So I've decided to start my PLOG, as I've actually started construction! This means I'll have something to write about, although it may not come too quickly. Of course I've read a lot on the forum, come up with some great ideas, read some more only to find they've already been done, but at least that shows me that I'm heading in the right direction.

My basic design uses an 18" Beseler, a 15" Gateway LCD, 220/550 unsplit fresnels and a 400W lamp, reflector and eballast. I'm hoping around a 120" diaganol, depending how things turn out. The original plan was to have everything on an individual panel, mounted on allthread so that everything would be adjustable. Then I figured, why not just make it right first time? OK, OK, j/k!

I was going to use 1/2" MDF for the panels but couldn't justify the expense when I had a full sheet of 3/4" MDF in the garage. When I went to the garage to pull out the sheet, what do I find to my surprise but a dozen 17" x 15" x 3/4" blanks just waiting to be used up! A little smaller than I had originally intended, but since I haven't actually drawn up any plans, who's to know?

I decided to mount both fresnels to one panel. This means they're not adjustable in relation to each other, (15mm apart), but it does have the advantage that the grooved sides are completely isolated from dust, (a big problem in our household). If I need to I can always mount one to another panel at a later stage.

I kinda finished the LCD mount today. It just needs painting and the LCD mounted. The beauty of the Gateway is that there are no FFC issues, but it does have a problem in that the control board fixes to the panel circuitry in such a way that it's 8" long. In my vertical design I've managed to have it stick up from the panel. This has the disadvantage that I can't, (at least easily), go for a split fresnel design, should I want to make that change.

If I butt the LCD and fresnel panels together there's probably another 15mm gap between fresnel and LCD. I'm a little concerned at the lack of adjustment I've given myself here, but feel that if it's a problem it's easily rectified.

I'm waiting on my lamp, reflector, ballast and FS mirror, so tomorrow or over the weekend I'll probably have a go at making my lens mount. I should probably try and get some pictures taken and uploaded for you guys as well.

If you're still reading this then thanks! If you've posted about your projector on here then you're probably someone that I've gotten more than a little inspiration from. Hopefully I'll be able to share my experience with others as I write more.

Under northern skies
Projectors illuminate
Alaska's damn cold!

(Lousy attempt at a Haiku I'm sure!)

Cant wait to see the pics

Not lousy at all!
I thought it was really nice.
Good luck on your build!

When I get the lens mount finished I'll take some pics as it should make a little more sense at that time. I'll be working on it today, if it's not too cold outside!



Thanks!

OK, so here are some initial pictures to give an idea of what I'm attempting. I have to admit that I'm pretty much making it all up as I go! What you see here is the rough skeleton of the projector, I still haven't decided how I'm going to house this thing.

Everything is just roughly in place, no real measurements have been made to lock things down yet. I'm going to firm everything up when I get the lamp in place, and go from there. I'm dying to shine some real light through this thing!

(Black panel in picture has the fresnels attached to either side. Lamp to go between bottom two panels.)

So I'm bored at work with nothing, (much), to do and I've been trying to figure out pre-condensers. I found a 150mm diameter by 20mm thick plano convex lens at home from an earlier project, and according to Dazzzla's spreadsheet it should have a FL of 318mm. Plugging those numbers in and using the default arc length of 25mm gives me a distance of plano to arc of 36mm. Is this enough to stop the glass cracking? I guess I'll try it and see what happens. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Can't seem to figure out what the optimal set up to aim for is with the pre-condensers, but we'll go with what we've got and see what we get out of it.

Got my FS mirror today. I'm thinking maybe I should have got a spare, just in case. Anyway, I'll get it mounted tomorrow and then I'll be a lot less nervous about it.

So where did you get the FS mirror from?

By the way, have you seen this thread about making your own DIY FS mirrors?

Seller vette4jja on eBay. I got an 8" x 8" one for $17 + $10 S&H. Well packaged and speedy delivery. Ordered it late Thursday night, it shipped Friday and was here today courtesy of USPS. My DIY patience doesn't extend to making everything.

I got projection today!!! Although it's completely crappy. I got my FS mirror mounted, so I did a quick test with a halogen work lamp, the fresnels, LCD, mirror and triplet. Nothing lined up or even enclosed yet, and in daylight. I just projected onto a half sheet of plywood about 6 feet, giving a 4 foot diagonal screen. It was out of focus but I could see that it was my Windows desktop.

I think I deserve a beer!!!!

(I'll try and get some pictures tonight when the room is dark, if the kids can find their camera for me. )

Hey Dave, I've been wanting to build a vertical pj for the longest time. Mind answering a few questions for me?

1) Is the FS Mirror the mirror you'll be using to reflect the LCD image into your focusing lens?

