Guy is quite right. If the whole idea is to beat the commercial street price, then make sure you do that. I did want to add that the premise behind using a projector is to have a big picture (72", 120", 150", 180", etc). For that, you'll need a projector or an $8,000 DLP / LCD television. Now that being said, the cheapest HD capable projector that I could find costs around $700. Plus the fact that bulbs for commercial projectors are $200 - $500 and last only 5000 hours. Just something to keep in mind.
A little advice?? I have found that at 16:9 ratio (1280x720 widescreen), the opaque projector lens is good enough for a 17" LCD screen. Once you move up to a full 5:4 ratio (1280x1024), you do lose focus in the corners. If that is a problem, get the pro lens from lumen labs ($199 USD). I think some people have had luck with the 22" opaque projection lens too.
The picture originates from the LCD. If you get an LCD with a crappy picture, all the pro lenses in the world won't help improve the picture. Refresh on the LCD should be 20ms or lower. 400:1 or better contrast ratio. Try to get 16.7 million colors; as opposed to 65k colors.
Get ALL your numbers figured out BEFORE buying equipment. Screen size, projector shape, frensel focal lengths, lens focal lengths, arc sizes, etc..
I would recommend looking at the "ceramic lamps 150 Watt type" thread on lumen labs. It's REALLY long, but worth the read. LOTS of great info about arc lengths, picture clarity, light engines.
Good luck!
A little advice?? I have found that at 16:9 ratio (1280x720 widescreen), the opaque projector lens is good enough for a 17" LCD screen. Once you move up to a full 5:4 ratio (1280x1024), you do lose focus in the corners. If that is a problem, get the pro lens from lumen labs ($199 USD). I think some people have had luck with the 22" opaque projection lens too.
The picture originates from the LCD. If you get an LCD with a crappy picture, all the pro lenses in the world won't help improve the picture. Refresh on the LCD should be 20ms or lower. 400:1 or better contrast ratio. Try to get 16.7 million colors; as opposed to 65k colors.
Get ALL your numbers figured out BEFORE buying equipment. Screen size, projector shape, frensel focal lengths, lens focal lengths, arc sizes, etc..
I would recommend looking at the "ceramic lamps 150 Watt type" thread on lumen labs. It's REALLY long, but worth the read. LOTS of great info about arc lengths, picture clarity, light engines.
Good luck!
So I haven't given an update in a while and I have decided to spruce up the ole projector. So I have totally ripped it apart and am building new frames, making my cuts straighter and more precise, aligning components... One of the new additions as of this moment is a 400W Philips Retro HPS Ceramic bulb. Not really the best bulb for the job, but my SDD400's kept dying VERY early. I've gone through 3 of them in 2 years. So a new bulb is in order.
One of the best things I have done for my projector is design it in 3D using SketchUp. Not really the BEST CAD program around but definitely does the job! With the projector modeled, I was able to get exact measurements and make things A LOT more precise. I also wasted a lot less wood by making my design mistakes on the computer.
So here are some pictures to whet the appetite!
The LCD still mounted but getting a new frame.
The other side of the LCD / mount and the U-shaped frame in front of it will go around the existing metal frame for a nice tight fit (I hope!).
These are the new "legs" for the LCD / mount. They raise the LCD up a little more and extend the edges of the existing mount.
The 550mm FL fresnel lens from 3DLens and its new frame
A close up of the corners. To make the groves, I only used a table saw. Just set the height of the blade to X mm (5mm in my case) and cut all the way through the frame.
The 220mm fresnel lens and frame. This one is mounted on the same mounting platform the LCD is on. Hence why the frame is shorter.
The mirror and frame.
The newly cut sides of the box (coffin). Here I have just glued them together and now they are drying. I made this as square as I possibly could. I'm hoping that will make things easier.
The insert to hold the LCD, fresnels, and a few fans; also newly cut.
The packaging of the new bulb.
The bulb! It's about the same size as the SDD400 but it has a little thicker diameter. I believe the arc is 32mm. Ouch yeah, but the CRI is >90 and the color graph looks great!
Here's a close up of that ceramic core.
This is a screenshot of my 3D model. It's not extremely detailed and there are holes missing from the actual model, but the measurements are correct and accurate. Really helped to see what would fit where and if I needed to make any other adjustments.
