Arran's 15" LCD DIY Projector

[Dexpend]

Thanks pretty awesome. Great work

[Geert365]

Should i save up for a lg hx 300g or go for DIY projector.

[hug03018446]

@Geert365 building a diy projector is so much fun I'm still using mine 3 years later but I am getting an optoma hd600x soon because of its smaller size, brightr bulb

[Geert365]

@hug03018446 May be you should take a look at the one i had in mind, It cost's more but the bulb lasts a lot longer. But picture could be worse and other parts might be failing sooner i dunno, so don't pin me down on anything, just saying it in case you didn't know those types were out there, just found out myself not so long ago. Thought it was one of the main reasons the DIY projectors were so popular, cheaper bulbs. So there was one fewer reason (at least for me anyway) to make one myself.

[andrewbsheets2]

i have 100 videos of diferent diy projectors

[emmziboat]

lol

[thedtsone]

Can you give me an idea as yo what the output lense is... how to make or what to take it out of, exd.

[hug03018446]

hi, I took my lens out of an old overhead projector. I then used two drain pipes that happened to fit snug inside eachother to make the focus mechanism.

[keyinregulus3]

That's one cool evice you created there. Especially when you open the arc of the covenant.

[hug03018446]

haha! thanks.

[intheshitter]

Dude! Im gonna have to steal your triplet focusing mechanism idea for the next time I rebuild my pj!

[hug03018446]

thanks dude, keep in mind however that slight vignetting will occure in the corners by using this method.

But as a plus side you are able to focus the projecto withouth moving it about. Have fun :)

[hug03018446]

occur * lol

[srathee21]

fuking ..too costly...i bought 15"Lcd kit at just Rs...$200.. lcd at nehruplace in india at just rs $50..lenses $100..400W bulb $40+$10 Convnc=50..total $200...$5 for box..my project goin wel at 12ft screen, i hav no projection screen only white paint coated wall.

[hug03018446]

go to the lumenlab website and have a look through the forum, thats where I learnt.

[Alvinladen]

hi!

im a complete newbie in electronics. i want to build my own projector but the problem is i dont know how to build a light engine (dont know how to install bulb and ballast).

can somebody help me?!

TIA!

[MrJayball]

i can tell u a easier way to make one get a overhead projecto like the ones they use for schools find one on ebay for about 35 dollars and take apart a small flat screen tv an lay the screen on top no need to search for the right lens or find the rite bulb this way or type into youtube (overhead projector hack )hope this helps

[hug03018446]

true, but you'll still need to build an enclosure for it to prevent light leakage. A normal ohp bulb may or may not be powerful enough which means that a new bulb and ballast may be in order.

[Alvinladen]

thanks for that bro. actually i already built one using a samsung 633nw lcd. :)

[hug03018446]

cool man, you should make a video and post it here so we can see. take care

[numodegraphika]

Hey my name's Arran too. Impressive projector !

[hug03018446]

we are a rare creature, glad you like the projector. :P

[lrod08]

where did you get lamp and ballast?

[hug03018446]

Hi there, lamp and ballast came from ebay for 60 quid, I just searched for metal hallide 400 watt.

Came complete with a floodlight housing.

thanks

[hug03018446]

hi yeah, i owned 1 spare anyway after breking the one i bought off ebay (£35 - good deal) i used thaone after i ruined that one due to carelessness i took my brothers one and swapped it with a crt lol. anything else you need, just ask

[lobextomy]

how much did you spend for the whole thing?

[hug03018446]

hi lobextomy, overall I spend around £200 buts thats only because i ruined 2 lcd monitors and had to buy another 2.

have a nice day

[lobextomy]

thanks. You bought 3 lcd's and still kept it around 200 pounds? is that like 500 dollars? because in the lumenlab forum the 15 inch kit is already at 380 dollars, plus an lcd monitor. I hope I dont break 2 of them :(

[emmziboat]

ha jype

[zws1922]

cool. and speaking of cool, since you have already built a projector, try putting a CFL light bulb (40-60W) instead. it might give the same ammount of light, heat a lot less and consume a lot less.

