Hello all!

I thought I'd get my PLOG together to help keep my build straight in my head.
I was originally going to purchase one of the LL eVo projectors - I was really stoked when I came across an article on one of the Tech Blog sites (engadget.com, techeblog.com, gizmodo.com, neatorama.com, etc.). I was in the process of saving my money for the eVo and I kept on reading about the various problems (aspect ratio, ballast issues, shipping nightmares, etc.) that people were encountering. And now, from what I understand, the eVos are no longer being shipped to Canada.

So... I've decide to build my own projector. I've never done anything like this before and I know very little about electronics, but I have a feeling that this project will be very rewarding.

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I've got most of my internal components and I've tried to buy what I can locally, in order to save on shipping related charges (customs, brokerage fees and the like) that we Canadians must face.

I'm going to be building a mini-HAAS box using the 10.6 LCD with the MST controller.
(The HAAS style of enclosure was one of the first "different" enclosures designed. Up until that point, most of the DIY PJs were just rectangular boxes. The member who first developed this style of enclosure was named Haas_man.
The "Haas Style" Projector)

10.6 12.1 Toshiba LTD121LX8S (Rev.Z) LCD kit w/ MST9E19A MST9E19V1.22B Controller 720P ($265.00 - I managed to obtain one before the price jump)
200mm & 320mm Fresnel Lens Kit ($35.00 - Pre-cut - Yay!!!)
Ceramic HID Lamp Box Kit W/ Reflector & Precondenser Lens ($40.00)
($405.00 Shipped - Only $35 for shipping - FedEx International Priority - with no additional charges)
I'll have to do some testing to see if it's going to be worth it to use this precondenser as some people have produced better results without it. I may end up substituting a cut piece of tempered glass in it's place.
Thanks scum_scammer_beware!

Vari-Focal Lens 275/320mm FL ($42.49 Shipped + $9.58 for Customs Charges)
Purchased from TESCORP
Switched to LL S15 Triplet - Thank you LL!

150W Venture Lighting Metal Halide Ballast
According to the bulb box, I needed either an M81, M102 or M142 ballast.
V90D7110 150W M102 60 Hz (unfortunately, there was no mounting hardware included)
http://www.venturelighting.com/VLPS/Ballas...MH/V90D7110.pdf
I had originally contacted Venture Lighting via their website (as they have a location within Ontario - trying to keep shipping costs down) and asked them for a quote. I got a reply back asking to provide my address and they'd send one out. I took this to mean that they would be e-mailing me back with a quote once they had my Postal Code. Imagine my surprise when I came home from work one evening and found that they had FedExed one out to me! The invoice was even marked Prepaid! I'm not sure if this was a previously used ballast, or not, as the wires are stripped at the ends. I'll be able to provide some pictures next week when my camera gets here.

150W USHIO DE Metal Halide Bulb - CMD-150/TD/942/RX7S ($67.85, including taxes - Bought locally from Buchanan Lighting - "Light Bulb Experts")
http://www.ushio.com/files/specs/Ceramique.pdf
Tyler of Buchanan Lighting advised me that they will ship to other Provinces. Contact them for pricing - Send an e-mail to ernie AT buchananlighting DOT com.
http://www.buchananlighting.ca

12V DC 1.5A Regulated AC Adapter ($39.89 - Purchased locally from The Source - Used to be Radio Shack)
Yes, I know I paid too much but it would have cost me just as much to ship one - it's hard to find anything above 1000mA, locally.
http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/Product....product=2731779
I read in one of the threads that as long as you're not using the backlight, you only need, at most, 1300mA. I powered up the LCD before stripping it and it seemed to function well.

