Slashdot Mirror

People have been building HD projectors for a while using old laptops. (Also using old LCDs etc).

http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/17/how-to-build-your-own-hd-projector-part-1
http://lumenlab.com/projectors/

...but Lumenlab is a much cooler site to go to in that they produce an affordable mini-CNC mill for $599 that is run by open source software.

You can build your own homemade projectors for a fraction of the price of a commercial one. Check out http://www.lumenlab.com/. Their forums are excellent.

The major cost of projectors is in the bulbs. A $600 projector that takes $300 bulbs that only last maybe 2000 hours is no fun. When you have the $300 bulb on your mind you get really stingy about turning the TV off all the time. To get around this, there are about two solutions.

1. Build you own projector, and spec a better cheaper bulb that lasts longer
2. Buy something like the LumenLab Evo which takes $30 bulbs that are supposed to last 6000 hours.

I went with option 2 because I'm a lazy bastard. While there are better projectors with higher resolution, for now (I graduate in 3 weeks) it was worth every penny and then some.

My local cable carrier can't spell HDTV (or Internet for that matter). I went with DirecTV for a couple other reasons but I haven't even subscribed to their HDTV offerings yet. One reason is they were having HD DVR shortages for a while last year.

Follow this thread at Lumenlab and build your own HD antenna! I live ~45 miles as the crow flies from the nearest transmitter. With an antenna I built based on some of the ideas there I can receive 3 HD channels out of 4 possible offerings. I can pick up FOX, NBC and CBS. I built the antenna with stuff I had lying around. I used 2x4s, coat hangers and fencing. Free HD.

And before anyone asks, yes it's ugly. I stuck mine in the attic to hide it. I might be able to put it on a mast and pick up the 4th channel which is ABC but my wife and neighbors would frown.

I live in a fairly mountainous area of the US so I was pleasantly surprised to pick up 3 of 4 channels. Give it a shot this weekend and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Cable and DirecTV's over compressed offerings can't come close to the visual quality of an OTA signal.

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned lamp life yet. It's a pricy part and has a short life.

2. Video projectors have a very limited bulb life. In other words, if you are watching TV on your video projector about 3-4 hours every night, you would have to replace the light source bulb about once a year at 200-400 dollars a pop.

I'm suprised nobody has mentioned lamp life yet. It's a pricy part and has a short life.

2. Video projectors have a very limited bulb life. In other words, if you are watching TV on your video projector about 3-4 hours every night, you would have to replace the light source bulb about once a year at 200-400 dollars a pop.

http://www.lumenlab.com/

you will never look back

This would be great for one of those DIY projectors.

Information can be found at the link below. The second group buy is over. I dont know if there will be a third. The controller is not cheap $350 http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic =4203

I know that many of you will belive this to be a scam just as I did when me and a friend found it about 2 years ago. I plunked down the 20 bux at the time and then started reading the protected forums looking at the different ideas. After a month or so of gathering a list of things that I should get( basically what was most popular with many of the other builders) I decided that I would give it a shot and see if I could actually make it work. The build process was not very hard at all. I took my time building and measuring everything in about 2 weeks. When I first turned the projector on, I was waiting for it to not work and me to look like a fool to my wife. Much to her and my surprise the first projected images of Shrek where absolutley jaw dropping. Now, when ever we have a party or gathering at the house, everyone always wants to check out the gaming/movie projector as I sit there with a smug look on my face saying "Yea I built that for under 500 bux" Anyhow, here is a link to my finished working projector that has been running for over 1.5 years and is still great. http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic =1576 If you truely want a home theater, do not just blow this off as a scam. Putting a TV in a cardboard box to get a 120" picture that is crystal clear and high definition is a scam. This is true science. And you will be very pleased with what you come up with after you are finished with your DIY projector.

Just click here: http://www.lumenlab.com/

It doesn't cost a thing, except for 3 seconds of your time. You may wish to try again at a later time.

Where can somebody get that test image? Frankly, I just like it and think it would make a nice desktop picture. I refer to the image here:

http://lumenlab.com/brainchild/web_test1.jpg

TIA.

Further investigation into the forums (which I originally assumed were 100% locked to guests, which proved not to be correct) led to this:

http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic =2898&st=40

So it does indeed look legit. Surprised they don't have something a little more visible regarding the announcement, though.

www.diyaudio.com (The Moving Image section)

www.lumenlab.com

www.diyprojectorcompany.com

Go nuts

The main thing that the $20 buys you is access to the support community at the Lumenlab forums. In order to (successfully) complete a project like this, you're going to NEED advice.

(Lumenlab also sells the various parts that they recommend in the guide)

Note that a) Lumenlab isn't being sold on ebay, b) that there is signifigant support available in thier forums (access being the primary reason you'd want to pay the $20), and c) there are a large number of success stories with the plans.

Tom's attempt was about as rough as you can get -- throw an LCD panel onto an overhead, and (unsuccessfully) cool it enough to use for a long period. Can you imagine having that in your living room for your home theatre?

Note that a) Lumenlab isn't being sold on ebay, b) that there is signifigant support available in thier forums (access being the primary reason you'd want to pay the $20), and c) there are a large number of success stories with the plans.

Tom's attempt was about as rough as you can get -- throw an LCD panel onto an overhead, and (unsuccessfully) cool it enough to use for a long period. Can you imagine having that in your living room for your home theatre?

Currently, I have most of the parts I need - mainly, I just need the proper fresnels and wood to make the case. I have the LCD, the projection lens I plan to use one off of a busted LP20 projector, but I am still stuck on a light source...

