My Next Project

[Barry_White]

I would like to buy a projector for a home theatre but at $2000 to $3000 plus and from $250 to $600 for replacement globes it is out of the question.

My grandson said to me the other night "You know how you always wanted a projector, well have a look at this." and he sent me to these sites.

http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=476

http://www.lumenlab.com/


As I said this is my next project.

[Grunt]

Bazza,

When you've built it, let us know how it is. I've always wanted a projector but the globe prices are brutal.

Grunt

[Barry_White]

Grunt

On a commercial projector a globe has a life of about 1000 hours. These projectors use a metal halide globe which has a life of 20,000 hours.

[Shane Watson]

Barry, have you purchased the guide? I would be interested in following the progress on this as well as I too have also toyed with the projector idea but due to costs etc etc........And making your own would give a lot of satisfaction, especially considering the amount of time spent in front of the damn box! ;)

[Barry_White]

Shane

I have bought the guide and when you buy the guide you get access to the technical side of the forum where there is an incredible amount of information available by people who have already built them.

There is even a forum for different countries including one for Aussies.

[MarkV]

I also am intrigued to see how it goes, keep us posted Bazz Have many Aussies built one according to the board?

[Shane Watson]

so your obviously happy with your purchase. thats a positive first step.

Keep us informed!

CHeers!

[Barry_White]

Shane

It was only $20 US and I blow more than that on lunch when I go to town every week. But the access to the forum is worth more than that.

[bigAl]

Well what do you know? I had no idea kits for projectors were out there. I'll keep watching with interest.

Al.

[craigb]

Sounds great. However to the cynic in me it sounds like Linux. Great in theory but you end up spending so much time stuffing around with it that it ends up taking over your life.

I think Bing Lee are selling projectors for around $1500 nowadays. Of course you still have the bulb life problem.

How can a bloody light source cost $600 - $1000 dollars anyway?

It's just a light bulb isn't it ?

[Barry_White]

Well I suppose it is like printer cartridges. They don't make any thing out of the printer the money is in the consumables which are the repeat business with built in obsolesence. The same with the globes in projectors.

[jackiew]

and also with label printers its the consumables they make their money on ...Has anyone noticed that you often see the Brother Label Printers on special but they never put the label cartridges on special - $69 for the label printer and nearly $30 a pop for the label cartridges :-(

Having bought a label printer though I don't regret it ( well not until I go and buy a new cartridge anyway).

[simon c]

I believe that the first company to do this on a large scale was Gillette with disposable razor blades.

[rev]

G'day Barry,

What a great find! After having read your initial info, do you still think it is a goer?

Can these be used to project a satisfactory picture in ambient lighting conditions - screen size limited to say two meters?

I'm eager to be enlightened as your new project unfolds!

Cheers

[Barry_White]

Rev

It certainly is. Have you had a look at the forum. You can get limited access before buying the guide.

But the power is in the access to the forum where it shows how a lot of the people have built them and have them working successfully including some Aussies.

[rev]

Yes, I had a look at the forum....great stuff!

I have seen some 7" XGA screens (for DVD players in cars). These might be the basis for a compact projector. I noticed one called a "Liliput" but the forum for this is locked:(

I also noticed the Liliput screen for sale on Aust ebay for $299...its got me thinking...

I haven't found anything about how they perform in normal lighting situations yet.

Cheers

[Barry_White]

Well I have started on my projector. I stole a lot of the ideas off Mr Burn's projector who is from North Queensland.

Although I have started I am still waiting on my LCD a Benq FP567S V2 which I paid $442.00 + Freight through my grandson.

I am still waiting on my toughened glass.

It is amazing I ordered my lense kit from Lumenlab on the 9th September and it arrived on the 15th September a total of six days and I ordered my toughened glass here in Australia and they told me it will take at least two weeks.

I am building my projector box from 16mm MDF but no screws to join it up. I am using yellow PVA glue and biscuits to hold it together.

Attached are a few photos of the start of it.

This first picture is of the fans, ballast, capacitor and igniter and wiring. As well there will be a transformer here for the 12 volt fans.


The next picture is a close up of the electrics and the switches and the power inlet are to be in the bottom left hand corner.

[Barry_White]

The next one shows the the light shield at the back of the fans.


The following one shows the plate holding the FC2 bulb bases with the HQITS400W/D_OSR bulb. All the electrics came courtesy of Taipan another member of the Lumenlab Forum for $180.00 + freight AU this about $100 cheaper than any where else in Australia. The ballast. igniter and capacitor actually came in a metal case but I wanted all the electrics within the projector box. Also shown are the aluminim heat shielding. Another piece will be attached to the lid.

My reflector is the centre out of a stainless steel spoon rest that just sat in a wire frame a whole $4.85 from BigW/Woolworths here in Oz courtesey of information from Mr Burns another projector builder.

[Barry_White]

This next one shows the rear of the box and the fans. The clamps aren't part of the box, they are only there to hold the sides on as I have not yet glued them in place yet.The last one is the final pic for now. This shows the projector lense and the means of adjustment. I am going to work something out to do fine adjustment for the lense.

