1/15/2008 at Boston MA
Hello all,
Here is a list of questions in a FYI/FAQ form for this and other DIY Projector groups that hopefully will give us some of the Knowledge we need to get started with the various Projector Mods. It is designed to give the Novice an educated guess as to how and what to expect when dealing with Modding a Projector. I believe this is pretty important since we are dealing with High Voltages. Because there is little or NO comparison in the quality between a single LCD type DIY Projector and a 3 separate (RGB) LCD Mod. I believe that the 3 LCD's will prevail. Especially as the DIYer Progresses. Because of this and with all the older LCD Projectors available on the Market, I believe tricking out the Lamp circuit is the Main thing holding People Back. Once that is done these Projector lend themselves to all Kinds of Possibilities!
Even if some of the questions seem naive and the answers self evident to some. I believe it will make it easier for the DIY Modder to understand rather than have to troll through hundreds and hundreds of forum Threads. THE one thing that has become painfully clear is that we are playing at best a hit or miss game in these forums and everybody seems to be trying to reinvent the wheel over and over and over and over again. There are More threads that die or are left twisting in the wind than there are in a Hurricane!
As time goes on I hope to get the answers to these and other not yet asked questions and post them here and in other places. If you think you have something to contribute to this List Feel free to Email me directly at Styffyhead1@aol.com and I will try to collate the answers. Best wishes to all
Bohanna
With that said, here are the questions.
1- What is the Best way to cut into the Lamp reflector to remove the original Lamps element? Will a standard glass cutter work?? If so How is it done? If not is there any Kind of special glass cutter that will work?
2- Can you use a High speed rotozip/dremmal or some type Grinder? If so what Type of cutting Bit is the best to use?
3- In order to remove the white cement in the reflector that holds the factory Lamp can you use a small drill and drill Numerous Little Holes and then dig the cement out? Will a standard bit work? If not what Kind of a drill Bit will??
4- Will regular High temp Plumbers Furnace cement (available at hardware stores) hold the new retrofitted Lamp in Place??
5- So future replacements will be easier, instead of cementing the Lamp in, Can you widen the reflector's rear opening and use some sort of collar or collet to hold the new retrofitted Lamp in Place? This way getting the focal Point will be a simple matter of sliding the Lamp further in or out.
6- What is the difference between UHP and a Metal Halide Lamp?
7- What is their Operating voltage? Is it AC or DC?
8- How Much Pressure is the Metal Halide or UHP Lamp Under?. If you are working on or near it and it explodes what Kind of damage can it do?? a snap, a Pop, or a BOOM??
9- Can you Put a smaller wattage Lamp in place where a Larger one originally was? Example: a 120 watt where it originally called for a 150 or 200 watt. If so what will happen? Will the Lamp immediately Blow. Will it glow Brighter and decrease it's expected Lifespan or does it self regulate and only use the Power it needs?
10- If you Put in a Larger wattage Lamp where a smaller one originally was what will happen? Will it Not fire up?? Will it glow dimmer? Will it last longer or fail ?? How Will it affect the Ballast??
11- Can you Put in a UHP Lamp in where a Metal halide Lamp came out?
12- What is the Proper color temp for a Projectors Lamp?
13- When adjusting the Brightness and contrast on a Projector does it have ANY effect on the Lamps Brightness or does the Lamp always Burn at a constant rate?
14- Can throttling Back the Light and contrast through the LCD screen and Polarizer Burn out the screens?
15- What is the Best arc gap for a Projector Lamp?
16- What is the difference between a 1.0 and a 1.5 arc gap on a Projector Lamp?
17- Can you measure the arc gap By Looking at it and Holding a vernier up to it from the outside of the Lamp?
18- What is the wattage of The doubled ended Lamp that yhw is selling that goes into the CTX EZPro 585?
19- Can an aquarium Metal halide Lamp be retrofitted to work with a Projector??
20- Can an Automobile HID Headlight be retrofitted for use in a Projector?
21- How do you separate the flat Glass front(Blast shield)piece from a Projector Lamp? So you can postion the new lamp? the Is there a chemical solvent that dissolves the adhesive or bonding Material?
22- How do you trick the Projector into thinking that it has a working Lamp so it won't shut down??
Typically where is the communication circuit from the Ballast to the Main CPU Located? What does it Look Like and How do you Jump it.
23- If Necessary Is there a way to make up a dummy Load for mimicking a UHP or metal Halide Lamp??
24- Can the Ballast from a commercial Projector Be used to run a DIY Projector??
25- Typically is there something in the projectors firmware's service Mode/menu that controls the Lamp communications for shutdown/
26- How do you access the a Projectors firmware?
27- What are the favorite calibration programs for adjusting a Projector's focus-convergence-Output?
28- Is there any kind or product that measure actual Lumens?
BTW My Set up: I have a MyHd MDP-130 High definition tuner card installed in a P4 with a 160 gig drive. This is attached to a Sanyo xp10Na 1900 Lumen Projector VIA the VGA Output. The Projector is inverted on the ceiling and Picture is shot onto an 8 foot wall framed with inexpensive Block out cloth. With the Hidef Programs The Picture is STUNNING. Most of the color controls are done through the MDP 130 remote Control. It has numerous color adjustment Modes and is very easy to use.