[DukeRaven]

Omg, what happens next what happens next, Luke is pointing at something what happens next!

Cool projector too, add me and look at the generi rig being sick for all time my friend =P

[Mikapppp]

thats is awsome, nice job!

[hug03018446]

thanks alot.

[AMOVIEROOM]

Very nice one of the best i've seen! nice pic also. enjoy

[hug03018446]

thanks :)

[truepal20032001]

can you please tell me where you got ur instructions...

[hug03018446]

hi, yes everything that I used in terms of instructions can be found on lumenlab . com

(without the spaces)

remember to register.

[drewkillz]

how about a step by step screen shots of the process mainly just on eveerything except lcd because i doubt anybody will have the same lcd as you

[hug03018446]

Now that is a neat idea, however I did not take any photos of the process at the time. and lcd's all are roughly the same to dismantle, And if you look on lumenlab and search for member Arran. and then view my topics.

you can see what parts i use and there are a few screen shots of each process. you need to register for the link to work however, thanks

[najijiprojects]

I want to build a DIY Beamer myself too. It's difficult to disassenlbe the LCD-Screen?

[hug03018446]

not really difficult, just takes a bit of time. Also you must make sure you are properly earthed, so you don't short the circit board. Be really careful with the lcd's FFC's (flat flexiblr cables) that connect to the lcd screen, a bit of strain on these will most definitely result in a dead lcd. Hope this helps, and tif you need anymore information head on over to lumenlab com and read through the forums, thats where I got all the information that I needed for my build. thanks

[conanmillsa]

hey cant you use a flouresecnt light

-

[hug03018446]

yea, I have seen a few people make flourescent lamp projectors, where behined the lcd they have abour 5-6 bulbs. Ive only seen these done with small builds, like a portable dvd player. thanks

[rafpilot1]

i dont understand a 15" screen or what?

[takeoff1212]

it means that the lcd he was using in the projector is a 15" computer monitor stripped down to just the lcd panel.

[hug03018446]

hi, sorry. Yeah the screen is a 15" lcd monitor that i wasnt using.

[MakeYourself1987]

Hey, how many watts is that light? I have a 600watt overhead projector light in my box -finally finished it- and it's making way too much heat. I didn't put a fan on the top of the box yet. Do you think that it'd make a huge difference? There is a fan on the side of the box... I should put a video of this up soon.

[hug03018446]

hi there, this is a 400 watt lamp,(metal halide) can i persume that yours is too, halogens are no good for this sort of thing, they let off too much heat. Yeah in my opinion 2 x 12v fans in the roof should help it a great deal. Make sure you find a way of venting the warm air out of the box too, I made holes on the outersides of the fans.

also make sure that you have some tempered glass too, i used glass from a spare flatbed scanner

[MakeYourself1987]

Well not to be invading or such but do you mind giving me your msn or something? It's a little more complicated than you think. Message me if you like.

[johnxbox]

hey this is cool. i saw a guy on youtube who said you could build these from scratch using a 20 million candle power light and it will work in a lit room?? could your design be mounted on the ceiling? good job man!

[hug03018446]

ywah man, absolutely. you could make a braket or something similar, im not sure how powerful my lamo is, but is a good picture lol.

[johnxbox]

do you have to have the curtains closed and all the lights off etc?

[hug03018446]

yes, unfortunately this is the major drawback to making a projecto of this kind. If you were to use bigger bulbs, they would create more heat, cost more to run and the fans needed to cool the projector would also need to be robust. Also hightemperatures, above 50 - 60 degrees C. will destroy the lcd panel.

hope this helps

[johnxbox]

i have a sony pgc-4c1m screen (its a small one i dunno the actual size). i have the screen still attached to the laptop but the laptop is wrecked. could i use the screen do you thihk?

[MakeYourself1987]

I wanted to know this myself. Unfortunately you can't. I was pissed off as well but I looked around all over to find out if I could or not. Come to think of it, maybe you can. I remember looking on ebay for a laptop controller. You'll need one of those. The thing is that they might not have the right controller for your lcd panel. Look around on there.