First off - I am cheap (can you tell?). I have looked into metal halide solutions, and I like them, but it seems impossible to get a low-cost 400W ballast and the mogul base. Once you bump past about 150W, the price gets large, quickly. The bulb price is reasonable, though.

I have thought about trying a halogen work lamp - cheap, easy to get - but they get VERY VERY hot. I have heard (but not experienced) that a metal halide lamp runs cooler - but if the price for the ballast is insane, it is only worth it if there is good reason.

Something I am worried about that I have heard about a halogen work lamp, is that since the lamp is bright along the length of it (not a "point" source), you get a bright line in the image (but I wonder why you don't get a bright point using other lamps?) - how true is this? Does the color temp difference between halogen and metal halide make a big difference? Is there other lamp configurations I should look at (automobile, or small reflector halogens)?

A lot of questions on my mind - and not a lot of answers out there in the forums I have visited. Most homebrewers of DIY projectors have seemed to settle on metal halide. I haven't seen any others. Looks like I will be experimenting...

I can understand everyone being unimpressed with this article, but do not cast doubt upon DIY LCD projectors so suddenly.

I built a projector with a resolution of 1920x1200 (WUXGA) - for around $1,000. My screen size is 102" diag, with my projector mounted behind me in the closet (silent).

Up to now people were limited to 1024x768 (XGA) resolution in their DIY Projectors, and that just isnt much these days. I set out to change this.

I accomplished a WUXGA resolution by utilizing a previously unusable LCD Panel, a laptop LCD Display.

I ended up using the SHARP 15.4" WUXGA displays used in laptops, and had a custom controller made for the LCD panel. The controller features PiP, PbP, DVI-D, VGA, Component, Composite, S-video, Remote, and other advanced features.

I have not heard one complaint from anyone who has watched my projector, in fact they all beg me to build them one or try to buy mine off of me.

For those interested in some REAL DIY with some REAL results, go to http://www.lumenlabs.com/, that is where I learned about all the necessary things to build a projector.

For those interested in the LCD Display setup I used, I offer them in the US & Canada once every few months in a group buy format. Read about it here: http://members.cox.net/minoten and here: http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index.php?showtopic =4203

Oh, sorry I need to clarify. The $600 I'm talking about is not using an overhead projector with the standard bulb. It's using an all-custom enclosure and lens triplet with a metal-halide (parking lot) bulb, a-la LumenLab. Noise is not an issue any more than it is with the compact consumer projectors as long as you use a 120mm fan. At that size, the fan can push a lot of air at a low RPM. The only real issues, in fact, are size and build time. On every other aspect I consider that it matches or beats other sub-$1000 projectors, spec to spec and most certainly dollar to dollar. The LumenLab design is actually small and light enough to ceiling mount and have optical gravity keystone correction. Mind you they do take much longer to build than the overhead projector-in-a-box design. The quality is worth it.

an LCD monitor actually has a backlight behind the LCD screen, so to get the picture, you actually cannibalize a monitor, and use the LCD screen itself with a bright light behind it, and Fresnel lenses to focus the image...check out http://lumenlab.com/ for more info...

Go with LumenLab's plan, if I was to do this at all.

And they have real pictures too, instead of faked images on thier site.

Lumen Lab has some good plans and even better forums. I find it to be worth the $20 you have to pay up front. Before you pay, you can check out the projectors people have made in the Project Gallery forum.

The money is used by the fellow who runs the board. He builds projectors, trys different pieces and part out, and most immportantly, gets custom lenses made for their community.

Hope this helps,
Brett

Lumen Lab has some good plans and even better forums. I find it to be worth the $20 you have to pay up front. Before you pay, you can check out the projectors people have made in the Project Gallery forum.

The money is used by the fellow who runs the board. He builds projectors, trys different pieces and part out, and most immportantly, gets custom lenses made for their community.

Hope this helps,
Brett

• 8" XGA lcd panel - $155
• 5 x lumina 2000 LED lights (500 lumens, 25W) - $100
• Fresnel, diffuser, lense - $62
• box, fan - $15

If lcd panels can be found (with vga/dvi connector) that do SXGA or better in similar form factor, please reply. DVI input for the lcd panel of that form factor would be nice. Comments?

http://www.lumenlab.com/

I'm going to build my own projector when i can find a lcd at the right price. I'm looking at about $350 for a 1024x768 projector.
Check out lumenlab for good examples of DIY projectors.
Don't buy their "plans" though...information should be free, and IS free on many web sites (google "diy projector" for a start).

If i get really industrious i will try to have the projector open up so the lcd can be used without projecting.

I think more people will be doing the guerilla drive in once they find out how cheap you can actually build a pretty kick ass video projector. You can build a DIY LCD video projector for about $400-$600 that would smoke any sub $2000 projector. Lumenlab.com sells a guide and just about all the parts you would need to build one. They also have some kick ass pics of projector results here.

I think more people will be doing the guerilla drive in once they find out how cheap you can actually build a pretty kick ass video projector. You can build a DIY LCD video projector for about $400-$600 that would smoke any sub $2000 projector. Lumenlab.com sells a guide and just about all the parts you would need to build one. They also have some kick ass pics of projector results here.

I think more people will be doing the guerilla drive in once they find out how cheap you can actually build a pretty kick ass video projector. You can build a DIY LCD video projector for about $400-$600 that would smoke any sub $2000 projector. Lumenlab.com sells a guide and just about all the parts you would need to build one. They also have some kick ass pics of projector results here.

DIY Projector

Articles and a store for you to build one for about $200-$300.

Unlike the link given in the original article this one isn't a slashdotted geocities page with a weak google cache link.

This site has some really nice plans and a really good support community. http://www.lumenlab.com