Slashdot Mirror
DIY High-Quality XGA Projector for ~$300
ranrub writes "Tom's Hardware Guide posted a guide to building your own XGA LCD projector from parts costing under $300. Major components are an overhead projector and a used 15" LCD screen. They even have a movie of the whole project on site! It's quite bigger and noisier than a standard projector, but most of our living rooms look like electronic junkyards anyway, don't they?"
I think I'll spend the 300 hundreds and mod my PC case to dispense ice cold Bawls.
Sure, its only $300 but let's look at the total cost of ownership here.
Parts & Labor : $300
Never getting laid again : Priceless
I think I'll stick with something that doesnt alienate the dripping hot sluts always coming on to me here in my swinging bachelor pad.
The image is a bit blurry and usually darker than those expensive multimedia projectors. But the bulbs are cheaper to replace, and it's suitable for watching movies with your friends on walls and such. I'd recommend forgoing the overhead lamp and getting yourself a much more high powered light source, and a top quality fresnel lense, it will still probably be cheaper than the overhead projector, and having a brighter light source means a bigger or brighter picture. Couple one of these with a low powered am/fm transmitter and you're ready to host a Guerilla Drive in
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. It's just that yours is stupid.
I can't afford 300 either :( I wish I had a little over 600 and I'd buy an infocus x1 projector though.
-http://www.freestufftimes.com/
I did this years ago, and kept running into problems with cooling. Even with a fan in there the screen became washed out after a few hours of use.
Part of this might have been due to the fact that I was using a DSTN screen.
http://www.xpurple.com
Now where'd I put that 486 laptop with the broken screen and half working keyboard
Let's get one thing perfectly clear, I did not vote for George W Bush, and I do not endorse what he does or says.
"
Sony has a $70k projector that is PERFECT.
But for those of us who cannot afford something like that or even $1k projector, this is perfect.
Now what nerd doesn't have a stack of old laptops that couldn't be used for anything...until now.
15" TFT LCD can be had for less than $300.
keep checking slickdeals.net - they just had a 15" lcd for less than $200. Or check ebay.
They claim 3500 lumens, but later in the article, they mention that's the lamp spec. Looking at the picture, how much of that is actually projected onto the wall and how much is diffused away right at the projector?
(Watching Empire Strikes Back)
"Luke, I am-" *pop* Oops! Bulb went out!
Hope you can afford $600 plus $300 plus $300 plus $300 plus $300...
By a few modifications I could build my own Astral Projector?!
(*ducks*)
most of our living rooms look like electronic junkyards anyway, don't they?
Umm, no.
Before LCD projectors came out, a few companies made LCD panels designed to be placed on an overhead projector. You were stuck at 640, and the image quality was poor and dark.
There's a reason why projector lamps are expensive (and bright!)
I use Macs to up my productivity, so up yours Microsoft!
Indeed, I have one lying around somewhere. It was a 640x480 LCD mounted in a metal casing about the size of an A4 sheet of paper, and around 3 inches thick. It would sit on top of the projector, but had a tendancy to overheat (the OHP light heating up everything inside the casing as well...).
Nice DYI stuff but it's a really big contraption isn't it? Our living room for instance is crammed with stuff including computers and toys. And while wall projection for us would be perfect (we have white walls in the living room) I don't think I would put up with such a HUGE projector. Might as well buy a nice and small Dell projector or some such. Costs more but the space savings more than make up for that IMHO (also ditched my hifi installation in favor of an iPod - small is beautiful :) ).
----- One learns to itch where one can scratch.
Can you legally show a film to a group without paying a licensing fee? I know that at universities, it is not permitted in classrooms because of the possible legal fallout. Moviehouses pay to show their films to large audiences. Why hasn't the MPAA cracked down on this? I'd have thought this would be a prime target, being a progressive group of people. *sarcasm*Who knows, maybe they're doing other terrible things to help their country!*/sarcasm* What's the scoop on this?
I was going to try it for a talk I was giving from my laptop, but didn't have the LCD projector. So I removed the LCD from my laptop and laid it down on an overhead projector. Problem is the image is rather dark. Basic problem of the way LCDs work: white is actually 50% gray due to the polarizing filters. And the overhead projectors just aren't bright enough. Might be ok in a very dark room, but otherwise I wouldn't recommend it.
I think these things are really cool, but what still stops me is the bulb cost.
They say the bulbs cost $20-$30 and I can afford that, but how long do the bulbs last? When I searched for Overhead Projector replacement bulbs, I got figures from 30-75 hours. Best case, that's ($20/75hours)= $.26 per hour.
