I've been following this post for a while and it seem that everyone has been trying to build a projector using to many componets, I've seen polarizing mirror, those huge projection lense from suspluss shed, light source that are way to bright, most projectors on the market are 700 to 1100 lumens .You all are trying 10000 lumens 500 watts light bulbs, you must be trying to project outside, thats to must light and it seems that your projectors are going to huge, those fiji lense are 5inches tall and 8 inches long and those LOA are huge too.
I've build my projector using a $89 LCD screen from Parts Express, a 20watt flouresent bulb from lowes( it has the brighteness of a 75 watt light bulb) magnifying lens and a fresnel lense from Office Depot(Page magnifer) and some spare wood, it's really small.
The first thing iI did was extends the lcd wires so I could fit the light bulb under it. It's not that hard to do they just peel and you add the extra wire. Remove the backlit and white plastic, cut my fresnel lense to fit under the screen and added the lightbulb and the lense.
Simple projector for $120 , I'm goning to write a step-by-step instruction booklet and put it my X-drive account for downloading. It's not to technical you don't need a bright *** lightbulb and your lense does'nt have to cover your Lcd I hope this will help some newbies
I've build my projector using a $89 LCD screen from Parts Express, a 20watt flouresent bulb from lowes( it has the brighteness of a 75 watt light bulb) magnifying lens and a fresnel lense from Office Depot(Page magnifer) and some spare wood, it's really small.
The first thing iI did was extends the lcd wires so I could fit the light bulb under it. It's not that hard to do they just peel and you add the extra wire. Remove the backlit and white plastic, cut my fresnel lense to fit under the screen and added the lightbulb and the lense.
Simple projector for $120 , I'm goning to write a step-by-step instruction booklet and put it my X-drive account for downloading. It's not to technical you don't need a bright *** lightbulb and your lense does'nt have to cover your Lcd I hope this will help some newbies
costs and complexities
rmccol,
How bright is your picture? how big is your picture? If it is big, and watchable in a dim room this would be quite an accomplishment!! Please take pictures of your projection so the rest of us can see the relsult!
TimTimes,
Dont be so hard on the manufacturers. $1300 can probably buy you a decent (atleast) 800x600 projector.
An LCD for us that is 800x600 will be atleast $150 (more if you want a panel). However, manufactures will be making more of these monitors than they are LCD's for projectors, so add a few bucks in production costs. Now our 800x600 monitor is atleast 10" diagonal.... the commercial LCD projectors use something under 3"....add a few bucks. Lets not forget that its easier to collect light through a larger LCD, so add a few bucks in brighter bulbs, heat removal, and light concentration. The commercial units can project a large picture, that can probably be seen in even just below-average lighting -- so add yet a few more dollars.
now -- thats the cheap stuff. The engineers who designed it need to be paid too (they somehow got allllll that stuff in a compact package that only weighs about 3-5lbs)...so add a few more bones. Dont forget marketing, transportation/distribution, other miscellaneous R&D fees -- things start to add up.
Oh yeah... one more thing... profit.
I do agree that $1300 may be a bit much, but $500 is also sort of silly when it comes to what the commercial projectors can offer you, and the amount of work that was put into them.
rmccol,
How bright is your picture? how big is your picture? If it is big, and watchable in a dim room this would be quite an accomplishment!! Please take pictures of your projection so the rest of us can see the relsult!
TimTimes,
Dont be so hard on the manufacturers. $1300 can probably buy you a decent (atleast) 800x600 projector.
An LCD for us that is 800x600 will be atleast $150 (more if you want a panel). However, manufactures will be making more of these monitors than they are LCD's for projectors, so add a few bucks in production costs. Now our 800x600 monitor is atleast 10" diagonal.... the commercial LCD projectors use something under 3"....add a few bucks. Lets not forget that its easier to collect light through a larger LCD, so add a few bucks in brighter bulbs, heat removal, and light concentration. The commercial units can project a large picture, that can probably be seen in even just below-average lighting -- so add yet a few more dollars.
now -- thats the cheap stuff. The engineers who designed it need to be paid too (they somehow got allllll that stuff in a compact package that only weighs about 3-5lbs)...so add a few more bones. Dont forget marketing, transportation/distribution, other miscellaneous R&D fees -- things start to add up.