[se7en1976]

I have all the lenses forsale to make this. I am not completing the project.

If anyone is interested..

(Australia)

[rimo323]

Hi se7en1976 I'm interested in starting this project, you have probably sold the lenses by now but is there any chance of finding out where you got them from originally I'm situated in melbourne

thanks

[barnacules1]

Wow, very nice but wouldn't it be cheaper and less work to just buy a projector that is about 1/10th the size and way better picture?

[hug03018446]

well if you want to fork out for the spare bulbs that often cost more than the actual projector itself then be my guest. I won't argue that the picture quality is better on commercials and also brighter. But the price of a spare bulb for my setup is £15 and lasts for 20,000 hours. How long does a commercial bulb last for? 3,000 ish.

Also its just great fun to build something like this. I rest my case.

[SatansPuppetMaster]

Nice. Your box is about as big as mine. Your focusing mechanism is awsome.I Finished mine about 2 years ago. What light are you using ? 400w MH ?

[SatansPuppetMaster]

Oh one more thing. If you need a screen , i really suggest painting a surface ( i used a wooden frame with blackout cloth for the screen ) with Tremclad Aluminium paint. You will notice a way better picture with less bleading.

[austinj758]

I'm not really a handy guy. Do you recommend I buy the evo1.1 they're selling on the site?

[2shaecorp]

grate!! can I order one,hahaha.congrats.

[MatthewPatch]

I'm a complete hardware n00b with absolutly no experience of engineering. How long and how much does it cost/take to produce this? Is it even possible with no hardware experience?

[hug03018446]

no real hardware experience is needed. Find some tutorials on the forum over at w w w . l u m e n l a b . c o m

took me about a month to make

[tuberseb]

great job

[defrankond]

there is alot of light leakage from the box.

[hug03018446]

yeah there is :) its the part where i can pull the bulb out if i wanted to, i had designed a cover for it, i guess that will get done after i return from university. thanks foir the comment though.

[stlmjl02]

Great job...But like he said, you have a lot of light leakage and i noticed you did not paint the inside of the box. You should paint the whole inside flat black and your image will be even brighter and sharper than it is now.

[hug03018446]

Hi, yes since then io have painted the box black, and alo added a precoondenser and a reflector for the bulb. thanls for looking

[MakeYourself1987]

lol I'm planning on making one of these. Maybe you can help me out some how if you wouldn't mind. Message me if you've got the time.

[maquilla2001]

creepy video

[hug03018446]

why is it creepy? :) i didnt plan on that intentionally.

[uNrEaChAbLe444]

i like it...

[puggster]

good job

nice clear picture too

[lavelleperson12]

I've built one too and those have got to be the best plans yet.Great work

[blake18]

Fantastic job, I built my own as well. :)

[zetacool]

Dude, very cool video.

Iam gathering the money to build one.

send u a link to mi video later ;)

Been looking for videos about this, yours is the best one

Good Luck

[VideoGuy84]

Wow very nice work, neat and clean enclosure and nice picture too. I was really considering building my own projector a while ago, but I broke down and bought a commercial projector off eBay because I lacked the time to go DIY. But either way having your own projector is major fun and I'm still impressed with what you DIYers come up with.

[hug03018446]

hey thanks dude, if you find yourself with a lot of spare time on your hands consider making one. It gets addictive though. I want to make more :o

good luck to you, and give my regards to your projector

[hug03018446]

hi tiagoblanquet, the light source is a 400watt metal halide. The lenses (triplet and 3 fresnels) are available from lumenlab com, also there are many guides and tutorials on that site. you should check it out. Good luck :)

[tiagoblanquet]

genious thing to be done. Just a question. where to get the lens and what light source are you using. It must be a powerfull one i gess

[kshyhoolupus]

good job with the projector. The game sucks though

[emmziboat]

Emma smells? ha how dare you, haha

junk