The bulbs for the X1 projector are $299 and last for up to 4000 hours (http://members.shaw.ca/technut/x1faq/#8.2). That is like $.07 per hour.
To me, this really doesn't seem any better off in the long run. Am I missing something?
most of our living rooms look like electronic junkyards anyway, don't they?
No, our girlfriends keep that from hap--
Oh wait...
I built one of these myself a few years ago an it's been running great ever since. I went for a bit sturdier construction so the thing would be portable and I've never had a single problem with it.
more pictures
The whole thing set me back $500 but I'll bet that's mainly due to higher prices back then.
Maybe in order to get enough lumens you were using a halogen bulb, which runs really hot?
Why not try something cooler? Specifically, has anyone tried using an LED bulb?
I help my school show movies to the general public so I can authoritatively say No. Our school pays between $250 for well-out-of-box-office movies upwards to $800 for popular just-out-of-box-office movies. You pay for not only the right to show the movies publicly but also for to right to show the movie before it comes out on home video. For instance, our school is going to show Ray about a month before it comes out on video next semester and it'll cost us $800 but we don't charge at the door (money comes from students anyway but through the budget from tuition).
There's actually a release timeline for movies and movie availability for us falls right after availability for airlines. We also only get movies in VHS format because we can't handle the 16mm or 35mm films, and they won't send us DVD's because of piracy. yeah, I know you can record off of VHS but it's cumbersome, plus the distributor inserts their tag in the movie.
As for the MPAA, I figure it just hasn't become a "phenomena" yet. Also, when say a movie is shown like Team America: World Police that is out of theaters but not on video, people might see it for free but they don't get to walk away with a copy just by seeing it. However, seeing movies for free over the internet, the people do get to keep a copy because that's the method of distribution, making another copy, so they do perceive that as a loss of a sale. I guess they will get off their laurels when they claim they are losing billions to the guerilla drive-in's.
Anyone know any limitions in trying to do this with a decent laptop display?
" It's quite bigger and noisier than a standard projector, but most of our living rooms look like electronic junkyards anyway, don't they?"
I don't have a living room you insentive clod !
This signature was left intentionally blank.
"but most of our living rooms look like electronic junkyards anyway, don't they?"
We have been over this sooo many times. It's not "junk", it's my work, my life. How do you think we can afford the 75 pairs of shoes you have in the closet? What about the 17 gallons of makeup in the bathroom? I mean come-on, bathrooms are for manly noises and piles of out-dated Maxim-PC and Computer-Shopper. And I mean the real, phone book size Computer Shopper of yesteryear, not that wimpy little thing they print now. What's with that 1/2 film of hairspray all over the counter?
Please, let me have my slashdot. You son't see me posting on your US Weekly forum do you?
Repant. Thy end is sheer.
Laying an LCD panel on an overhead projector used to be the only way to do projection. Our company threw away a dozen or so 640x480 panels intended for use with an overhead, about 8 years ago.
You've got it all wrong!
Now if the bulb is included with the price of the projector due to a 'distribution' agreement, you don't have to pay for it at all!
Another benefit is that you'll find that the up front costs of the bulb are far outweighed by the cheaper costs of the maintenance people you could hire to change that bulb. Forget the fact that having the projector burn out every week or so will leave you with nothing!
What you are talking about is Total Cost of Ownership. This has proven to be irrelevant time and time again in corporations, so why would you worry about it?
So does Anonymous Coward have good karma?
Build a carbon arc lamp, fool!
Talk about heat dispersal though....
This was the rage a couple of years ago when 1000 lumen projectors were $2500. So I bought a flat screen monitor on sale at Best Buy, ripped it apart, got an overhead projector, set it all up and projected it on the whiteboard in my classroom. It works...but. Like previous posts, it's dark due to the LCD screens. I believe he has a 3500 lumen projector but the problem is you need that kind of brightness just to push through the LCD screen.
I went so far as to purchase a metal-halide light with a 250w bulb (actually a parking lot security light!) to drive it, because I really wanted it to work. It worked too...but. The heat.
Also not addressed in the article is the issue of the screen. You can't just use any ol' wall or whiteboard due to hot spots. So now you're out looking for a used Da-Lite screen or wallboard suitable for mounting.
These projects have been out on ebay for a while and the net has a bunch of info on how to do it. The original DIY Forum for this makes for a pretty good geek fix.