Oh yeah... one more thing... profit.
I do agree that $1300 may be a bit much, but $500 is also sort of silly when it comes to what the commercial projectors can offer you, and the amount of work that was put into them.
rmccoll,
Welcome to the board! I am very interested in your approach. I have tried the LOA (65watts), and the picture is barely watchable with no ambient light. I suppose it is possible that your panel is more transmissive than mine, but if I used a bulb with 1/3 of the power (assuming that this would produce 1/3 lumens), I would surely have no viewable image.
Congrats on finishing your projector! I like your minimalist approach, but I am curious about the performance.
-f4
Welcome to the board! I am very interested in your approach. I have tried the LOA (65watts), and the picture is barely watchable with no ambient light. I suppose it is possible that your panel is more transmissive than mine, but if I used a bulb with 1/3 of the power (assuming that this would produce 1/3 lumens), I would surely have no viewable image.
Congrats on finishing your projector! I like your minimalist approach, but I am curious about the performance.
-f4
Cost of Commercial Units
I understand where you're coming from jvisaria. Sure there are costs that need to be covered, but I don't think an entry level price of $500 is totally crazy. You'd have economies of scale working for you if every third home in america/world wanted one and the price was right.
CD Players were $500 to $1000 for single play units when they first came out. MY Technics SLP-8 cost $799 (single play WITH remote WOO HOO!!) way back when. I just think the same thing could happen with these projectors.
That doesn't mean there wouldn't still be pricier units available with massive lumens and extra features, but a decent model T type unit for the masses ought to be available for $500.
I'll qualify what I consider as 'entry level' being a unit with modest lumination that will size to 40 or 50 inches and use replacement bulbs that cost less than a monthly car note. No audio would be necessary (isn't that what we have Hi-Fi systems for anyway?) 😎
Enjoy.
I understand where you're coming from jvisaria. Sure there are costs that need to be covered, but I don't think an entry level price of $500 is totally crazy. You'd have economies of scale working for you if every third home in america/world wanted one and the price was right.
CD Players were $500 to $1000 for single play units when they first came out. MY Technics SLP-8 cost $799 (single play WITH remote WOO HOO!!) way back when. I just think the same thing could happen with these projectors.
That doesn't mean there wouldn't still be pricier units available with massive lumens and extra features, but a decent model T type unit for the masses ought to be available for $500.
I'll qualify what I consider as 'entry level' being a unit with modest lumination that will size to 40 or 50 inches and use replacement bulbs that cost less than a monthly car note. No audio would be necessary (isn't that what we have Hi-Fi systems for anyway?) 😎
Enjoy.
fresnel lens
fender4,
You should use fresnel panel in front of the lamp, to focus the light beam directly to the lens.
I use fresnel panel taken from old OHP.
I tried this configure:
lamp-fresnel-smallscreen (A4 papersize)
I drawed circular line on the smallscreen=diameter of my pcx lens. Move fresnel and smallscreen back and forth to get the light beam covering circular line, this is the ideal position where light beam focused to the pcx lens.
Substitute smallscreen with PCX lens and put the LCD panel in front of fresnel and we will get brighter image.
see you.
fender4,
You should use fresnel panel in front of the lamp, to focus the light beam directly to the lens.
I use fresnel panel taken from old OHP.
I tried this configure:
lamp-fresnel-smallscreen (A4 papersize)
I drawed circular line on the smallscreen=diameter of my pcx lens. Move fresnel and smallscreen back and forth to get the light beam covering circular line, this is the ideal position where light beam focused to the pcx lens.
