Hello everyone, I am new here and have decided to invest $20 for a well respected DIY projector site.

I have read much in the past month on DIY projectors and now wish to test my knowledge . Ever since I have seen some of these DIY projector sites, I have had visions for a Home Theater design. I hope to complete this projector in a few weeks if possible, but most of all, I wan't to get the best setup for my money; quality, features, performance, and space efficient. I am sorry to say I don't have much time tonight, but tomorrow I will give a much more detailed setup of my situation, hopefully some pics for the before and after sequence and give you guys some background of the situation.

I'll get some pics for you guys of my room and what I have so far for a Home Theater setup tomorrow, which I hope to complement with a nice quality DIY Projector that the savy LumenLab community would surely support.

Anyways, I will reveal all that I can and I hope guys both like and critique what I have as of now. Toodles.

Here is a checklist of my Home Theater Project:
[ ] Move to the new house
[ ] Make a complete BluePrint for Home Theater
[ ] Install dimmer switch in wall
[ ] Mount Speakers
[ ] Darker Paint on Walls
[ ] Finish Projector
[ ] Find a SwitchBox for components to PJ
[ ] Get a remote working with all the apps
[ ] Build a folding table for under the futon
[ ] Build shelves for components
[ ] Finish configuring the myHTPC setup.
_____________________________________________________

Home Theater: $2000.00 limit

COMPUTER: ($838.00) [ ]
CPU: Athlon X2 3800+ ($297.00) [ ]
RAM: Corsair VS 2GB RAM ($140.00) [X]
MOBO: Chaintech VNF4 ($70.00) [X]
GPU: eVGA 6800GT PCIe ($180.00) [X]
HDD: Maxtor 250GB SATA HDD ($86.00) [X]
DVD: NEC DVD Burner ($38.00) [X]
CASE: Aspire X-Plorer Case ($55.00) [X]
PSU: FPS 450W ($45.00) [X]
SoundCard: BlueGears HDA 7.1 Surround DDL ($90.00) [X]
TV Tuner: Leadtek TV2000XP Expert ($41.00) [ ]
Ext. HDD: Seagate 250GB Ext. ($150.00) [X]

PROJECTOR: ($407.00) [ ]
Lamp: Sunmaster 1000W BT37 ($80.00) [X]
Ballast: 1000W MH Quad-Tap ($80.00) [X]
LCD: Westinghouse LCM 15v5 ($156.00) [X]
FS Mirror: FS Mirror ($18.00) [ ]
Lens Kit: S15 Lens Kit ($65.00) [X]
UV Filter: UV Filter 10" x 12" ($8.00) [X]

SURROUND SOUND: ($200.00) [X]
Speaker/Sub: Logitech z5500 ($200.00) [X]

ACCESSORIES: ($235.00) [ ]
Mouse/Keyboard: Logitech LX700 ($50.00) [X]
Gamepads: Saitek P880 (x2) ($20.00) [X]
Light Gun: LCD Topgun (x2) ($70.00) [ ]
Xbox Controller w/PC: Super JoyBox 11 ($15.00) [X]

Xbox Stuff ($520.00) [ ]
Xbox 360 Racing Wheel ($80.00) [X]
Xbox 360 Premium Pack ($400.00) [X]
Elder Scrolls 4 Oblivion ($60.00) [ ]
Xbox Modchip ($60.00) [ ]

Video Editing Stuff ($490.00) [ ]
Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 ($90.00) [ ]
Digital Camcorder: Not Sure ($400.00) [ ]

EBAY MATERIAL: ( -$155.00) [ ] (If you are interested in any of these items, I will give you a discount)
GAMEPAD: Belkin Nostromo N52 ( -$25.00) [ ]
RACING WHEEL: Logitech MOMO Racing Wheel ($90.00) [ ]
Oblivion PC Game ($40.00) [ ]

GRAND TOTAL:
COMPUTER ($1192.00)
PROJECTOR ($407.00)
SURROUND SOUND ($200.00)
ACCESSORIES ($235.00)
Xbox Stuff ($490.00)
EBAY MATERIAL ( -$155.00)
_________________________
$2369.00

Can't wait for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Welcome!

Best advice I can give you is to read in these forums, there are some amazing people
here with great ideas!

The plogs are great, you can see ideas develop and be worked out to the final product.


Enjoy!
FS

Here is my room:



It is roughly 12' x 12' give a few inches. The futon and bed will be facing the screen so I'll probably have them in this order. The dresser will move against the adjacent wall to give more room for the screen. The workspace will be gone for the projector. The subwoofer will be moved under the window in the second pic along side the wall and bed. I was going to put that surface against the wall and bed in picture one over along side the bed in front of the futon so I can easily access my components. These are my plans so far but I hope to see some ideas from you guys.

