After months of reading the forums and seeing everybody's awsome work I had a stroke of luck. My girldfriend's parents went to Mexico and on their trip a taxi driver dropped one of their bags containing their portable dvd player. I'm going to be using the LCD from their dvd player for my projector. It is an Audiovox D1705. Not great resolution, 400 x 234 pixels. There's more information Here.
I have not yet stripped the LCD out. Does anyone have experience with this model? I haven't been able to find too much other info on it.
My biggest concern right now is getting the correct measurements for my box to make my focal length's work.
Problem 1:
I have ordered a triplet, but don't know the focal length. I ordered THIS triplet (the price was right) but the company has no info on its focal lenth. Their specs say that it is almost 3.5" in diameter. This is pretty close to the Standard LL triplet. Can I assume that it will have a similar focal length because it has a similar diameter? If not, does anyone have any suggestions on how I could determine it's FL?
Problem 2:
I am unsure which fresnels to order as I do not know my triplet FL. I am concerned with keeping this project small though and would like to minimize my projector size as much as possible, but without the use of mirrors. I don't feel like getting too fancy on my first build.
I am trying to get a design similar to J56001's projector. Found HERE. I really like the look and design, he did a really nice job. I am going with an easy to wire setup: ENH 120v 250w bulb. This seems cheap and like it should give me enough light. If it is too dark I will probably switch to an 82v 360w bulb. Anybody have experience with the ENH bulbs? Do they seem to be bright enough?
I have also ordered a condesor lens. HERE. Again, the price was right. I'm not even sure if this is a usable condensor, but I figured I'd pick one up. Has anyone used a lens similar to this?
Sorry I don't have any pictures to post yet. I'll get some going once my supplies start coming in.
I just want to say thanks in advance for any help and advice. This is a great online community. I never cease to be amazed by the ingenuity of everyone here.
One last thing I just remembered. If anyone has the PSOne Projector plan PDF could you send it to me? I've been trying to get ahold of it for a while. I could also rehost so it is available to everyone.
Full Version: Starting My 7" Build
That Audiovox DVD player should work well for you since it will take composite video input. Since it is widescreen style the resolution of 400 x 234 will be a little better than a psone at 4:3 320 x 240 when you play widescreen DVDs.
I've taken apart a couple of audiovox brand LCDs and they have been ridiculously easy to work with but YMMV. Mine were Audiovox Eddie Bauer LCD monitors that hooked up to a car dvd player. I hope that you are getting the original wall adapter cause those are sometimes a bit*h to find.
I ordered the same triplet lens, but I must confess that I haven't done anything with it. Since they call it a TV projection lens I assumed it would have a short focal length (from 50 to 150 mm) and that the LCD would have to be very close, 10mm or so, to the lens. Thats how tv projection lenses work. I haven't tested the thing so I don't know if it is true or not.
The diameter of a lens has nothing to do with its focal length. To check the focal length, take it out in the sunlight and try to focus a small spot on the ground. The distance from the focused spot to the lens is the focal length.
If the bulb you are going to use has a built in reflector you might not need a condensor lens. The one you ordered is pretty small diameter but really nice quality. Others will know a lot more about the usability of it than me.
Good luck and have fun!
Tgreenwood
I've taken apart a couple of audiovox brand LCDs and they have been ridiculously easy to work with but YMMV. Mine were Audiovox Eddie Bauer LCD monitors that hooked up to a car dvd player. I hope that you are getting the original wall adapter cause those are sometimes a bit*h to find.
I ordered the same triplet lens, but I must confess that I haven't done anything with it. Since they call it a TV projection lens I assumed it would have a short focal length (from 50 to 150 mm) and that the LCD would have to be very close, 10mm or so, to the lens. Thats how tv projection lenses work. I haven't tested the thing so I don't know if it is true or not.
The diameter of a lens has nothing to do with its focal length. To check the focal length, take it out in the sunlight and try to focus a small spot on the ground. The distance from the focused spot to the lens is the focal length.
If the bulb you are going to use has a built in reflector you might not need a condensor lens. The one you ordered is pretty small diameter but really nice quality. Others will know a lot more about the usability of it than me.
Good luck and have fun!
Tgreenwood
With a smaller panel, using a short focal length PJ lens could be great.
I'm using an 8" panel with a ~300mm FL PJ lens and this makes for a throw distance of about 12' to get the size image I want. This means my PJ will be behind the seating area.