Substitute smallscreen with PCX lens and put the LCD panel in front of fresnel and we will get brighter image.
see you.
Tim,
You definetly have a point... I still think $500 may be a bit less considering the costs they need to recoup at this point, but i think what you want will probably come in time.
You definetly have a point... I still think $500 may be a bit less considering the costs they need to recoup at this point, but i think what you want will probably come in time.
Hey, we've seen that people who are using an overhead projector are getting great results, but what about people who are making their own projector from scratch? How is the clarity/brightness on totally homemade projectors compared to the easier, yet more expensive overhead projector method? I cant afford an OHP after buying my LCD panel, so im gonna have to build my own. I'll be sure to post my results and some pics(if i can get my dads digital camera from him) when im done, though I may not be finished until next weekend. Thanks.
25 pin pinout
Does anyone happen to know the pinout for the 25 pin vga connectors foud on the overhead panels. I just bought and ovation 810 without a vga cord, cannot find an adapter for it locally. I need to convert the 25pin vga to the standard 15 pin vga. Thank you in advance...
Does anyone happen to know the pinout for the 25 pin vga connectors foud on the overhead panels. I just bought and ovation 810 without a vga cord, cannot find an adapter for it locally. I need to convert the 25pin vga to the standard 15 pin vga. Thank you in advance...
Question: Does anyone know how much light (lumens) can be used with a typical OHP panel before the brightness/contrast trade-off becomes problematic? I know this depends on many variables like contrast ratio and such, but can 30,000 lumens be passed though a panel with good results? What about higher?
Gunawan,
Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it out, and I don't think fresnels work well with non-point-source lights (my LOA). I can't get it to focus on anything. I will give it a try when I find a replacement light (probably a MH).
Bodysuitman,
Since I started working on this project, I planned on making a "from scratch" projector. Lately, however, I have come to the conclusion that any design that uses a large LCD (larger than the size of a projection lens, like a Fujinon or Delta) will essentially use the same parts as an OHP---a point-source light, a fresnel, an LCD, and a projection lens. Commercial projectors get around this by using LCD's as small as 0.8" so the bulb/reflector can project a parallel beam through the LCD and then to the lens for projection. We, unfortunately don't have that luxury (unless you have some serious connections!). If you used a 4" LCD or smaller, you could potentially use a light/LCD/Fujinon or Delta lens setup. This is what Zark did.
Good luck,
f4
Gunawan,
Thanks for the suggestion. I tried it out, and I don't think fresnels work well with non-point-source lights (my LOA). I can't get it to focus on anything. I will give it a try when I find a replacement light (probably a MH).
Bodysuitman,
Since I started working on this project, I planned on making a "from scratch" projector. Lately, however, I have come to the conclusion that any design that uses a large LCD (larger than the size of a projection lens, like a Fujinon or Delta) will essentially use the same parts as an OHP---a point-source light, a fresnel, an LCD, and a projection lens. Commercial projectors get around this by using LCD's as small as 0.8" so the bulb/reflector can project a parallel beam through the LCD and then to the lens for projection. We, unfortunately don't have that luxury (unless you have some serious connections!). If you used a 4" LCD or smaller, you could potentially use a light/LCD/Fujinon or Delta lens setup. This is what Zark did.
Good luck,
f4
international postage
WHAT A HASSLE!!! i go to my bank to send the $66us +$40us postage for my lcd, they charge me au$30 for the transaction and i get a au$40 parking fine for spending 2 mins over the allocated time 🙁 then the guy (in arizona) finds out the postage is actually $60, but he is happy to pay the difference (phew)..after all that i get a message from him that only $88us has gone to his account and he has also been slugged $7us transfer fee!!!
BLOODY BANKS
NEway he has shipped it over (left on thursday)..has anyone sent something over to aust. b4? how long didi it take? the US post website say 4-7 days...