So hopefully I'll have this thing running by the weekend. I seemed to have misplaced my socket, so I will have to get another (tomorrow I hope). I will post more when more is done!
One of the best things I have done for my projector is design it in 3D using SketchUp. Not really the BEST CAD program around but definitely does the job! With the projector modeled, I was able to get exact measurements and make things A LOT more precise. I also wasted a lot less wood by making my design mistakes on the computer.
So here are some pictures to whet the appetite!
The LCD still mounted but getting a new frame.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The other side of the LCD / mount and the U-shaped frame in front of it will go around the existing metal frame for a nice tight fit (I hope!).
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
These are the new "legs" for the LCD / mount. They raise the LCD up a little more and extend the edges of the existing mount.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The 550mm FL fresnel lens from 3DLens and its new frame
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
A close up of the corners. To make the groves, I only used a table saw. Just set the height of the blade to X mm (5mm in my case) and cut all the way through the frame.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The 220mm fresnel lens and frame. This one is mounted on the same mounting platform the LCD is on. Hence why the frame is shorter.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The mirror and frame.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The newly cut sides of the box (coffin). Here I have just glued them together and now they are drying. I made this as square as I possibly could. I'm hoping that will make things easier.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The insert to hold the LCD, fresnels, and a few fans; also newly cut.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The packaging of the new bulb.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The bulb! It's about the same size as the SDD400 but it has a little thicker diameter. I believe the arc is 32mm. Ouch yeah, but the CRI is >90 and the color graph looks great!
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Here's a close up of that ceramic core.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
This is a screenshot of my 3D model. It's not extremely detailed and there are holes missing from the actual model, but the measurements are correct and accurate. Really helped to see what would fit where and if I needed to make any other adjustments.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
So hopefully I'll have this thing running by the weekend. I seemed to have misplaced my socket, so I will have to get another (tomorrow I hope). I will post more when more is done!
nice drawings
Very nice drawings. CAD is definitely a great way to go.
Sounds like you have been running your projector quite a lot, if you have gone through so many lamps. Your design has a horizontal LCD and fresnels just like mine. Have you noticed your fresnels sagging a bit in the middle?
I have my condensor fresnel resting on a piece of lexan (used for UV filtering), so it is perfectly flat. My field fresnel is one of the 3dlens.com 550 mm, and it does seem to sag a bit. I have been thinking about adding a few fine wires across the fresnel frame to support it.
I ran for a while with both fresnels together before the LCD, so sagging was not an issue. But I find that my particular LCD just makes a better screen image with the split-fresnel design. I guess it is the viewing angle performance. My cheap LCD just does not have the same transmission at the different angles you get from a non-split setup. Making the light all go parallel through this particular LCD gives me a much more uniform screen brightness.
Do you include any directed air flow around your lamp? I have my Ushio 400 lamp inside a metal box with a piece of IR filter glass mounted over a hole. I have an air duct between the box and the exhaust fan so all the airflow through the projector flows through a 3" by 5" cross-sectional duct surrounding the lamp. It really stays quite cool in there. I'm just wondering if overheating is contributing to your short lamp life.
Very nice drawings. CAD is definitely a great way to go.
Sounds like you have been running your projector quite a lot, if you have gone through so many lamps. Your design has a horizontal LCD and fresnels just like mine. Have you noticed your fresnels sagging a bit in the middle?
I have my condensor fresnel resting on a piece of lexan (used for UV filtering), so it is perfectly flat. My field fresnel is one of the 3dlens.com 550 mm, and it does seem to sag a bit. I have been thinking about adding a few fine wires across the fresnel frame to support it.
I ran for a while with both fresnels together before the LCD, so sagging was not an issue. But I find that my particular LCD just makes a better screen image with the split-fresnel design. I guess it is the viewing angle performance. My cheap LCD just does not have the same transmission at the different angles you get from a non-split setup. Making the light all go parallel through this particular LCD gives me a much more uniform screen brightness.
Do you include any directed air flow around your lamp? I have my Ushio 400 lamp inside a metal box with a piece of IR filter glass mounted over a hole. I have an air duct between the box and the exhaust fan so all the airflow through the projector flows through a 3" by 5" cross-sectional duct surrounding the lamp. It really stays quite cool in there. I'm just wondering if overheating is contributing to your short lamp life.
Thanks Guy! Haven't heard from you in a while. Good to get some feedback.