Here are some of the other things I have for my HT:



This is my remote for the computer. As of now I can only get it to work with the TV Tuner it came with, and nothing else. I hope to be able to get it to work with the whole computer. I was hoping to use Girder, but can't find a suitable plugin for it.



This is my Subwoofer for the Logitech z5500s. I've got it hooked up optically to my BlueGears HDA X-Mystique SoundCard. Beautiful sound and an awesome subwoofer.

This would be my computer. AMD 3500+, 6800GT, 500GB between the External Hardrive and the Internal Harddrive, 1GB Ram, DVD Burner. The speaker sitting on the floor needs a stand on the wall for itself.



I had to show off my desktop screen. Yes, that is Koffing. Kofingggggg



This is my backup computer. Its a powerhouse, running at 233MHz, nothing can stop it, except notepad . I'm not sure I can change it into anything, so I need ideas of what to do with it.



This is where I was going to put the projector. At this distance, I still only get an 85" diagonal. Unless I went down to a 15", I'm not sure how to get a bigger image. I'll talk about this later though.



This was going to be the place for a screen. I was hoping on getting a 100" screenie, but I think I am going with a pro lens triplet so the focal length will be to long to get it above 100". I also have to put a center speaker under the projector. It will be weird not having the components right by the screen.

What I've had in mind so far is to get a Samsung 740B, Pro Lens Triplet, Pro Fresnel Field, Pro Fresnel Condenser, a 400W MH bulb, respective ballast (haven't done much research on these), design undecide but has to be vertical, home-built screen, Panaflo 120mm fans or basic ones with a fan controller, and a transcoder for at least component input. I will have to get some basics on shopping so I will be browsing around the forums. A general direction would be great to get me started. I was going to try to keep this under $500, but that will be hard if using a Pro Lens. I wanted to be able to get widescreen with 720p if possible, reasoning behind the 17" along with games I like to play look much better at that resolution and the fact low response time 15" LCDs are tough to find. I am welcome to suggestions of any kind. I like to see every side of a story when ever possible so bash me if you wish. Thanks again to everyone in this community.

I think I may go with a 15" setup and save money now. Then once my parents decide that they like it I can sell it to them and make a new and improved one. The 15" has to have a lower response time, under 16ms. I was looking at the Proview 15.4" Widescreen LCD, not sure though.

Used 15" monitor ($100) 'Ebay'
eBallast ($100) 'LumenStore'
Standard Lense Kit ($65) 'LumenStore'
400W MH Lamp ($30) 'HomeDepot'

These are the basics so far. I hope to eventually incorporate a fan control and lense adjustor. I may order that ballast and bulb this week so I can fiddle around with it.

I will keep this thread updated on my Home Theater setup.

Once I finish the projector, the other things will fall into place. I'll also get some screenies of the Media Center software once I get it configured; it will be keyboard and mouse-free.

I also will post a model of the design I was going to use for the projector enclosure.

i wouldnt get the HD bulb go with a pulse start bulb and ballast either a m135 or the 400 e-ballast, the m135 would save you around $30-40 to get a better bulb

which leadtek card do you have, the deluxe + expert models have a plug in, but the PVR 2000 and RM models dont yet, afaik.

If its the deluxe or expert, the plugin is in the downloads section

I only have the RM version. For $25 it was a bargain. I may end up getting a ATI Remote Wonder in the future if this one doesn't work out.

Here is my idea for placement for the projector. (no it will not be lime green, just making sure it stood out)



I hope to leave enough room on top so the air will circulate near the fan in the middle of my room. I'm hoping this will also get rid of the need to worry about my LCD and fresnels getting to hot. I will have to live with a DVI cable hanging down the wall.

Are there any remotes that have glow-in-the-dark buttons for PC use? Its not so much for me as it is for others what want to use my HT.

Otherwise I was looking at ATIs Remote Wonder 1 or 2.

I liked this design, provided by joe2000chevy:

http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=2129



I was hoping I could just flip it upside down so that it was interfering with the futon it is over. It would also be more tolerant to the ear that the fans are near the ceiling and not less than a foot away from the viewer.

I found this monitor at zipzoomfly http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetai...ductCode=233228 for $206.

This one showed up at newegg for $140 after rebates, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16824222005

.

Welcome Professa Oak

When I started I got the monitor first and then decided what type of projector to build around it standard ,vertical, folded, did settle on a vertical folded and am in the process now of building it.

So good luck with your projector and keep us updated on your progress.



Cheers




.

I found a HID core and coil 400W ballast at bulbs.com for $66 http://www.bulbs.com/products/product_deta...&inventory=9407.
I found a Pulse Start 400W MH Bulb for $37 http://www.bulbs.com/products/product_deta...inventory=11785

I need a E39 Mogul base for the bulb, guessing HomeDepot may have one.