For my cooling and heat monitoring:

EverCool EC-PCAC Fan (moves 100 CFM)
http://www.aerocooler.com/shop.cart?action...od_id=FANECACBK

Two (2) Scythe TM02-WH KAMA THERMO Thermometer (Celsius - they have one that does Fahrenheit, too)
I'll have one monitoring temperature at the LCD and one closer to the light box.
http://www.aerocooler.com/shop.cart?action...rod_id=FANSCTMC

The PCAC fan has a three pin connector and the two thermometers have four pin connectors. These will be plugged into the following:

Thermaltake Power Station Mini Box...
http://www.aerocooler.com/shop.cart?action...od_id=FANTT2359

(These last three items were $66.28, Shipped. Once again, I'll have to wait and see if there are additional charges once received)

...Which will be powered by this adapter:

AC to DC Adapter, 110v AC to 12v DC converter ($21.41 Shipped, USPS - We'll see if I have to pay additional charges when it gets here)
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ind...oducts_id=22607

Using this combination of AC adapter and the Thermaltake Power Station Mini Box, I won't have to void any warranties on the PCAC and thermometers due to stripping the wires. Should they not function, or cease to function, within the warranty period, they could easily be returned.

Next up, I purchased a DPST switch (The Source - used to be called Radio Shack as mentioned above - only sells SPST switches), power entry module and AC power cord from the local Active Electronic Supply Store ($19.86, including taxes). Here's a link to their store locater if any of you fellow Canadians want to find out if there's one near you:
http://www.active123.com/b2c/storeLocator/...=storeLocator_1
Thanks for the link, infinityPlusOne!

I also picked up a 15 foot VGA cable at a local computer store ($25 - again, it would have probably cost me as much to ship it).

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As I mentioned above, I'm going to build a mini-HAAS box, for aesthetic reasons. I think the HAAS box is pretty sexy looking and I certainly do not want, nor have room for, a three foot box. Not that there's anything wrong with a three foot box... some of my best friends...
I'm trying to keep the box under 20 inches long (500mm), but we'll have to wait and see how the lighting tests come out. I've found TESCORP's mini-HAAS (http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22167) and b0rna's Little 10.6 box (http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22169) to be a great inspiration.

I've been spending the past few weeks modeling my components using Google Sketchup (http://sketchup.google.com - I managed to find a full copy of Google SketchUp Pro 6 kicking around ).
I'll be posting my models to the Google 3D Warehouse (http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse) for those who might find them useful. Just do a search for lumenlab.

A note on the Google Sketchup files that can be found below:
I have endeavored to make them as accurate as I possibly could. All measurements are within 1mm of actual parts. All parts were created using metric measurements (mm).

Here's my Sketchup of the LCD Sled - Which includes the LCD (I'll be keeping as much of the original LCD metal/plastic frame intact as I can), and pre-cut Fresnels (220 & 320 FL). The front fresnel uses gravity keystoning and the rear fresnel slides into the slot provided. Air intake will be through the bottom and will flow up and over the top of the rear fresnel to the Evercool PCAC fan at the rear of the projector. The LCD will slide into the slot provided and will be topped with a 1/4 inch (6mm) piece of basswood - and probably a piece of weatherstripping to keep the airflow path integrity. The LCD sled, itself, will be made of the same basswood that b0rna used in his build.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/det...0824f317377886b

Note: Due to the breakage of my 10.6 LCD, I've replaced it with the 12.1 LCD and pre-cut 220/320 Fresnels. The Sketchup files for those components can be found here:
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?s...st&p=275479

Here's my Sketchup of the MST KM9E19ATVL Controller Board.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/det...d104eb9ad88106c

And the Menu Board for the Controller.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/det...4b2411cd6c8a7a9

Here's a Sketchup of my 150W USHIO DE Metal Halide Bulb - CMD-150/TD/942/RX7S.
Damn, that's one sexy bulb.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/det...da83b880d6d99f0

Here's a Sketchup of the Lightbox that Johnzo sells in his store. The Sketchup file includes the Lightbox, RX7s Sockets, Precondenser and Reflector.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/det...e4de34f7c8136ca