WHAT A HASSLE!!! i go to my bank to send the $66us +$40us postage for my lcd, they charge me au$30 for the transaction and i get a au$40 parking fine for spending 2 mins over the allocated time 🙁 then the guy (in arizona) finds out the postage is actually $60, but he is happy to pay the difference (phew)..after all that i get a message from him that only $88us has gone to his account and he has also been slugged $7us transfer fee!!!
BLOODY BANKS
NEway he has shipped it over (left on thursday)..has anyone sent something over to aust. b4? how long didi it take? the US post website say 4-7 days...
Hey there,
Thats almost exactly how i plan to build mine. What light source are you going to be using? im thinking of Mercury Vapour bulbs atm. 13000 lumens and cheap.
Anyone know anything about these bulbs, and how hot they get?
Also, the Delta lens. Im just about to order one, but what is the throw distance like on this thing, surely being from a rear projection tv it would be short (?)
Thx very much,
Thats almost exactly how i plan to build mine. What light source are you going to be using? im thinking of Mercury Vapour bulbs atm. 13000 lumens and cheap.
Anyone know anything about these bulbs, and how hot they get?
Also, the Delta lens. Im just about to order one, but what is the throw distance like on this thing, surely being from a rear projection tv it would be short (?)
Thx very much,
Thelaw, I havent decided on a bulb for sure yet, but Im leaning towards a 300w slide projector bulb. They only cost like $20 cdn (approx. $13 usd) and they throw a lot of light.
As for the delta lens, i was thinking the same thing, since its rear projection, your projector will probably have to be pretty close to the wall you're projecting on, otherwise the image would be too big. I'll have to wait and see, though. My delta 20 lens should be arriving in the mail on monday and my LCD panel should arrive soon after.
Though, recently I have discovered that for what it will cost me to find an adequate fan, lightsource, and all the materials for my projector box I could pick up a used overhead projecter, eliminating a TON of work. So, before i invest anymore money on the self contained projector box, im going to explore all my options for finding a cheap used overhead projector. If i do find an overhead, I will most likely modify it by adding another light fixture inside so it has dual projector bulbs pumping out some massive lumens. Ill keep you guys updated and whatever the outcome of my project i will try to post some pics of my setup once it's done! Good luck, everyone.
As for the delta lens, i was thinking the same thing, since its rear projection, your projector will probably have to be pretty close to the wall you're projecting on, otherwise the image would be too big. I'll have to wait and see, though. My delta 20 lens should be arriving in the mail on monday and my LCD panel should arrive soon after.
Though, recently I have discovered that for what it will cost me to find an adequate fan, lightsource, and all the materials for my projector box I could pick up a used overhead projecter, eliminating a TON of work. So, before i invest anymore money on the self contained projector box, im going to explore all my options for finding a cheap used overhead projector. If i do find an overhead, I will most likely modify it by adding another light fixture inside so it has dual projector bulbs pumping out some massive lumens. Ill keep you guys updated and whatever the outcome of my project i will try to post some pics of my setup once it's done! Good luck, everyone.
WHOA! I just picked up a Mercury Vapor light from Home Depot this morning (Jon and I must be on the same wavelength or something 😎 )...I always had them confused with the sodium lamps that give that extremely red/orange light seen on street lamps. But this thing is very white and VERY BRIGHT. It is a 175watt model, and its bulb looks very much like a MH (with a mogul base). It claims to produce 7000 lumens. You CANNOT look at the bulb or more than one second, and it probably puts out some UV, so looking at it isn't a good idea anyway.
Here's the kicker: It was only $21.00! That includes bulb, ballast, and fixture. It also has a photo sensor for automatically turning off in the dark. I just put tape over it, but it looks to be easily bypassed with some minor rewiring. Here is the manufacturer link:
Regent NH-1204M (175 Watt Mercury Vapor)
I have removed the socket from the fixture and extended the wiring to facilitate proper bulb placement in the enclosure. I now need a reflector that can harness this light. Right now, I only have one hotspot with most of the light scattering throughout the room. Just a quick test with a curved piece of aluminum foil made a large improvement. I guess I need to figure out how to make a parabolic reflector. Has anyone dealt with this when using a metal halide bulb?
