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lonewolfmichigan
Hello room.Today's the start of my long anticipated venture into building a projector.Back in August I almost bought a used commercial one off Ebay,but after pricing bulbs,decided against it.I found a DIY projector link somewhere along the line using a OHP and got excited and purchased a nice one off Ebay.Then I found this site.I'd have done things somewhat differently if I'd seen this place 1st,but now I'm sticking with the OHP,adding on to it.It will be modified,using its base/lighting/fan components.I'll upgrade the fan/cooling now,lighting later.The OHP lens will replaced using the LL standard S15 fresnel lenses and S15 triplet.This OHP base will be laid sideways,with a custom built front fresnel and triplet enclosure added on to it.The new rear fres/LCD/tempered glass will be permanently attached to the OHP base.

Heres my components:
OHP: GTL 6000
Lamp Spec and info:Halogen(I purchased 3 more of these new for $3.00 each!)
Voltage: 82 Volts
Wattage: 360 Watts
Base: Min 2-Pin/G5.3, G5,3
Glass: T-3.5, T3.5, T-3˝
Filament: CC-8
Average Life: 75 Hours Lumens: 10,000
Color Temperature: 3250°

TruTech® 15" LCD TV - PLV1615T
15.0 " LCD TV
High Definition with Built-In HDTV/ATSC Tuner
4:3 Standard Aspect Ratio
1024 x 768 Pixel Resolution
Contrast Ratio: 400:1
Stereo Speakers
Operational Features: On-Screen Adjustment Menu
Operational Modes: 250 CD/M2 Brightness
Compatible with 108i/720p/480i/480p Resolution Specs/Video Modes Formats
Accessories Included: Remote Control

Standard LL S15 lenses
The main components:
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The OHP open.I'll be modifying this to allow complete detachment from base if and whenever needed.
Click to view attachment

This OHP has 4 beveled edges with predrilled and threaded bolt holes.It'll be a snap to attach the field lens/triplet enclosure due to this.Its like the manufacturer expected an enclosure to be attached.
Click to view attachment

The LCD is stripped,Ffc extension connected and ready to go.Taking Supra's advice and not doing an AG strip at this time.I'll post more pics after the front fres/triplet enclosure is finished and attached tonite.After that I will work on the LCD/Rear fres/Temp.glass assembly on the OHP base.I should have this completed in a few days.LWM
lonewolfmichigan
Heres a few more pics with the front enclosure temporarily attached to the OHP base.So far, so good considering my woodworking skills ohmy.gif .The bottom and side panels will be permanently mounted,the top panel removable to access the LCD/circuit board(s)/field fresnel.The inside will be caulked and blacked out.The outside will be covered in speaker box cloth material.I'm going to try and finish the front panel tonite,where the triplet mounts.My 13 month Grandson is here and he's demanding Grandpa's attention.
Tommorow I'll be reconfiguring the area on the OHP base where the LCD/condensor fresnel/heatshield will mount.Thank God for the Dremel tool.It'll come in handy.After that and figuring the circuit board(s) final location,the adjustable field fresnel will be mounted.Then after everything is so far aligned properly to this point(this will take some time) I'll mount the triplet.I'm using up my remaining vacation time at work for 07 so this should be ready to try out by the weekend I hope.LWM

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lonewolfmichigan
Hi again.After much thought and careful reading about AG removal,I decided to go ahead and attempt this process.I just did'nt want to mount this panel in my build and then be dissatified with the picture due to the AG.It was just one more potential aggravation I wanted to eliminate before the final assembly and testing of my build.

I followed the accepted procedures with a plain distilled water soak.2 paper towels wetted with warm water and covered with plastic food wrap to the edge of LCD with a towel underneath to catch any minor runoff.At 6 hours I got a corner to start peeling using a razor blade and my jewelers eyepiece so I could see exactly what was coming loose.I could plainly see it was the clear AG.Got it peeled about an inch and then it started to tear instead of staying whole.It seemed brittle.I let it soak for 6 more hours and this time I also warmed things up a bit with a blow dryer on low,with the wet towels/plastic still covering the LCD.This time I started at a new corner and and it lifted right off,no tears.The center area got a tad hard to pull,but I kept going very slowly and gently.It was a success!

I still have a very small area(where it was hard to pull in the center)with some glue residue that I can't seem to remove.96% Isopropyl Alcohol would'nt remove it.********Should I try diluted acetone?********

This panel is from a TruTech 15" LCD TV - PLV1615T.