2) Where did you find that focusing lens?! It's huge!

Well, best of luck. I'm waiting with bated breath to see how this progresses!

1. Yes. Its mounting plate sits on that 45 degree angle behind the lens. I used an 8" x 8" mirror.

2. eBay. It's an 18" EFL Beseler from an opaque projector. They come up fairly regularly. Bhul, (Buhl?) is another make of a similar lens I think.

Hopefully some more pics tonight when it gets darker.

Some preliminary pictures.

These are with a completely opened projector, using a 250W halogen work lamp, with no adjustments made for alignment or focus, projecting on to black out cloth, in a darkened room, with a crappy camera phone. I'm calling it a definite success.





I sure hope my 400W lamp and ballast arrive soon!

Wow that rocks, Hope you dont mind I have decided to use some of your ideas in mine, got the plans all drawn out

I must admit I am throughly surprised by the results given the fact that the box is one big light leak

The Trusted One

Glad you like it. Whatever ideas I came up with in mine have pretty much already been done in other projects on here.

All I need to do now is to get my 400W lamp box made, and enclose it all in some kind of box/cabinet. This will give it the rigidity it needs to be accurately adjusted. Right now it's not very stable at all.

Buhl is the correct spelling.

No progress to report, but I thought I'd post a couple of updates.

First, my lamp and ballast should be here this week, (I hope). This means that I can get the light box built. I'll be ordering a hot mirror today, but that won't be here for a couple of weeks, so my first real tests will be without the pre-con.

In the meantime I will be building some kind of enclosure for the projector, only the MDF I have available isn't big enough to do the sides all in one piece. I think I can over come this well enough though, as I don't plan for the finished box to be just this MDF.

I also plan on making a motorised screen to place behind a beam. I've been reading up on some ideas and will try and tackle that this weekend, or not depending on how I feel.

We're getting closer!

Got most of my pieces and cut all the MDF for mine, I am going with accordian door design with two Piano hinges on the back. sooo loking forward to powering this thing up.

the part thats holding the 18 beseler come with the projector or is that something you fabricated?

I really lucked out on that. It's the support from the original opaque projector. It had two 1/2" diameter holes that I assume fitted on to support rods. I just had to drill them all the way through so I could put in a couple of bolts. It clamps around the lens, so I backed it off just enough so that I can twist it in and out for focusing. Bolted to the 3/4" MDF like it is makes it really secure.

(It was clamped right at the front of the lens and had a drop down cover, but I removed that piece.)

Ran into a minor problem last night, it snowed in my workshop.



My lamp is due tomorrow, so maybe I can use it to clear the snow out of my yard.

The plan this year is to build a shed out in the yard, so that I can reclaim the garage and not have to do all my DIY out on the deck.

Just a quick question, how will your joined-together fresnels allow you to correct for keystone?

Since I'm going unsplit and vertical I won't be able to adjust keystone. But since my build is vertical I'm just going to place it high enough that the lens is at the correct height for the screen. It's not going to be a permanent fixture in the room, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Geeez, and you live out in Alaska? I'd have my back to the wall and facing the trees just in case something decided to pop in for a visit

The most we ever get is moose, and they have little interest in projectors. I've seen evidence of bears in the yard, but never a bear. Moose are surprisingly quiet though, you look up and there's a moose staring at you.

10 miuntes left at work, and then I'm off for the week! So this means that tomorrow, (or as it in fact tomorrow already, later this afternoon ), I need to get my screen made. My lamp should be on it's way down from Anchorage for delivery in the afternoon some time. So I'll be able to give it a test fire and get it burned in for a few hours. Then Friday, (which IS tomorrow), I'll build my lamp box and see if I can't get it all tweaked up and displaying something half decent.

And all this means that .....


drum roll please ......


SATURDAY NIGHT IS MOVIE NIGHT!!!!!!!!




(Sunday I'll probably be stripping it down and rebuilding it properly. )

After 5 feet of snow over here this year I am really tired of the flaky white stuff . But eh, its the cost of being Canadian.

I know what you mean.
(Howdy, neighbour!)

The progress is looking great! I know what you mean about ideas already being used as you've used the threaded metal dowel thing (don't know the proper term for it) and nuts for adjusting and I was thinking about doing it in my currently non-existent PJ.

I can't, however, relate when it comes to snow. People will probably think it's crazy but I've never seen snow (real honest snow) as I've lived in Texas for nearly 21 years now... It's the cost of being a Texan!... haha...

Yeah, Kitchener looked exactly the same, same with Oshawa where my inlaws live :S

Standing record for snowfall here in Montreal I think.

Strong Canadian presence here, no?