Bodysuitman,
Your diagram looks good! The only problem I can think of is using the Delta 20 (or any projection lens assembly, or that matter). I still haven't figured out how to use these without placing them nearly in contact with the LCD. This is a problem when using an LCD that is larger than 4" or so. They also have a very short "throw"...my Fujinon and Delta lenses produce a very large image in a short distance (maybe over 100" at 5 feet distance? I never really checked, that's just an estimate). Has anyone had success using these lenses with an OHP panel?
-f4
Here's the kicker: It was only $21.00! That includes bulb, ballast, and fixture. It also has a photo sensor for automatically turning off in the dark. I just put tape over it, but it looks to be easily bypassed with some minor rewiring. Here is the manufacturer link:
Regent NH-1204M (175 Watt Mercury Vapor)
I have removed the socket from the fixture and extended the wiring to facilitate proper bulb placement in the enclosure. I now need a reflector that can harness this light. Right now, I only have one hotspot with most of the light scattering throughout the room. Just a quick test with a curved piece of aluminum foil made a large improvement. I guess I need to figure out how to make a parabolic reflector. Has anyone dealt with this when using a metal halide bulb?
Bodysuitman,
Your diagram looks good! The only problem I can think of is using the Delta 20 (or any projection lens assembly, or that matter). I still haven't figured out how to use these without placing them nearly in contact with the LCD. This is a problem when using an LCD that is larger than 4" or so. They also have a very short "throw"...my Fujinon and Delta lenses produce a very large image in a short distance (maybe over 100" at 5 feet distance? I never really checked, that's just an estimate). Has anyone had success using these lenses with an OHP panel?
-f4
Spooky Mercury coincidence! 🙂
Slightly more expensive here in the UK though 🙁
For my LCD (only for testing) i have a DSTN from a handheld TV. If i'm happy with the results i get from testing that, i will get a more expensive casio tft lcd handheld with composite inputs about $120.
I really need a lens with a large throw distance 🙁 maybe the delta ain't 4 me 🙂
Are the results you are getting from this setup acceptable? have any pictures? 🙂
cheers,
Slightly more expensive here in the UK though 🙁
For my LCD (only for testing) i have a DSTN from a handheld TV. If i'm happy with the results i get from testing that, i will get a more expensive casio tft lcd handheld with composite inputs about $120.
I really need a lens with a large throw distance 🙁 maybe the delta ain't 4 me 🙂
Are the results you are getting from this setup acceptable? have any pictures? 🙂
cheers,
Jon,
I haven't had any real success with the MV light yet...I need to make a reflector for it. Right now all I can project is a small hotspot that is produced by the light directly from the filament (not really a filament, but you get the idea). I have had limited success using an LOA 65watt fluorex bulb, but the produced images were barely acceptable, even with all ambient light shut out. For a longer throw, I am using a plano-convex lens I purchased from www.surplusshed.com (Item # L1593) instead of a Fujinon or Delta. This gives me roughly an 85" diagonal from a 9" source at 11 feet. As soon as I get an acceptable result, I will post pics. 😎
Good luck,
f4
I haven't had any real success with the MV light yet...I need to make a reflector for it. Right now all I can project is a small hotspot that is produced by the light directly from the filament (not really a filament, but you get the idea). I have had limited success using an LOA 65watt fluorex bulb, but the produced images were barely acceptable, even with all ambient light shut out. For a longer throw, I am using a plano-convex lens I purchased from www.surplusshed.com (Item # L1593) instead of a Fujinon or Delta. This gives me roughly an 85" diagonal from a 9" source at 11 feet. As soon as I get an acceptable result, I will post pics. 😎
Good luck,
f4
I must say, this has to be one of the most advanced but interesting DIY project i have ever attempted 🙂
Could u not use a fresnel infront of the MV lamp? or are u already?