[Barry_White]

This is a picture of the football out of Mr Burns's projector to see what is possible.

[scooter]

Thanks for the update Barry, looking forward to the finished job.

Cheers........Sean

[Barry_White]

This is another update on my projector that I am building. I am still waiting on the toughened glass which is now into 5 weeks. Their service really sucks.

These are a few pictures of the set up I designed for adjusting the front fresnel lense for what is called keystoning that is to makes sure the front fresnel lense is parrallel to the screen depending on the angle that you have the projector pointing at the screen.

[Barry_White]

Attached pics of the finished projector box ready for painting.

[scooter]

Making progress Baz, must be hanging out to get it up and running !!

Cheers....Sean

[Barry_White]

Yes Sean I am looking forwrd to it. Five weeks for a lousy piece of glass is crazy, I would hate to building a house using toughened glass splash backs for the kitchen and having to wait.

[bitingmidge]

Bazz,

The wait is a fact of life at the moment, but things are settling down just a little thankfully.

I'd be interested in seeing how-much the set up ends up costing compared to a commercial version of the same quality?

I'm guessing that while it may have been a factor at the outset, saving a few dollars isn't the motivator here?

Cheers,

P

[Geoff Sims]

Barry

I'm interested to know what the finished dimensions of your box are and I'm particularly interested in the weight of the thing. I get the impression it's something you would set up once and then leave it alone, ie, not portable.

I can see myself building one, but I'm sitting on the fence for the moment, hoping you're happy with yours when it's up and running.

Cheers
Geoff

[Barry_White]

BM

the cost is going to be about $1000 to $1100 which is about $400 to $500 cheaper than the cheapest crappy commercial one that is available but the big bonus is the cost of the globes. Commercial ones start at about $400 up to $900 and only have a maximum life of 3000 hours. These DIY ones have a life of about 20,000 hours and only cost $90.

The other thing is the resolution is better than higher priced projectors up around the $5000 to $8000 and better than a plasma.

The satisfaction of building it is one the other major factors.

Geoff

The box is 800mm x 325mm x 300mm.

As I might have said earlier I am going to put it on a stand similar to the one that was posted on here as a scroll saw stand which will make it mobile. Some of the people building them have built them into coffee tables and some have hung them from the ceiling.

[bitingmidge]

The satisfaction of building it is one the other major factors.


Yep, that's what I figured, and the "because I can" factor is starting to get to me...... hose me down people...I can feel another thing starting!!

What I don't get is the price of the globe...why can't the standard one be replaced with the cheapie? (I guess they all have custom mounts and it would be more work than building your own unit from scratch?)

Thanks for keeping us updated.

Cheers,

P

[Barry_White]

What I don't get is the price of the globe...why can't the standard one be replaced with the cheapie? (I guess they all have custom mounts and it would be more work than building your own unit from scratch?)

Thanks for keeping us updated.

Cheers,
t thing
P
The important thing with globes are the colour output and the amount of lumens output as this is critical for the picture clarity.

[Goemon]

Barry,

Your setup looks great. I have been lurking on a number of the forums except the lumen lab one, although I am beginning to think maybe I should have bought the plans.

Anyway, I was wondering about the wiring - I assume you went with a 400w Metal Halide. Did you wire the fans in on the same circuit as the MH ballast or on a seperate circuit?

Have there been many traps for young players?

Cheers,

[Barry_White]

Barry,

Your setup looks great. I have been lurking on a number of the forums except the lumen lab one, although I am beginning to think maybe I should have bought the plans.The purchase of the plans is really worth the $20 USD because of the access to the protected part of the forum which gives you all the information on the building of the projector and all the the traps that can be overcome.


Anyway, I was wondering about the wiring - I assume you went with a 400w Metal Halide. Did you wire the fans in on the same circuit as the MH ballast or on a seperate circuit?

Cheers,Yes I used the 400w metal halide I used two separate switches one for the fan and one for the lamp.

I put a 8 amp fuse block in and ran the active to the fan switch. I then ran a active from the switch side of the fan switch to the active side of the lamp switch. This way if you happen to switch off the fan by mistake it switches off the lamp as well so you don't get any overheating of the box.

I have now finished the projector and have had it running. It is awesome. I have a bit of fine tuning to do. I have to build the mobile stand for it as well as the screen.

I will post some more pictures tomorrow of the finished projector and try to take some pictures of the the projected image tomorrow night,

BTW you can get into some areas of the Lumenlab forum but not the technical side.

[Goemon]

Barry,

Thanks mate. Do you mind if I pick your brain as I go?

Cheers

[Barry_White]

Goemon

You are welcome that is what the forum is about.

Attached are a couple of pictures of the finished projector. All I have to do now is to work out how to take some pictures of a projected image in a pitch dark room with my new camera if that is possible.

[Goemon]

It really came up nice...

If I just a tad shorter I'd want to be buried in it!

I was wondering if you could show me the wiring digram for it? Are you running it from a computer power supply??

Cheers

[Barry_White]

Goemon

I purchased an AverTVBox9 which will convert RF, AV, Component and SVideo signal to VGA signal.

