My list of parts for DIY projector with 17" LCD

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My list of parts for DIY projector with 17" LCD

Now I summarized my list of parts below, hoping you could kindly provide further advice on whether this list has major shortfalls. (or should I post a new topic for this?)
Thanks a lot in advance!


LCD: 17", samsung LCD panel, response time: 25ms, contrast: 1500:1

Lens triplet: inner lens diameter: 70mm; Overall Focal Length: 340mm

Fresnel lens: I have three, and are wondering which two of them are suitable for me:
(1) 300*380mm, fl: 550mm, groove pitch: 0.2mm
(2) 395*395mm, fl: 330mm, groove pitch: 0.5mm
(3) 395*395mm, fl: 220mm, groove pitch: 0.5mm

Reflector -- diameter: 87mm; fl: 65mm (another option: diameter: 68mm; fl: 44mm -- I don't know which one is better)

Condenser lens -- diameter: 90mm; fl: 220mm

Metal-halide lamp, double-ended -- 250W, 10000K; CRI: 95%

Ballast -- 250W, with trigger and FC2

IR glass -- 55mm¡Á55mm; thickness: 2mm; light transmission ratio > 95%
 
You do not want 10000K. It is far too blue to have an acceptable image. I once tried one that I had on hand. All of your reds will be muddy dark purple, mostly. The CRI has nothing to do with how well it will display all your colors, it simply means that you will be able to distinguish between colors even though they probably won't look right. You can't adjust the LCD colors to compensate, because the color elements are side-by-side and the blue color goes through all of them equally. Not to mention there just isn't enough red to work with.

6500K is good, anything from there down to 5000K will be fine.
 
Actually, I'm increasingly aware of the fact that here in China we have the right products for DIY projectors at very low price, many of which sold in US and Taiwan are actually made in mainland China. So, as the owner of a Beijing company, I'm considering to offer good DIY projector parts online for DIYers around the globe, such as the parts I mentioned above: 17" samsung LCD panel with contrast 1500:1, at around $240; fresnel lens with 300*380mm, fl 550mm, groove pitch 0.2mm, at around $17; and short arc projector bulb at about $40, etc. This way DIYers can have better access to quality parts at much lower prices.
Still a plan yet. It's up to your needs, so please help me to decide. I would very much appreciate any comment or suggestion from you.
 
Thanks, blake_mooney. Just a tip: LCD panel is a part of LCD monitor. It does not include the controller board and monitor shell which can be separately purchased, and monitor shell is unnecessary for DIYers who make DIY projectors. If you just want a LCD for projecting purpose, you can purchase LCD panel (like the 1500:1 PVA panel mentioned above) instead of purchasing the complete LCD desktop monitor. With a controller board and some other small accessories, you can also use it as a desktop LCD monitor (similar to this: http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=9899). So there are many other guys DIYing LCD monitors. In China, the LCD monitor Samsung 173p+ that uses the 1500:1 PVA panel is priced at about $450, which nevertheless uses RTA chip to achieve 8ms gray-to-gray response time.
 
temp2 said:
Thanks, blake_mooney. Just a tip: LCD panel is a part of LCD monitor. It does not include the controller board and monitor shell which can be separately purchased, and monitor shell is unnecessary for DIYers who make DIY projectors. If you just want a LCD for projecting purpose, you can purchase LCD panel (like the 1500:1 PVA panel mentioned above) instead of purchasing the complete LCD desktop monitor. With a controller board and some other small accessories, you can also use it as a desktop LCD monitor (similar to this: http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=9899). So there are many other guys DIYing LCD monitors. In China, the LCD monitor Samsung 173p+ that uses the 1500:1 PVA panel is priced at about $450, which nevertheless uses RTA chip to achieve 8ms gray-to-gray response time.

Thanks but I already knew all that. ;) I've been into DIY projectors for quite some time. :)
 
I bought one of those too!

Hi,

I am really glad to see someone else chose this panel. I spent many hours researching panels and this is the one I finally settled on. I bought a 173P+ this week. I haven't stripped it yet, as I wanted to make sure it wouldn't conk out while the warranty is still valid. Watching DVD's on it has been very very promising. Movies look amazing on full brightness and full contrast with the backlight. If I can retain any of that in my projector, my TV room will be a popular place to be.

I have been unsure about wether it will have an FFC issue or not. You have saved the day on that one. I assume since it is the same panel, it will have the same connection orientation. But just to be sure, do you think it is possible that the 173P+ will fold the FFC over the back or use too short of connections? Or does the panel come with all of that stuff pre-arranged, and they just clip it onto whichever controller and frame the thing?

I guess the bottom line is, do you think the panel I get would work in a projector?

It would be really great if you could post some photographs of the panel so I can know what to expect and foresee any stripping issues.

Let me know how it works, I'm right behind you. :)

Mark.
 
temp2 said:
Actually, I'm increasingly aware of the fact that here in China we have the right products for DIY projectors at very low price, many of which sold in US and Taiwan are actually made in mainland China. So, as the owner of a Beijing company, I'm considering to offer good DIY projector parts online for DIYers around the globe, such as the parts I mentioned above: 17" samsung LCD panel with contrast 1500:1, at around $240; fresnel lens with 300*380mm, fl 550mm, groove pitch 0.2mm, at around $17; and short arc projector bulb at about $40, etc. This way DIYers can have better access to quality parts at much lower prices.
Still a plan yet. It's up to your needs, so please help me to decide. I would very much appreciate any comment or suggestion from you.


The problem is it may be cheap in china, but as soon as you ship it over to somewhere like the UK customs will slap on MASSIVE import charges + the will be postage and packaging, if you add it all together its proberbly the same as or more then what we would pay anyways.
It is a nice idea and in theory would be helping alot of people, but im sure what i have said above will come into play and end up stinging us with the extra costs.
 
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