OK,measured the lcd circuit board mount,
It is 23cm tall,by 25cm wide.It is not a critical measurement,as there is space on 3 sides,only attached at the bottom,onto the panel frame.



Hope that helps,dhepburn.
Cheers p

Hell yeah! it would be fantastic man! Thanks!!!

I am going nuts trying to put this thing together, with my limited DIY time and space. it will definitely help to have dimensioning and it would be awesome if you could do it Pun15her, so i can spend the time on bulding the thing up rather than figuring out mesurements... and feel free to use decimal system I moved in US a few years ago and still haven't got used to feet and inches!

No sweat,freakQNC.
I have been trying to do it using google sketchup,but it is a no-go!
I am simply not good enough!!
I will get onto it.
Cheers p

hi punisher, are you using pc to watch dvd,s i found load of dvd players with vga output the price stats from £28, what are you using for the sound, how did connect the sorround sound thanks,

Hey,Echo.How are you??
Long time no see.
I used a pc initially,as there is a whole world of tweakability.
Then I used the Xbox360,which gave a pleasantly surprisingly watchable image.
£28!!! Wow!
I presume that it doesnt upscale or deinterlace for that.
Do you have a weblink?????
I would be very interested to have a look!!
Cheers mate.
P

hi mate i hav,t got a web link yet,i am really upset my pj was working when i was testing it but after i strip the lcd to do bits and bats when put back the lcd in the screen is blank i am using the benq, i can,t find the problem, i think its the fccould be dameged or it could be the circuit board, i can,t find anything wrong with anything ,do you know where i can get some FFC extension from i need 2 one is 24pin and i is 36 pin also what are you using for the sound output, what are you using for your surround sound thanks

whats that for £28 is that for bideo to vga converter, if it is please let me know which one you are using thanks

Microsoft sell a cable that goes from the xbox 360 to VGA.
It works great,and also has separate audio output leads,which I have got rigged up to a Hyundai dvd/radio/5.1 surround box of wonders.
When I used my pc,I used my pc speakers,a 2.1 setup.
You are the second person to ask if I know where to get FFC extensions in the UK today!!!
I dont know of anyone in the UK,sorry.But LL are great,and shipping shouldnt break the bank!
Cheers P

i made a version of this projector but im not mounting the focus mech to the box im mounting it directly to the front two threded rods
so that i can make a complete removable cover using fiberglass (a much lighter and flexible case)although i applud your use and skill of mdf

what i need to know is what is the angle of the triplet from 0° (light path directly up) 10°-15° ?

Sounds awesome neorazz!
I am looking foreward to seeing her.
I hope you are going to do a PLOG,with lots of pics,alot of people have been thinking about a fibreglass cover,and it would be very interesting to see how you accomplish it.
I like the idea of mounting the triplet to the threaded rods too.I am doing that on Ver2.
My triplet is raised by 10'.
I came to this number by placing one end of a piece of string in the middle of where I wanted to put the screen,and the other end of the string was there I calculated the triplet to be,using the focal length calc,and knowing the rough height of the pj,then I measured roughly that 10' would put the image half way up the wall. I wouldn't go for much more than a 10' lift though,as in practise,it was difficult to achieve the amount of keystone needed even for that!
Cheers P

Hi Pun15her,
An udpdate to my build...I've just gone through my second LCD. In both cases I didn't protect the FFC well enough and they tore off from the circuit board - you'd think I'd learnt my lesson after the first one. :angry:

Anyway, I'm adding this post as a question to you (admittedly a little off topic from your plog). I had planned on having my projector ready for the World Cup but since I did the LCD panel in, I've resorted to borrowing somebody's BENQ projector, its fairly high spec projector (BENQ PB6200). Watching the first match, I was comparing the projected image against my 81cm LCD TV and I have to say, the LCD TV is far superior in picture quality. The colours on the LCD TV are vivid, bright, and "alive" and just far more enjoyable to watch. This lead me to think whether a lumenlab built projector would be as good/better/worse than the quality of my TV. The only way I can ask others to compare their results is by putting the projected image against an LCD monitor. This would be similar to a LCD TV. I think comparing the BENQ to a LCD TV is a little unfair, but a lumenlab projector to a LCD monitor should be more equal.

So the questions is...How does your projector quality compare to the same image produced on a LCD monitor? How does the brightness of the colours compare? Thanks.

Sorry to hear about your panels,dhepburn.
Those ffc's are a pain!
You know what they say...third time lucky!

That is a very interesting question.
The short answer is..I don't know!
The long answer is... I don't think you can compare the two really,the monitor will always be "brighter",as the light scource is localised,and you are looking at the panel itself,rather than looking at a "projection" of the panel when in a PJ. It is just a matter of physics.We strive to get a better image all the time,hence the R&D section of the forums,removing the AG/using pre-condenser lenses/etc.
I dont think we will ever be close to a comparison of looking at a projected image,and looking at an lcd directly,but progress is marching foreward all the time.