Here's a Sketchup of the 275-320FL Varifocal Lens that I purchased from TESCORP. I would have purchased from LL, directly, but they were out of stock at the time of my order and TESCORP shipped via USPS.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/det...befa6f5f873c000

To give you some kind of idea as to what the projector will look like, refer to the image below. I'm designing this box as an internal "skeleton" made with 1/4 inch basswood strips with a 1/8 inch "skin" of the same basswood (or maybe MDF). The bottom panels, both in front of the LCD Sled and behind will be secured in place (I'll be using wood glue as b0rna did) and will not be removable. I'm still debating on the top panel and how I am going to access the internals for assembly and maintenance. I may opt for a hinged lid, similar to... say... a jewelry box, while keeping the same, overall HAAS shape. I unwisely started to model my projector by making the box first, but I found that it's best working from the inside out. I won't know the exact length of the box as I'm not sure how close I can place the lightbox to the rear fresnel. Hopefully, closer than the 220FL rear fresnel allows for. The corners will be rounded and the outside will be finished with some type of gloss surface material (or maybe just paint).

Alsa Corp ( http://www.alsacorp.com ) has some wicked finishes but they may be out of my price range.

The front of the PJ is on the left.

Using the FocalCalc, I've derived the following measurements for the box. As I've said before, the only unknown measurement left is the distance from bulb arc to the rear fresnel - either with or without the precondenser. Hopefully, I'll be able to test fire the bulb tomorrow (as soon as I figure out how to wire it).

Since I'm using a vari-focal lens, I've calculated two throws based on minimum and maximum settings.

This one at 275FL:



And this one at 320FL:



Hmmm... I just noticed that the LCD Distance in the 320FL image increases more than the amount the lens adjusts (the lens has less than 20mm of linear adjustment). I thought using a vari-focal would allow me to keep the same LCD Distance and allow me to just move the projector back further while keeping the screen size the same.

Looks like a good start, only thing I would do is extend the rear compartment a few more inches to allow for more room in the back. my original design is 20" long but I really think 24" will be better. I had to mount the fan outside because I ran out of room with the cold mirror, bulb, and condensor. you can also shift your sled back to isolate the front chamber and controller from the air flow.
very nice work with sketch up. mind if I borrow a few for some designs?

Thanks for the feedback, TESCORP.
I forgot to mention up above that I was originally going to buy one of your 10.6 mini-HAAS enclosures but decided to build due to your time constraints and my ever-emptying wallet. Hopefully, when you get your CNC machine assembled, you'll be able to crank out enclosures more quickly - which will, in turn, increase demand, which will increase... you're going to have to hire help soon!
I really admire your enclosures and the amount of work and quality that you put into them.

About the mock-up enclosure image above, the dimensions are not really accurate. The 20 inch box length was based on both your mini-HAAS and b0rna's 10.6 box (which looks like he kept it under 18 inches long). The PCAC fan mostly sticks out the back of the box (from what I understand) so that should help. Even without using a precondenser, the distance from lens to bulb arc is around 21 inches (540mm). If I have to go 24 inches, then that's something I could do. Hopefully, the precondenser works as it should. I've seen a lot of people using this lightbox over in that Chinese forum. I'll have to make time to check out some Google-translated threads over there tomorrow (today).

The LCD Sled will be isolating the front chamber and controller from airflow. It's hard to picture right now, but the sled will be resting on the "floor" of the rear chamber with the air intake about 10mm to the right (in the image above) of the drop-off where the controller sits. Now that I think about it, the "0" origin point in the sketchup image above was the center of the LCD.

As far as the Sketchup items go, please help yourself to them.

As I'd mentioned before, I'm a complete novice when it comes to electrical wiring. I want to set up the test firing of my bulb (I'm not worried about the complete wiring solution, yet) but I'm having some trouble with the wiring.