Everything else is coming along smoothly.Mounting the rear fresnel was somewhat difficult,I had to use my thinking/fabrication skills on that one.I should have this puppy up and running by tommorow 12/29/07.

Results of peel..very shiny,thats my lighted magnifer and shop light reflecting on it:
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AG layer removed with paper towel still attached:
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Aerosoul22
glad to see the AG removal went well. if you were able to do that your first go around without killing your panel the rest of the build will be a breeze smile.gif good luck
lonewolfmichigan
QUOTE (Aerosoul22 @ Dec 28 2007, 03:26 PM) *
glad to see the AG removal went well. if you were able to do that your first go around without killing your panel the rest of the build will be a breeze smile.gif good luck

Thanks Aerosoul22!I used a 50-50 mix of acetone & water to remove the small amount of glue residue left over.After gently blow drying the panel and examining the Ffc's/circuit boards ,I just now fired it up and everything is still working properly.I'm ready to assemble now.Will check back later with pics and hopefully further success.

LWM.
lonewolfmichigan
Well,I was hoping to have this PJ at fully assembled and fired up yesterday12/29/07,but got sidetracked helping my son figure out why his Toyota 4-runner was overheating.Stuck thermostat which was a pain to get at.Had a few beers afterward and was'nt in the right frame of mind to continue with my PJ.
Anyway,I had a hell of a time cleaning my rear fresnel from wood dust and a couple fingerprints today.Its semi-permanently mounted on the OHP base and I had to clean it while mounted to avoid contaminating it again.All finally went well though with a couple drops of dish soap and water and a can of compressed air.It looks nice again and shiny.
Got my front fresnel mounted,its freely hanging for keystone adjust.I fired up the PJ (without the LCD)so I could see where my 'light circle' was exactly located before cutting the hole for triplet and marked it off with a pen.While the lamp was on,I noticed the heat building up and I've decided to add another fan to the base for added cooling.I had a couple small 120 volt fans lying around from an very old 1980's computer and am using 1 with a new dimmer switch so I can control the speed.This fan really pushes the air and is fairly noisy at full throttle.The dimmer switch works great,I've had it plugged in for 4 hours now at half speed just to make sure it would'nt hurt the fan motor using the d.switch.No problem.I've got the dimmer switch mounted on the base,I'm in the process of cutting the hole for the fan now.It'll be drawing air out,like the original fan does now also.Should create a nice vacumm when finished.I have plenty of space going in and around the LCD,rear fresnel,glass shield.
The O.E.M. bulb and fan are wired to both turn off and on together on this OHP,this extra fan will be wired to allow for running when these are shut off,so it can continue cooling when bulb is off.I don't want my rear fres to warp and hopefully this will help alot.

Thats it for now,gotta work tommorow but will have New Years Day off to do some more building.Hope everyone reading this has a nice New Year and thanks for the great advice you've given,even if it was'nt specifically for my PJ.I've learned alot from reading everyones posts on here.

PJ circle of light for triplet:
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Front fresnel before cutting slots for final mount.I used epoxy to mount the hanging rod to lense,had to be very careful and mask off edge of the lens in case some epoxy got on it.It worked out fine.
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lonewolfmichigan
Everything is going well.Precision(almost) takes time.







pics
lonewolfmichigan
pics
lonewolfmichigan
http://s267.photobucket.com/albums/ii297/l...nt=CIMG2694.jpg
jeffek
nice.

it looks like you need to move your light back a little or move your fressie up just a bit
that will give you a little more of a focused point of light on your tripplet

from the pic above it appears the culmination of the light is bigger than the tripplet and you want as much of it on the lense as possible ..

looking good cant wait for some screenies
lonewolfmichigan
Thanks jeffek.I was getting dark corners and moving the frt. fres a little corrected it.I'm unsatisfied with the light transmission after mounting the lcd.I clearly lost probrably 20-25% of light strength after it passes through the LCD.I can actually stare head-on into my front fres and see my light arc with no ill effects to my eyes,whereas before it was definitely(if not impossible) blinding when even attempting to do this with the naked eye.

I have at least 1 layer of highly reflective panel on the rear of the LCD.I am going to remove this layer and may possibly have a second layer also.I'll have to wait and see.

I will be posting pics of the LCD with a light source to show the before peel light transmission and after peel results.Also pics of the actual removal process.This should help tremendously if all goes well.