I might go with the BenQ because Ive only heard good things from it. Maybe I can find one on ebay for cheap. There was one for 130, but the guy said it might have black spots, could be dead pixels (bad) or a dying lamp (good). Ill see if I can get some pics from him.

I will definitely keep you guys updated. I will probably include everything I have on that checklist as well as a grand total for the entire home theater. I hope to keep it well under $2K.

This design works great. Used it to build my first projector.

http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3926

Since this is my first go at a projector, I hope it works for me.

Couple of questions though:
1. What ballast did you end up getting?
2. Are you still using you NVidia Cinema card for inputs?
I was looking at the N5-2 for $130, unless I can find one that takes in component, composite, svideo, and TV for cheaper. I just want to be able to easily switch components with the press of a button on my remote (more for other people than me really). My Leadtek TV2000 just isn't cutting it, though for $25 it does what it should. Otherwise, I'm going to see if I can get the Vdigi transcoder from my friend for about $40, cause he won't be needing it anymore. Then I can run all of my other inputs through the TV Tuner, though I may try to find one that has VGA in. But I still have the problem with the composite input giving a bit of delay, very noticeable while playing games. Im not sure if it is because my card uses software encoding, otherwise I will have to get an external TV tuner.

Your PJ turned out really nice by the way.

HORRAY, I finally got my remote to work.

I downloaded the Winfast2000XP Expert plugin, used Add Remote wizard, clicked on the run plugin window, selected Winfast2000 (Which was weird because I thought they didn't have a plugin for it), it identified that there was a Winfast remote, and now I am configuring it. I will setup a guide later so the unfortunate souls that are without a plugin can finally use it. I never found out why it couldn't work because the RM version and the Deluxe/Expert models all use the exact same remote. Now that it works, I am very happy

I think I will make a little tutorial for the remote setup with Girder, where should I post it so everyone that needs it can find it?

I just talked to my friend and he said he will sell me his component transcoder for $50. Can't get it until march 15th, that ought to give me some time to think some things over and maybe build a projector .

This is the transcoder, I helped him set it up.

http://hardware.teamxbox.com/articles/xbox...view%20-%20Xbox

It allows for both a VGA in and a Component in. This solves the sync-on-green issue and horizontal/vertical frequencies. Now all I have to do is get my Composite and Svideo to work the same way.

If I get time today or tomorrow, I will see what I can whip up with HL2s Hammer Editor and make a replica of what I want for a Home Theater. I won't have time for any skinning or texturing so I will use what I have at my disposal. At least then you guys will have a life size something to relate to when I rant on about my dreamy Home Theater design .

Hello Professa! You got one dandy of a projector goin'.I like your computer.I have an AMD 3000+ and it works great.I've only got a 320gb sata hard drive,but it works real good for storing DVDs.I used my old 233mhz as a linux firewall.They work great for little stuff like that.Good luck on the build. I'm looking forward to some screenshots!

Dont worry, there will be plenty to go around .

I just realized how big my image will be, a little less than 11'. Doesn't that seem kinda big for a 15" monitor. I don't want the brighness to be flushed out. Otherwise I don't know what to do. Will this still be optimal for using with a PC and reading text, along with some of the most visually intense source material? I just want to make sure I can maintain a sharp image while keeping it where it is at, if possible.

I was also looking at some type of VGA switch box for cheap, because I already have the transoders I will need to output to VGA, I just don't want to switch them everytime I want to use them. Unless I can find out how to get either my current TV Tuner to get live feed from the compostie source, delay free, or buying one that can (yet still record TV), that would be a way out of buying a VGA switchbox. Here is my current config:



I hope that I can get it so the Vdigi is my only transcoder, because after looking at all of the fighting going on with the N6, I don't want to get involved with those drugs. The most important this is that I dont lose any quality, or very little during the process. It will probably be pretty rare that I will hook up a composite device, because I run DVDs and TV through the comp, and if I were to get a 360, I would replace the current xbox with it.

I did use the BenQ FP591 monitor and it was a piece of cake to pull apart I have it in my plog how to do it.


Cheers




.

I just find it hard to find any of these monitors for cheap like you guys do. Then again, I take as few chances as possible when it comes to things like this.

You guys with the fancy avatars are makin' me jealous.I'm going into hiding to design the greatest avatar the world has ever seen.An avatar so wonderous that mere mortals would fall dead with just a quick glance of it's awesome majesty..... .....either that,or I'll just go to bed.....goodnight!

There not that hard to make. You just copy someone elses and edit it, or so they say .

Maybe I should just get a 1000w bulb... or steal it . elbeghast wouldn't mind .

Then maybe this whole giganstrous image issue I am envisioning wont be a problem. And once I like it, elbeghast can have his bulb back, then its just borrowing .

