[Quasi_Mojo]

Hello all!

I thought I'd get my PLOG together to help keep my build straight in my head.
I was originally going to purchase one of the LL eVo projectors - I was really stoked when I came across an article on one of the Tech Blog sites (engadget.com, techeblog.com, gizmodo.com, neatorama.com, etc.). I was in the process of saving my money for the eVo and I kept on reading about the various problems (aspect ratio, ballast issues, shipping nightmares, etc.) that people were encountering. And now, from what I understand, the eVos are no longer being shipped to Canada.

So... I've decide to build my own projector. I've never done anything like this before and I know very little about electronics, but I have a feeling that this project will be very rewarding.

---------------------------------

I've got most of my internal components and I've tried to buy what I can locally, in order to save on shipping related charges (customs, brokerage fees and the like) that we Canadians must face.

I'm going to be building a mini-HAAS box using the 10.6 LCD with the MST controller.
(The HAAS style of enclosure was one of the first "different" enclosures designed. Up until that point, most of the DIY PJs were just rectangular boxes. The member who first developed this style of enclosure was named Haas_man.
The "Haas Style" Projector)

10.6 12.1 Toshiba LTD121LX8S (Rev.Z) LCD kit w/ MST9E19A MST9E19V1.22B Controller 720P ($265.00 - I managed to obtain one before the price jump)
200mm & 320mm Fresnel Lens Kit ($35.00 - Pre-cut - Yay!!!)
Ceramic HID Lamp Box Kit W/ Reflector & Precondenser Lens ($40.00)
($405.00 Shipped - Only $35 for shipping - FedEx International Priority - with no additional charges)
I'll have to do some testing to see if it's going to be worth it to use this precondenser as some people have produced better results without it. I may end up substituting a cut piece of tempered glass in it's place.
Thanks johnzo!

Vari-Focal Lens 275/320mm FL ($42.49 Shipped + $9.58 for Customs Charges)
Purchased from TESCORP
Switched to LL S15 Triplet - Thank you LL!

150W Venture Lighting Metal Halide Ballast
According to the bulb box, I needed either an M81, M102 or M142 ballast.
V90D7110 150W M102 60 Hz (unfortunately, there was no mounting hardware included)
http://www.ventureli...MH/V90D7110.pdf
I had originally contacted Venture Lighting via their website (as they have a location within Ontario - trying to keep shipping costs down) and asked them for a quote. I got a reply back asking to provide my address and they'd send one out. I took this to mean that they would be e-mailing me back with a quote once they had my Postal Code. Imagine my surprise when I came home from work one evening and found that they had FedExed one out to me! The invoice was even marked Prepaid! I'm not sure if this was a previously used ballast, or not, as the wires are stripped at the ends. I'll be able to provide some pictures next week when my camera gets here.

150W USHIO DE Metal Halide Bulb - CMD-150/TD/942/RX7S ($67.85, including taxes - Bought locally from Buchanan Lighting - "Light Bulb Experts")
http://www.ushio.com...s/Ceramique.pdf
Tyler of Buchanan Lighting advised me that they will ship to other Provinces. Contact them for pricing - Send an e-mail to ernie AT buchananlighting DOT com.
http://www.buchananlighting.ca

12V DC 1.5A Regulated AC Adapter ($39.89 - Purchased locally from The Source - Used to be Radio Shack)
Yes, I know I paid too much but it would have cost me just as much to ship one - it's hard to find anything above 1000mA, locally.
http://www.thesource...product=2731779
I read in one of the threads that as long as you're not using the backlight, you only need, at most, 1300mA. I powered up the LCD before stripping it and it seemed to function well.

