So I was looking at the 3.5" design, and I see you can use regular lenses rather than fresnels to focus the image.

What about a 10.6" Any hope? Sure would be sweet not to have the pattern of fresnel lines.

What if you bought a couple of 18" Beselers? Would there be a set of lenses one could cannabalize from that to make it work?

You would need a lens with a diameter of 10.6" the beseler has a diameter of 4.5" i believe, so that would theoretically be the maximum size lcd you could use.

Why am I thinking a 10.6" lens is going to be expensive? LOL

Ever thought about casting your own with optical acrylic?

don't those things leave a lot of bubbles?

I think it would be difficult to find a 10.6" lens with the right focal length. Most lenses that size are for telescopes. You could try grinding one, but there isn't much support for lens grinding/designing.

But, if you did find one, or build one, you could make a pretty small projector, especially if you have one with the top and bottom cut off.

Interesting things these large magnifiers ... I wonder if they would have a use?

Magnifier

Are you getting a lot of fresnel shadows in your projections? If so you can probably fix them by adjusting the gaps between the fresnels, and the gap between the LCD and field fresnel. Also, using an split configuration will help. I've never had any fresnel shadows with my projector so it must be possible to get rid of them.


I've wondered what it takes to do this... have you done it HitesFiero? Is it something anyone can do?

Oh, I am sure there has to be a way to get rid of them. I think they have just become pretty pronounced lately due to a warp in the fresnel pushing it closer to the panel. I have to buy a new set anyway ... 2 years of dust in the grooves, warps scratches and dropping down to a 10.6 size.

With a super smooth mold, yes. You need to remove the bubbles before you pour it into the mold. This is my next step ounce i get my collector tuned.

So what's the heat resistance on it?

about the same a fresnel lens, not great. It's just clear poly, and good cooling is a must, but it's very doable with the right molds.

Oooo I look forward to seeing action shots on the lens process, HF. Also, if you have any good sites you can point to for lens pouring that would rock.

What about designing the mold? Lenses are very technical.

No I don't, at least not for lens crafting.



That is correct, theres a lot of trial and error type development involved here, but hey, that's the nature of DIY!