Have a look here. http://www.sepco.com.au/buy.asp?ProductID=AVerTVBOX9

I can also connect the computer to it. I could have the internet up on the wall. Awesome.

I will draw up a wiring diagram tomorrow of how I set it up

[Goemon]

Barry,

I agree it is awesome. And tahnks again for the help with the wiring. I'm comfortable with the focal length calcs, stripping the LCD and even making the box, but not wiring...

You obviously have a 15" TFT in there. What did you go with?

G

[Barry_White]

Goemon

I used the BenQ 567s V2 LCD 15". Available here.
http://www.gamedude.com.au/


The fans came from here. http://www.eyo.com.au/details_R-TF-12025.html

The thermometer came from here. http://www.eyo.com.au/details_R-CT0129EB.html

The lighting kit including Lamp, Ballast, Igniter and Capacitor available from here
http://ww5.aitsafe.com/cf/add.cfm?userid=7939297&product=Projector%20Light%20Package&price=185.00&return=

Attached here is the wiring diagram of my projector

[Barry_White]

Here is a couple of shots of the inside of the finished projector.

[Goemon]

Barry,

I looked up the Benq - its got a nice resolution I'm not sure but it may meet minimum specs for High Definition TV. There is an informative article here:

http://www.dansdata.com/hdtv.htm

I thought it might be nice to project HDTV onto my wall and save myself x $1000's. HDTV cards are on sale in Aust for the computer at just $200-$300. The problem is that the LCD's are so expensive its such a gamble gutting one for a PJ.

Everytime I see your pj about a 1000 questions come up but I will try to keep mine to a minimum.

Was it easy to strip the Benq?

What temperature have you set for your fans to kick in?

How did you screen the UV from the halide lamp away from the LCD?

On one of the shots on the side of the box there is a aluminium rail - is that a track for your fresnel adjustment mechanism?

One last one - can you post some screen shots when you can. I can only imagine how good it must be.

With all your great help I have no more excuses soI guess its time for me to get busy...

If I get mine to fly I am sure it is only due to your kind assistance. Thanks

[Barry_White]

Barry,

I looked up the Benq - its got a nice resolution I'm not sure but it may meet minimum specs for High Definition TV. There is an informative article here:

http://www.dansdata.com/hdtv.htm
Goeman
Have a look at this thread from the Lumenlab Forum. This guy is in North Queensland and is running the Benq 567s V2 monitor.
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2625
This is where I got a lot of my ideas from. Like you I also use other peoples ideas but as I said this is what the forums are about and you will also find this on the Lumenlab forum.



I thought it might be nice to project HDTV onto my wall and save myself x $1000's. HDTV cards are on sale in Aust for the computer at just $200-$300. The problem is that the LCD's are so expensive its such a gamble gutting one for a PJ.
He is using a HDTV card


Everytime I see your pj about a 1000 questions come up but I will try to keep mine to a minimum.

Was it easy to strip the Benq?
The Benq is probably one of the easiest of them all to strip. I had trepidations doing it but with an earth strap connected it was easy.



What temperature have you set for your fans to kick in?
The fans need to be permanantly on to keep the box cool. Have you purchased the guide as I said there is more information in the protected forums that will answer all or any questions that you can think up and makes the purchase of the guide more than well worth the $20 USD.

If you have a lookat the wiring diagram you will see that you cannot turn the lamp on unless the fans are switched on and when you switch the lamp off you have to leave the fans running for at least five minutes to keep the LCD cool other wise the heat left in the light box will overheat the LCD and fresnel lense.


How did you screen the UV from the halide lamp away from the LCD?I used a UV filter I purchased from Lumenlab and taped it to the inside of the toughened glass behind the back fresnel lense.



On one of the shots on the side of the box there is a aluminium rail - is that a track for your fresnel adjustment mechanism?
I don't know if you mean the shot of the outside of the box toward the front. If it is that is the control panel that I cut out of the front of the frame of the LCD.

One last one - can you post some screen shots when you can. I can only imagine how good it must be.I will post some shots as soon as I can work out how to do it with my camera. In the mean time have a look at Mr Burns post from Lumenlab Forum.

[rev]

Very VERY I M P R E S S E D, Bazza!!

Have you done (is it easy to do) anything to overcome the trapezoidal shape of the projected image - I think it is called keystoneing...other than setting up the screen parallel to the plane of the lens?

[Barry_White]

Very VERY I M P R E S S E D, Bazza!!

Have you done (is it easy to do) anything to overcome the trapezoidal shape of the projected image - I think it is called keystoneing...other than setting up the screen parallel to the plane of the lens?Thanks for that Rev

I designed a way of doing if you have alook at this post.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/showpost.php?p=93976&postcount=22

Also some other pics of it.

[Goemon]

The screen pics from Obsessive Compulsive are great.

Its a great way to watch TV.

I haven't bought the plans yet but you have certainly sold me on them.

I hope you will be on this forum for a while as I would love to catch up once my project gets going.

Thanks again.

[Barry_White]

Goemon

I've been off the air for a couple of days, lightening hit my phone line.

I will be around for a while on the forum.

Still truing to work out my camera to post a few screen shots from the projector. I have a couple but not very good.