For my cooling and heat monitoring:

EverCool EC-PCAC Fan (moves 100 CFM)
http://www.aerocoole...od_id=FANECACBK

Two (2) Scythe TM02-WH KAMA THERMO Thermometer (Celsius - they have one that does Fahrenheit, too)
I'll have one monitoring temperature at the LCD and one closer to the light box.
http://www.aerocoole...rod_id=FANSCTMC

The PCAC fan has a three pin connector and the two thermometers have four pin connectors. These will be plugged into the following:

Thermaltake Power Station Mini Box...
http://www.aerocoole...od_id=FANTT2359

(These last three items were $66.28, Shipped. Once again, I'll have to wait and see if there are additional charges once received)

...Which will be powered by this adapter:

AC to DC Adapter, 110v AC to 12v DC converter ($21.41 Shipped, USPS - We'll see if I have to pay additional charges when it gets here)
http://www.performan...oducts_id=22607

Using this combination of AC adapter and the Thermaltake Power Station Mini Box, I won't have to void any warranties on the PCAC and thermometers due to stripping the wires. Should they not function, or cease to function, within the warranty period, they could easily be returned.

Next up, I purchased a DPST switch (The Source - used to be called Radio Shack as mentioned above - only sells SPST switches), power entry module and AC power cord from the local Active Electronic Supply Store ($19.86, including taxes). Here's a link to their store locater if any of you fellow Canadians want to find out if there's one near you:
http://www.active123...=storeLocator_1
Thanks for the link, infinityPlusOne!

I also picked up a 15 foot VGA cable at a local computer store ($25 - again, it would have probably cost me as much to ship it).

---------------------------------

As I mentioned above, I'm going to build a mini-HAAS box, for aesthetic reasons. I think the HAAS box is pretty sexy looking and I certainly do not want, nor have room for, a three foot box. Not that there's anything wrong with a three foot box... some of my best friends...
I'm trying to keep the box under 20 inches long (500mm), but we'll have to wait and see how the lighting tests come out. I've found TESCORP's mini-HAAS (http://www.lumenlab....showtopic=22167) and b0rna's Little 10.6 box (http://www.lumenlab....showtopic=22169) to be a great inspiration.

I've been spending the past few weeks modeling my components using Google Sketchup (http://sketchup.google.com - I managed to find a full copy of Google SketchUp Pro 6 kicking around ).
I'll be posting my models to the Google 3D Warehouse (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse) for those who might find them useful. Just do a search for lumenlab.

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 17 March 2009 - 08:06 PM

[Quasi_Mojo]

A note on the Google Sketchup files that can be found below:
I have endeavored to make them as accurate as I possibly could. All measurements are within 1mm of actual parts. All parts were created using metric measurements (mm).

Here's my Sketchup of the LCD Sled - Which includes the LCD (I'll be keeping as much of the original LCD metal/plastic frame intact as I can), and pre-cut Fresnels (220 & 320 FL). The front fresnel uses gravity keystoning and the rear fresnel slides into the slot provided. Air intake will be through the bottom and will flow up and over the top of the rear fresnel to the Evercool PCAC fan at the rear of the projector. The LCD will slide into the slot provided and will be topped with a 1/4 inch (6mm) piece of basswood - and probably a piece of weatherstripping to keep the airflow path integrity. The LCD sled, itself, will be made of the same basswood that b0rna used in his build.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.goog...0824f317377886b

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:16 PM

[Quasi_Mojo]

Note: Due to the breakage of my 10.6 LCD, I've replaced it with the 12.1 LCD and pre-cut 220/320 Fresnels. The Sketchup files for those components can be found here:
http://www.lumenlab....s...st&p=275479

Here's my Sketchup of the MST KM9E19ATVL Controller Board.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.goog...d104eb9ad88106c

And the Menu Board for the Controller.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.goog...4b2411cd6c8a7a9

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:19 PM

[Quasi_Mojo]

Here's a Sketchup of my 150W USHIO DE Metal Halide Bulb - CMD-150/TD/942/RX7S.
Damn, that's one sexy bulb.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.goog...da83b880d6d99f0

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:20 PM

[Quasi_Mojo]

Here's a Sketchup of the Lightbox that Johnzo sells in his store. The Sketchup file includes the Lightbox, RX7s Sockets, Precondenser and Reflector.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.goog...e4de34f7c8136ca

