Hey all,

Seeing as summer vacation is 2 days away for me, I think I'm ready to start on my projector. It's going to be my first one, so I want to be cautious on how I proceed. Couple of questions here:

1) Do you recommend I start with the simple 15" design given in the PDF, or go to something bigger and/or better? I have moderate knowledge of working with technology, and both parents are electrical engineers (can get a lot of help from them).

2) Could you recommend a good cheap screen, which would be good for a beginner?

3) Are there any major differences between a 15" projector, and, say, 17" widescreen? I am assuming the major difference would be resolution, but is that visible through the projector?

4) How needed is one of those white screens for the quality of the picture? Would a plain white wall work just as well?

5) Is it possible to an LED light for your bulb, to reduce heat and such? I think I saw something like that on these forums, but I can't find it anymore. This is what I'm looking at.

I'll come up with more as the conversation goes along. Thanks in advance!

i think a lot of ur questions really depend on what you want the projector for and how much you want to spend. Do you want to use it for gaming, movies, TV, computer desktop, or all of the above? do you have any HD video sources you want to use with it? is ur budget $300 or $700?

LEDs have been used a few times, but you have to solder thousands of little LEDs, and from what i've seen i'm not too impressed with overall brightness.

1) I don't think you have to go 15" just because it's your first PJ. If you go bigger you can (more easily) get higher resolutions and plus 17 and 19" lcds are much easier to find these days. But on the downside, you have to get the more expensive fresnels and probably lens. I have a 15" and am perfectly happy with it. Iif you're trying to do this cheaply 15" is probably the way to go.

2) If you have a nice flat wall, you can get good results just painting it the right color (a lot of people use Behr Ultra Pure White, Behr Silverscreen, etc.) About $20 a gallon. Or, you can get one or two sheets of white panel board for approx $11/sheet. These can both give good results, especially considering the prices.

3) You can definitely see the differences in resolutions. But, just because you have a 17/19" doesn't mean it's better than a 15". I guess they usually are, but it really depends on the model. You can get 720p resolution on some 15" screens.

4) See 2..

5) I don't know much about it but basically agree with what simp1yamazn said.

Alright, sounds good.

I'd like the price to not exceed $350, and I'll have $100 left over for replacement parts if something breaks. I'll most likely use it for gaming/movies (not HD as of now).

my suggestion is READ READ READ these forums.
If you have a question, i bet it has been answered more than once.

i have learned alot from reading, and only ask what i have to because i cannot find it!!

Go with what you think is going to satisfy you in the end. Certainly the investment in a smaller panel is easier to swallow. A 15" is very simple to build.


15" panels are hard to find, now. eBay it.


Absolutely. Though remember that a larger source image will mean a larger projection, and the cheaper lenses (standard) are going to have a very short throw (Your projector will be very close to the screen) so keep that in mind. I recommend that you look at the focal calculator, figure out your screen size and the distance to the projector. Now get a largeish cardboard box (A moving box will do nicely.) Use masking tape to mark out the screen size, then put that box where it's at the right distance, smack in the middle of the area. If you can live with that, you're good to go. (You can move the actual projector some from that spot, but not much, and not easily.)


I used a section of wall painted flat white for a long time, and was perfectly happy with it.


Yes, it's possible to use an array of LEDs. The quality of such is still questionable, the cost is quite high, and it's NOT an easy thing. It has been done before. You need a LOT of light to make these things work, and it has to be directed and controlled well.


Best of luck!

Verboten1: yeah, I know. I normally search, but I was feeling lazy. I'm being slightly hypocritical by not searching, but, meh.

Wow, thanks SupraGuy. Cleared up most things, but I'm not quite sure what you meant by this:



Were you meaning that the larger my screen is, the closer the focal point will be to the projector (I'm assuming that a further F would be better because it's further away from the wall)? I also didn't understand what was up with the cardboard box: just a placeholder?

Thanks again!

No. the distance between the LCD and the lens is the same for the same focus distance. It just means that with a larger LCD, your projected screen will also be larger at the same distance.

A 15" LCD with standard lenses is about the largest that you'll want to go. Anything larger, and eitehr the screen will be too big (Yes, there is such a thing!) or your projector will have to be too close to the screen, and it'll get in your way.