[Shane Watson]

So, Barry, am I correct in saying that you actually bought a 15" LCD monitor then pulled it apart to source the monitor section only to fit into the box? If this is so, why then are the commercial projectors so skinny? Do they only use say a 3" LCD monitor?
I could be way off here, but thats just how I am reading the above posts from the last week or so. Keep the info coming mate! :D
Soon as I have some time to spare I reakon I will be hot on the heels building one of these things. ;)

[Barry_White]

Shane

I did purchase a brand new LCD to build the projector and I did proceed to strip to pieces. I took a risk and didn't try it out before I stripped it, but fortunately it did work. It not just the monitor but also the circuit boards and controls but you have to remove the the back light so you can shine the light through it.

Quite a few of the people on the Lumenlab Forum have purchased off ebay or sourced 2nd hand or refurbished LCD's. The most important thing is getting one that is easy to strip and the one I used is probably one of the easiest of all and has no FCC issues which is the flat cable connectors.

I'm not sure how commercial projectors work but I do know the cheap ones come no where near as good as the DIY one in resolution and the price of the globes. A 400watt Metal Halide globe costs $90 with up to 20,000 hours of life as opposed to a commercial one from $300 to $600 with a maximum of 3000 hours of life.

Here is a site that may explain a little how commercial ones work.

http://graphics.tomshardware.com/video/20041015/

If you purchase the guide it will give you a wealth of knowledge on the protected forums of Lumenlab.

You can get into some parts of the forum without purchasing the guide.

Go here (http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?act=idx)

[Goemon]

Barry,

I got the plans and as you siad the forums are awesome. I will do a lot of playing there.

With your temperature readouts - what is average temp you are getting?

Thanks.

[Barry_White]

Goemon

My temperature readings are going a bit high and I have to work out why. It has gone up to 41° C which is a bit high.

I have the temperature probe on the side of the slot and I don't know if it is giving a true reading.

I have to check out if the air conditioning filter material I have in the air slot is too thick and restricting the air flow.

I have tried to get a meat thermometer here in Tamworth but the only one I can find so far only goes down to 60° C.

Also one of my fans does not seem to be operating at full speed.

Like I say about my health, if I live long enough I will work it out.

[bitingmidge]

I have tried to get a meat thermometer here in Tamworth but the only one I can find so far only goes down to 60° C.
Bazza,
What you are looking for is a FOOD thermometer. Tandy or DickSmith's usually carry digital probes for about $20-$25.00 and they'll measure between about -20° (just about right for air temp at your place :D ) to about 120°. They even measure in F if you wish.

You can buy analogue versions from food industry suppliers for a little more. If you have no luck PM me and I'll source one for you.

Cheers,

P

[Barry_White]

Hi Bitingmidge

I picked up a fancy meat thermometer today at the local Mitre10 store for about $45.00.

Measures both F & C

Thanks by the way for the offer.

[RiCoda]

Hi Bazza

Found the forum thanks ...

see your selling everybody on the projectors .... good stuff :)

cheers Dave <---- nuther projector builder ... a slow one tho

[Barry_White]

Welcome RiCoda

You will enjoy it here being a dedicated woodworker.

[ppmz]

Barry, any results from your projector yet?

About the light kit you bought, what is the name of the shop and what parts come with it? That's an strange link you provided that points straight to a checkout.

[Barry_White]

ppmz

Thank you for your inquiry. I haven't got round to posting the changes I have made. Since the last post I have made a few alterations to improve the cooling of the projector.

I have made a different inlet for the air to increase the surface area of the air conditioning filter as it was restricting the air flow. I have put a gap in between toughened glass and the first fresnel lense and changed to a couple of higher velocity fans. The only problem with that is they are a bit noisier than the other ones.

The result is with an ambient temperature of 27º the slot between the first fresnel lense and the LCD screen remains at a constant 36º after running it for 1½ hours. This is an ideal temperature for the LCD screen.

I am still try to take some screen shots but I am still on a learning curve with my camera. The book that came with it is thicker than the book on Windows XP.

The link to the guy selling the light kit may not work. I was told by another member of the Lumenlab Board that he lost his supplier of cheap lamps.

You could send him an e-mail and ask him this is Name, Address and e-mail.

Chris Parker
Nutriflo Hydroponic Systems
19/5 Daintree Place
West Gosford NSW 2250
Australia
Phone/Fax 43231599
http://users.bigpond.net.au/nutriflo (http://users.bigpond.net.au/nutriflo)

Email: [email protected]

The other alternative is to try Auslec/Rexel Electrical Wholesalers.

I have attached a quote that I received from them with their part numbers of the items. They were about a $100 dearer than the guy from Nutriflo.

[ppmz]

ppmz

Thank you for your inquiry. I haven't got round to posting the changes I have made. Since the last post I have made a few alterations to improve the cooling of the projector.

I have made a different inlet for the air to increase the surface area of the air conditioning filter as it was restricting the air flow. I have put a gap in between toughened glass and the first fresnel lense and changed to a couple of higher velocity fans. The only problem with that is they are a bit noisier than the other ones.