The wiring diagram on the ballast looks like this:



Below is my interpretation of the diagram:



My questions are:
1) What do I do with the Ground wire (Green) and the Common wire coming from the bottom of the bulb (Light Gray color in my rendering - labeled White in the ballast diagram)?

2) This is a Quad-Tap ballast. There are two Common wires coming from the left side of the ballast. Can I use electrical tape to individually tape the ends of the Black, Tan, Purple and the second Common wire and then tape those four wires together and tuck them out of the way?

Use the other common wire from the ballast to go to the grey wire you have labeled with a question mark coming from the lamp.

fmerrill, Thanks for the reply!
So I don't need to worry about doing anything with the Ground wire, yet?
And what about using electrical tape to individually tape the ends of the Black, Tan and Purple wires and then tape those three wires together and tuck them out of the way?

In a projector there isn't much that you can ground to, but, you can ground to the metal mounting on the ballast itself, and, on most ballasts, there is usually a recommendation to ground the case on metal clad capacitors.

Yes, just isolate the other voltage input wires from each other.
Electrical tape is ok, but I personally prefer to put a wire nut on each one.
Sometimes in the heat electrical tape will come undone.

Thanks again for your help, fmerrill!

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Here's my Sketchup of the V90D7110 Ballast, Cap and Ignitor.



The Sketchup file can be found here:

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/det...c838806c41a1b63

So... here's what the internal parts look like when they're put in place. Due to the size of the lightbox, I'll probably be mounting the ballast in the front compartment of the projector. I'm not sure if I'll need a fan there for any heat build-up.

The measurements below reflect a worse-case scenario if I choose not to use the precondenser. As TESCORP pointed out above, worse-case, the box would have to be close to 24 inches long.
Length: 565mm is about 22 1/2 inches long.
Width: 300mm is about 12 inches.
Height (measured from top of LCD Sled to bottom of MST Board): 201mm is almost 8 inches.

Here's an isometric view looking from above:



The side view:



The top view:



The bottom view:

The front view:



And the rear view:



Now... to build the "skeleton".
Maybe I'll work on that tomorrow. I'm going to eat supper and watch a movie.

I'm thinking you might have a problem with weight distribution and the front end wanting to point down all the time because of the ballast being in the front. But those look sketches look really good. I think I might have to steal the controller board for my sketch.

I've thought a lot about the weight distribution, believe me. If the ballast was put in the rear compartment, I would still have a weight distribution problem - as the projector would want to tilt up. Either I have to make it so the projector will securely lock in it's stand (the option I'm shooting for) or I have to mount the ballast external to the projector. I think I can manage the former without too much difficulty.

Who could you be referring to?


But wow. Your SketchUp sketches are amazing! You've really put in a great amount of detail into them. Kudos!

Also, I thought I was happy with the thermometer that I bought for my build. But seeing that Scythe KAMA Thermometer has me second guessing my choice. Blue back-light and a small footprint. That's hot.

Are you using a computer power supply to power your fans and thermometers?


Keep up the good work man. With the way things are going, I'm sure your results will be gratifying.

Thanks for the comments, infinityPlusOne!
If my build turns out to be as nice as I hope it does, it'll be due to those of you who have come before me and paved the way.

I know that my first post in this thread was lengthy, so you might have missed the reference to the AC to DC Adapter, 110v AC to 12v DC converter that I'll be using to power the thermometers and fan. The converter plugs into the Power Station Mini Box and then I'll be plugging the fan and thermometers into that using the three and four pin connectors.

Yup I missed that. That looks like a pretty good solution right there.

Well... tonight was the night I set aside for the initial lamp test. I wired the ballast to the lamp sockets last night using the diagram verified by fmerrill. Tonight, after I got home from work, I set it up in the unfinished part of the basement in case of fire. I held my breath as I plugged it in (not looking directly into the light) and saw a bright flash... that soon muted to a very soft, blue glow. "Well," I thought, "so much for that bulb!" Then the soft glow started getting significantly brighter. And brighter. Now... I told myself not to look into the bulb... but it's so damn hypnotic. I can't believe I got the wiring right. I can't believe that free ballast was actually good. I can't believe I'm still seeing spots.

