Okay, I have long ago convinced my wife that we need a projector to replace the flat panel TV we sold off when we last moved. I actually had her convinced long before that TV was sold, not that it matters. I want to take one of the LCD screens I have available to me, and turn it into a projector, DIY style. I have not yet convinced her that this is the best course. For one, the best (I think) available LCD is her old monitor which she hopes to use one day eventually if she ever gets another desktop in addition to or instead of her laptop. That does not make her happy, lol.

Aside from that, we've been pricing used projectors on craig's list, and seen some great bargains - though we have always been a few hours or few days late in getting one, she hopes that we can save a lot of money and get an average to good quality projector for less than $500. We are making sure the options we look at are HD compatible, at least 1400 lumens (preferably 200 or more), and contrast ratio of at least 2500:1*. We have seen 5 projectors for sale in the past several months that meet or exceed all of those requirements, and somehow failed to get all of them.

Given that the kits on this site seem to all be in excess of our $500 preference, with the LCD and home made case etc., I need to convince her that it will be worth the time and cost to make one myself.

How would a projector made from the pro kit, for example, rank in with regards to the lumens and contrast ratio* and such? I am sure it will depend a lot on the LCD used; but assuming I use a (4:3) 19" Acer AL1912 (the best choice I have, I think) LCD which has a 500:1 contrast ratio, max resolution of 1280x1024 75Hz - I assume the final contrast ratio cannot be better (and will probably be worse) than the stock 500:1, yes? And (see below*) does that matter? I am also assuming lumens is based more on the reflector and light used, not so much the LCD or enclosure...if so, how many can I expect from the pro kit?

I would love to enjoy the satisfaction of building my own projector, but if it would cost more than buying a used one, and yield roughly the same or worse quality, for now I have to agree with my wife and go with craig's list. But I am hoping that you can point me to something which will help me to find that I will do much better in the level of quality for the price by building it myself. It almost seems it would HAVE to work that way, right?



Now, assuming I do go with the home-made alternative, because even if I don't now, I hope to eventually anyway (as a second projector for my office, perhaps)... I have some more questions. I plan on making an automatic screen, as we plan on projecting from the wall where most would have an entertainment system (where our couch is) to the middle of the room (actually, the the middle of the dining room/living room combo area - so to the edge of the living room). I am looking at several different sources of material to use, and have already cobbled together a working case/winding mechanism. I expect the screen will be about 5' tall, and it is definitely no more than 120" wide [I am guestimating a 63" x 112" screen). The screen will be sitting roughly 12 feet away from the projector. I know this is overkill, but in 9 more months we will be moving into a larger place, and so I want to have a larger screen in case I can set up a room worthy of calling 'media room' or possibly 'theater'. Anyway, will I be encountering much difficulty with this throw distance and reaching that hopeful screen size in a homemade projector? What steps would I need to take to get that large a screen (clearly) at that short a thorw? Or is it possible?

Also, I have access to a few dead laptops - one 17" widescreen and one 15" widescreen, and one 15" 4:3 - an HP and a Toshiba and a Sony. I haven't been able to get much info on the LCDs here or elsewhere online, but would a widescreen 17" be better than a 4:3 19" for watching widescreen movies? I know that the occasional 4:3 game or TV show will be better (or, bigger at least) on the 19".

For lighting - I would prefer low cost bulbs - I have read into LED and seen they are not yet really viable, and the "green" CFLs don't seem to have the performance I am hoping for. What is the best compromise of bright and cheap and easy enough for a beginner to use? Caveat - I have never built a projector, but I am moderate to advanced in microelectronics, home electronics, and woodworking among other crafty type skills.

Along with the cheap and easy with good performance question, what lenses are the best to pick up? I want something rather easily adjustable, since we will be moving in under a year; but something stable that I don't need to tinker with every time we watch a movie, and above all something that is high quality.

I am assuming in the end most answers will lead to me picking up one of the kits here - and I don't mind that. I understand they've been put together for people such as me. But if there are other alternatives you may think are better in my situation, I would love to hear about them!

Most, if not all, of the questions you are asking have been asked before. So I'll provide you with a link to a Google search of the LL Forum:

Google: site:lumenlab.com +DIY vs +commercial

The most important thing to consider, I would think, when buying a commercial projector, would be to make sure that you factor in the cost of replacement bulbs over the life of the projector. With commercial, you're looking at something like $250 - $400 per bulb. And they don't have the lifespan that the bulbs we use have.

Best Bulbs Chart - I'm not sure if the attachments in this thread will open for you.
If not, try this Google search: site:lumenlab.com best bulb

An HD projector can be made for under $500 - and be attractive. If you're intent on going a DIY HD projector route, check out this thread: HD projector with component, composite, coaxial, AND HDMI inputs?

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Here's some info I like to add for new members:

The best place to start is The Lumenlab PRO DIY Projector Guide V.3.

Once you have a grasp of the basics, you might want to peruse the pinned topics at the top of the Beginner's Forum. This is also where you should go to create your own threads when you have questions. When you start your build, you can create your own PLOG to chart your progress and to ask questions about your particular build.

Then you can move on to the pinned topics of the DIY Video Projector Design forum.

When you're ready, you'll need to decide what parts (LCD, Fresnels and triplet) you'll need. To do that, you can use the handy FocalCalc. FocalCalc will help you determine your enclosure measurements and will let you experiment with different parts before buying anything. This will also tell you how far from the screen your projector needs to be (throw distance).

I've found that Google Sketchup is handy to use to design and visualize what your projector will look like. And best of all, there's a free version you can use.

A lot of the questions you might have probably have already been asked and answered several times. While most of us do not mind answering some of the same questions repeatedly, you might get more satisfaction in finding the answers yourself. Unfortunately, the built-in Search feature on most of these online forums is quite limited in what it can do. You might find it easier to search using Google using the "site" parameter. Below is an example:

Google search: site:lumenlab.com +"12.1" projector +plans

You can find other parameters by clicking the Google links in my signature.

You might run across a "quirk" when searching using Google, however. If you notice the thread looking "wonky" like this image, simply go up the the top right corner of the thread and click on Options and then Switch to: Standard.

I hope this gets you started on the road to your new obsession and I look forward to seeing your progress.

Raw lumens from a commercial projector go a long ways towards working in a lighted room. I would not recommend a DIY projector for anyone working with a lot of ambient light, it just dosn't work that way.

As mentioned, a lot of this has been gone over (and over and over and over) before, so it's not difficult to find information on this site.

DIY projectors are physically larger, in many cases signifigantly so. Most are not "wife friendly" -- my wife refuses to even switch mine on, though she's perfectly happy to watch movies on it. No such problem with a commercial projector.

The one good thing with the DIY is that I have no problems whatsoever with switchign the projector on, and watching TV, or surfing the web. Lamp life isn't a factor for me.