I've often found, in the case of computer cases, that it's good to install a larger fan, but run it at a low voltage. For example, replacing 92mm fans with 120mm, but connecting them to only 7V can improve cooling and reduce noise.



The link to the guy selling the light kit may not work. I was told by another member of the Lumenlab Board that he lost his supplier of cheap lamps.

You could send him an e-mail and ask him this is Name, Address and e-mail.

I've done so and he told me this too. I'm not quite ready to jump into the water yet, just testing out the temperature, seeing what's available :) It's definately an interesting project.



The other alternative is to try Auslec/Rexel Electrical Wholesalers.

I have attached a quote that I received from them with their part numbers of the items. They were about a $100 dearer than the guy from Nutriflo.
Thanks, that's another good idea. Are both an ignitor and capacitor necessary? I thought I had seen pictures around with only one of those items.

-Peter.

[Barry_White]

Thanks, that's another good idea. Are both an ignitor and capacitor necessary? I thought I had seen pictures around with only one of those items.

-Peter.
Peter

I believe with that lamp and Ballast the Igniter and Capacitor are required. The lamps and the electronic ballasts they use in the states are not available here.

There was quite a bit of research done by a few of the early Australian Lumenlab project builders who posted in the Lumenlab forums and I just followed what they had found out.

[Barry_White]

I thought I would post a couple of updates to my projector. As I said I was having cooling problems with the projector.

The first thing I did because the airconditioning filter was restricting the air flow I built a box to sit on top of the projector to increase the surface area of the air conditioning filter. Now it doesn't look pretty but then you can't really say that the projectors look that pretty except for a few of the artist's ones.

This did improve it slightly but it was still getting up 38º to 39º C (100º to 102º F) but after 1 hour of running this was too hot.

The next thing I did was change the layout of the toughened glass and the back fresnel, because the fresnel was bowing out by about ¾". the reason I think was because it was captured at each side and it was expanding and the only way it could go was to bow out.

So I moved the glass and gave it a gap of about ¾" between the glass and the fresnel, and then framed the fresnel around the perimeter.

I then changed the fans from the Vantec which had a velocity of 54.3 to 92 cfm which operated on a thermal sensor but where not getting up to full speed because the air passing over them was not hot enough.

I changed to Sunon fans which have a velocity of 108 cfm. Because the Vantec fans are only 25mm deep and the Sunon fans are 38mm deep I had to change the layout at the back of the box slightly.

I also drilled some holes in the aluminimum plate at the back of the lamp to draw a bit of heat above the lamp.

I am now happy with the cooling. With an ambient temperature of 27º C(80.6º F) the LCD slot runs at a constant 34º C (93.2º F)

Although the Sunon fans are a little noisy but tolerable with the volume on the sound turned up you don't really notice it and you tend to tune them out.

Attached are few pics of the changes.

The first one is of the box on the top for the increased filter size. Because it sits so high I am going to change it so it is flat.

The next shot is looking from the front.

The next one is of the stand I built along the design of the scroll saw stand.

No 4 is of the altered layout of the rear of the box.

And the last one is of the screen. The stand and the screen have to be painted yet.

[Barry_White]

Well I finally tamed my camera so I have few screen shots from the projector.

The first two are from CSI. I recorded it on tape and then paused the tape and took the screen shot. The second two are a couple of advertisments taped.

I haven't got any DVD's so I will post some shots from one later on.

It's like sitting a couple of rows back from the front at the movies. Larger than life.

[barrysumpter]

My 20" GE (15 years old) just stopped powering up today and I ran into this thread.

I keep my 19"and 21" crt monitors around for watching dvd movies thru my PCs.

The crt movie quality compared to the lcd is so excellent its scary.

I love my command post of 4 19" LCDs on a single computer that I use to run various business ventures from my home office.

The footprint of 4 lcds compared to the footprint of the crt is rediculous.

Is the key to this project the "pass thru" light projecting from behind the lcd screen?

Specifically, has anyone, or could I, use my 21" crt to project from?

The thought being the starting quality would be so much better.

[Barry_White]

My 20" GE (15 years old) just stopped powering up today and I ran into this thread.

I keep my 19"and 21" crt monitors around for watching dvd movies thru my PCs.

The crt movie quality compared to the lcd is so excellent its scary.

I love my command post of 4 19" LCDs on a single computer that I use to run various business ventures from my home office.

The footprint of 4 lcds compared to the footprint of the crt is rediculous.

Is the key to this project the "pass thru" light projecting from behind the lcd screen?

Specifically, has anyone, or could I, use my 21" crt to project from?

The thought being the starting quality would be so much better.
Hi Barry

As you say; Is the key to this project the "pass thru" light projecting from behind the lcd screen? Yes.

Specifically, has anyone, or could I, use my 21" crt to project from? No

There is on the net some where some one who has built a box to magnify a normal TV or CRT screen but the result is absolute crap.

The basis of the projector is to look for high quality LCD computer screens especially one with quick refresh rates as this makes watching fast moving pictures easy to watch.

The results are ideal watching of movies and TV and as I may have said before the quality out of the projector project is equivelant to a $7000 to $8000 commercial projector.