I was in awe of my finished PJ,and still love it,and hope you love yours too.
Please,if anyone has any input to this,throw in your 2 cents aswell.
I am no physics expert!!
Cheers P

I'm probably not the physics expert you're looking for either. But, here are my 2 cents.

In terms of brightness, I think it is certainly possible to match an LCD monitor with a projection. However, because of all of the layers our light must travel through compared to the LCD monitor, not to mention the image magnification, this is going to take one bright bulb - certainly far far brighter than anything used as an LCD backlight. Another problem we face is the evenness of the brightness - LCD monitors don't have this issue - but it too seems like something that could be minimized to the point of 'sensory ignorance'. But as along as we use fresnel lenses and a point source, we have to deal with less light hitting the extremes of the collector lens due to the greater angle of incidence (as light hits a surface at increasing angles the original amount of light gets dispersed over a greater area, meaning less light/unit area at the extremes - actually, this is part of the reason why we have seasons).

In terms of color, I can only see a few reasons why a projected image would display worse coloring. First, a low brightness would seem to wash out anything 'brilliant'. But theoretically, the brightness issue could be resolved. Second, the surface onto which the image is being projected is going to do some absorbtion. But you can probably get around this too with the appropriate screen. Lastly, the color of the light passing through the LCD is going to play a role in washing out certain colors, but again this could theoretically be resolved with the purest of white light with the appropriate bulb. I understand the new LL bulbs are a much 'cleaner' light than anything they've sold in the past. Finally, lens' may introduce chromatic abberation (where short wavelengths of light 'bend' in different amounts to long wavelengths at the barriers of two different optical mediums).

In terms of contrast, well... Here's where I pretend to know even less than above. The projection screen would again play a big role, but you can get high gain screens, or course at a cost. Also, the quality of light passing through the LCD, also theoretically curable. There are probably some other issues, but not likely anything unresolvable.

Sharpness seems to be an matter of focus which should not be an issue with the correct lenses, though small deviances may be introduced. Hopefully, we would again be 'sensory ignorant' to any of these.

So, I think the short answer (from me, again no expert) is that a projected image could theoretically match the LCD image in terms of overall picture quality. However, the necessary equipment to do this is not likely at our disposal, so in the mean time it would seem that all of our projections may fall slightly short in comparison to the 'real' image. But I can say, that even in my converted OHP build on a 15" samsung the quality of the image at 80" was remarkably close to an LCD by my account.

If you have not seen a DIY projector in action and are worried about not having a watchable image, I'd say you have nothing to fear. My first projector was thrown together in one weekend and was no work of precision, so my projection was best when it was a little smaller than I wanted (80" - due to brightness issues). However, it was phenomenal to experience: great colors, great focus, great everything. My second will be a 17" with far superior image quality, and I've learned how to minimize many of the issues which seem to plague our brand of projection. I can't wait to complete it.

Dave

Hey Pun15her, seemed to of lost your images throughout your PLOG. What's happened, forgot to pay your hosting bill?

Excesive bandwirth consumption is the answer I get from my ISP.
All the recent pics are hosted at photobucket,all the origionals are hosted by my ISP.I changed after getting this exact issue,it hasn't happened for a while now,sorry for my crappy ISP,it should be ok in the near future sometime soon!!
Thanks for the heads up dhepburn.

you should post the pics up here in a zip file too.. i think ALOT of people look at this plog... the pics never work everytime i come to it hehe

Can you list the materials you used (Mostly want to know the inside pieces)

IE Lens (and Size), Fresnels (and Sizes), Mirror Brand (and Size), etc.

I mostly want to know your specifications for each pieces used. Obviously you used wood, dont need to know that kind of basic thing.

Thanks in Advance!

Sorry,this has happened only once before,and only lasted a few days,I will try and sort something out!

Hey,Neil41487,I used the standard LL lenses throught,the mirror I sourced from a local (UK) store (11" x 12"),standard LL S400 lamp and e-ballast,and the reflector was a sugar bowl I found by chance one day.
Hope that helps,I think the pics should be up sometime this weekend.
Cheers P

Most ISPs (as far as I know) measure the bandwidth useage by the month, so you usually run out near the end of the month and it's back up on the first of the next month. I'll bet your pictures show up again on Saturday.

I was hoping that would be the case!
Alot of the pics were lost locally when my pc freaked out on me last year.

Dont know if this is the right place to ask this but everyone talks about plugging in their Xbox 360 or DVD players or what have you to their rigs. My question is, how are you plugging them in if you only have a VGA LCD monitor attached to your projector?

Pictures would be helpful

xbox360 u can buy a vga cable for it ...
or if u want any device to work u can get a
coax -> vga convertor or a component -> vga convertor such as..... http://cgi.ebay.com/Ostia-Techs-6-Componen...1QQcmdZViewItem

Yep.My xbox360 plugs directly into the vga socket using the vga cable,for movies,you cant beat a good htpc,but as Skyfox said,there are many converters/upscalers out there.
Cheers P

How long did this project take, and how long do you think it could be done in to reach a working stage (without all of the painting and fancy wood designs, and devoting about 3 hours a day plus weekends).