If your lens does have such a short throw, not only does it mean that you will have a much smaller enclosure (shorter atleast), but it means that your PJ will be between the seating area and the screen.
I imagine the enclosure size is a plus, but the PJ placement is a question of perspective, I supppose.
The only real trouble might be tracking down a short FL field fresnel. The shortest I've heard of was 180mm, but I bet you could find better with a little looking.
Good luck, keep us posted.
Dave
I'm using an 8" panel with a ~300mm FL PJ lens and this makes for a throw distance of about 12' to get the size image I want. This means my PJ will be behind the seating area.
If your lens does have such a short throw, not only does it mean that you will have a much smaller enclosure (shorter atleast), but it means that your PJ will be between the seating area and the screen.
I imagine the enclosure size is a plus, but the PJ placement is a question of perspective, I supppose.
The only real trouble might be tracking down a short FL field fresnel. The shortest I've heard of was 180mm, but I bet you could find better with a little looking.
Good luck, keep us posted.
Dave
I got my bulb and socket in the mail today. Everything seems to fit, so that's good. For anyone who is interested I have an ENH 120v 250w. I ordered both this and the socket for it at TopBulb.com. The bulb fits into a GY5.3 socket. The part number for this base is QHV-1. Here are links to the Socket and [url=http://www.topbulb.com/find/Product_Description.asp?intProductID=43936] Bulb. You can find both for cheaper on some other sites, but I really wanted to be able to see a picture of what I was getting before I ordered.
I do have a question. The socket I ordered is labeled as 300v 750w. This shouldn't make a difference with the bulb I have in there will it? ie. it won't blow it? I'm not going to put in any transformers before the bulb, so the current should just be regular 120v. I'm pretty sure its find, just wanted to check with you guys.
As you can see the reflector is different than the one displayed on TopBulb.
The whole thing put together:
I have also been having some trouble figuring out the true resolution of my display. Here are two pictures with a blank photoshop window sized at 400x234, the stated resolution of the lcd. I am running input through the minijack. Here are two pictures, one at input resolution of 1024x768 the other at 720x480.
The input looks best at 1024x768, so I'll just keep it at that. I'm just confused by what the actual resolution is. Can anyone explain this?
I do have a question. The socket I ordered is labeled as 300v 750w. This shouldn't make a difference with the bulb I have in there will it? ie. it won't blow it? I'm not going to put in any transformers before the bulb, so the current should just be regular 120v. I'm pretty sure its find, just wanted to check with you guys.
As you can see the reflector is different than the one displayed on TopBulb.
The whole thing put together:
I have also been having some trouble figuring out the true resolution of my display. Here are two pictures with a blank photoshop window sized at 400x234, the stated resolution of the lcd. I am running input through the minijack. Here are two pictures, one at input resolution of 1024x768 the other at 720x480.
The input looks best at 1024x768, so I'll just keep it at that. I'm just confused by what the actual resolution is. Can anyone explain this?
What kind of LCD is that you're using? It looks just like the one I bought for my small panel LCD PJ.
The one I got is the Audiovox D1705 7" LCD Monitor & DVD Player.
I got it at a steal for $10 and it works perfectly except it doesn't have the battery which is useless to me anyway.
If yours is an Audiovox then here's the product manual search, http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/stores/...tId=&brand=
If not nevermind the link.
Also, your bulb only has a life of 175 hrs, isn't that kinda short?
The one I got is the Audiovox D1705 7" LCD Monitor & DVD Player.
I got it at a steal for $10 and it works perfectly except it doesn't have the battery which is useless to me anyway.
If yours is an Audiovox then here's the product manual search, http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/stores/...tId=&brand=
If not nevermind the link.
Also, your bulb only has a life of 175 hrs, isn't that kinda short?
Yes, I am using an Audiovox D1705. Thank you for the link, it was actually quite useful. I have been debating whether to buy a remote for the unit (mine didn't come with one) to see if I could mess with any of the LCD settings. From the looks of the manual a remote is necessary to change any of the picture settings, so I'll be on the lookout for one.
I know that the bulb has a pretty short life, but for about $6 a pop I'm not too worried about it. I decided to go with this bulb because of the size, I'm trying to keep this box small. I'll hopefully be able to do an HD coffetable someday, but for now size is an issue. I also like the near instant on property of the bulb, no wait for the bulb to warmup.
