Well I've been trolling this forum for a few years now and finally decided to take the plunge. I've put a second storey on top of my house that's bigger than the original house (went over the side carport/driveway) so I've now got a nice big lounge upstairs. The wife wouldn't let me have a dedicated home theatre so will go with what I can.

Anyway, I'll be building a vertical projector.

So far I have:

Samsung 15.4 WUXGA screen
MST controller (off this forum)
Pro reflectors (spares)
150W light engine kit
Quad element manual focus 450mm FL lens and matching .2mm fresnels

I would have preferred the pixelworks controller for 1:1 mapping but the MST came up so I grabbed it. Hopefully the stretching won't be too bad?

The wuxga screen is an ex Dell laptop one and is partially stripped- the rear reflective layer is off and for now I'm going to leave the AG on- too many disaster stories out there. Unless someone really convinces me it's worth it.

Not decided on split or unsplit fresnels yet- I won't need keystone correction but I've heard that for unstripped AG it may be better to have them split to get more light into the lens??? Might plan for both anyway.

I'll also be making a FS mirror and try to make the case a bit more interesting than just a square box- bit like Pun15her's vertical...

It'll all be housed on a moveable stand with a blu-ray equipped computer, amps for 7.1 surround and subwoofer underneath it.

So it's a matter of getting all the bits together, planning, measuring and going for it! I've already tested the screen and that was very exciting getting the first image up......

Photos will follow as and when I get time to play rather than working on the house...

Yeah . . . right!

<Seriously, best of luck. I daresay you won't be sorry. You could save some time and buy elken's y'know. It's great to see people still willing to take the plunge. Things used to be much busier on the DIY PJ front around here.>

Didn't even know he was selling! I'd love to get the same sort of quality build he has- the light appears to be very impressive. I'll be making a light engine like his as well.

Unfortunately I've just bought all the expensive stuff so may as carry on building- I'll get some weird kindof satisfaction out of it I'm sure.

I hear what you're saying about PJ building getting a bit quiet- not surprising with things like the Epson TW2000 coming out at a pretty competitive price. The bulb costs still scares me though.

Hmmm . . . I'm pretty sure elken was trying to unload stuff not so long ago but in truth I didn't take the time to verify whether my memory was correct.

Anyway, very best of luck (again). There'll always be DIYer's out there doing stuff even if it is kind of like reinventing the wheel for too much money plus lots of "wasted" time.

What is the latest creative thing you did? $3000 for a 1080 pj in a small package is a bit steeper than $500 to build one in a larger package. It is easy to do so, thanks to the database here and some other places. In my own house I have 5000 ft to sprawl out in, so no pressure to have the smallest gadgets. I really don't see the point of the comment regarding reinventing the wheel. It's just a nice project to spend some time learning and being your own artist. If you're bored don't bother.

I dont think any of us do this because we're bored. I do it because I can and I love the challenge. I could afford the epson tw2000 but I will get a kick out of doing this and even have some bragging rights!

So anyway the samsung panel is being a pita to strip. The reflective layer on the back peeled off but left that thick layer of glue. I've found the best solvent for the glue is mineral turps as it doesn't attack the underlying plastic. Still takes a while but it comes off fairly cleanly.

Next thing is to finsh the strip and start getting bits for the case. It'll be a threaded rod chassis that slots into a mdf outer case.

I think you misunderstood.

Also I use the Samsung panel. Too late but don't bother with a strip if it is risky, it works fine even with the reflective layer.

Thanks! I've completed the strip of the reflective plastic on the rear of the panel. Cleaned up nicely and appears to let through significantly more light (remember I need every photon I can get!) I'm pretty certain at this point that I won't bother with the AG strip.

Not much else progress on the pj but I have put up lots of curtain rails in the house. Guess you could say it's part of the build as they will block light....

Lens and fresnels arrived yesterday so looks like I might have to start planning and making......

It's a fun and exciting thing to start... just don't set an "end date" because there isn't one... even once you get your first projection... there will always be thoughts in your mind "maybe if I adjust this I can get a little more light, or a slightly larger screen"... but these are good distractions.

Take it slow and careful and you will be sitting back watching the big screen at home in no time Half our problem (Aussies) is sourcing the elements but it sounds like you are doing ok for that so go for it