Time to go check on the lamp, again. I need to get over the fear of burning the place down.

Update: The ballast is only warm to the touch and the lamp doesn't seem to be putting off too much heat. I'm liking this.

Update 2: Ballast is getting warmer. I'm going to need to incorporate some thin metal flashing underneath and to the side of my ballast in the box. And maybe a small fan. Hmmm... or maybe put it in the rear compartment, after all.

Update 3 - 3 hours later: I've just unplugged the ballast. I guess I was surprised at how hot the ballast got. I think I'll make my box wider to accommodate the ballast in the rear. I was surprised, as well, that it was silent (as far as I could tell). I was expecting to hear some kind of humming.

Heh...you think that's hypnotic! Try not glancing at a 1KW bulb. Oh man, is that tough not to look at! Of course, when you finally give in, it's the last thing you see clearly for quite a while....and you'll be seeing it for hours and hours and hours....well, ok...only a day or so! I remember thinking that dark sunglasses ought to be sufficient for a 400W bulb...yeah, saw spots after that one too! I've already had lasik surgery once....I don't need to burn away all the good it did! From then on, it was gas welding goggles for me when playing with those puppies!

any reason why you used a varifocal instead of a standard triplet?

It was cheap enough and I wanted the option to be able to throw further. After the purchase, I read several threads that mentioned corner blurring with varifocal lenses. I've left myself the option of buying a standard triplet should the varifocal not perform as I want.

Tonight was panel stripping night.

I think I killed it.

I managed to get the mirrored layers off the back - 1 thin transparent piece that came up very easily and a second which had all the mirror finish on it. The second peeled up in strips. I managed to pull up a corner of the polarizer in the lower left corner - where the Windows Start button is. I plugged the panel in to verify that it was, in fact, the polar I was pulling up. The panel was working fine at that point. I unplugged it and disconnected the cables and finished stripping it.

When I was done, I put it back in the metal and plastic frame that I had modified to be used to house it and plugged everything back in. Nothing. Well... not nothing - The panel goes darker when I turn it on and becomes more transparent when I turn it of.

Did I really kill it?

I've checked all the FFCs and they seem to be fine. If an FFC touches the metal frame, could this kill the panel? I can't remember how this thing was set up prior to disassembly.

ffc's touching metal should have no affect, unless they are bare metal usually where they attach to the TFT or circut board. sounds like you may have pulled up the polar in addition to the mirrored backing. a bad ffc will cause a row of pixels to be gone or a row to just light up.

Very nice work on sketch up!!!

I think I can safely say that the two layers that I have removed were not the polarizer. I folded these two layers at a 90 degree angle and could see through them.



I did notice that one of the wires in the LVDS connection that connects to the panel had been pulled out of the connector, slightly, but I pushed it back in.

Well... upon closer examination, I now pronounce this LCD dead.



That was one very expensive mistake. I almost don't have the heart to continue - 'cept I've got all this other stuff.
Now it'll probably be another two weeks until I can afford another panel.

That's a bummer dude. Sorry to hear of your misfortunes. But since you mentioned that LVDS cable problem, I might suggest you contact Johnzo for a replacement LVDS cable just to rule that out. It would be a lot cheaper than getting a new LCD/Controller/etc if it turns out that's all it was.

I would check the corners of the glass to see if its cracked... I had that problem with my first attempt. The next one was butter with the exception of replacing the polarized (3dlens.com) which turned out amazing.

There are tiny tiny wires that go through the glass on the corners near the green circuit board that have a bad habit of cracking when trying to remove the plastic lining that holds the lcd in the metal frame....

sorry to hear about the lcd. don't let it get you down though, it happens to just about all of us. my 2 cents.. save up for another lcd, get your PJ working, watch a couple of movies, enjoy it, then if you aren't satisfied with the brightness consider stripping the AG. whatever you do, good luck.