I'm very interested to see how these MV's turn out. They are economical, long-lasting, and powerful = nearest solution to MH.
So, the light you are getting from this is really brilliant white? interesting.
Ditto, as soon as i have a projection, i will post pics.
P.S. http://pws.ihpc.net/joejas/projector < a link on your site. Are these from a commercial projector or homemade?
cheers,
Could u not use a fresnel infront of the MV lamp? or are u already?
I'm very interested to see how these MV's turn out. They are economical, long-lasting, and powerful = nearest solution to MH.
So, the light you are getting from this is really brilliant white? interesting.
Ditto, as soon as i have a projection, i will post pics.
P.S. http://pws.ihpc.net/joejas/projector < a link on your site. Are these from a commercial projector or homemade?
cheers,
Luminous Flux
Here are the specs on this lamp that is in my OHP a Dukane 28A680 it is a VERY nice lamp however it is $215 and lasts for 750 hours. So I would like to find a replacement but what is Luminous Flux is it the same thing as lumens or what if anyone could tell me how many lumens this bulb puts out it would really help me out in finding a good replacement. I have searched all over the Sylvania site and there are alot of guides on how lamps work with projector systems and what kinds of lenses to use so you might want to go check those out. Some of the PDFs are about 85 pages long :/
Abbrev. With Packaging Info. HMI575WSE 95V 10/CS 1/SKU
Application Overhead Projection, Film and TV Production, Video Production, S
Average Rated Life (hr) 750
Base G22 Medium Bipost
Class C (gas)
Color Rendering Index (CRI) 90
Color Temperature (K) 6000
Cooling Convection
Current (A) 7.0
Diameter d (mm) 30
Distance a (mm) 70
Electrode Gap (cold) (mm) 7
Family Brand Name HMI®
Hot Restart Yes
Lamp Finish Clear
Length l (mm) 145
Length l max. (mm) 145
Light Center Length - LCL (mm) 70
Luminous Efficacy (lm/W) 85
Luminous Flux (lm) 49000
Maximum Base Temperature °C 230
Maximum Overall Length - MOL (mm) 145
Nominal Voltage (V) 95.00
Nominal Wattage (W) 575.00
Operating Position Any
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Here are the specs on this lamp that is in my OHP a Dukane 28A680 it is a VERY nice lamp however it is $215 and lasts for 750 hours. So I would like to find a replacement but what is Luminous Flux is it the same thing as lumens or what if anyone could tell me how many lumens this bulb puts out it would really help me out in finding a good replacement. I have searched all over the Sylvania site and there are alot of guides on how lamps work with projector systems and what kinds of lenses to use so you might want to go check those out. Some of the PDFs are about 85 pages long :/
Abbrev. With Packaging Info. HMI575WSE 95V 10/CS 1/SKU
Application Overhead Projection, Film and TV Production, Video Production, S
Average Rated Life (hr) 750
Base G22 Medium Bipost
Class C (gas)
Color Rendering Index (CRI) 90
Color Temperature (K) 6000
Cooling Convection
Current (A) 7.0
Diameter d (mm) 30
Distance a (mm) 70
Electrode Gap (cold) (mm) 7
Family Brand Name HMI®
Hot Restart Yes
Lamp Finish Clear
Length l (mm) 145
Length l max. (mm) 145
Light Center Length - LCL (mm) 70
Luminous Efficacy (lm/W) 85
Luminous Flux (lm) 49000
Maximum Base Temperature °C 230
Maximum Overall Length - MOL (mm) 145
Nominal Voltage (V) 95.00
Nominal Wattage (W) 575.00
Operating Position Any
- Status
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