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:25 PM

[Quasi_Mojo]

Here's a Sketchup of the 275-320FL Varifocal Lens that I purchased from TESCORP. I would have purchased from LL, directly, but they were out of stock at the time of my order and TESCORP shipped via USPS.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.goog...befa6f5f873c000

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:26 PM

[Quasi_Mojo]

To give you some kind of idea as to what the projector will look like, refer to the image below. I'm designing this box as an internal "skeleton" made with 1/4 inch basswood strips with a 1/8 inch "skin" of the same basswood (or maybe MDF). The bottom panels, both in front of the LCD Sled and behind will be secured in place (I'll be using wood glue as b0rna did) and will not be removable. I'm still debating on the top panel and how I am going to access the internals for assembly and maintenance. I may opt for a hinged lid, similar to... say... a jewelry box, while keeping the same, overall HAAS shape. I unwisely started to model my projector by making the box first, but I found that it's best working from the inside out. I won't know the exact length of the box as I'm not sure how close I can place the lightbox to the rear fresnel. Hopefully, closer than the 220FL rear fresnel allows for. The corners will be rounded and the outside will be finished with some type of gloss surface material (or maybe just paint).

Alsa Corp ( http://www.alsacorp.com ) has some wicked finishes but they may be out of my price range.

The front of the PJ is on the left.

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:27 PM

[Quasi_Mojo]

Using the FocalCalc, I've derived the following measurements for the box. As I've said before, the only unknown measurement left is the distance from bulb arc to the rear fresnel - either with or without the precondenser. Hopefully, I'll be able to test fire the bulb tomorrow (as soon as I figure out how to wire it).

Since I'm using a vari-focal lens, I've calculated two throws based on minimum and maximum settings.

This one at 275FL:



And this one at 320FL:



Hmmm... I just noticed that the LCD Distance in the 320FL image increases more than the amount the lens adjusts (the lens has less than 20mm of linear adjustment). I thought using a vari-focal would allow me to keep the same LCD Distance and allow me to just move the projector back further while keeping the screen size the same.

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:29 PM

[TESCORP]

Looks like a good start, only thing I would do is extend the rear compartment a few more inches to allow for more room in the back. my original design is 20" long but I really think 24" will be better. I had to mount the fan outside because I ran out of room with the cold mirror, bulb, and condensor. you can also shift your sled back to isolate the front chamber and controller from the air flow.
very nice work with sketch up. mind if I borrow a few for some designs?

[Quasi_Mojo]

Thanks for the feedback, TESCORP.
I forgot to mention up above that I was originally going to buy one of your 10.6 mini-HAAS enclosures but decided to build due to your time constraints and my ever-emptying wallet. Hopefully, when you get your CNC machine assembled, you'll be able to crank out enclosures more quickly - which will, in turn, increase demand, which will increase... you're going to have to hire help soon!
I really admire your enclosures and the amount of work and quality that you put into them.

About the mock-up enclosure image above, the dimensions are not really accurate. The 20 inch box length was based on both your mini-HAAS and b0rna's 10.6 box (which looks like he kept it under 18 inches long). The PCAC fan mostly sticks out the back of the box (from what I understand) so that should help. Even without using a precondenser, the distance from lens to bulb arc is around 21 inches (540mm). If I have to go 24 inches, then that's something I could do. Hopefully, the precondenser works as it should. I've seen a lot of people using this lightbox over in that Chinese forum. I'll have to make time to check out some Google-translated threads over there tomorrow (today).

The LCD Sled will be isolating the front chamber and controller from airflow. It's hard to picture right now, but the sled will be resting on the "floor" of the rear chamber with the air intake about 10mm to the right (in the image above) of the drop-off where the controller sits. Now that I think about it, the "0" origin point in the sketchup image above was the center of the LCD.

As far as the Sketchup items go, please help yourself to them.

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 25 November 2007 - 07:20 AM

[Quasi_Mojo]

As I'd mentioned before, I'm a complete novice when it comes to electrical wiring. I want to set up the test firing of my bulb (I'm not worried about the complete wiring solution, yet) but I'm having some trouble with the wiring.

