Not sure if this is the right place to post this...

I currently live in Canada, and I'm quite interested in building my own projector.
However I do feel somewhat uncomfortable with ordering the parts from the US (brokerage/duty fees when getting stuff from there, too long to send stuff back for warranty and so forth).
I was wondering if anyone had tried this in Canada and where they managed to get the different "hard to find" parts (ballast, bulb, fresnel lenses, etc...)

Thank you.

Hi ,, from canada too eh,, Ontario,, Home depot will sell a lot of stuff like lexan and building mat. As for the triplet and fresnals , iwas lucky and got it off of someone near here but he ordered from LL . Look around for ballast at warehouse ,I am using one that is from warehouse and bulb, Metal hallide, .Check the trading post and see if there is somone local ,g
Good luck.

Ugh...

What kind of projector are you planning on building? The parts required for the box will be easy to get from Rona or Home Depot. LCD monitors are common enough. You might be able to find a document projector (aka artograph) for sale at a flea market or something. They are good to salvage parts from like an 18" triplet or a front surface mirror, and even things like focusing mechanisms. Also, over-head projectors are quite common.

Basically from my experience so far, you can be industrious and mad scientist-like and try sourcing parts from junk lying around, or you can purchase stuff online, or do both (which is what most people do).

FS mirrors, reflectors, fresnels, bulbs, ballasts, triplets, lcds, can all be found *somewhere* in Canada but often it is simply more convenient to go to a known source for your shopping needs. I think ultimately it depends on how ambitious your build is. I think I'm one of the few Canadian members (or North American for that matter) that have purchased a 150W Powerball lamp made by Osram. Some things just aren't available here and must be special ordered and it is the law that you pay out your ass for it.

So far I have bought the following from the following places:

- Beseler Vu-Lyte II document projector with 18" triplet, FS mirror, and focus adjustment mechanism. Ebay for $40 Canadian plus $40 shipping. Shipped from USA.

- 10.6" LCD + Controller from Johnzo's Group Buy. $240 USD plus $74.52 in Brokerage Fees. Shipped from Florida but the kit is actually from China.

- 150W Osram Powerball Ceramic Metal Halide. Model HCI-TS 150W 942 NDL. Bought this from commercial-lamps.co.uk from the UK. ~$100 CDN shipped. Ouch.

- Pro reflector from Lumenlab in the states. $20 USD shipped. Not bad.

- Condenser lens (x2) from Surplus Shed in the States. $18 USD for the pair of them shipped.

- Lumenlab FS Mirror from smartdude24. Bought off a fellow LL member in a brief in-person meeting. $20 CDN.

Still to buy: ballast, fresnels, Da-Lite High Power Screen (most likely from the States), and supplies for an enclosure.

Definitely check the trading post. You never know where these forum goers are lurking in RL (real life).

Don't be too afraid. It all depends on what you've got planned for a build. It *can* be put together for very cheap. However, it can also become quite the opposite.

Good luck.

Yea everything IPO said ^

I've gotten my parts mostly from other lumenlab members. They have even been nice enough to go out of their way to buy the 150w ballast and then ship it to me!! (Thanks bevo77)

It's not hard to get parts, there is plenty of sources. You just have to know what you are looking for and get a good deal.... If i lived in the USA right off the bat i can see myself saving over $100 in shipping/parts etc.

FYI -- Litemor sells the Osram Powerball for $98.

http://www.litemor.com/locations_en.asp

Thats the price I got from calling the Ottawa location.

$98 is not bad. I called a few electrical suppliers as well in my hunt for the Powerball and I believe Litemore was one of them. Pretty much, the standard price given to me for either the Powerball (if it was available at all to them) or the Philips CDM was approximately $140 CDN give or take a few bucks.

Locally from Albrite lighting its about $93

I phoned a couple of electrical wholesalers in Regina looking for ballasts and lamps.

Wesco would order a ballast kit for $160 with a 3 week wait. They could get CDM../942 bulbs but only in 12 lot cases. I never got a price.

EECOL was going to be similar for the ballast and are still getting back to me on Powerball bulbs. They were in the process of moving so didn't have much time for weird requests.

Both of the above are wholesalers so you will likely need to find an electrician with an account to order through.

In the end I phoned 1000Bulbs (toll free works in Canada) and they will ship to Canada once you assure them you know about the brokerage fees. I ordered a Sola ballast because it will be here next week but I'm not sure its a good deal ($US 44 for ballast, $US 25 for shipping, $CDN 25 for brokerage = about $CDN 110 plus taxes and duties). All this shipping is adding up.

-=Shiver=- If you don't mind saying, how much will your ballast end up being?

I'm still looking for a G12 base and a CDM or powerball.

Here is a link to UPS Canada Rate Guide. The brokerage stuff starts on pg 59. It would seem you can save $5.85 Bond Fees by pre-paying. They're not open until Monday so I haven't tried this yet. Has anyone else tried to pre-pay?

Has anybody tried to self-clear their imports? My understanding is that those of you who live near a port of entry (Vancouver, Winnipeg, I'm not sure where in the east) and have more time than money can self-clear your imports and avoid the brokerage fees altogether. I found a forum page explaining the basics but I'm not sure if I should link to another forum in here.

I have done so with UPS. About 4 years ago I ordered an iRiver CD/MP3 Player from the States. They would not release the package until I paid taxes and brokerage fees, so I called and complained and told them I was not given a choice to do my own brokerage. After they agreed that I could do my own brokerage, I went down to UPS, got a piece of paper, went over to Canada Customs, gave a gentleman said paper and paid him $25 (instead of the $80 UPS wanted for their "service"). Took another paper saying that I have paid duty back to UPS and they finally released my package. Honestly, the ink those jerks use at UPS on their rubber stamps must cost them a fortune to be charging me $55 for brokerage fees on a CD player that cost me $200.

In my latest brokerage experience with FedEx when I purchased the kit from Johnzo, I got the impression that they would not allow you to do your own brokerage. I was shocked to learn that FedEx charges the same silly fees as UPS, but was too busy to call and complain and raise a fuss. Instead I just sat on the bill for a while until they sent me a "friendly reminder" asking me to pay. I did pay, and that day, I died a little inside.

If you have the opportunity to do so, do your own brokerage. It's a big hassle but you can stick it to the man!

Update on ordering Sola 150 watt ballast from 1000bulbs.

Ballast shipped Mar 13, arrived Mar 29. Regina area.

Cost: $US 44 + $US 24 shipping + $CDN 3.11 GST + $CDN 31 Brokerage fees = $CDN 116.

Looks good. Ignitor and Cap are prewired. I can't test it because I don't have a bulb yet.

Damn brokerage fees. Was it UPS or FedEx?

UPS.

I thought maybe I could save some money by prepaying but you need a business account with them. I might do that someday but haven't yet.

Still looking for a CDM-T or Powerball and a G12 base from Canada, if anybody has any ideas.

I have recently been looking for a lower cost alternative for parts for a DIY projector and have discovered that Metal Halide lamps and MH E-Ballasts can be purchased from Canadian Aquarium suppliers. One might be able to find these locally or they can be purchased and shipped within Canada from a site/business like MOPS.ca (http://www.mops.ca) - Mail Order Pet Supplies.

I'm still looking for a Canadian seller for the Powerball or Powerstar MH lamps, but I'll post the seller's link if I locate one.

I don't know if I'll be able to locate a seller for 10.6 LCDs. Johnzo states that he can ship without additional Customs charges through FedEx Express but as stated above, any Canadian buyer will probably still be hit with Brokerage Fees. If any Canadian buyer has purchased through Johnzo recently and has not had to pay any additional charges, please let us know.