Hello all,
Here is a list of questions in a FYI/FAQ form for this and other DIY Projector groups that hopefully will give us some of the Knowledge we need to get started with the various Projector Mods. It is designed to give the Novice an educated guess as to how and what to expect when dealing with Modding a Projector. I believe this is pretty important since we are dealing with High Voltages. Because there is little or NO comparison in the quality between a single LCD type DIY Projector and a 3 separate (RGB) LCD Mod. I believe that the 3 LCD's will prevail. Especially as the DIYer Progresses. Because of this and with all the older LCD Projectors available on the Market, I believe tricking out the Lamp circuit is the Main thing holding People Back. Once that is done these Projector lend themselves to all Kinds of Possibilities!
Even if some of the questions seem naive and the answers self evident to some. I believe it will make it easier for the DIY Modder to understand rather than have to troll through hundreds and hundreds of forum Threads. THE one thing that has become painfully clear is that we are playing at best a hit or miss game in these forums and everybody seems to be trying to reinvent the wheel over and over and over and over again. There are More threads that die or are left twisting in the wind than there are in a Hurricane!
As time goes on I hope to get the answers to these and other not yet asked questions and post them here and in other places. If you think you have something to contribute to this List Feel free to Email me directly at Styffyhead1@aol.com and I will try to collate the answers. Best wishes to all
Bohanna
With that said, here are the questions.
1- What is the Best way to cut into the Lamp reflector to remove the original Lamps element? Will a standard glass cutter work?? If so How is it done? If not is there any Kind of special glass cutter that will work?
2- Can you use a High speed rotozip/dremmal or some type Grinder? If so what Type of cutting Bit is the best to use?
3- In order to remove the white cement in the reflector that holds the factory Lamp can you use a small drill and drill Numerous Little Holes and then dig the cement out? Will a standard bit work? If not what Kind of a drill Bit will??
4- Will regular High temp Plumbers Furnace cement (available at hardware stores) hold the new retrofitted Lamp in Place??
5- So future replacements will be easier, instead of cementing the Lamp in, Can you widen the reflector's rear opening and use some sort of collar or collet to hold the new retrofitted Lamp in Place? This way getting the focal Point will be a simple matter of sliding the Lamp further in or out.
6- What is the difference between UHP and a Metal Halide Lamp?
7- What is their Operating voltage? Is it AC or DC?
8- How Much Pressure is the Metal Halide or UHP Lamp Under?. If you are working on or near it and it explodes what Kind of damage can it do?? a snap, a Pop, or a BOOM??
9- Can you Put a smaller wattage Lamp in place where a Larger one originally was? Example: a 120 watt where it originally called for a 150 or 200 watt. If so what will happen? Will the Lamp immediately Blow. Will it glow Brighter and decrease it's expected Lifespan or does it self regulate and only use the Power it needs?
10- If you Put in a Larger wattage Lamp where a smaller one originally was what will happen? Will it Not fire up?? Will it glow dimmer? Will it last longer or fail ?? How Will it affect the Ballast??
11- Can you Put in a UHP Lamp in where a Metal halide Lamp came out?
12- What is the Proper color temp for a Projectors Lamp?
13- When adjusting the Brightness and contrast on a Projector does it have ANY effect on the Lamps Brightness or does the Lamp always Burn at a constant rate?
14- Can throttling Back the Light and contrast through the LCD screen and Polarizer Burn out the screens?
15- What is the Best arc gap for a Projector Lamp?
16- What is the difference between a 1.0 and a 1.5 arc gap on a Projector Lamp?
17- Can you measure the arc gap By Looking at it and Holding a vernier up to it from the outside of the Lamp?
18- What is the wattage of The doubled ended Lamp that yhw is selling that goes into the CTX EZPro 585?
19- Can an aquarium Metal halide Lamp be retrofitted to work with a Projector??
20- Can an Automobile HID Headlight be retrofitted for use in a Projector?
21- How do you separate the flat Glass front(Blast shield)piece from a Projector Lamp? So you can postion the new lamp? the Is there a chemical solvent that dissolves the adhesive or bonding Material?
22- How do you trick the Projector into thinking that it has a working Lamp so it won't shut down??
Typically where is the communication circuit from the Ballast to the Main CPU Located? What does it Look Like and How do you Jump it.
23- If Necessary Is there a way to make up a dummy Load for mimicking a UHP or metal Halide Lamp??
24- Can the Ballast from a commercial Projector Be used to run a DIY Projector??
25- Typically is there something in the projectors firmware's service Mode/menu that controls the Lamp communications for shutdown/
26- How do you access the a Projectors firmware?
27- What are the favorite calibration programs for adjusting a Projector's focus-convergence-Output?
28- Is there any kind or product that measure actual Lumens?
BTW My Set up: I have a MyHd MDP-130 High definition tuner card installed in a P4 with a 160 gig drive. This is attached to a Sanyo xp10Na 1900 Lumen Projector VIA the VGA Output. The Projector is inverted on the ceiling and Picture is shot onto an 8 foot wall framed with inexpensive Block out cloth. With the Hidef Programs The Picture is STUNNING. Most of the color controls are done through the MDP 130 remote Control. It has numerous color adjustment Modes and is very easy to use.