With my first go at the projector, I just had the condenser fresnel hot glued to the LCD frame. Worked great until the glue melted. 🙂 So I drilled holes and literally screwed the fresnel to the LCD frame. That worked great. Even if it wanted to sag, it had no room to. This time around, I am mounting the condenser fresnel in its own frame and attaching that to the LCD mounting (that board all the electronics are mounted to). So I hope that sagging won't be too much of an issue. My field fresnel never sagged at all. I am still doing a split because I would have to get different fresnels / change my screen / throw to accommodate an unsplit config.
My airflow is pretty good but I am hoping I can do a little better this time. If you look at the "real box" pic, on the right end, you'll notice 2 square holes there. One is for all the plugs, switches, etc and the other is for air flow. So that's the air intake. The "insert panel" has 2 round holes and one rectangular hole. Those are for fans. Mounted, they blow into the bulb area and across the LCD. The thin long horizontal rectangle in the back of the box is for exhaust. On the right side of the box is a hole where another fan is placed; also for exhaust. I want to control the air flow a little better though. Still thinking of where to put some more holes.
It's possible that my bulbs overheated, but I have a spare 2100K HPS bulb and that never fails. The Ushios just failed on me. I was also told by a light bulb rep (I think it was Atlanta Bulbs) that those bulbs are really prone to premature failures. Great bulb, just keeps dying on me. 🙁
I did test out the bulb today. Quite bright of course and quite white, although I did notice a hint of red. I think it will be ok though after some tuning. Got the box mounted on the stand again and all the lines are drawn. Frames are painted and I just have to build the light engine and mount everything! YAY!! More pictures to come.
My next projector, I want to try a 150W or a 250W ceramic bulb with a MUCH shorted arc length. I've been reading people are getting great pictures with them.
With my first go at the projector, I just had the condenser fresnel hot glued to the LCD frame. Worked great until the glue melted. 🙂 So I drilled holes and literally screwed the fresnel to the LCD frame. That worked great. Even if it wanted to sag, it had no room to. This time around, I am mounting the condenser fresnel in its own frame and attaching that to the LCD mounting (that board all the electronics are mounted to). So I hope that sagging won't be too much of an issue. My field fresnel never sagged at all. I am still doing a split because I would have to get different fresnels / change my screen / throw to accommodate an unsplit config.
My airflow is pretty good but I am hoping I can do a little better this time. If you look at the "real box" pic, on the right end, you'll notice 2 square holes there. One is for all the plugs, switches, etc and the other is for air flow. So that's the air intake. The "insert panel" has 2 round holes and one rectangular hole. Those are for fans. Mounted, they blow into the bulb area and across the LCD. The thin long horizontal rectangle in the back of the box is for exhaust. On the right side of the box is a hole where another fan is placed; also for exhaust. I want to control the air flow a little better though. Still thinking of where to put some more holes.
It's possible that my bulbs overheated, but I have a spare 2100K HPS bulb and that never fails. The Ushios just failed on me. I was also told by a light bulb rep (I think it was Atlanta Bulbs) that those bulbs are really prone to premature failures. Great bulb, just keeps dying on me. 🙁
I did test out the bulb today. Quite bright of course and quite white, although I did notice a hint of red. I think it will be ok though after some tuning. Got the box mounted on the stand again and all the lines are drawn. Frames are painted and I just have to build the light engine and mount everything! YAY!! More pictures to come.
My next projector, I want to try a 150W or a 250W ceramic bulb with a MUCH shorted arc length. I've been reading people are getting great pictures with them.
Hello all, sorry if this is a noobie question but I am interested in building a projector and want to get all the details down before I begin. The 17" projector shown in the beginning of this thread seems to display a picture of good size and quality. My question is would it be possible to produce these same results using an OHP and an LCD, and if so are there any recommendations? All advice is appreciated.
Without disassembling the OHP and making a new box, you can't use a 17" LCD. A 15" LCD just BARELY fits on an OHP (in fact I think you lose the corners). To get a good sharp picture with a 17", you REALLY have to pay attention to lenses. The one I use JUST barely works with the 17" in 16:9 mode (720p) but I lose a little sharpness in 5:4 mode (1280x1024).
If you already have the lens, try it. Couldn't hurt. If not, I would suggest an opaque projector lens or the pro lens from Lumen Lab. Good luck!
