Well the DIY projector bug has bitten me very hard . I have been boring everyone I know about building a DIY projector. My wife has heard it all and is supportive so far

After reading the forums I have decided to build a basic 10.6 "cat coffin" out of ply. If this goes well then I may look at building a coffee table version. This is addictive and it would be hard to stop at one.

Here are the parts I have sourced:

From Carpow
* 10.6" LCD & controller
* 220 and 320 fresnels
* Reflector
* Precondser
* Triplet

From Middys
* Ballast
* Ignitor
* Capacitor
* Silicon wires

From John Turks
* Osram HCI-TS 150wNDL 942

From Jaycar
* SPST switches

From Alltronics
* Fan guards
* terminal blocks
* 12v fan

From Bunnings
* Polycarb (lexan)
* Plywood
* 3/16 steel rods (used to mount the fan guards)

I have already wired and tested the lamp. BRIGHT!

I have built the lightbox following the fan guard method. I will post pics soon.

Any tips, ideas, thoughts and comments are welcome.

Way to go Wombata..... get in the mix. We've built two here our first a large box with a 17" and the second a coffee table style 19" 16:9 HD version.

Looks like you have a pretty good list there, but folks usually stay away from the plywood due to the heat. It can be done, but just remember that you'll need more than adequate cooling as the heat can cause the ply to warp. That's why you see most people build the box out of MDF.

Don't forget...... everybody loves pictures and frequent updates, so keep it coming.

Thanks for the encouragement.

I am using plywood for a quick and dirty trial. Once I am happy with the results I will use some wood that has got a bit of style.

Here are some photos of the light rig. The nuts are still loose and it is not the final setup. I plan to paint the box black using pot belly black paint.





I broke one of the fan guard legs that is holding the precon, this has caused the precon is floating a little bit loose. Should I worry about this? Any advice?

Today I picked 3 cheap Cooler Master PC case fans (1 x 120MM and 2 x 80MM) from MSY. Ignore MSY's ugly website, I only go there for the cheap PC parts.

The fans are fairly quiet and will hopefully do the job. I plan to use the 120MM to extract the hot air from the projector. The 80MM will be used to draw in cool air between the fresnel and the LCD.

Here is a photo of the MST LCD controller...for the very very few people who have not seen one.



The Castle is now showing on TV.



Excuse the poor picture quality, I am using little rabbit ear aerials at the moment.

Was watching the castle that night too:) Nice to see your getting a start on it. Hope to recieve my gear in the next week or so.

Q: does the MST controller have a TV tuner?

Goodluck will be following this closely

looks like a TV tuner to me! nice job on the light box!

Yes, it has an inbuilt TV tuner.

Seems to work ok, the real test will be using a proper external aerial.



Thanks! I look forward to your plog when you receive your kit.