Updated 25/03/07

This is my first attempt at building a projector so I still have much learning to do but hopefully with the help available here it will turn out well.

I've read through many PLOG's and after discovering Puni5hers and reading through all 64 odd pages of it I have decided on a design similar to his though using a 17" LCD and no keystoning.

Parts List

Purchased:

LCD - Mitsubishi DV177 due to its price, contrast ratio and easy AG removal. Got this for $330 from Parmount PC with zero dead/bright pixels. Now dead
Lenses - S15 Projection Triplet. Fresnels - ended up going with the F220 and F330 from 3dlens.com.
FS Mirror - from LL.
Lamp and Ballast - 150W Ceramic and ballast

Still deciding:

LCD - Now looking at the LG L1719S-SF which I can get for $225 from MSY (if they actually have any stock )
Tempered Glass/UV Filter - if I can find a bit more money hopefully I can use an IR/UV mirror. With the change in bulb I'm not sure if I still need a UV filter.

Cheers

If ya get stuck in finding a ballast and lamp.. Give ACE Hydroponics in South Australia a ring...They will give you a good deal on a set up

Thanks for the suggestion on lamp and ballast I'll give them a call.

I've done some designing and come up with the following based on a 330mm Fresnell and 320mm Standard LL Triplet:

Click to view attachment

Does this look right?

Based it on these Focal Calc numbers:

Click to view attachment

I'm thinking I may shift the lens toward the back (left hand side in diagram) of the projector and therefore shift the mirror and triplet up.

how you doin on this?

I've been looking for a definitive plog to follow
on a standard 17" folded design... (widescreen or not).

I'm not to good with optics and don't know exactly
how to use focalcalc with a fold thrown in there...

Long time and not much progress.

However I have now made the decision that I'm definitely going ahead with this and am going to start ordering parts as soon as I figure out exactly what I need.

I got the LCD a few weeks back, a Mitsubishi DV177. Cost me $330 from Paramount PC in Adelaide and managed to get one without any dead/bright pixels which was fortunate as Mitsubishi's warranty with regards to this isn't brilliant. Will post some pics of the monitor tomorrow hopefully. Don't plan on stripping it/doing AG removal until I have all the other parts I need though.

A few questions I have now before I begin ordering are about the fresnels.

1) Has anyone used www.bhlens.com before?
2) Spilt vs Unsplit, which is better with regards to image quality and sharpness? I won't need any keystoning.
3) What fresnels should I be using? The front fresnel is easy and will be a 330mm but what should the back be? Why is a 220mm used and how come some people are using 330mm instead? So I guess the short question is do I get a 330 and a 220 or just 2*330?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm not on a huge budget with this so I want to make sure I get things right the first time round.

Unsplit wins hands down. ESPECIALLY instead of "spilt"!!

(Serious about unsplit.)

I've been doing tons of research... but that's all...
I would recommend taking a look at these PLOGs to answer these questions.

comp_atkins 17"
Jayman's PJ parts list
JMRguy's 17" HD

I'm not sure if the split/unsplit debate was resolved...
Last I heard, you only split if you need to keystone.
I was writing this while Durachko was replying, looks like it's unsplit!

It looks like everybody in the 17" standard LL
straights above is using the LL 220/320 fres combo...


Forgive me because I can't remember which post this is from,
but I believe the Lexan XL10 from Home Depot ($8-10) has better transmissiveness (sp?)
than glass... and the glass is pretty pricey right?

Yeah looks like 220/330 unsplit is the way to go. I think that the bit about the 330 back fresnel was to do with using a condensor.

I also think I might try my luck with bhlens and see how it goes...it's only money



Not sure if you can get Lexan LX10 in Australia and I think the glass is only about AUD$20-30 so it isn't too bad. The mirror I was looking at is the one that was used here - http://new.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?s...60&#entry119760 - it's about $135 but would solve any possible heat problems, though at that price you'd want it to

Might have a look around and see if Lexan is available here or what other options are available.

Looks like I can finally start ordering though

Well I ordered most of the stuff tonight so hopefully I can begin building soon.

Ordered the Standard Triplet and FS Mirror from Lumenlabs. Postage was bad US$40 (parts were US$60) but it was cheaper than any of the FS mirrors I could find in Aus which all seemed to be for super accurate medical/lab applications and were about AUD$150+ for the size I need. I did think about loosing the mirror altogether and going for a standard design but decided that I really need a vertical one for it to be practical.

Went for the fresnels from 3dlens in the end, worked out about AUD$25 extra over bhlens (not including postage, no idea how much that would have been for bhlens). Got the F220 and F330 which are bigger (320*400) than I need (190*340) but I don't think I'll bother cutting them as it won't make the PJ a whole lot bigger.

Now all that's left is to sort out about the bulb/balast and the UV/IR filter/mirror.

This is the glass that im using as the window directly above the lamp works good. 100mm dia

http://www.edmundoptics.com/onlinecatalog/...?productID=1913

My fresnels arrived yesterday



And my triplet and mirror were shipped this morning so hopefully they should arrive soon. Time to make a trip to Bunnings I think and pick up some MDF etc. Anyone know if they sell the threaded metal rod or where else I'm likely to find it in Adelaide?

My Triplet and FS mirror arrived today But I've got exams for the next couple of weeks so I'm not sure just how much I'll get until they are over. But we'll see...

I've finished exams and bought parts from bunnings today and striped the LCD earlier tonight and it's currently soaking, AG appears to be coming up so I'll let it soak a little longer then attempt to take it off. Will post lots of photos later tonight or tomorrow.

have you got wood yet?



seriously though.. how you doin?

Well my Mitsubishi LCD died sometime during dismantling it or AG removal

Still powers on, backlights work etc. Just absolutely nothing on the panel, if anyone has any brilliant ideas I'd love to hear them but otherwise I've come to accept that the panel is dead and so the LCD is essentially useless.

This is why I haven't posted anything in a long time as the whole experience put a bit of a hole in my enthusiasm. Oh well makes for a useful (if expensive) learning experience.

Anyway now that I will soon have somewhere decent to build this I've decided to get back into it and finish it off. First thing to do is order a 150W ceramic and ballast and go to bunnings and pick up some more timber. Hopefully should have some more news and pictures soon

And thanks to InSomnYak for your most useful PLOG.