Thanks

It took me 6 months,but I took my time,and completeley redesigned it a couple of times along the way!
It depends on your rescources/experience really,I guess.
If you have some tools,and space,and have done some DIY before,it could be done in a month,I reckon.
Cheers P

pun15er youve inspired me with your project and im in the design stage of my own pj! if youve the time please take a gander at my rough draft if you could please!

my plog.

thanks for any advise you might have!

Very, very inspiring (and inspired) work pun15her! You give DIY a good name

Quick question -- if I was to increase the distance between field fresnel and mirror to nearly 330mm (and correspondingly decrease distance between mirror and triplet), could I use a much smaller mirror? Any detriment to having the mirror and triplet so close? I am trying to make use of parts taken from an OHP and have a 4" x 6" fs mirror and 327mm triplet. Thanks!

PUN15ER hasnt been on for quite some time now so you may wish to post this elsewhere.

Pun15her, An amazing job.
Totally newbie here, and have just sat through all 60 somthin pages in one sit.

Was going to sell all my collected materials for my pj, cause i couldnt be stuffed anymore,

BUT hell no....INSPIRATION again.

All thanks to your jaw dropping results constructing a DIYPJ.

pun15her,

Just finished going through all the pages in one sitting as well and just wanted to say great job. Really amazing work.

Thanks,

Josh

Thanks guys.
I appreciate the comments.
I really regret "borrowing" parts from her to get ver2 up and running,as I have been without a pj for ages now!
She is sitting in my garage gathering dust!!
My plan is to build another one,after I finish ver2,using what I have learned to improve her a bit.
Thanks again,P

Oh don't I know it.....creeping up on a 11 months without one myself. Should have bought all new stuff and kept Vrs.1 up and running while building Vrs.2 also Oh well, hindsight is 20/20.

Sold an old valued record on E-bay last week,got £50 for it,it was only an 80's house 12" !
Thought about ordering the mirror,but felt guilty,so bought my wife some wellington boots,my son a scope mount for his M733. (Wish I could afford one!!!!) And my daughter a Replacement Beanie Baby that was lost a couple of years ago.( We still have about 250 other Beanie Babies in bin liners in the attic from my sons old collection! ).But none were that particular one.
Night all.
Cheers P

8's or 16's ?

I dont know who stole my password and logged on as me last night,but whoevr wrote that drivel should be ashamed of themselves!

Elken,I am sorry,but I know not to what you are referring!
I will take a guess that the answer is 16's,though.
Morning all! P

pun15her this is brillant a beautiful what you have done! Just one question. (sorry i'm not so good in joinery) How did you made the perfectly bended face (whith the wholes and the control panel on it) ?

Thanks,sfij!
Sadly there is no easy way to get a nice finish.
It is just wood,sanded and painted,sanded and painted,then sprayed a nice black colour that hides any blemishes!!!

Cheers P

Helou!
pun15her, what happened with your pics!
BTW, the greatest job I've ever seen!
Cao, Bajsi

Howdy. New guy here. Any idea why I would have a whole bunch of little X's where all of your pictures should be? I've been trying to go through the whole thing as I'ld like to do a 15.4 inch wuxga projector, and your platform is the sexiest I've seen yet. I work with Carbon fiber and kevlar as a hobby, and I intend to do my box out of that. The one thing puzzling me is the orientation of all your parts. None of the pictures except for the finished enclosure are coming up. Being a very visual person, simpoly reading the plog is feeling alot like gobbledygook to me. Thank you very much for your time. Hopefully You'll be able to get back to me with a fix.

Sincerely, redy4,(Curt)

Absolutely love your vertical case, but none of the [X]s seem to be attached to real pictures. Is there somewhere I can see these pictures ?

Thanx !

Yeah, everyone says how good it is but other than those inital pics I have no images!
I too would really love to see more of it!

None of the pictures are currently working, I would love to see them, awesome projector!

What happened to all of the pictures?

Pun hasn't been around in a while, I'd guess that the server that he was hosting the pictures on has been updated to no longer have them.

pun,

what did you use to get that smooth glossy finish ? Did you use a finishing wax? Tell us how you did it please.

Hi,dracul2006
Smooth finish was obtained by,after filling using emulsion paint,then sanding...ALOT.
Then using automotive spray paint,sanding with wet and dry paper.No real secret I'm afraid,just alot of elbow grease!
It isnt really difficult,just time consuming.
Best of luck.
Cheers P

WHAT THE................??? WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN PUN??!! We were all wondering if you were even alive

Damn Peng-duck. You've gone and scared him off again. Now we've gotta wait another year or two 'till he shows his face.

OMG is that Pun15er!?

*Bows and chants "I am not worthy"*