Well, since retrofitting seems to be a hottish trend I figured I'd show my most recent project. A Davis Powerbeam V DLP Projector.

I bought a davis Powerbeam V at a comp show a few years ago. When powered up it would comeon for about 10 seconds and then the light would go out.

I did a ton of research trying to figure out how to fix the ballast because the bulb was obviously good. After coming up short in my research on specs etc I just put it on the shelf for a bit and kinda forgot about it.

Well last week I rediscovered this projector on my shelf and decided to start the project again. Started doing searches again and finally found this thread on diyaudio.

Modify DAVIS Powerbeam-projector to use cheaper lightsource

Good job Peters1974.

Well, Saturday night I tore down the PJ and scrutinized it all quite a bit. Laid out a plan of attack then started to work.

Basically I used Peters trick to fool the pj into thinkning the ballast was still there.

Then I took the existing bulb sled and removed the bulb and mounted the Light setup from my stillborn PSOne PJ onto the sled. I then wired the light engine to the existing bulb connector.

Then after removing the ballast, I disconnected the power from the switch/power inlet and put in a new wire that spliced new power leads in, and then ran new cable through the factory grommets and into the hole that power to the ballast went through. With the ballast removed I then connected the new power to the existing pj lamp connector.

This way when the bulb goes, I can just remove the sled like normal, replace the bulb and slide it back in and be good to go.

Well, after doing all this, I crossed my fingers, plugged it in, and turned on the power.....

It worked beautifully and threw a nice bright image.

Now I have a DLP projector that uses a 5 dollar bulb instead of a 300 dollar one.

Light replaced - 170Watt MH
Replaced with - 410Watt Halogen FXL-5 long life.

Total cost for this project for the weekend,

PJ - 60 at a show 2 years ago so free.
Light setup for a project from a year ago or so - free
"Refreshments" while working - $6.00 for a six pack.

I love the DIY community.

did you modify the cooling system any? the heat difference between 170w MH and 410W halogen is HUGE!

Actually the fan built into the PJ is huge, and blows directly over the bulb. It puts out a bit of heat in the room, but for the most part the PJ stays cool enough.

Honestly the only part that gets warm (not too hot to touch mind you) is the vent directly over the bulb. But thats expected since it is right over a 410Watt halogen. Truth be told, its kinda nice it puts out a bit of heat considering it is october in NJ and the nights are starting to get a little chilly

Well, I wrote up a article on the build. I figured that maybe it could help someone.

Anyway the writeup is at My Website

Anyways, please let me know what ya think, either here or on my site. I check that more often. Thanks for looking.

Here's some pics.




And here's a pic of the lamp after retrofitting the new lamp.