hi, first time project, and you guys sure know you stuff, got me a great lcd and a harldy used 3m ohp im planning on using as many parts as pos, just wondering if just the fan in the ohp would this be good enough to stop any melting etc if the vent slot was positioned so incomming airflow was passing the hot side of lcd, or would i need more? so many questions! but ill start here, thanks guys

Welcome to the forum!

Since the LL forum search engine does not allow searching of words that are three letters or less, you might have better luck using Google and the site: parameter: site:lumenlab.com OHP cooling

You don't say what size of LCD you have, but if it's bigger than the bed of the OHP, you can create a customer resolution (if connecting a PC to the projector) using Powerstrip.

OHP lamps generally last on average about 75 hours. The bulbs are cheap, but you'll end up paying more for them, in the long run.
After a couple of the lamps burn out, you'll probably want to cannibalize the OHP and build your own enclosure for it. That way, you can use a metal halide lamp and ballast (MH lamps last tens of thousands of hours).



http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=23942

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Below is a little information that I like to pass along to 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.

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

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).

When you start your build, you can create your own PLOG (Projector Log) to chart your progress and to ask questions about your particular build.

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. If you go to the Google 3D Warehouse and do a search for Lumenlab, you'll find that some members have uploaded parts that they have modeled so you can download them and use them in your own model.

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 OHP cooling

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.

Woow. I'm not aware OHP is so short life. I see some guys are using Xenon bulbs and the result isreally amazing. Does Xeon also have short-life problem?