My students thought it was cool tho'. Right now, I use a 2000 lumen HP we got through a grant and project onto an 8' Da-Lite screen. Sweet. The wide-screen version of Blade Runner looks and sounds awesome especially with the Bose 151 outdoor speakers on either side of the screen.
It's much easier to blow $20 every once in awhile than have to blow $300. That's nearly a car payment + insurance. You don't need to plan ahead for a $20 expense but you do have to plan ahead for a $300 expense.
Ben
Work Safe Porn
The homemade projector can also be used for presentations; given the right settings, customers will be amazed!
... of your l33t junk assembling skills? Which company wouldn't?
most of the projector projects i've seen start here.. not all DIY projectors are as big as toms= 3548cff8095fb76feede9ad32dab91af&forumid=12
http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s
also my own DIY projector, build with a 7 inch automotive roofmount LCD, its certainly not XGA, but it gets the job done
http://members.rogers.com/machs_fuel/projector/
probably cost around ~300 CND dollars
How can I use my old I-Opener lcd to do this project???
Seriously....I am cheap and I want to know.
I posted this story about a week ago to slashdot, back then only a german website was available. There goes my karma :-
Life is just nature's way of keeping meat fresh.
Can you imagine using this for a GameBoy???? :P
Repant. Thy end is sheer.
It looks like the 3500 lumens is part of the projector spec -- but they are still missing something major. LCDs use polarized light, so, at most, they'll transmit half of incoming (unpolarized) light. I'd rate this projector at 1750 lumens, max. That number puts it in the company of a lot of other projectors.
HIV Crosses Species Barrier... into Muppets
Doing this project at the $300 price point, first off, requires you to be able to get this equipment cheaply.
So, realistically, you would be better off just looking around for an older, used projector in the first place.
Not only would you be able to get it nearly a cheaply, but you'd also have an actual projector, not some wired-together mess. Extra inputs, proper bulbs, etc.
Fine for a project (assuming you have an LCD just lying around that you can destroy) if you want to build one yourself, but certainly not practical for those just looking to save some money.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
Here's an old /. article, "Homebrewed LCD Projectors" from about 2-1/2 years ago. Of course, the prices have since come down, and the quality has gone up... but it looks like people have been doing this for a while now.
I suggest if anyone here is serious they check out www.lumenlab.com . Yeah the plans are a bit more than free on tomshardware, but really strapping an lcd panel to an ohp is not really brain surgery. If you want a better projector which includes plans for a 17 inch lcd for higher resolution and a 7" lcd for portability then check that site out. The irc and message board support are infinitely valuable as well.
NJ Local Music Scene
Aw, come on, this isn't a troll. Technically, I *did* get first post. And my first comment is true! I don't have $300. If anything it should be rated offtopic, or overrated.
Here's something on topic-ish: have a friend who did something similar, but instead of using a LCD monitor (which is an interesting hack) used one of those LCD overlays. Displays only @ 640x480, but that's a fine resolution for just watching TV and movies. Total cost was ~$75, including the projector.
That's because the LCD panel overheats and stops functioning. Yes, even with the fan, the internal temperature of the LCD at the layer where all the magic happens gets too hot.
I remember this was a problem with the LCD panels our teachers used with DOS PCs, Apple IIGS's, and very early Macintoshes...they'd have to be given a few minutes cool down time after just 15 minutes. Pretty sad considering they probably cost the schools a fortune at the time.
Please help metamoderate.
Heh, I remember how Apple made panels for overhead projectors once, back in like 1995. We had one at our school and I got to use it several times. Great display back then, I could only wonder how good it is now.
I used to have an IBM 755CD laptop (P75, baby!) that had a removable back on the LCD screen. It was made so you could set the laptop on an overhead projector and use it for presentations. It was a nice concept, but a practical nightmare. The image was dark, it was hard to focus, and the screen was only 640X480. The biggest problem was that if you wanted to center the screen on the projector the body of the laptop hung over the edge and would fall off unless you supported it with something.
As for the state of my living room, I've found that having a wife or GF kind of precludes the mess. I can have all the technology I want in the living room, but it's either hidden in a cupboard or made otherwise stealthy. It works for all concerned that way.
The overhead projector they used in the article is 3500 lumens, but I can speak from their experience that their output isn't that high. LCD panels take a lot of light pushed through them to project a bright image, because the panel is relatively opaque. Overhead projectors are almost completely transparent, so take very little light to produce a bright image. I have a 1991 Proxima Ovation A822C 640x480 data + video LCD overhead projector panel and a 3500 lumen 3M 9200 overhead projector. Showing transparencies, the projector produces a nice bright white color, which looks about the same as a 3500 lumen LCD projector. Throw my LCD panel on it, and the light output drops to under half of the 650 lumen LCD projector that I frequently borrow. I'd guess that the OHP + LCD panel is about equivalent to a 250 lumen LCD projector.