[John99]

Hi Barry
After coming across this thread by chance and being in the process of doing a home extension, I must say after the last few days reading this thread and your projector project, I am Hooked on the idea so much I am now sidetracked I making my own projector. To fit some where in the new extension. Or should I say built the extension around the projector.

I have joined up to Lumenlab and they have certainly got a lot of information.

So Im busy planning my projector. and working on sourcing the parts on the cheap if avaliable.

I would like to ask you did you get your frensels + lense from Lumenlab and if so did it take long to arrive?

Cheers John

p.s. I will be back with some pictures when I get underway.

[swiftden]

Barry

I have been a member of LL for quite some time now and i built my projector. search "swiftden" there . I am now building a HAAS style projector.

Not tryin gto sound rud eor anything but what you build and how its built is ment to stay within the paying community of that forum . that is how it survives.

Happy building and keep that in mind when you pass on info from the plans etc .

Regards
Allan

[Shane Watson]

So how is the word meant to be spread on LL if someone like Barry dosn't rave about it to joes like us which will encourage us to fork out our hard earned to join in the fun at LL? If Barry wasn't as detailed as he was on here, I certainly wouldn't have forked out!

[Barry_White]

Barry

I have been a member of LL for quite some time now and i built my projector. search "swiftden" there . I am now building a HAAS style projector.

Not tryin gto sound rud eor anything but what you build and how its built is ment to stay within the paying community of that forum . that is how it survives.

Happy building and keep that in mind when you pass on info from the plans etc .

Regards
Allan
Hi Allan

As Shane Watson said how would other people know about building projectors if others weren't made aware of the Lumen Lab forum. If you have a look, at no time did I post the instructions that I purchased from LumenLab all that I did was show what I did with mine.

The people that are part of this forum would have higher skills to produce excellent projectors far better than 75% of the members of the Lumen Lab forum and if they posted them on Lumen Lab they would be an inspiration to many of the members of Lumen Lab.

How do you think I found about Lumen Lab because if I hadn't found it I would have ended up buying a commercial projector and would not have got the satisfaction of building it. My grandson told me about Lumen Lab and that is how most people find out about it is by word of mouth or "Word of Internet".

I would consider that I would have been inspirational of getting 3 or 4 of the members of Ubeaut forums to build one. So those people would have purchased the plans and the lenses and perhaps the ballasts from Lumen Lab and I don't remember getting a cheque for commission from Lumen Lab for the sales.

And who knows how many guests on this forum have seen the post and gone to the Lumen Lab forum to build projectors.

If you have a look through all the posts on "My Project" at all times I have directed any one who has inquired to go to Lumen Lab and buy the guide to find out how to build one.

I don't usually let things get up my nose and have a pretty thick skin and if I am in the wrong I will take the heat but I consider you are out of line here and your apology will be gratefully accepted when it is forthcoming.

BTW I joined the Lumen Lab probably the same month as you.

Added Comments after reading the above two posts.
And as you can see there are two members in the two posts above that have joined Lumen Lab so perhaps you should tell them to send me my commission.

[Barry_White]

Hi Barry
After coming across this thread by chance and being in the process of doing a home extension, I must say after the last few days reading this thread and your projector project, I am Hooked on the idea so much I am now sidetracked I making my own projector. To fit some where in the new extension. Or should I say built the extension around the projector.

I have joined up to Lumenlab and they have certainly got a lot of information.

So Im busy planning my projector. and working on sourcing the parts on the cheap if avaliable.

I would like to ask you did you get your frensels + lense from Lumenlab and if so did it take long to arrive?

Cheers John

p.s. I will be back with some pictures when I get underway.

Hi John

I did purchase my fresnels and lenses from LL and they took 6 days to be delivered to my door and I live 55klms from the nearest major town out in the bush.

If you search through the Australian Members Forum on LL there is a member who's acting as an agent for LL and I think he is in Sydney. If you can't find him post a message and I will have search for you.

Maybe because Swiftden seems to know so much maybe he can tell you.

[John99]

Hi Barry
I have ordered my lenses and a new pro reflector from LL hope to see them in 6 days and Ill be wrapped.:)

Cheers

[John99]

Barry

I have been a member of LL for quite some time now and i built my projector. search "swiftden" there . I am now building a HAAS style projector.

Not tryin gto sound rud eor anything but what you build and how its built is ment to stay within the paying community of that forum . that is how it survives.

Happy building and keep that in mind when you pass on info from the plans etc .

Regards
Allan



Allan

After Ive been browsing through the forums on LL for the last few days I did find in the Lumenlab news thread on page 3 some interesting reading about how the guide for the 15 inch box is now avaliable free to the general public because they what more ppl to be interested in it?


http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2898


cheers John

[Greg Q]

Barry

I have been a member of LL for quite some time now and i built my projector. search "swiftden" there . I am now building a HAAS style projector.

Not tryin gto sound rude or anything but what you build and how its built is ment to stay within the paying community of that forum . that is how it survives.

Happy building and keep that in mind when you pass on info from the plans etc .

Regards
Allan


I'll remember that if you ask for free advice on THIS forum.