My next post will either be disaster ohnoes.gif or success biggrin.gif .

LWM
lonewolfmichigan
Success! biggrin.gif
I removed 2 layers of reflective layer with noticeable clarity in light penetration.Sensibull posted me a link of infinityplusone's removal process in the -Project Technical Support- forum.I did a cold peel which took some patience and very careful pulling of the layers.I used a straight edge razor and a jewelers magnifier to start each peel,to be sure I was getting the right one each time.The second layer was much more difficult and took a considerable more amount of pulling and gentle tugging to get it to release all the way across the panel.It ripped in a couple places and I had to restart it at a different corner,but all went well.It was a very slow process. WHEW!

Unlike infinityplusone's peel though,all of the glue is still on my LCD panel after I pulled the 2nd layer.It did'nt come up with the layer.This I am carefully considering on how to remove as I don't want to scratch the panel or damage it with something too harsh.

I got home from work today and started this right away,and did'nt take the before picture as promised earlier,I was too involved in wanting to get started and forgot to get the camera until after I had started this process.Oh well,I need to buy an extra camera to leave on my work bench in 'the dungeon',as my wife calls it.My basement/Man cave. lol

Heres some pics,tommorow I'll start with the glue removal and any suggestions on safely removing it are MUCH appreciated.

1st layer:
removal

1st layer removed:
removed

2nd layer,notice that the glue that is adhering to the LCD,instead of the 2nd layer:
removal

2nd layer sticks and tears a little:
OOPS

2nd layer removed:
removed

LCD powered up with very noticeable difference in light transmission,even with my bench light! biggrin.gif
Powered on!

Thats it for now.I work 11-12 hrs a day and do what I can during the week.This build is taking much longer than originally anticipiated but I'm enjoying it and learning very much along the way.

Hope everyone is having a good week and I'll post again as soon as I can.LWM




lonewolfmichigan
I tryed some acetone(nail polish remover) straight from the bottle today and although it doe's soften the glue,you can only do a very small area at a time and the panel seems to scratch easily if rubbed too hard.Got some 'Goof Off' which claims to remove many types of glue and it performed similarly.

Thinking about a 50/50 mixture of water and either one of these 2 chemicals and doing a rag soak method for unknown as of yet hours.I'll check it every 1/2 hr or less to see how its working since this attempt at glue removal will have unknown results.

I'm hoping this process will soften all the glue at once and therefore I can remove the majority of it in a few wipes with a soft cloth and lessen the chance of scratches and overly rubbing the panel as in the first attempt(above).

I'll post again with pics and results as soon as I know something.

LMW
jonjandran
Anything will scratch the polar now.

Why don't you try to water soak it with wet paper towels for 3-4 hours and then just wipe of the glue?
lonewolfmichigan
Jonjandran,I should and will try that water only method first.I've did well this far,no sense in chancing ruining the panel with a harsher method if it is'nt called for.Thanks for your input. This glue just seems so sticky and tough,I was'nt sure if water would permeate it enough for a clean removal.

I'll let er soak for a few hours with water and see what happens.

LWM
lonewolfmichigan
Well,after an 8 hour soak via water/paper towel method,glue has definitely softened up and is coming off much easier with a light rubbing with a damp soft cloth.NO SCRATCHES.No acetone or other chemicals required.Amazing!:) I'll post some pics later today after work.
Thank you very much for the simple solution jonjandran!
I'll be so glad to start finally putting this thing together.Everything is ready to assemble except I still want a digital thermometer for the inside temp. monitoring and will need to mount some adjustable rubber feet.I'm gonna mount 1 on each bottom side of the rear OHP base and 1 in the center/bottom of the front enclosure for tilt adjustment.This PJ will ultimately be sitting on a small custom made table on rollers,so I can roll it around,as it will not be mounted permanently anywhere.An indoor/outdoor PJ for movies & music videos mostly on the weekends.
So,success slowly continues in this project!Hopefully with some screenies by this weekend.I picked up a nice complete Casio EX-S500 camera last week off of Ebay for $18.00.Seller said the shutter was'nt working.Well,of course it was'nt working.The MEMORY WAS FULL,including the 1GB SD card inside of it!LOL!It had some strange video on it.I emptied out all the memory and now it works just fine biggrin.gif.It has some nice manual shutter adjustments that should take nice screen shots of my PJ screen.