The projector they built looks a lot brighter than mine, probably due to a newer LCD, and not having two layers of protective glass over it, like my LCD panel. However, to make their panel look bright, they tweaked the driver settings. That just changes the color gradients, and doesn't actually make the projector brighter. Even with their tweaks, I doubt that their output breaks 1000 lumens. It would be interesting to get it measured and see what it actually produces. Maybe someone with a lumen meter can fill us all in.
..to get a good focus. Single LEDs are just not powerfull enough for a projector. The reason is cooling - the LED chip melts at about above 100mA current, even when mounted in a specially designed case. 100mA x 3.6V = 360mW electrical power, which is, taking into account the LED's higher efficiency, equivalent to a 2W incandescent bulb at most. Or something. I'm sure I got the efficiency numbers wrong, please correct me if you would.
...and Powerpoint presenters spontaneously combusting. *egrin*
Everything in the Universe sucks: It's the law!
The parent post was written by a career troller. Let's give him lots of attention, everybody. Ready? This is what he wants! Stare at him while he bangs his pots and pans!
THE OFFICIAL THREAD on Diy Projectors.
I still love mine.
Well, I couldn't either (and/or wouldn't), so I got myself a EUR 50(about $55) Sony Projection System, and that included the screen. So, no DIY-ing (except the tuning)... what on earth can beat that?
r -4 .jpg
p g ...but I actually enjoyed that(is that strange?) ;-)
http://geektechnique.org/img/mediacenter-4.jpg
http://geektechnique.org/projects/img/PConbeame
http://geektechnique.org/img/bigassTV-2.jpg
Only downside was tuning these:
http://geektechnique.org/img/bigassTV-3.j
again, the links (I'm sorry, I should've used the preview button, doh!)
...but I actually enjoyed that(is that odd?) ;-)
pic 1
pic 2
pic 3
Only downside was tuning these:
pic 4
This project really held my interest. Not only could I get a great image for less than 1/3 of the price of a 'real' projector. And I could have more control over it anyway!
It wasn't until the last picture on the last page that I started to lose interest. Notice how the center of the image is far brighter than the edges?
That's entirely expected, if you think about how the overhead projector works. By comparison, I've never seen this on a 'real' projector. Still a nifty idea, but I think I'll splurge on a real one.
________________________________________________
suwain_2
I have been reading about the probs with dim images on some site and wondered if you could just get an OHP and stick a massive flood light in the bottom? thats gotta give you a bright image right? has anyone tried this? Assume your gonna need some better cooling :o)
I mentioned on a post elsewhere here that I had two similiar units in the house (bomb shelter for kid's nintendo, pool room to watch while swimming). But what I didn't post was that one of them is driven not only by a tuner, but by a hacked rca RD2780 - a PVP that is 1/100 the size of the combined panel & overhead. Makes for some interesting geek discussions when others see it.
Ya But where is the link to your buddy's project??
I like the idea but it's really too bulky to fit in my living room. What would be interesting is to use a different bulb and lens arrangement and fit the whole projector in some sort of case (with a fan of course), making it more esthetic and some what portable. The right bulb/lens arrangement and a light diffusing material between the bulb and the screen to get a more evenly lit picture, to avoid the annoying affect of having darker edges. What would also be somewhat interesting would be to use it for a backlit projection display like a big screen projection TV; this would require a much larger case and a permanent screen of some sort. Has anybody tried any of these two ideas before?
This thing uses more than 2X the power of a comparable projector for the bulb alone. And if you really use an ATX power supply just to run that fan you can add another 15%.
For me, this thing would cost me almost $0.05/hour just in electricity, $0.06 for that ATX power supply too. That's before the bulb costs.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&cate gory=41842&item=5133694753&rd=1
(an Infocus LP330/335 for $450), I don't see the point of this project.
For example the LP335 is a decent, 2000 real output lumen (not maybe 3500 lumen going into an LCD panel, who knows what comes out), with XGA resolution, fancy video processing that can accept NTCS, S-Video, DVI, VGA), with a built-in line doubler, ZOOM lens, HDTV compatibility, in a nice 6lb package. The DLP will have fairly decent contrast.