My wife and I were speaking of projectors yesterday, and I was enthusiastic about LL based SOLELY on Barry's post, and the follow-up thread.

I will pay the fee for the plans and the forum-its close to the price of a foreign wood working magazine, so good value. I think that an apology to Barry would be nice.

Greg

[Groggy]

I'll remember that if you ask for free advice on THIS forum.

My wife and I were speaking of projectors yesterday, and I was enthusiastic about LL based SOLELY on Barry's post, and the follow-up thread.

I will pay the fee for the plans and the forum-its close to the price of a foreign wood working magazine, so good value. I think that an apology to Barry would be nice.

GregLike Greg above, I have also discussed this with my wife and it is a project for later this year perhaps. I would not have known about it unless Barry had placed it here. There is insufficient information to just copy what he has posted. I will also pay for the plans if I go ahead with it. If someone does copy it, and lets assume someone does, LL would seem to still be out in front.

[Barry_White]

Allan

After Ive been browsing through the forums on LL for the last few days I did find in the Lumenlab news thread on page 3 some interesting reading about how the guide for the 15 inch box is now avaliable free to the general public because they what more ppl to be interested in it?


http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2898


cheers John

John

I haven't browsed through Lumen Lab for a while and I was just browsing through that link you posted above and looked at the results from the new Pro Lenses. Like the owner of Lumen Lab "Brain" says the results of the new lenses is "Freakin Awsome". If anyone wants to look at the results of a good projector it's on page three of the post.

I may have to think about building a projector with the pro lense kit and sell my first projector.

[Tankstand]

And a huge thank you to Barry for pricking my ears up!

If you go to the above link and go to page three, have a read of post#43!

Here's the link to the "open source" basic guide! Here (http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8972)

[John99]

Hi Barry
Yeh I think the new Pro lenses are awsome to but for my first box I`ll stick to the triplet lense, but after having done helps more reseach into the project I`m already planning my second one! :rolleyes:
Using a folded design to see how many folds i can put in it and how small I can go.:)

Cheers John

[Barry_White]

Seeing that so many seem to be interested in this project I am happy to offer any assistance to anyone that is going to build a projector.

Although there is excellent help on the forum there are a few issues here in Australia that have to be overcome. I had a look at the current guide and even that has been improved since I purchased it.

I believe because this forum is made up of woodworkers and potential woodworkers some excellent projector cases will be made. By going through the LumenLab forum there are some excellent designs posted there and as they say the greatest form of flattery is to copy some one else and improve on it as you go.

You have to bear in mind dollar figures quoted are $US and vary a bit in Australia.

[madmarvin]

hello barry, im madmarvin and im a newbie, i wish i had good woodworking skills, your projector box is excellent, :) i think i will do a lot of reading here and get some tips on joining timber, im in the process of making my own projector and i just bought my 250 watt light and ballast yesterday, unfortunately the salespeople would not give me a hint on how to wire everything together, (to cover themselves they told me to get an electrician) i have searched on the net for most of the day when i came across a reference to your project on this site, i read your wiring diagrams and i think i now have an understanding of what needs to be done, but i was wondering if you could confirm some things for me ????

http://imageshack.us%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://img97.imageshack.us/img97/4100/23ns.gifhttp://img86.imageshack.us/img86/428/24hx.gif

in this photo you will see that i have painted in an arrow pointing to a white square, in that square you will see 2 connections with 2 screws each, judging by the diagram on the actual ballast, am i right in thinking that i have one live wire going into the connection on the left, and then have an outcoming wire on the right ???
(does this mean that although there are 3 wires coming directly from the wall socket, that only one wire [the live one] will be utilised through the actual ballast, and the neutral wire will connect to both the ignitor and the lamp itself, )..........

http://imageshack.us%5D%5BIMG%5Dhttp://img97.imageshack.us/img97/6272/35mt.gifhttp://img87.imageshack.us/img87/9483/35yy.gif

in this photo of the ignitor i see that the "outcoming" wire from the ballast connects to both the ignitor and lamp, because i dont understand how ignitors work, to me it just looks like the ignotor is bypassed............

also, which colour wire is the "live wire" ??? i saw in your diagram that the "L" live wire was green, but i thought green was the "earth" or ground, is the earth wire actually the "neutral wire ??? ........ plus, on my capacitor, i have two wires one is blue and the other is a brown wire, which one is connected to the "live wire" ???

i hope you dont mind me asking too many questions at once.........

i have read a bit from lumenlabs, but i have not joined them, i read a lot of information from another site called diyprojectors (http://www.diyprojectorcompany.com/) i also look at diyaudio forums where they have a projector (http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=20) section, and just for a bit of added info, if anyone needs to get FFC extensions, you can find them online here in australia at farnellinone (http://au.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/partDetail.jsp?SKU=3295035&N=401) this link actually shows the extension that i am now waiting on..........

i noticed in an earlier post that someone asked how big the lcd's are in the commercial projectors, apparently they are only 1 inch big, i know that because i was told it by people from "diyprojectors" i had bought an lcd projection lens on ebay that had come from a sony commercial projector, and asked them how good it would be, pity i didnt ask them before i had bought it.......

anyway, any info would be greatly appreciated, hopefully i will be watching 7 foot wide movies tomorrow night.........(with just a bit of the lcd electronic board in the way, till i get the FFC extension that is):cool::)

[Barry_White]

Hi Madmarvin

I gather you are talking about my wiring diagram. If you meant to have pictures on your post they are not showing up.