Off to work now,will post again later.LWM
lonewolfmichigan
Well its Saturday and I'm finally getting this project going again.When I left off I promised a pic of glue removal after I peeled off the 2nd layer of reflective layer on the rear of LCD.Per Jonjandran's advice I water soaked it with success.The glue just rolled off using my fingers.I used a little extra warm water when doing this also.I DID end up with some very minor/light scuffs on the polar panel,but nothing that should harm the final projection. Heres a pic:

glue removal

I also remounted the frame for the LCD.All this time I've built my PJ thinking I was supposed to use the metal but insulated frame that was surrounding the LCD.I luckily stumbled onto a thread that said to disassemble the backlight and use its plastic frame.PERFECT!It made the LCD sit 1/4" further from the rear fresnel so I had to re-adjust the rear fresnel.This took some time as my rear fresnel mount is'nt easy to access due to the configuration of this custom build.

I've also decided to incorporate the 2 -AWESOME- mini flouresent backlight tubes in this build.I'm not sure yet where,or what for,but they will definitely be used for lighting somewhere.Even if only for outer cosmetic purposes.I'll be using this PJ on Summer nights and was thinking about putting one by the PJ controls and signal input area with a micro on/off switch.

heres pics of the tubes lit & unlit:

tubes lit

unlit:

tubes unlit

I guess the sooner I get off here and get back to working on this PJ,the quicker it'll be done,so I'm off for now and will post some more pics later today.Hope everyone is having a nice weekend.I am! smile.gif

circuit boards mounted
lonewolfmichigan
My job is keeping me busy driving 12 hrs a day.By the time I get home,eat dinner,spend time with my wife, daughter,the dogs,read the paper and relax,I'm too tired to work on the PJ.
I did manage to get my triplet adjustment mounted to the front panel.I could'nt find the shower drain thing so I took a nice clean 'Clabber Girl' baking powder can,cut off 2" and lined the inner diameter with felt.JB Weld on the inside for a secure fit.My triplet is nice & tight and the felt keeps the outer casing of it from being scratched during adjustment.I'm still thinking of a way to use the 3 holes in the triplet for extra support,maybe using metal rods to keep it perfectly straight during back & forth movement.I'll probrably mount bolts from the inside that are a bit larger than the trip holes and lightly grind down the outer threads so that the triplet holes only come in contact with a smooth metal rod surface.I'll post a pic when this is done for more clarification.
I got all 5 enclosure panel sides covered in speaker box cloth now and its ready for assembly but I keep finding little things that need improved,like a air intake slot above the LCD for cooling purposes.These things take time and they'll be done before I get too 'in a hurry' to see this thing actually project on a screen.I want most of my bases covered when and if I find a disgruntling 'flaw' somewhere down the line. laugh.gif

Slowly but surely.I'll git 'er done.See ya on the next post..... click next or back on photobucket for all photos

triplet mount
lonewolfmichigan
Well after a busy Friday & Saturday I'm back again.Its colder than a penquins ass up here,8 degrees in the daytime not including the windchill factor!It got down to 4 degrees last night.Of course my wifes car had to take a crap Friday night,the alternator went out,10 miles from home.I had it towed home and fixed it in the driveway.It was cold as heck,it was dark,and my hands about froze off,let alone the busted knuckles from freezing cold steel hitting warm flesh when the cold tools broke the bolts loose.My hands were too big to be wearing gloves in such tight spaces.I could've paid $$$$$ to have it done but with a diehard DIY like me,that would've been sacriliguous! ohmy.gif

Anyway the Pj is coming along fine,albeit slowly.I'm doing my best to use everything I can from the LCD/TV to incorporate in this projector. The complete manual control panel from the LCD/TV is cut & mounted,a little PIZAZZ! biggrin.gif .The controller inputs are mounted,the descriptive input sticker/mount looks nice above the inputs.I got my upper cooling slot cut and air filter mounted.I used ready available #2 furnace filter material for filter,so as not to be too thick and restrict air.I got the remote sensor wires extended from the c.board for the LCD controls mounted .I used a piece of a chrome telescopic radio attenna tube to run the wires in and cut a 3" curved slot for the wires to move freely when moving the sensor up&down along side the front enclosure.I don't like the way the black tape looks covering the solder joints on the end of the sensor though.I'll have to do this better,later on.
I forgot to buy new bolts for the top panel cover.I want this panel to be easily removed for LCD/Fresnel/Circuit Board access,with a clean look,without using cheap looking wood screws.Preferably with heads that are removable/tightenable by hand.
I'm going to use the rear tilt brace/bracket off of the LCD/TV that was used for tabletop viewing, for my front up/down tilt on this Pj.A single bolt/nut configuration as I'lI show later.I still need to mount 2 adjustable side to side rear rubber feet on the OHP base yet.I want this portable Pj to have fully adjustable tilt in any setting as it may be in uneven landscape from time to time outdoors.