Lamp is here, wired up and ready for a burn in! How long does it need, 1, 2, 3 hours?

2 should be sufficient, as long as you have a decent first burn in opposed to a few minutes you will be good

I am pretty sure w set a record in Toronto this year, and yeah there are alot of Canadians here, we tend to be more of the DIY type (from my friends anyway, most of the Americans I know would rather just buy somethng then build it, a few exceptions among my friends but not many).

one of the reasons I love this country man. Were quiet, we keep to ourselves, and slowly take over the world by enigneering all the airplanes and nuclear reactors and weapons

Burning in my lamp at one end of the deck, grilling some steaks at the other end.

Life is good.

too bad Alaska isnt exactly walking distance from Ontario, I would bring the beer

You'd be more than welcome.

Well that's one big ass bulb. I didn't pay attention to it's overall size, but it's going to have to stick out the back of the projector. This isn't a problem right now as I don't have a back on the projector. I seem to remember that the long axis of the bulb is better perpendicular to the long axis of the LCD, right? Well I'm off to check that before I go any further, but hopefully by the end of the day I'll have a semi-working projector!

I'm really not used to being up so early. I can see a nap in my future. :yawn:

LOL .... were you guys hit by the storm that hit Calgary?, can wait to see some pics man, your two steps ahead of me

We didn't get any bad storms this winter where I am.

Pictures tonight if all goes well.

Slow progress today, and I bust my mogul lamp base. I think I might be able to do a temporary repair so that I can still watch a movie tomorrow. I only got my lamp box half built, but it won't take long to get it finished tomorrow. Then it's just a question of reassembling it all, wiring it up and getting it dialed in. Oh yeah, I still have to make my screen, I've been kinda lazy.

OUCH! Sorry to hear about that.

FYI, I found that some aquarium stores carry that lamp/ballast/mogul bases, and that kind of thing. (We are using the same components that aquarium builders use after all) I picked up a mogul base (LL forgot to send me one) for ~$6.50 including tax.

Where were you planning on buying your new base tomorrow? Have you found any other sources for this stuff?

I live in Alaska, so resources are pretty limited. I hadn't thought about the aquarium aspect, there is one store I can try, but it will be a long shot. I've tried the local electrical wholesaler, but no joy there. My wife's cousin is an electrical contractor so I'm going to see if he has any ideas. Failing that I'll be ordering another online, and hoping my temporary fix holds long enough for just one movie, (please!)

Two hours to lift off!! If my lamp base fix holds that is.

The screen is up, (but in no way finished), I need to reassemble the projector, and post some pics. And maybe even some screenies. Right now though I'm taking a break and drinking a beer.

And it's not my fault the dog is covered in sawdust, OK?

It works! Oh boy but does it work!!!!

First some construction photos. (All pics are done on my camera phone.)

Lamp box on its side showing the fans.



Lamp box showing lamp.



Lamp box from side. Slots are to let air in for cooling. I'll be adding some baffles above the fans to direct the air toward the lamp.



Continued next post ...

Top of lamp box, with temporary glass lid. I'll be replacing that with a sheet of metal holding a hot mirror and pre-condenser lens.



Fresnels holder, one on each side of a piece of 3/4" MDF.



LCD panel holder. Panel is held in with gravity, as much as I could find.



Fuzzy image of complete assembly.



Next post, for the good stuff!!!!

Lumenlab forum home page



And yes, that is a 4ft tall window with no blinds next to it. AND there's a 4ft x 4ft window with no blind behind me that you can't see. The projector is about 12ft from the screen, and the other window is about 18ft behind the projector! It is still light outside, but the back window faces north, and the windows you see are facing south.

BUT check this out!!!



I just had the bottom half wrapped in a cardboard box!!! Crazy, crazy stuff.

Random screenies. All pretty poor as the camera is crap and I didn't think to get up and pause the DVD.

And just a reminder, this is the projector in action!



I'm just blown away at the success of this. I haven't even done any tweaking, or even cleaned up the parts! I just set the fresnels at 220mm from the lamp arc, give or take a few mm, dropped the lens assembly down until I got focus, adjusted the triplet, and that's it. I can't believe it. I'm trying to convince myself that I really did get these results right off the bat. I think I might start crying in a moment and need a hug from you guys.

(Didn't really get to enjoy the movies though because a, my eyes were constantly scanning the screen picking out all the detail, and b. I was kinda, (very), nervous about the thing overheating and wanting to check it constantly.)

Like harps and angels singing. That's how I felt when I built my first. Congrats Dave, now don't fall into that pit of watching movies at it's current condition. It's easy to get swallowed in delaying it's completion.

excellent job !!!!!!!!

what temps are you getting in your lamp box ? just curious ... its a nice design