I'm not sure if you've posted the story somewhere on this site, if you did, could you give me a link? But if you didn't...

Could you tell us how the lumenlab projector all began? How you first got interested in diy video projectors, how you managed to acquire the original parts, how you built the very first lumenlab projector, and how you decided to market your invention, how you worked a deal with an optics company, about your succesful and failed experiments, what your goals for the future of the lumenlab projector and website are, etc.

It would be very interesting to read.

My story is the same as that of most here. Found the 150 inch bigscreen scam, ordered it, didn't work but became instantly addicted to the size of the projection and the idea of making my own projector, and swore I would find a way.

Searched the web for a while, found lumenlab.

It would have been cooler if I had invented it myself, but when I found lumenlab I thought "heck no use reinventing the wheel, especially since they provide most of the parts".

I have enormous respect for you. Not only in the designing of the lumenlab projector, but also in creating the whole lumenlab website and store, and making this as easy as possible. Being so generous as to share your invention with the world. And especiallly in your continued efforts of improving the lumenlab projector, and website.

You deserve a Nobel Prize!

I'd really be interested in knowing how it all came about, a little about your background, what your favorite music group is and whether you prefer coke or pepsi.

Thanks for the nice compliments, I really appreciate it.


A couple of years ago I decided I wanted a big screen. A quick glance at the bank account said 'no way'. I started researching commercial projectors to see if I could build one and soon discovered the horrible lamp situation with those. I found some old designs for early commercial projectors and realized it could be done. They had used a 6" LCD but hey, as long as you could get the lenses, why not a 15" (cheapest quality panel)? I found that all TFTs were transparent, so the game was on. I scoured the web for a panel with the best specs I could find for the cheapest price, $225 (CMV1515). I had to cut trees for a week to save up enough to get it. After I had gotten it and stripped it down (scary, I didn't know if it could be done), I knew I was in business. Next was to find lenses that could do the job. In my research I had learned about the panels you could buy to sit atop an OHP. Logically some OHP lenses were the lenses I had to find, big enough for a 15" panel, but better quality than the OHP lenses I had seen around town. Some research into optics told me I needed a triplet lens for a good projection. I started contacting optics manufacturers overseas asking for samples because I couldn't afford the lenses that were sold as 'replacement' lenses for OHPs. A single fresnel sold for $125 from the OHP companies (rip off).

I found a company in China that made high end optics for 3M 'technical OHPs' and they obliged me and sent samples of several of their lenses. Woohoo that was a great feeling. Next I needed a lamp. I had no idea what to use. (Research into OHP halogens showed them to be abyssmal in terms of life and color.) I learned about color temperature and the color rendering index from various lamp manufacturers and physics websites. This helped a lot, because it narrowed my search down to xenon, flourescent or metal halide. I learned that xenon is used in commercial film projectors and that looked very promising until I looked at prices, forget it. Comparisons to metal halide showed the MH to have a higher output than xenon as well. I also knew that the collimating fresnel required a point light source so flourescent was out unless I could build a big backlight from them and ditch the collimating lens. I did some experimentation along these lines with HO flourescents and found them to be too diffuse to do the job. I wasted about $60 on that, bummer.

Finally I broke down and got the big old street lamp and coil ballast. I had never messed with these before and boy was I surprised when I got it lit the first time. I knew I was in business now. I sat around for awhile thinking about all of this, and did some experiments with cardboard boxes. It was evident that the panel was gonna fry if I let it go for just a few minutes. In the panel manual it said 105ºƒ max panel temp. So I contrived of a way to get the most air I could past the panel. Once I had that, I decided to put it all together and see what happened. I had no idea how to mount everything so I just improvised. I put a piece of regular glass as a heat barrier hoping it would do the trick. (It did for about a month, then crack! I freaked, thought it was the panel).

I brought it all in the house and fired it up, an image! And it looked incredible at first, until I realized that I was projecting the fresnel lines as well. At any rate we sat around with friends and watched 10 hours of movies from the instant I got it running, with a lot of nervous probing with the thermometer every 5 minutes and an assurance that every little smell indicated FIRE. Nothing happened, it worked really well. The next day I decided to see if I could get rid of the fresnel artifacts and I did by simply moving the lens away from the panel. I also noticed I wasn't getting all of the light through the projection lens, so I donned the sunglasses and moved the lamp about until it fit. I couldn't see well after that for awhile.

We watched movies constantly for a couple of months. I put about a hundred hours on it and decided that it worked really well after all. I realized that there was no good resource or plans out there so that others could easily do this, nor were parts easy to come by, so I decided to do Lumenlab as a hobby and see if anyone else was interested in doing this. People were very interested it seems, and the rest is history.