I had some disappointments over the weekend. My $5 triplet and $5 condensor lens showed up, but both will be unuseable. As pointed out by tgreenwood my condensor was pretty small, i just didn't realize how small. If i were a jewler I would maybe put it on a gawdy ring, it won't be good for projectors though.
My triplet also has been a problem. I took it outside to to try to focus it on the ground. Luckily I got plenty of ant burning experience in my adolecent years so I already had my technique down. After messing with this and then focusing images on the wall for a while I decided that the FL is between 2 and 3 inches. I then started searching for a fresnel that might work with this triplet. The lowest I could find was a 200mm fresnel and even that is too much for this triplet. Anybody know of some REALLY short FL fresnels?
That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post tomorrow.
I know that the bulb has a pretty short life, but for about $6 a pop I'm not too worried about it. I decided to go with this bulb because of the size, I'm trying to keep this box small. I'll hopefully be able to do an HD coffetable someday, but for now size is an issue. I also like the near instant on property of the bulb, no wait for the bulb to warmup.
I had some disappointments over the weekend. My $5 triplet and $5 condensor lens showed up, but both will be unuseable. As pointed out by tgreenwood my condensor was pretty small, i just didn't realize how small. If i were a jewler I would maybe put it on a gawdy ring, it won't be good for projectors though.
My triplet also has been a problem. I took it outside to to try to focus it on the ground. Luckily I got plenty of ant burning experience in my adolecent years so I already had my technique down. After messing with this and then focusing images on the wall for a while I decided that the FL is between 2 and 3 inches. I then started searching for a fresnel that might work with this triplet. The lowest I could find was a 200mm fresnel and even that is too much for this triplet. Anybody know of some REALLY short FL fresnels?
That's all for now. Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post tomorrow.
You know, I'm not entirely sure we do have the same DVD player because mine is 720x480 native. You sure yours isn't?
I've abandoned my current plog (more than a month ago) but I'm going to go back and update the oly 15" inch and start my new 7" and 17" builds that will be dubbed The Fifth Element and The Black Pearl respectively (7, and 17, the former being plated with white plexi skins and the latter black).
Anyhoo, the reason I'm saying is I'm going to take some screenies of my DVD player and all the goodness it has given me. So far thanks to the audio in/out and video in/out I've been able to watch my ipod video's videos on it, my satellite dish, my computer (with the ability to change res from anywhere between 320x200 to 1024x768 or something like that).
Regarding the bulbs, okay, I hear ya on that.
Sucks about the lenses. I still have NO idea what people are talking about when they discuss lenses so I won't even try to delve into that too much.
As for the remote, it's a must! It allows you to change the widescreen option, brightness, contrast, hue, sat, and a bunch of other really nice things and no the button for the widescreen to 4:3 and the brightness/gamma knob on the left is not the same.
http://cgi.ebay.com/AUDIOVOX-D1705-PORTABL...1QQcmdZViewItem
Here's one for 30 with everything, except the player doesn't work but who cares (although mine works and I plan on leaving in my PJ setup just for kicks even tho I can rig mine to my 60gb ipod and watch a crap load of movies at will). This listing even has the battery and the car adaptor... anyway, that's another usefull screen and a remote.
Anyway, good luck, I'll keep a look out on this thread and you might what to take a look at mine later tonight (maybe).
I've abandoned my current plog (more than a month ago) but I'm going to go back and update the oly 15" inch and start my new 7" and 17" builds that will be dubbed The Fifth Element and The Black Pearl respectively (7, and 17, the former being plated with white plexi skins and the latter black).
Anyhoo, the reason I'm saying is I'm going to take some screenies of my DVD player and all the goodness it has given me. So far thanks to the audio in/out and video in/out I've been able to watch my ipod video's videos on it, my satellite dish, my computer (with the ability to change res from anywhere between 320x200 to 1024x768 or something like that).
Regarding the bulbs, okay, I hear ya on that.
Sucks about the lenses. I still have NO idea what people are talking about when they discuss lenses so I won't even try to delve into that too much.
As for the remote, it's a must! It allows you to change the widescreen option, brightness, contrast, hue, sat, and a bunch of other really nice things and no the button for the widescreen to 4:3 and the brightness/gamma knob on the left is not the same.
http://cgi.ebay.com/AUDIOVOX-D1705-PORTABL...1QQcmdZViewItem
Here's one for 30 with everything, except the player doesn't work but who cares (although mine works and I plan on leaving in my PJ setup just for kicks even tho I can rig mine to my 60gb ipod and watch a crap load of movies at will). This listing even has the battery and the car adaptor... anyway, that's another usefull screen and a remote.
