Hello everyone!

I just started on my projector build and i am having a blast! I have the built already built inside painted and i even mocked up all the lenses and lcd! Im stuck with a few issues at the moment im sure you can help me out with.

First off i purchased the S15 kit, along with a 15" hd screen from manhattan LCD. My first problem is i have no idea what needs to come out of the lcd screen to make this work properly. I took the thicker white plastic layer out along with the metal frame which im starting to think was a bad idea. Can someone please shed somelight on this?

Also, what is the easiest way of mounting the lens's and screen without glue or drilling dowels in everywher? I had all the lenses in temporarly just to see if it worked and i got the light to turn on, and lcd to power up, just without a picture...So i atleast know it works.

heres my progress.

Exactly which LCD did you buy from johnzo?
Pictures of your LCD would be helpful - front and back.

You can use this Google search of the LL forum for ideas for frames for your LCD and fresnels: site:lumenlab.com frame fresnel LCD

First off: the metal frame (and probably white layer) is suppose to be removed.

It's always better to have complete instructions when stripping an LCD, but without them it's still actually pretty easy.

Most important: don't electrocute yourself
Second most important: don't break the LCD beyond repair
This means...
unplug it first
capacitors are the most dangerous thing in there, be careful of them: they can hold a charge for a long time after the power is disconnected
don't cross any wires!
don't make contact with 2 different parts of the circuit board with anything metal (don't set the circuit board down on anything that's metal (like a screw) - if you're work bench/table is metal, take the LCD apart on the floor)

When you're taking apart the LCD you'll
remove all screws and remove everything those screws held down
take off everything that is solid metal of substantial size (pretty much as long as you don't pry the copper from the circuit boards you're good)
anything that can fall off once you remove the screws/metal isn't needed (like the plastic layers behind the LCD)

Things that are glued down are a little trickier...
if it's holding on a piece of metal (like the frame): remove it <- this is common on the outside of the LCD assembly
if it's clear plastic: remove it (another way to put this: if it's glorified scotch tape: remove it)
if it's some kind of sticky foam: remove it
if it's small and isn't blocking the LCD: leave it alone

Wires/cables
Almost every cable I've seen inside an electronic device can be unplugged and plugged back in without damaging the circuit boards or the wire. Some are a little trickier than others. If there is a relatively large, plastic rectangular thing at the end of the wire it's probably possible to unplug it. If there's no plastic thing be careful, if you damage that connection it's unlikely you'll ever fix it.

Norlander over here has a pretty good looking list of strip logs (from 2004 no less). I checked out a few (starting from the top), this one is very thorough... Liquid Video 1512 Teardown (Thanks AGAIN Ookpic)

i bought this screen with the controller.
https://www.manhattanlcd.com/ProductDetails...roductCode=1003

i think i got the screen all back together, but the white plastic trim piece needs to be removed for light to flow through. Yet, i also need this to have all the layers of the lcd screen to be held together. i will see if i can get some pics.

I didn't find any detailed stripping guides for the Samsung 15.4 Panel, but you might be able to follow some of my 12.1 panel stripping guide for the basics.

Progress has been made. Electrical is finished, i just have to finish with the lenses and the screen now. I had the whole thing mocked up for a test run, lcd and all. I ran into a few problems.

1, the light is Not shining through the lcd. There is still some layers in the screen which are white. Now, do all the layers that dont shine light through have to be removed?
2, I noticed that without the lcd screen installed the picture is shooting the screen straight, i would like it angled upwards. I tried tilting the whole projector box upwards, but this creates a trapezoidal picture. Do i have to tilt the lenses?
3, Do the lenses need to fixed on a slide, or do they have to each individually move for adjustment? I can move the whole lense and picture apparatus but, im not sure if each lense and screen needs to be moving.

Thank you!

I have a nice plan for this for finishing the box, so i would really like to get this done!

Start a PLOG. It's be good.

1. Yes, you need to remove everything from the light path that isn't the LCD itself. Don't remove the electronics, just move them out of the way.

2. Look up "keystone correction" on the forum. There are plenty of ways to take care of this, but be aware, the amount that you can correct is limited, and the projector will work best if you allow it to shoot the picture straight through.

3. The lenses can be fixed, or adjustable. Most people make the triplet easily adjustable so that you can change the focus. The other lenses should be adjustable to some degree as well, so that you can tweak your light setup to get the most from your projector, but it's not mandatory. (I adjust everything first, then my lenses are screwed in place so that they don't move.)

i hope this is the last question ive got, then i will create my own plog.

I noticed when the screen first arrived from the place i purchased it, it had this scratches or something in the lcd screen. Now that i actually put it up to light, you can clearly see them. Im thinking they are bad and are going to ruin my picture if i have one that is. Also, thats a 15 watt bulb behind the screen and not much light gets through the screen. does this look right, or should more light be going through?

I can't really tell from the picture, but that looks to me like the LCD crystals are "bleeding" - meaning the LCD may be damaged.
If you received it like this from Manhattan LCD, then you might want to contact him about a warranty return.

Better focused pictures might help identifying the problem.

yes I would say that is not good I just did a strip of my samsung 15.4 from manhattanLCD and this is what mine looks like.



if you want the step by step guide i can post one up.

I think I have some bad news for you NOT terribly bad but just so you are aware of if. In your first post you say that you puchased the s15 kit which if memory serves me correctly the fresnel lenses are only big enough to cover a 15" 4:3 LCD and in your second post in the topic you state you have purchased the 15.4 (widescreen) LCD. I think you will have to buy new fresnels. Anyways I know very little so I will let a moderator or guru chime in

You're correct.
LL S15 Fresnel Dimensions: 319mm x 252.4mm
Average 15.4 LCD Dimensions: 344mm x 209mm

That is definitely damaged beyond repair. The non-cracked parts of the LCD will probably still work, if so you might be able to get a portion of a working projection.

The amount of light coming through looks about right.

First the bad news... If it looked cracked when you first got it, it was probably damaged in shipping. I have to guess johnzo would have insured the shipment. Problem is, now that the LCD is taken apart, it will probably be hard to collect the insurance (from what I've read the shipper will want to inspect both the item and the packing materials). I now realize a piece of advice nobody gave: test the LCD before you take it apart. I hope johnzo can help you get a new one!

There is a silver lining though... you now have an excellent *test* LCD. If you're going to get a replacement LCD I'd suggest asking johnzo to wait until the rest of the projector is closer to being finished (maybe have him set one aside in his shop, but not ship it until you're ready). In the meantime you can use this LCD to build the frame and whatnot, without worrying about ruining the LCD, since it's already badly damaged.

Yeah, i did notice that in my measuring. I will adjust the screen to fit the lenses. im not going to buy anymore lenses. haha, thanks for the heads up though. Can you please post a quick strip for that model screen?

Okay, well in a little disappointment i gave up for a while. But today i finsihed the screen and lense mounting system. It slides back and forth in the box very nice. Also, i tried to fire up the screen and the screen didnt light. Is this normal when it bleeds, i thought it would just have dead pixels in those areas? I didnt have any inputs plugged in, so i just messed around with menu and other options but i couldnt get anything to show on the screen.

Here are some new pics.






Left to do:

get new screen
strip new screen
install new screen
carpet outside of box
add a nice cover


not too much, just annoyed i had a broken screen and continued to work with it! Where can i get the same screen without the controller for cheap? its $245 at manhattan lcd!

Take the model number that was on the white sticker on the back of the LCD and search eBay. You might not find it any cheaper than johnzo is offering it, though.