I'll be back in a short while with some pics.The basement is a mess,with tools/materials scattered everywhere!LOL!Its hard to stop and clean up when a idea gets in my head and it must be done before I forget it,no matter how small.I don't like writing stuff down when having this much fun. tongue.gif


BRB....................
lonewolfmichigan
Heres some pics:

I have'nt glued the cloth down yet on the top panel edges.I need to drill pilot holes for whatever type fastener I use.It'll look better when this is done.I added the fan on the top,with the silver metal screen.

Projector

Projector

Projector

Projector

Projector

Top air intake for LCD.LCD is slightly to the rear of this.It should move the air somewhat towards center of LCD and hopefully uniformly over the whole thing:

Pj air intake

Under the top panel,filter mounted with strips of wood/4 screws,easy to replace:

Pj air intake

Pj air intake

Remote sensor:

remote sensor

remote sensor

various,these pics are'nt showing the heat shield,I forgot to put it back in,but will show it mounted with the next pics I post. :

various

Projector open

Projector open

circuit boards

Well,thats whats done so far.The pics don't do it justice.I think it looks better in person.One thing nice about this,is that the OHP base and the front LCD/LENSE enclosure can easily be separated for later upgrades or modifications.I've done a couple quick temporary screen shots using a white cloth sheet along the way and they are very acceptable.This week I'll get some top panel fasteners,redo the remote sensor(without black tape),mount the rear/front levelers,run the sound output wires to a good permanent spot and mount the DVD player base on the rear panel of the OHP.Oh,I'm using the LCD/TV backlight 'plexiglass panel' for my DVD player to sit on.It will be hinged,tucked under the OHPs bottom and look like its part of the OHP.I'll show pics of this soon.
Also,the right/left channel audio wires that used to go to the speakers will ultimately be connected to a small Denon 200 watt 2 channel car amplifier for easy outdoor sound hookup.I hope I can find a spot on the Pj to mount it..

I have a hard time uploading pics directly to LumLab.I use photobucket.Less bandwidth use for LumenLab.LOL

Hope everybody has a good week ahead and thanks for any suggestions/input.

lonewolfmichigan
lonewolfmichigan
Picked up this bad boy for .99 cents a couple days ago on Ebay to use with this Pj.Its an easy fix if you know what your doing,basically disassembling/realigning the DVD tray and replacing the rubber belt which drives it.

Denon 1200

Got the LCD/TV for a decent price too.First check was the glass fuse,which looked good visually,but with a continuity check,found that it was shorted,probrably from a power surge.Lucked out this time,no further diagnostic needed.

TruTech LCD/TV

The OHP was a little pricey but I was a noob.I liked the all metal construction though,hinged platen for easy electric component access and pre-drilled/threaded holes for a wooden enclosure on this build.I have a nice clean unsplit fresnel and doublet left over after
using only the base.These will be used in my future 2nd build with a 8" portable DVD player I have.

OHP

Started mounting the front&rear tilt adjusters today.Will have screen shots this weekend using a piece of new&cheap 120"x72" white muslin cloth temporarily until I know exactly what my final screen dimensions will be,before buying a DaLite.

lonewolfmichigan
Dammit %@$^!!WTF!!%%!!!!!@@! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.I just spent 45 minutes typing and linking indidvidual pics to my progress.LL said there was a error and would'nt let me post.I copied my post but forgot to paste and save it in a file before restarting my computer!!Lost it all.
I don't want to do it all again so I'm just putting one link to photobucket,all my newer pics are there.

Had to work overtime this weekend(will help pay for a new pull down screen biggrin.gif ),so I just got back around to doing more work on Pj today.I got the front/rear tilt adjusters mounted and also the hinged DVD player shelf attached.