Anyway, good luck, I'll keep a look out on this thread and you might what to take a look at mine later tonight (maybe).
Mohanned - Thanks for the link, looks like I could be needing it. I checked out your PLOGs; you've got some really good ideas going. I'm definitely going to keep an eye one them. Are you thinking about going with a 150w ceramic on The Fifth Element?
I've had a pretty disappointing night. I got the LCD stripped out. Everything went smoothly except for some incredibly sticky pieces of tape holding the LCD and backlight together. I got the LCD screen on its own and started working on framing it then decided I should make sure that it was still working. I powered on the unit and heard a small pop. Then I smelled a distinctly painful aroma. The kind of aroma that can only come from expensive electronic circuitry sizzling into demise.
The unit still powers on and tries to check for a dvd. I think I just fried the controller board for the screen, not the power controller for the whole unit. As far as I can tell though, it's toast.
I'll keep this thread updated as I get more supplies. I won't let one setback shut me down completely.
I've had a pretty disappointing night. I got the LCD stripped out. Everything went smoothly except for some incredibly sticky pieces of tape holding the LCD and backlight together. I got the LCD screen on its own and started working on framing it then decided I should make sure that it was still working. I powered on the unit and heard a small pop. Then I smelled a distinctly painful aroma. The kind of aroma that can only come from expensive electronic circuitry sizzling into demise.
The unit still powers on and tries to check for a dvd. I think I just fried the controller board for the screen, not the power controller for the whole unit. As far as I can tell though, it's toast.
I'll keep this thread updated as I get more supplies. I won't let one setback shut me down completely.
Ouch. That really sucks! I'll have to be careful with mine. I really just want to rip the backlight out and leave it in it's plastic frame as it best supports the LCD. I tried to do this with my old 15" build but I was a noob (still am) and didn't go about it the right way.
I might order the ceramic later on but for an estimated $120 including ballast I'll going to pass on it for now. The 360w halogen PJ lamp I found will do at $15.
Anyway, if you were planning on bidding on that ebay auction then your loss last night isn't too bad because now you have another, though two would have been nice. If you were crazy enough a small red & blue 3d anagylphic PJ would be nice. I want to make one but I'm not bothered since there aren't any good movies in 3d.
BTW, if I were you, I'd move your thread to the PLOG section - I think you'll get a lot more traffic and input into your build. Just ask a moderator to move the thread and I'm sure they'll oblige. If you want that is.
The whole forum PLOG thing is a little outdated IMO, wish we all had our own mini wikis with the ability to comment on sections. Hmmm.. I might suggest this idea to brainchild.. we could use www.wetpaint.com
I might order the ceramic later on but for an estimated $120 including ballast I'll going to pass on it for now. The 360w halogen PJ lamp I found will do at $15.
Anyway, if you were planning on bidding on that ebay auction then your loss last night isn't too bad because now you have another, though two would have been nice. If you were crazy enough a small red & blue 3d anagylphic PJ would be nice. I want to make one but I'm not bothered since there aren't any good movies in 3d.
BTW, if I were you, I'd move your thread to the PLOG section - I think you'll get a lot more traffic and input into your build. Just ask a moderator to move the thread and I'm sure they'll oblige. If you want that is.
The whole forum PLOG thing is a little outdated IMO, wish we all had our own mini wikis with the ability to comment on sections. Hmmm.. I might suggest this idea to brainchild.. we could use www.wetpaint.com
Oh hey, I've got another even better ebay listing for you.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Audiovox-7-Portable-DV...8QQcmdZViewItem
Oh shit, I forgot you need a working screen now too. N/M, I was thinking this would be good for the remote at least.
Anyway, keep on eye on this seller: http://stores.ebay.com/useful-parts_W0QQco...3QQftidZ2QQtZkm
Really nice as-is products.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Audiovox-7-Portable-DV...8QQcmdZViewItem
Oh shit, I forgot you need a working screen now too. N/M, I was thinking this would be good for the remote at least.
Anyway, keep on eye on this seller: http://stores.ebay.com/useful-parts_W0QQco...3QQftidZ2QQtZkm
Really nice as-is products.
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