkishan,

I know you are trying to help and everything, but your posts are borderline spamming. This time, your post really has nothing to do with the topic at hand. If you have something of interest to say, then say it. If you want to include your website, then put it in a signature.
 
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