Project using a 17" LCD panel
Hi. I'm new to this forum but have spent several days reading what people have said in other threads. I thought I would do something similar to Inkog and start a thread documenting the progress of my projector. Hopefully, with help from some of the experienced members (Guy Grotke and Ace3000) I'll be able to get this thing up and running in no time. Also, this thread might benefit others aiming to do something similar to me.
I started with a busted Envision 1700e that I bought 3 years ago. The controller for the backlighting didn't work 100% of the time (I would have to turn it on for several hours, then unplug and replug the vga connector until the backlighting would turn on). I had seen the OHP projector made by the guys at Tomshardware and decided to pursue that. I bought a 3m 9100 knowing that a huge portion of my LCD would be cut off by the 10.5 by 10.5 inch stage aperture.
I then dissected the LCD monitor and managed to extract the LCD panel. I put the panel on top of the powered on the OHP only to find it wasn't bright enough.
The new plan is to do this the right way, with a metal halide lamp and a homemade enclosure.
Here are my current questions:
1. The 3M 9100 has a doublet objective lens. How can I figure out whether or not this lens would be usable in the new project?
2. Does the fresnel lens have to be as big (or bigger) as the 17" panel? More fundamentally, what exactly is the purpose of the first fresnel lens? I understand the light needs to be spread out before the LCD. Is this lens bending the light (which is coming in at many angles) into collineated light? If this is the case, I'm assuming the fresnels must be as large as my LCD.
3. Finally, I haven't seen a lot of projects with done with panels this large. Would pursuing this be just plain stupid? I have no limitations on space, so I don't mind making a large box.
If you could help with any of these questions, please jump in.
Thanks in advance.
Hi. I'm new to this forum but have spent several days reading what people have said in other threads. I thought I would do something similar to Inkog and start a thread documenting the progress of my projector. Hopefully, with help from some of the experienced members (Guy Grotke and Ace3000) I'll be able to get this thing up and running in no time. Also, this thread might benefit others aiming to do something similar to me.
I started with a busted Envision 1700e that I bought 3 years ago. The controller for the backlighting didn't work 100% of the time (I would have to turn it on for several hours, then unplug and replug the vga connector until the backlighting would turn on). I had seen the OHP projector made by the guys at Tomshardware and decided to pursue that. I bought a 3m 9100 knowing that a huge portion of my LCD would be cut off by the 10.5 by 10.5 inch stage aperture.
I then dissected the LCD monitor and managed to extract the LCD panel. I put the panel on top of the powered on the OHP only to find it wasn't bright enough.
The new plan is to do this the right way, with a metal halide lamp and a homemade enclosure.
Here are my current questions:
1. The 3M 9100 has a doublet objective lens. How can I figure out whether or not this lens would be usable in the new project?
2. Does the fresnel lens have to be as big (or bigger) as the 17" panel? More fundamentally, what exactly is the purpose of the first fresnel lens? I understand the light needs to be spread out before the LCD. Is this lens bending the light (which is coming in at many angles) into collineated light? If this is the case, I'm assuming the fresnels must be as large as my LCD.
3. Finally, I haven't seen a lot of projects with done with panels this large. Would pursuing this be just plain stupid? I have no limitations on space, so I don't mind making a large box.
If you could help with any of these questions, please jump in.
Thanks in advance.