So, after waiting for nearly three months, I had someone coming from US who brought the huge pro lens kit for me.
This is my initial list :-

1. Lumenlab Pro Lens kit
2. 400W Philips MH lamp
3. Coil Ballast (Choke) for the lamp

Going forward, I am planning to purchase the following -

1. Samsung 740N monitor
2. AV Toolbox video scaler
( AVT-3200 - http://www.avtoolbox.com/avt3200.shtml OR
AVT-3400 SXGA Theater - http://www.avtoolbox.com/avt3400.shtml)
3. Custom Built Reflector (chromium plated Galvanized Iron) and Projector Box (wooden)

Given these and my initial design, I have some doubts in my mind. I shall really appeciate if someone in this forum would help me resolve these -

1. How to tell which fresnel is which?
2. What would be a better reflector design - rectangular shaped metal sheet bent is an 'U" shape, OR
Reflector shaped like a deep fry pan (considering the U will need less space and will allow for less
complicated air flow design)
3. Will a 19" monitor create troubles if I wish to go for the unsplit design with my Pro lenses?
4. Is the 740N strip friendly and is AG removal necessary for this one?
5. Given the huge size of the lenses and 19" monitor with just ~20% transmittense (check spelling), would
it be wise to opt for a 600W lamp instead of the regular 400W?

Given that I cannot engage in my build till 27th Dec, 2006 (I have to write a stupid certification exam), I have got some time to finalize my design and clarify the doubts.


Thanks to everyone in advance, this forum ROCKS!

1. See this part of the wiki.
2. Spherical. Not sure of the planform of your lamp but the reflector sold by Lumenlab is great.
3. I'm not a good source of detailed info for this question. But you should be just fine that way.
4. Samsungs are generally speaking one of the easiest brands to strip and remove antiglare from.
5. Bouncing up that extra 200W creates a lot more heat you'll have to deal with and there are plenty of 400W builds that look great so in my opinion I'd stick with the 400W lamp.

Best of luck and welcome!!!

Actually the problem in using the pro reflector is that I did not order it along with my lens kit, and now I shall again have to face the very corrupt and unpredictable customts for getting it. So, I was thinking if I could rather use a U shaped metal sheet with chorme polish for reflector. This helps in my cooling system.

As I am planning to use a 600w or maybe 1000W (in my freak dreams) I am planning to use a four fan set up. Two 80mm to push and suck air on the lcd surface. One in the light box, to suck air along the axis of the tubular lamp. The fourth will be a 240V 9 inch. kitchen exhaust fan sucking air out of the whole area behind the toughened glass(lamp side) and (ballast will be positioned in a way that air flows over it.) Given this I suppose things should work alright. I have not considered the noise issue of these fans yet though, have to do a little window shopping for that.

I have got a few more parts -

1. 120mm 12V DC Fans - 4 (Bought so many as the shopowner couldnot tell the cfm rating, I am going safe)
- Rs. 275/- each ( Vishal Electronics, SP Road, Bangalore)
2. Insulation Gasket (Light and Dust Filter) - 4 - Rs. 65/- Each
3. Wire Mesh - 4 - Rs. 9/- each
4. Thermostat - Rs. 900/- (Includes a sensor cable and eletronic display of temparature) (Uday Power Controls, Chickpet, bangalore - 53)

I am planning to visit a sheet metal workshop tomorrow for discussing the metal I am going to use, the kind of inside coating to be given and the general design as such. I am planning on the line of Joes Vertical Build.

I was going to use the Samsung 712N and you are using the 740n. Seems the only difference is the responce time. 12m on the 712 and 8m on the 740.What do you guys think?

hey guys
All of you are great buddies doing great stuff.I am terribly inspired by you.I am an indian living in Delhi (INDIA).Earlier i was planning to import LL S15 kit but when i went through the delivery charges they were coming out to be more than the COST itself.So i was wondering about
1.Could anybody tell me where i can buy the fresenel and triplet in DELHI
2.Is there anybody from GHAZIABAD or DELHI.
3.BENQ is selling DLP projectors for Rs.45000 onwards.Would it be worth the price in comparison with the LL DIY projector.




My e-mail = umeshkumar09@rediffmail.com

I'm not sure if you are talking choosing between 2 different monitors here, so I'd best clarify: The Samsung 740N is a 17". The equivalent 19" Samsung is the 940N, which I'm using as a monitor for my computer. I was going to use it for my PJ, but it only has VGA input and I need component input for my DVD hard drive. Had a bit of a look at transcoders etc but I got confused and decided to use the Samsung 940MG LCD TV instead. About 2x the cost, but I will have 1080i HD and not have to pay for a transcoder. I'm not recommending you do this, just letting you know my choice.

I can also confirm that the 740N and 940N are not widescreen. The 940MG is widescreen (16:10), and all three would work in an unsplit setup with the pro fresnels and triplet. I'm doing unsplit and am very happy with the quality of my images, althought the PJ is not tweaked yet so there is plenty of performance still to come.

There are several good plogs (ie Swill01) where people give details about stripping and AG removal on Samsung monitors. Mine was very very easy to strip, and the MG does not have AG, although the stuff they use instead may affect final brightness.

I hope this helps.

Hi Sudipta...

How's it going? DId you finally do the vertical pj or the horizontal one?

Cheers,
Neel