Hes has fallen for the bait, now if we can keep him here for a bit longer we may be able to slip through his defenses and take the bulb. Keep reading, keep reading, keep reading.




























Damn, wrong house. I give up, you win. I had a feeling you didn't live in Mongolia. Next time Ill listen to my instincts. Ive come clean, im at your will .

But seriously, at that distance, some things may start to wash out because of lack of light. More light couldn't hurt.

More light is great.The only thing it would hurt is your eyes,but that's why God made sunglasses so I think we're good.Now,if we put a pro reflector behind the sun,how much more lux can we get to the lunar surface using unsplit fresnels and the triplet from hubble assuming our 1700km diagonal LCD has a transmissivity of 5.2%?

17?

Im sorry, that was a guess, maybe once I take lightoemissiondifferotology, I will be able to do it on my own. Im seriously thinking about going with a 1000w, because I was thinking about having some ambient light present while using the projector, white light of course.

its to bed for me though, I have to wake up in 4 hours. I already feel the pain.

Well a 1900 kilometer diagonal LCD might be too large to fit in the hubble's triplet.

I would recommend the 1000 watt metal halide.It shows up very nicely in a normally lit room.I would go with a BT37 lamp because they are much smaller than the BT56.I also have very even light distribution on my 120" screen with the 1000 watt lamp.I am currently using a 15" panel but I will probably get a 17" eventually.If you go 1000 watt,try to find a lamp with a color temp of around 5000k.The whites look great at this color temp.You'll definitely be pleased with the results.

EDIT:You're living on the edge. 4 hours!? Good night professa!

Yawn, that was a good nap.

:angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry: :angry:

Frippin', frazzin', #$%$*@! copyright-infringing devil!!! My avatar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Enjoy it!!!!!!

(Psssst . . . check out my new post about stacking FC2's.)

I had to edit this post because I used too many emoticons initially!

Hmmm . . . I'm gonna keep adding them until I hit the limit.

Okay, this post is maxed out with emoticons. Twenty (20) is the limit.

I don't see a resemblence . Your smiley face doesn't seem to be cool at all, he doesn't have any shades .

I like learning things.

Today in physics we started learning about light.
Things like Luminous Flux, Illuminance, and subtractive and additive color wheels.


This is just an introductory problem, but I hope to learn enough to actually be somewhat knowledgeable about my projector and use that in making a more suitable design. Now if only Literature could be practically applied to something , then maybe I would be interested in it .

I'm guessing the luminous flux will be around 170? I give up.What is it?
I hear Hitler used literature to start fires.That's applying it to something.And when I was in jail one time,the other inmates used literature to roll up cigarettes.That's another application.And didn't Moses destroy a golden cow by throwing the book at it?That's like some kinda superpower or something.Literature is powerful!

I dont know. We just got into the notes and a little lab with mirror reflections.
Here is what the notes state:
Luminous Flux (measured in Lumens) = P
Illuminance (measured in lux) = E
Candela (measured in Candle Power )= I
I think d = distance, not diameter, or just radius
pi = 3.1415......
E = P / (4[pi]d^2)
E = I / d^2
I = P / (4[pi])

1. 1750 (Luminous Flux)

2.
I = P / (4[pi])
I = 1750 / ( ~12.566)
I = ~139.264
E = I / d^2
E = ~139.264 / (1)^2
E = ~139.264

So if I'm reading it all correctly, ~139 lux would be the answer.

I just hate reading books :angry:

Yeah,me too.I don't even know how to read.I can type pretty good though.

I found the Westinghouse lcm 15v5 for $150 so I think I will go with that. I hope to order this within a week.

I need to find out something for composite/svideo to component. I figure instead of spending money on composite to VGA, especially for a input I will not use to often, I might as well look for something that plugs into component. I wouldn't mind having to switch the component everytime just to play the N64 every once in while.

I'm going to wait out with the 1000W bulb for a bit so I can catch up on my light unit in physics , so I know exactly what I am dealing with. I will try to get those pics up though.

So elbeghast, what kind of lense are you using, standard or a long throw?

I'm guessing a long throw, so I think I can stick with my same enclosure design, just add a bit of length.

i think he is using a 80mm triplet but he may upgrade to long throw

My triplet is 390mmFL X 80mmCD and I'm using unsplit dual 330mm fresnels.

Damn, I forgot you were doing a 1000W one too. Hows that going along?


I was looking at DIYProjector.com, that was where I started some of my first reading on projector stuff, they have a 455mm FL Long Throw lense (http://www.diyprojectorcompany.com/catalog...&products_id=69)

I think I may make my enclosure ugradeable to 17", not sure how thats going to work, but if I get a long throw, I might as well.