The PLOG starts Here:


Ok. After a month of reading, ordering the guide, and reading some more, I've decided to start my project. Here's what I have on hand for starters:

OHP's
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1) Apollo Odyssey 11000
- 4000 lumen
- FXL-5 (200hr) bulb X 2 (8.35 ea)
- Varifocal Triplet (according to specs on vendors site)
- Fresnels OD/ID 290/365 (need more info on this, not understanding the numbers)
- Hard to find Slow Blow 7 Amp 250 V fuse (20mm length)
- Cost - $0 (hint - make friends with maintenance workers at your local ISD)

2) 3M 9200
- 3500 lumen (?)
- Same FXL-5 bulb
- Triplet
- looks like a single fresnel (no manual for identifying focal)
- Cost - $0 (hint - read 1st hint)

LCD
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Princeton VL1716
- 400:1 Contrast Ratio
- SXGA 1280X1024 native
- 16ms response time (4 ms Tr, 12ms Tf (16ms) Response - whatever that means)
- 1x Digital DVI input and 1x VGA input
- Ebay'd with a bad backlight description, several emails confirm viewable
yet "very dim" image.
- Cost - $67.90 (incl. shipping)

PC
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Dell Dimension XPS 400
- 2.8Ghz Pentium D dual core
- 2 GB DDR Ram
- Nvidia Geforce 6800 256MB
- 160 GB SATA 7200 RPM HD (for starters)


That's it for now, I'll post OHP Pics this weekend. I'm interested in the varifocal triplet on the Apollo. Maybe it can be turned around and used for zoom?

Weekend came and went without a chance for getting pics of my OHP's. Did get one problem solved involving the fuse on the Apollo. But like everyone else who starts this project and then reaches for the camera.....dead batteries.

I did manage to get some measurements on my throw and screen size. I've got an area 8ft wide by 5ft tall for a screen. I have a distance from triplet to screen of up to 12 feet to play with. Now if my LCD would show up (left the warehouse at 7:30 this morning which is only 45 minutes from my house and it's now 3:30, you think they'd deliver first instead of picking up first).

Ok...Setback number 2....

LCD monitor arrived - minus the ac adapter.

Anyone know where to buy a 12V 4A lcd ac adapter?
Preferrably retail, I'd like to strip this thing this weekend.

Thanks Everyone.

Couldn't wait for the ac adapter (more questions about that topic later). Here's some pics of what I'm working with. I'm starting with the ohp setup just to get my spouse interested enough to part with a few dollars for building a box. (if you're married you know what I mean).

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Here is one of my OHP's. I know the lcd will hang off the sides but it's a start
and I can always resize the window to fit the movie. This is the Apollo Oddysey 11000.

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Here is the problem with this OHP. The fuse that is required according to the
markings and the manual is a "T7A". I found out later that T stands for time-lag
(read slow-blow) problem is they don't make this size and amperage slow blow
fuse anymore. So this fuse requires a mod just to get it turned on.

Click to view attachment
My solution. I can't solder (just a skill that I don't have) but I can strip and crimp with the best of them.
This got the OHP fired up. I'll have to find a permanent place for it later.

On to the monitor stripping. Like I said before, I'm too anxious to wait for the ac adapter and needed to see this thing opened up. Heres what she looks like with her clothes on...

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And the back.....There are a total of five screws to take out, one on each corner of the back plate (one is hiding under the warranty sticker and the other is in the middle bottom.
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Once you get those screws out you can find one frame catch in the middle of each side. I pried them apart with a small flathead screwdriver. Don't worry too much, the lcd is in a really tough enclosure inside the frame. You will probably want to flip it over on it's back once you get the frame off for the rest of the strip.

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Here's a pic of the OSD controls. Pretty straightforward. Two speaker cables that pull apart from each other.
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You can then safely pull the guts of the panel back and up to get the vga and dvi connectors cleared and out of the back part of the panel.
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And here's what you should have left at this point:
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In the next step you'll be pulling the lcd/baclight away from the controller/inverter cage.
4 screws and lift to find the nice long cables.
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I have not detached the cable from the controller board to the lcd screen. The pins on the connector seemed too fragile and I intend to leave the controller in it's cage anyway (stays grounded that way).

There are 4 screws that hold the lcd frame together then you have to pry it off. The lcd frame is really tough so be careful not to slip and scratch your screen.
Click to view attachment

Heres the only ffc's I see so far and this is where I'm going to stop for tonight.
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Well, got a little further tonight. Found the adapter I needed.
It's regulated and has enough amperage to power the lcd minus the backlight.
Here's proof:

Click to view attachment

But somewhere between there and here:
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I got this:

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(Heart drops to stomach at this point)
Please tell me I'm not screwed completely.

ouch. I had a set of 4 lines identical to yours. These lines do not go away, I am sorry! try checking all of your connections but it looks like your ffc's were hurt.

This is so frustrating. The monitor was so easy to strip and didn't have any cables to worry about other than the edge connectors on the bottom. I've traced my steps and went over every single motion I made between the lcd being fine during the flashlight backlight test and then turning it on at the OHP. I think i remember one little slip when positioning the screen on the OHP and I think that's what did it. This really sucks because like I said, other than the adapter this monitor was a perfect 17" screen. Not one dead pixel. Oh well, back to ebay I go.

AAAARRRRGGGGHHH!!!!!

Sorry, just venting my frustration. I will definitely have a sled or some type of holder ready to go before taking the next one apart. I think I'll concentrate on building the box first. Plus I'm just getting a 15 incher for the next round. No more OHP nonsense. Of course buying actual parts is going to take time (and a lot of extra computer work).

Been browsing around for parts. Can you use a 400W MH Highbay light? If you're not sure what I mean its those shoplights you hang real high like in warehouses. You might not use that bulb but if it has a quad tap ballast and cap, couldn't you add the right bulb and have all the parts you need for a light engine? I only ask because I have access to some good used ones at work that are going to be trashed anyways. Thanks.

You know....I think I'll tell you about what happened to me....
I had an lcd that had a thin yellow line down the left side and a free ohp...So I decided to do what you did....Just to test it all out...worked out fine...So I decided to take the setup to a friend's house so we could all watch a movie.
Well...I threw the stripped lcd into a box, and packed up the ohp...When I got there I set it all up only to see the horror in your last pic there...Since I promised a big screen movie to my friends I tried the best I could to fix it....And I succeded. I found one of the ffcs was almost pulled off...So I grabbed a paperclip (one of those big black clamp ones) to put pressure on the fcc cable to make the connection again...I got back my full picture. And while it's not a permanent solution...It is possible to get it to work again...

Limbfilter,

I'm glad you got yours working again. I have a completely black like down the right hand edge of the screen. I can poke on the cable and get some motion out of the black strip but it will never come back completely. Either way, I've moved on to a psone setup for now. They're real sturdy little panels which surprised me. I was thinking smaller means more fragile but I guess Sony though about how they were going to be used (on the laps of frustrated teenagers mostly) and made them pretty rugged. That project hasn't been going very well either. Blew up a psone and the dvd player it was hooked up to.