No where on my diagram is the green wire indicated as a live wire. As you say the green wire is the earth.

On my diagram the red wire is the live wire and the brown wire from the capacitor which is connected to the red live wire on the ballast.

I notice you are using a 250watt globe.

Where did you get your design from. Because the Lumen Lab design only uses a 250watt globe with the 7inch LCD screen.

[Barry_White]

Madmarvin

I had a look at the DIYAudio designs and I think that there designs leave a bit to be desired.

Once I could see the pictures on your post it became a bit clearer on what you where talking about. The green wire you are talking about on my diagram is actually connected to the case of the ballast.

What may be not clear on the sketch is another wire that is coloured grey but signifys the white wire going from the ballast to the igniter.

On the ballast there is a red live wire going in from the lamp switch and a red live wire going from the ballast both to the igniter and to one side of the lamp and the brown live wire goes from the red input wire on the ballast to the live side of the capacitor.

The Blue neutral wire comes from the line in to the other side of the capacitor then to the igniter and then to the other side of the lamp.

I hope that clears that up. The only thing you don't mention is a capacitor in your setup. The trouble is that all of these things can vary.

If you aren't really sure maybe you should get an electriction to wire it up.

Because remember with electricity ONE FLASH AND YOU ARE ASH.

[madmarvin]

thanks for that barry, i got a much better understanding of it now.......
i had trouble putting the photos up, but i finally got there....

my light bulb puts out 4500K and 20,500 lumens, ive only got an 8" lcd, but im hoping my lens will be top notch, its from a sony crt video projector, it adjusts from 20 to 23cm long, has 3 lenses in it and is 145 mm across, i got the lens and two others with it for $45 on ebay, i think these crt lenses actually have a 5 inch tv bolted onto them in the actual crt projectors, so it should adapt to the lcd system with no worries, if it turns out well, i will use the other lenses for 2 more projectors, but next time, i wont use 9mm craftwood :eek:

no way will i be watching the projector tonight, i didnt realise how many small jobs i had left to do on it, so i havent touched the ballast yet...........

anyway, thanks again.........:)

[John99]

Hi Barry
LL are amazing ordered parts on Thurs 26th, 10.30pm, parcel arrives Tues 31st 12pm or maybe US postal service is, maybe Aust post could learn something from them :)
Any way project is full steam ahead !

[woodbe]

The results are ideal watching of movies and TV and as I may have said before the quality out of the projector project is equivelant to a $7000 to $8000 commercial projector.

Hi Barry,

I'm interested in this project, but I was wondering if you could explain how the output quality compares with the commercial projectors. As I understand it, the DIY projector is using a 1024x768 panel. Does it project a better qualty image than a 1024x768 LCD projector?

My interest is not for movies, but for projecting high quality images, probably from the PC or laptop.

woodbe

[Barry_White]

Hi Barry,

I'm interested in this project, but I was wondering if you could explain how the output quality compares with the commercial projectors. As I understand it, the DIY projector is using a 1024x768 panel. Does it project a better qualty image than a 1024x768 LCD projector?

My interest is not for movies, but for projecting high quality images, probably from the PC or laptop.

woodbe

Hi Woodbe

I really can't answer that as I have never seen a 1024x768 LCD projector working and I have not operated my projector through my computer. All I know is that the resolution is excellent on mine.

The best thing is to have a look on the LumenLab Forum and it is worth paying the $19.95USD to get full access to the whole forum because the information is totally invaluable.

The latest design they are using is with a 17" LCD panel and the resolution is fantastic. Since I built mine the improvements LumenLab have made are very substantial and they are experimenting all the time.

If you have a look here you can see the resolution out of a 17" panel with the latest lenses they have available.

http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2898&st=40

[smitthhyy]

Barry,

I noticed you checked the temprature of your pj. Have you included some sort of protection that turns the light off when the temp gets to high?

Also what environment are you using it in, ie airconditioned? Just thinking how it would go during the hot summer with ambient temps much higher than this time of year.

Great find though. I think this may be my next project.

[Barry_White]

Barry,

I noticed you checked the temprature of your pj. Have you included some sort of protection that turns the light off when the temp gets to high?

Also what environment are you using it in, ie airconditioned? Just thinking how it would go during the hot summer with ambient temps much higher than this time of year.

Great find though. I think this may be my next project.

Smithhyy

I have a temperature gauge that records both the temperature in the light box and also the temperature at the LCD screen. I live in an area where the evening summer temperatures don't go much above 30 degrees C and that is pretty rare and the highest the temperature has gone at the LCD is 36 degrees.

I don't have a cutout for the light controlled by the temperature but I do have it wired so that if the fan is turned off the light will go out also.

I don't have air-conditioning in the house but I do have a ceiling fan above the projector.

I also don't use it during the daytime.