Are the lines on the panel the image or removal marks from the AG? That looks to me more like a data stream problem rather than a disortion from panel damage.

The lines on the panel is the image and not removal marks from the AG strip.
As I explained previously, the LCD will go dark when powered on and then after a little bit, I see the lines.
Could you explain "data stream problem" and any possible way top fix it. Might it just be a problem with the LVDS cable?
I'm using a 15' VGA male to male extension and it worked before I completed the strip off the back side of the panel.

I think I did notice some problems with a corner or two. This could have happened when I was trying to put it back into the frame after the strip.
I'll see if I can get a picture tonight when I get home.
Incidentally, I only stripped the layers off the back side - the silvery layer that would most hinder the projected image.

Here's a couple pictures of the corners of my LCD where it connects to the board:





This doesn't really look damaged but what do I know.

The FFCs that connect the board to the LCD are a little scuffed up:



Could this have damaged it?

This is the exact same thing that happened to my lcd! :-( There's nothing you can do. There are metal strips that flow through that corner and now that its broken you're in kind of a ho-hum situation.

Thanks for the reply.
At least I know what to look for on my next strip.
I only wish it was a less expensive panel.
Nothing to do about it but order a replacement as I'm hooked now.

You can now join the club of us who have ruined a panel. you are in good company. replacing the panel is still going to be cheaper then replacing a commercial projector bulb.

This doesn't look promising for me... I'm a little concerned since i'm planning a 10.6" build and all these horror stories emerge!
Is it that easy to break these panels?
For me in australia i need to factor in the $60 shipping as well as 25 or so paypal fee which makes it a VERY expensive mistake.

If your concerned about the cost, you might want to start off with stripping the LCD and controller out of one of those portable DVD players.
Build your box using that and make it upgradeable.
When you get the nerve, upgrade to a 10.6 or one of the new 12 inch panels that might be coming out soon - or even a 7 inch, when they become affordable.

Personally, I don't know how I managed to break mine. It had to have happened when I was trying to put it back in the plastic and metal frame it came in. I'm sure there are plenty of people who have not damaged their LCD.
As long as you go slow and pay close attention to what your doing (taking pictures of your disassembly helps in putting it back together), you should be fine.

can you please tell me where you got the plans for a mini haas
i cant find the dimentions anywhere

tescorp please help us all lol

my 10.6 is huge ..my plog and i need to build a mini haas before my girlfriend throws it out the window

There are no plans (unless TESCORP posts some). I'm designing mine using Google Sketchup and I'm not at the point where I have my correct dimensions, yet.

Well, the primary measure is length, which will depend on your triplet. I'm using a standard tiriplet which makes my projector the same length as a standard lens projector. For the height and width, that's determinied by the requirements of the LCD and lamp. The Haas shape isn't hard to determine from that data.

I have to sketch some up, right now I only have the master template. I will have plans on my site one of these days, lots of builds going on right now. just finished the F-1075 folded projector, 10.6" board, MST controller.

I've stripped two of these so far and yes they are fragile but only if you mis handle them. also a lot of the horror stories come from removing the AG layer(s). also remember these are glass and will break if you force them back into their frames. so basically as long as you are careful there is no reason you shouldnt be able to strip and install one of these without any problems. I've stripped about 15/20 panels of different sizes and makes and only ruined one.

If you're worried about ruining the panel just don't strip it right away. Just use it how it is and then later when the risk isn't so high have at it. That's my plan anyway.

quasi im using your plog as a blueprint for my mini hass lol
please be detailed in your descriptions and ill send you a dollar lol

ps. tescorp rules .. put some blueprints on your site for the mini hass and i promiss i will be the first customer

OK, soon as I have them ready all the plans I have will be on the site in PDF form.