From this:OHP

To this:Transformation

My progress

The OHP sure looks different from when I bought it as you can see.The rear side to side and front up/down adjusters work great.I had to re-enforce the plastic front one with hidden hard wood strips mounted underneath it,it was originally the rear stand for the LCD/TV but the weight of the Pj front enclosure made it bow slightly.Its much stronger and solid now.

I have to go to Menards and buy a couple 10' metal electric conduit pipes for my temporary white cloth screen.It'll hang from the ceiling with 1 pipe on top,and 1 at the bottom.This weight on bottom will help keep it tight and minimize wrinkles during projected images and tweaking this thing.
The focal calculations I've used should project image at 10' wide or near it.I've allowed for adjustments on both fresnels and triplet.

If all goes well after the tweaking ohnoes.gif<keeping fingers crossed<,I'll purchase the new screen.Eventually I'll replace the halogen light setup with ceramic or metal hallide bulb setup.They have EYB 360 watt,-200- hour halogen bulbs now,so I'll use these for awhile unless they are just plain unacceptable,we'll see.This Pj will only be used on weekends anyway for movies/music videos and occasionally the TV.Probrably 10-15 use total per week.I have a 36" Phillips CRT TV that has performed flawlessly for 5 years and it suits me fine for my everyday use.

Well,after a final cleaning and looking over of the Pj,the next posts I make will be of screen shots.I'll be using my all time favorite Sci-Fi movie,Blade Runner, for these shots.

"More Human than Human"-Tyrell Corporation slogan."All they'd wanted were the same answers the rest of us wanted: Where have I come from? Where am I going? How long have I got?"-Rick Deckard
The Future?

Be back soon.



BlindVision
"Replicants are like any other machine. They're either a benefit or a hazard. If they're a benefit, it's not my problem." Deckard
-just put on the Vangelis-Soundtrack_Blade_Runner_Esper_Edition-2CD-Bootleg-2002-DGN, that has it all. NEWER RELEASED sad.gif

MAN i love that MOVIE too (as you say IT's the FAVORITE), and i a looking forward to BIG SCREENing it myself.
NICE PLOG btw, LoneWolf -i got caried away, along with BLADERUNNER soundtrack SORRY
lonewolfmichigan
Well,I'm back.Thanks for the input BlindVision,the new release Vangelis soundtrack from Blade Runner is excellent and I have it.Now, I'd never bootleg a copy don't cha know! wink.gif

I finally got my temporary screen up and mounted.A piece of 10' wide by 6' high muslin white cloth glued to 2, 3/4" PVC pipes,top & bottom.It took quite a while to get the wrinkles & folds out to make it flat & tight but it works OK.The cloth is too thin though and I have light scattering everywhere in the rear, and the side edges are very fuzzy due to thats where the light meets the cloth and no black border along these sides.I had a annoying but minor 'light ring' on top of the screen but the front fresnel was off just a bit horizontally due to a imperfect jigsaw cut on the slot.Easy fix with a light build up on the fres rod.

The picture on a whole is in focus,except for the top edge.As I knew going into this project the keystone effect is apparent but its hard to notice right away.My throw is only 9' 8" which is almost exactly what FoCal told me it would be with my screen dimensions.I'm very happy with the pic all in all but I can make it better with a better quality screen which I'm purchasing ASAP.The brightness of this OHP/LCD combo is more than I expected and thanks to the OEM LCD/TV controller adjustments,contrast is very good in total darkness,acceptable with a table lamp on.DirectTV in HD looks really nice on this projector,except for my poor cloth screen ruins its capability.

I'm still watching/tweaking this somewhat -amazing- DIY projector.I've took a half dozen pics ,will post them soon,I SWEAR cool.gif !
lonewolfmichigan
Well,The Denon 1200 DVD player was a disappointment but only because the Seller failed to mention that it had been tampered with already.As soon as the cover was removed I noticed a ffc to the DVD tray was unplugged!GRRRRRRR!The screws were all loose on all the PCB's also.Always ASK before buying.I should've known better.
The spindle that holds/aligns the dvd after it is loaded was missing.GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!The dvd/cd just spins all over the place without the spindle to align it.s
Oh well,I'll add it to my collection of parts and another lesson learned.