Oh yeah...
Favorite band: Beethoven
Favorite drink: Beer

That's a great story. I'm in S. Korea at the moment where DIY projecting is very big. In fact it was my Korean co-worker who told me I should build one after I mentioned I was considering saving up for a commercial one. Of course all of the internet sites he pointed me to were in Korean so I thought for a while I wouldn't be able to do it on my own. But after a quick Google, I found Lumenlab and was nicely surprised. There must be some word for when people from totally different backgrounds and countries come up with similar ideas at the same time - I remember hearing once that the first airplane was actually built before the Wright Brothers by a guy in S. America somewhere. Can we put DIY projectors in the same category as the airplane, telephone and steam engine:)

Brain- I'm interested in your educational background. MIT degree or high school diploma, or somewhere in between?

I actually have my masters in music. I am a classical pianist, but I have beeen experimenting with all kinds of things since I could hold a tool.

great story thanks brain

Cool story! Hey brain! I noticed we have similar interests. Video projection ,vegetarianism (not truly, I still love seafood but still picky about it), gardening, flying (still aspiring to, must be every mans dream), airplanes, and motorcycles. It's cool you live on the east coast. I'm wondering what other projects are you working on?

Oh! I want to thank you for everything you've provided. If not for you, I'd still be stuck on the lighting solution. I spent nearly a year on usenet and emailing people on the viability of industrial HID lighting with everyone stating it wouldn't work. Just as with printers the consumables market was eating me alive where the lamps are nearly the cost of the projector. That in itself is worth it's weight in gold. I have 5 commercial projectors, and thanks to you I'm working on my third DIY. Again, thank you for pioneering the best DIY projector project out there.

Beethoven and beer?

If thats not good taste for you, nothing is.

I actually like classical music more then anything, though a lot of people think its sissy and they hate it, but fail to realize its used in almost every movie to arouse emotion. Classical music rocks! (hmm.. bad choice of words huh? )

Thanks for the detailed response!

Two things you forgot to mention though. How did you come up the idea for using collination and collector fresnels and where did you get them? And what are your primary goals for the future of the lumenlab projector and website?

The collimator and collector have long been used in commercial projection devices, including LCD projectors. I just made it bigger.

The future of Lumenlab:

To put a projector in every home.
To have the best projection community in the world.
To encourage professionalism, honesty and respect among our members.
To have the best equipment available to our users for the best price.
To pioneer the use of HDTV panels, and to make available the optics to push that envelope.
To have supplies for less costly entry level projectors, including kits and panels.
To become a supplier to the education market and to see more school projects around the principles of projection.
To bring a smile to your face when you flip the switch

I agree. It's one of the things that makes the final fantasy games so successful. It is the best tool for arousing emotion and it stands the test of time.

I like that idea a lot. IMO I have to say a lot of those goals have already been met.

Very cool.

Yeah final fantasy music is sooooo awsome! I wish I could have gone to that concert.

Last question brain, it seems now that the company you are working with is developing lenses specifically for the lumenlab projector, like the zoom lens. Were they willing to develop lenses for you since you were such a big customer? Or are they just lenses that were already available that fit the bill?

At first we had no clout, so we had to modify stock lenses to meet our requirements. Now we can can custom stuff made, which is a lot easier than cutting lenses (when they get it right).

That's very nice, thank you

This place kicks ass

I found this place by an accident. I was looking for cheap pj's and i came across a site showing how a PJ works. I then googled "fresnel lens" because it was metioned on that site and i found that 100" tv scam.

I dont know how, but i accidently found free plans for the 100" tv so i thought id give it a try. I bought one of those page magnifying fresnel lens and tried it on my 19" crt but it was crappy.

After googling some more i found this site. I lurked for a very very long time but i couldnt buy the lens kit because i had no CC and Pay pal. Once we could deposit money into Brains aussie account, i was over the moon and bought the plans and the lens

I am now saving up for an lcd

"To put a projector in every home."
I have Northern NY covered. I am just short of stopping people on the street and saying: " hey wanna come check out the projector I just built?" A little creepy I know, but when you do "flip that switch" you will know what I mean!
Great story Brain and THANK YOU!!!!
Bluto

Same thing for me.. searching for a cheap PJ.. and found this plan with a CRT + fresnel.. and after i found this site and i starting to read,think,read,think. and i bought the guide and yesterday i just finished my final setup and i power the pj and i saw the BIG LIGHT on my wall (over 8feet) and me and my friend got a BIG!! SMILE on face ;-) . tomorrow i will insert the LCD ... i cant wait!.

I will follow lumenlab until the end.

Thanks for answering all my questions brain. Fascinating story.

I really think this should be pinned.

Just think. If you HAD the money for a bigscreen tv at the time you wanted it, lumenlab would never have existed and you wouldn't be as well off now. Also if your first lcd had FFC issues, that could have stopped things as well.

You deserve a red badge of courage for buying a 225 dollar lcd and stripping it the first time. Its scary enough stripping an lcd for fear of ruining it even when you know the lcd is compatible. You didn't know if it would even work at all!

The most impressive part is your resourcefullness. Cutting down tree's to earn money for an lcd, and "accidently" cutting down a telephone pole to steal the halide. GENIUS! Why didn't I think of that? (runs outside with a chainsaw)

Great story Brain, thank you for all you've given to this community; I must add that all of your future aspirations are achievable but the starting point is this one, so I'm glad you DO realize that.
Continue the good work!