The wiring diagram on the ballast looks like this:



Below is my interpretation of the diagram:



My questions are:
1) What do I do with the Ground wire (Green) and the Common wire coming from the bottom of the bulb (Light Gray color in my rendering - labeled White in the ballast diagram)?

2) This is a Quad-Tap ballast. There are two Common wires coming from the left side of the ballast. Can I use electrical tape to individually tape the ends of the Black, Tan, Purple and the second Common wire and then tape those four wires together and tuck them out of the way?

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:30 PM

[fmerrill]

Use the other common wire from the ballast to go to the grey wire you have labeled with a question mark coming from the lamp.

[Quasi_Mojo]

fmerrill, on Nov 25 2007, 04:26 PM, said:

Use the other common wire from the ballast to go to the grey wire you have labeled with a question mark coming from the lamp.

fmerrill, Thanks for the reply!
So I don't need to worry about doing anything with the Ground wire, yet?
And what about using electrical tape to individually tape the ends of the Black, Tan and Purple wires and then tape those three wires together and tuck them out of the way?

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 25 November 2007 - 11:02 PM

[fmerrill]

Quasi_Mojo, on Nov 25 2007, 05:53 PM, said:

fmerrill, Thanks for the reply!
So I don't need to worry about doing anything with the Ground wire, yet?
And what about using electrical tape to individually tape the ends of the Black, Tan and Purple wires and then tape those three wires together and tuck them out of the way?

In a projector there isn't much that you can ground to, but, you can ground to the metal mounting on the ballast itself, and, on most ballasts, there is usually a recommendation to ground the case on metal clad capacitors.

Yes, just isolate the other voltage input wires from each other.
Electrical tape is ok, but I personally prefer to put a wire nut on each one.
Sometimes in the heat electrical tape will come undone.

[Quasi_Mojo]

Thanks again for your help, fmerrill!

---------------------------------


Here's my Sketchup of the V90D7110 Ballast, Cap and Ignitor.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.goog...c838806c41a1b63

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:31 PM

[Quasi_Mojo]

So... here's what the internal parts look like when they're put in place. Due to the size of the lightbox, I'll probably be mounting the ballast in the front compartment of the projector. I'm not sure if I'll need a fan there for any heat build-up.

The measurements below reflect a worse-case scenario if I choose not to use the precondenser. As TESCORP pointed out above, worse-case, the box would have to be close to 24 inches long.
Length: 565mm is about 22 1/2 inches long.
Width: 300mm is about 12 inches.
Height (measured from top of LCD Sled to bottom of MST Board): 201mm is almost 8 inches.

Here's an isometric view looking from above:



The side view:



The top view:



The bottom view:

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:36 PM

[Quasi_Mojo]

The front view:



And the rear view:



Now... to build the "skeleton".
Maybe I'll work on that tomorrow. I'm going to eat supper and watch a movie.

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 14 July 2008 - 04:38 PM

[mdmfootball]

I'm thinking you might have a problem with weight distribution and the front end wanting to point down all the time because of the ballast being in the front. But those look sketches look really good. I think I might have to steal the controller board for my sketch.

[Quasi_Mojo]

mdmfootball, on Nov 25 2007, 11:21 PM, said:

I'm thinking you might have a problem with weight distribution and the front end wanting to point down all the time because of the ballast being in the front. But those look sketches look really good. I think I might have to steal the controller board for my sketch.

I've thought a lot about the weight distribution, believe me. If the ballast was put in the rear compartment, I would still have a weight distribution problem - as the projector would want to tilt up. Either I have to make it so the projector will securely lock in it's stand (the option I'm shooting for) or I have to mount the ballast external to the projector. I think I can manage the former without too much difficulty.

[infinityPlusOne]

Quasi_Mojo, on Nov 24 2007, 08:21 PM, said:

As I mentioned above, I'm going to build a mini-HAAS box, for aesthetic reasons. I think the HAAS box is pretty sexy looking and I certainly do not want, nor have room for, a three foot box. Not that there's anything wrong with a three foot box... some of my best friends...