I ended up buying a Draper Luma model #207010 4:3 aspect 69" x 92" x 120" DIAGONAL(actual viewing dimensions) from thefinalclick.com for $138.00,got it in 3 days!I'm real happy with its quality,but I should've bought the wider 16:9 since I will be watching movies 90% of the time and prefer widescreen.But its very nice for the price and my 1st DIY Pj deserved a decent screen after all my work putting it together.I built the Pj for a 120" WIDTH screen though,and now I am having trouble getting the whole projection on the screen itself.My triplet lens only gives me a couple inches of adjustment and my measurements are off now ,using this screen.I have 2-4" unprojected on the outer edges of the screen and can't get enough of the picture to stay within its boundaries while also staying in focus .I'll have to extend the front of the Pj,which will take some time or buy the proper size screen size.

Its still very watchable though and for a low end screen,its unbeatable.Nice & bright with good overall colors and contrast with no lights on.I see them for $113.85 now the next day after I bought one!

Pics coming soon!
Quasi_Mojo
Is it possible to move the projector closer towards the screen?
lonewolfmichigan
Ok,I think I have a permanent set-up now.And Quasi,yes I moved it a bit closer and my triplet is now at its limit for focusing.Thank you .My house was built in the early 1950's.My living/dining room is one combined huge room with an arch in the middle to separate the two rooms.Combined they are 29 1/2' x 16' and both separate equal 1/2 these measurements.The trouble is that my 36" CRT TV must be located on the farthest east wall due to thats just how my wife says itmust be. dry.gif .Now,that far east wall has a 5' x 4' 'picture window that extends 12"outward to the outside wall.The inside of this window has a nice 9" ledge.My CRT is heavy and sits in a entertainment center in front of this window.My pull down 120" diag. screen is mounted perfectly above this window.I've thought about mounting casters under the ET center so I can just roll it out of the way when using the PJ.This ET center is'nt a huge monster.Its vertical with TV/Satellite box on top,stereo/dvd components/storage on bottom half.But THEN I'd have to unplug the many various cables everytime or extend them,which is out of the question.
So,my best option is to buy a LCD TV to replace my trusty but FAT/OBESE wink.gif Phillips 36" CRT and put the LCD on that 9" window ledge.That way my PJ screen will have no obstructions when fully extended and The LCD/TV will have a nice permanent home.I'll buy(or build) a small ET on rollers for the HTE components and put them off to the side,in a corner when using the PJ.Or make these permanent too after figuring it out.I can buy a like new in an OPENED box store return 2007 model 50" Panasonic plasma TV for $500.00.Sells for over $2k New unopened.It does'nt power on,which could be alot of things.But maybe not.Those power supplies are'nt hard to repair,its finding the parts that is risky.My connection is very trustworthy,these are straight from the store returns,untampered with.I'm a cheapskate and don't gamble otherwise,but the price is right and It will get fixed even if I have to pay a tech.
I know I've been promising screenshots,but with working CRAZY overtime lately,and tweaking/figuring out things when I have time,its taking alot of time.I deliver new & used auto parts for a living and bodyshops are cranking out the business right now.With all the snow and ice,some Michigan drivers do what they do best.Drive too fast for the conditions and wreck their vehicles.Job security for me. laugh.gif 400-500 miles daily with 12-14 hour days are'nt uncommon and I just want to RELAX when I get home.
I got my tripod/camera ready though and pics are coming.



lonewolfmichigan
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lonewolfmichigan
Hi everybody,its been awhile since I checked in with my progress.Well,Summer is here,its July 3rd and my PJ is going outside.I watched it like 3 times last Winter in the house.No time for it during my busy time at work during the cold weather.My old 36" Philips CRT TV was easier to just turn on with the remote and relax when its cold outside and after a hards days work .
BUT,now its time for the ultimate test/tweak of my PJ outside with a cold brew and the knowledge LL has given me.

I made a frame for the pull down Draper 100" screen I bought.Menards had all their treated lumber on sale,and I built this one for less than $30.00 using 2x4's and deck screws.Heres some pictures so far:

diy screen

diy screen

diy screen

I'll take some screen shots and post a video on here later tonite.I have a new Olympus digital camera that should take nice shots & video.

Be back soon....
lonewolfmichigan
DIY PJ SLIDESHOW
lonewolfmichigan
PhotoBucket takes forever to download video from PC to their site..in about an hour you'll see a 2 minute clip of my screenshot of 'Signs' DVD on my outdoor screen.You may have to adjust the resolution on your monitor.This camera is so damn grainy at nite when using the video.the CASIO SX-500.STILL.My kid took the new Olympus to band camp wih her.GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
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