If you already have the lens, try it. Couldn't hurt. If not, I would suggest an opaque projector lens or the pro lens from Lumen Lab. Good luck!
Tonight the glue on the frames is drying. So all the frames are done (assuming the glue hold properly), the light engine is almost done and the box is measured out and ready to go! I have a few panels I need to cut out (like the one for the projection lens!) but I should be getting images tomorrow!!! Ok, as promised more pictures!
This is a Lumen Lab pro reflector mounted using computer case fan guards (fan grills) and a little hardware from Home Depot. I like this setup as I can move the reflector not just back and forth, but also angle it up, down, left, and right by adjusting the screws.
The base of the light engine. The rectangle in front is what the bulb will be mounted on. It will slide in the space provided by the base.
Hopefully it will look something like this tomorrow.
The LCD raised up and framed.
The other side of the LCD.
This is a Lumen Lab pro reflector mounted using computer case fan guards (fan grills) and a little hardware from Home Depot. I like this setup as I can move the reflector not just back and forth, but also angle it up, down, left, and right by adjusting the screws.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The base of the light engine. The rectangle in front is what the bulb will be mounted on. It will slide in the space provided by the base.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Hopefully it will look something like this tomorrow.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The LCD raised up and framed.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The other side of the LCD.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Ok, today's update. I did a TON of work on this thing today. Finished the light engine, mounted the condenser fresnel, remounted all the fans, mounted the LCD / condenser, made a new panel for the switches / power plug, rewired the whole sha-bang, and probably more I can't think of at the moment. I did throw everything together and turn it on. I held the projection lens in my hand. I didn't have anything hooked up to the LCD, but the test image came up!!!! On the big screen even! Bright too! Exciting. Can't wait to get everything done.
Pictures!!!!!
A shot of the box with nothing in it. I just installed the screws that will hold the light engine.
This is the light engine (bulb, reflector, and mount) all installed in the projector. Very slick! Love it! I also moved the fans so that I have squirrel fans on either side of the bulb. Should make for good hot air removal. I also used black duct tape to block any light leakage from the edges of the box.
I saw someone using springs for something and I thought I would try it for the light engine mount. Works awesome! I can adjust the tilt and the vertical movement.
A shot from the side. The insert board (the one with the three fans) isn't mounted yet. Just sitting there for now. It's all ready to go though.
The overall look at the moment. Only the light engine and the LCD are actually mounted in the box. Everything else is just sitting there or taped. No projection lens mounted either.... yet.
The projector's new interface panel. Hopefully I will be adding the DVI and VGA inputs to that panel as well. It's sideways in case you didn't notice.
The two big rectangular holes on top are the old fan holes. The fans were mounted externally. The two smaller vertical holes are the new fan holes. The fans are mounted internally (see above). This reduces the fan noise and hopefully will help cool the box better. We'll see.
Pictures!!!!!
A shot of the box with nothing in it. I just installed the screws that will hold the light engine.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
This is the light engine (bulb, reflector, and mount) all installed in the projector. Very slick! Love it! I also moved the fans so that I have squirrel fans on either side of the bulb. Should make for good hot air removal. I also used black duct tape to block any light leakage from the edges of the box.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I saw someone using springs for something and I thought I would try it for the light engine mount. Works awesome! I can adjust the tilt and the vertical movement.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
A shot from the side. The insert board (the one with the three fans) isn't mounted yet. Just sitting there for now. It's all ready to go though.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The overall look at the moment. Only the light engine and the LCD are actually mounted in the box. Everything else is just sitting there or taped. No projection lens mounted either.... yet.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The projector's new interface panel. Hopefully I will be adding the DVI and VGA inputs to that panel as well. It's sideways in case you didn't notice.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The two big rectangular holes on top are the old fan holes. The fans were mounted externally. The two smaller vertical holes are the new fan holes. The fans are mounted internally (see above). This reduces the fan noise and hopefully will help cool the box better. We'll see.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Got most of the projector working!!! Just trying to adjust the lenses so I get the best picture. Here are some pictures of the screen. Color was set to 9300K. These pictures are on the red side. In real life, the screen is actually a little blue. I have to adjust the colors more.
All these pictures are from 720p HDTV broadcasts. I haven't modified them at all except to crop the edges.
All these pictures are from 720p HDTV broadcasts. I haven't modified them at all except to crop the edges.
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.
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.
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