Who could you be referring to?


But wow. Your SketchUp sketches are amazing! You've really put in a great amount of detail into them. Kudos!

Also, I thought I was happy with the thermometer that I bought for my build. But seeing that Scythe KAMA Thermometer has me second guessing my choice. Blue back-light and a small footprint. That's hot.

Are you using a computer power supply to power your fans and thermometers?


Keep up the good work man. With the way things are going, I'm sure your results will be gratifying.

[Quasi_Mojo]

infinityPlusOne, on Nov 26 2007, 01:17 AM, said:

Are you using a computer power supply to power your fans and thermometers?

Thanks for the comments, infinityPlusOne!
If my build turns out to be as nice as I hope it does, it'll be due to those of you who have come before me and paved the way.

I know that my first post in this thread was lengthy, so you might have missed the reference to the AC to DC Adapter, 110v AC to 12v DC converter that I'll be using to power the thermometers and fan. The converter plugs into the Power Station Mini Box and then I'll be plugging the fan and thermometers into that using the three and four pin connectors.

[infinityPlusOne]

Quasi_Mojo, on Nov 26 2007, 03:08 AM, said:

Thanks for the comments, infinityPlusOne!
If my build turns out to be as nice as I hope it does, it'll be due to those of you who have come before me and paved the way.

I know that my first post in this thread was lengthy, so you might have missed the reference to the AC to DC Adapter, 110v AC to 12v DC converter that I'll be using to power the thermometers and fan. The converter plugs into the Power Station Mini Box and then I'll be plugging the fan and thermometers into that using the three and four pin connectors.

Yup I missed that. That looks like a pretty good solution right there.

[Quasi_Mojo]

Well... tonight was the night I set aside for the initial lamp test. I wired the ballast to the lamp sockets last night using the diagram verified by fmerrill. Tonight, after I got home from work, I set it up in the unfinished part of the basement in case of fire. I held my breath as I plugged it in (not looking directly into the light) and saw a bright flash... that soon muted to a very soft, blue glow. "Well," I thought, "so much for that bulb!" Then the soft glow started getting significantly brighter. And brighter. Now... I told myself not to look into the bulb... but it's so damn hypnotic. I can't believe I got the wiring right. I can't believe that free ballast was actually good. I can't believe I'm still seeing spots.

Time to go check on the lamp, again. I need to get over the fear of burning the place down.

Update: The ballast is only warm to the touch and the lamp doesn't seem to be putting off too much heat. I'm liking this.

Update 2: Ballast is getting warmer. I'm going to need to incorporate some thin metal flashing underneath and to the side of my ballast in the box. And maybe a small fan. Hmmm... or maybe put it in the rear compartment, after all.

Update 3 - 3 hours later: I've just unplugged the ballast. I guess I was surprised at how hot the ballast got. I think I'll make my box wider to accommodate the ballast in the rear. I was surprised, as well, that it was silent (as far as I could tell). I was expecting to hear some kind of humming.

This post has been edited by Quasi_Mojo: 27 November 2007 - 05:20 AM

[GusF]

Quasi_Mojo, on Nov 26 2007, 08:45 PM, said:

... but it's so damn hypnotic. I can't believe I got the wiring right. I can't believe that free ballast was actually good. I can't believe I'm still seeing spots.

Heh...you think that's hypnotic! Try not glancing at a 1KW bulb. Oh man, is that tough not to look at! Of course, when you finally give in, it's the last thing you see clearly for quite a while....and you'll be seeing it for hours and hours and hours....well, ok...only a day or so! I remember thinking that dark sunglasses ought to be sufficient for a 400W bulb...yeah, saw spots after that one too! I've already had lasik surgery once....I don't need to burn away all the good it did! From then on, it was gas welding goggles for me when playing with those puppies!

[daedalus01]

any reason why you used a varifocal instead of a standard triplet?