Hey Guys,
I have been a member here for just a short time. I like what I see. Eventualy I want to own one of the LL Comercial units. But for now I just want to improve upon what I already have.
Right now I am using and enjoying the following set up.

Elmo 335 (not deluxe) I am using a 410 watt fxl bulb in it quite a bit better than the 360 watt bulb

Infocus PowerView 950 1.4 Million Colors 1024x768 resolution slow response moped vs harley type slow poor contrast maybe 100:1 i never got a manual with it when i bought it

TV Box to convert signals to VGA ( only input on the panel)

Painted foam insulation for a screen white

Better screen better panel and a halide light are all obvious improvements that I could make

What my question is is this Just how much brighter is a 400 watt halide in comparison to what I am already using ? Its not that I dont belive that its better Its just that I have never seen an LL in person so I dont realy know what to expect will I be mildly impressed or will I be amazed at the difference sorry if this has all been discussed in other forums

Charles

Well you aren't alone with the whole OHP test setup I used a Boxlight 1701 with an Apollo OHP 410WATT mr16bulb. I first switched to a 250watt metal halide which was okay not as bright as the 410 watt halogen. I then upgraded to the 400 watt metal halide it's brighter plus it doesn't have that orange tinge that the halogens have. My Boxlight panel is now inside my pj and I'm using the longthrow setup with it so the throw is from about 10' away.

Because I'm using the longthrow lense my image is about 56"x48"

400watt metal halide with Boxlight Projection panel.
There really isn't much of a difference between our two panels they have the same outer case just a different manufacturer logo on it The Boxlight works pretty good on games I've used it for Halo2 and Burnout3 without anyproblems with ghosting or blurry images. You might want to look into getting a component to VGA adapter though if you want to get a better resolution for movies and games.

There are tons of plogs to read through and alot of us switch parts so it's hard to keep track. If you have anymore questions though just ask.

DM

I also forgot that after 4 of my OHP bulbs died it was time to upgrade to a cheaper (long term) and brighter option not to mention that my 400 metal halide isn't as hot as that little 400 watt halogen bulb.

DM

Thanks for the quick reply. Ok so the 400 watt halide is brighter but is it SHAZAAM!! brighter
you see i dont want to go through the trouble of buying the lamp and its associated components
(read:$200 plus) and building the box just to wish it was a little brighter and then realize that i could have waited just a few more months (tax time) and bought a comercial unit for just another 300 bucks

In the end it will be your choice but I prefer the money I spent upgrading to a full 400 watt metal halide system. If the ohp bulbs had a longer life, less heat, and a better color output maybe and the amount of time that you will end up using your pj (if done properly will be more cost effective in the end.

DM

Actually, a 400W halogen lamp will produce almost exactly the same amount of heat as a 400W MH lamp. There's not that much difference in heat production, since very little energy is dissipated as actual light.

The Halogen will produce more IR light than the MH lamp, though.

The big difference between the 2 is efficiency. A MH lamp produces between 75 and 100 lumens per watt of power, whereas a halogen lamp is (IIRC) doing well to hit 40 lumens/watt. Thus your actual output lumens will more or less double by switching tot he MH lamp.

Now, if this is the difference between 40 and 80 lumens on your screen, chances are you're not going to be very happy with the results, and you've got other issues with your build to deal with.

If this is the difference between 100 and 200 lumens on your screen, then you'll be pretty happy.

One thing to remember is that there are an awful lot of 400W MH builds with 100 lumens or less. Many of these people will insist that they've done nothing wrong, and tweaked for maximum brightness. With some of the extremely poor transmissance panels out there, some people even might have.

Just remember that there are a very large number of variables with a DIY build, so nobody can guarantee your own satisfaction but yourself.

I think that an upgrade from halogen to MH lamps is worthwhile, and I would do it. Then again, I never bothered with halogen in the first place.