The overhead+LCD will have numerous problems, like 1) huge light leakage, which will cut viewing contrast tremendously, 2) cannot be driven by NTCS/S-video without extra stuff and no linedoubler, 3) noisy fan on the overhead, 4) no zoom lens to match screen size/distance, 5) fragile "construction" in an unwieldy "package".
It's just not worth it. I got a used NEC projector off ebay for $550 (inc. shipping). If your setting up home theater, do you really want to have a huge, loud and hot mess sitting behind your viewers?
Pay a little more and get a nice ceiling mounted projector with all the inputs, remote control etc..
Also, brightness isn't everything. You need to be concerned about contrast. Anyone can jam a 3000lu bulb into a box. But if you want image quality, well you get what you pay for.
Wish I had seen this earlier. Anyways I've built my own projector out of a benq 567s V2 a 400W Bulb A big fan for cooling, some tempered glass and all the lenses as required.
Over all the quality is great for something I build at home. I've not been able to get the alignment of everything perfect though, and this has resulted in a dark picture. Now it's easily watchable, and I've got lots of hours on mine but it doesn't compare to a good $1500 XGA projector. The good news is others have built the same thing using the same parts and easily beat the XGA projectors in quality, they have just spent more time on theirs. I also built a screen but thats pretty easy to get right once you know what to build it with.
Now my complaints
Mine wasn't $300 it was closer to $750 cdn.
It's frigging huge, my measurements are something like 30"x 14" x 12"
I added keystone correction and that works great but it doesn't have any form of zoom other then moving it closer or further back. You end up designing the room around the projector.
The site I got the plans and info off of was excellect and the forums make paying for access completely worthwhile. www.lumenlab.com They also have pictures to show some peoples results. They have overcome the zoom and darkness issues with newer designs then I used. Price is still high but their top of the line is a fraction of what a professional projector would cost and they are comparable in quality.
What's the feasibility of producing an (much cooler and longer-life) LED bulb for these projectors?
I wonder if you could use instead of the lamp on the projector, a panel of superbright LEDs. They seem pretty bright and are efficenet (low power/low heat)
If DIY without economies of scale (except saving about $150 on the LCD itself) can do this for $300, why can't I get a PII/500/XGA TV projector from a major vendor? Are they really siphoning off $1000:unit for past losses/investments and future R&D, in addition to $500 (25%) profit per unit?
--
make install -not war
They don't have a project page. But their site is: http://www.tardhaus.com
Wouldn't this be better suited to project from a second room behind a screen if you have a house with that setup. You could cut down on the noise and the extra light from the ugly classroom projector. Not many people have the luxury of a projector room, but my next house will if I have anything to say about it.
How does this compare to a www.lumenlab.com setup? The LL method looks as if its more proper for intense and focused lighting, and adjustments, using dark black housing, fresnel lenses etc.
Is the overhead a shortcut, or is it actually just doing the same thing? I would think the LL method, you can use lamps from hardware stores, plus paint it all black so light isn't spilled etc.
Is the LL way technically more correct? Another thing, since this uses a 15" LCD, is it possible to use a smaller LCD that supports 1024x768? Do those exist and are they cheap too or is that getting to expensive?
Behold the mighty Eidophor - Cinema-sized video projection with not a semiconductor in sight...!
Do yourself a favor, an X1 or similar is really nice and you can palm it and take it outside.
I point it at a blank wall in the living room from 12' and get like 89" or something. The color is great. It sits on a bookshelf - try that with an overhead projector!
In the summer I take it outside and shoot against a 9x12 dropcloth, about $30 at Home Depot. Add wireless speakers, and you have your own drive-in for about $349k less than a real one.
The revolution will NOT be televised.
So I've seen 300 (1@ 6000 lumens http://ecom.mysylvania.com/sylvaniab2c/b2c/z_login .do;jsessionid=ID4002DB0.5994958202952388End;sapj2 ee_*=4002) and 500 watt double ended halogen bulbs for $5 at lowes and I'm wondering, what if you took 2 or 3 of these blubs and made your own housing for it with some mirrors and stuff like that. You would cut the cost of operating it like crazy and you'd have a really really bright light for it. Has anyone else thought of this and why didn't they?
P.S. sorry about the link?
Only $300, and just look at the elegant design and sturdy construction. $300 well-spent.
*rolls eyes*
Sometimes it's just better to buy things.
You don't need to plan ahead for a $20 expense but you do have to plan ahead for a $300 expense.
By that logic, you ought to just charge it and pay the $2/mo minimum interest payment on the credit card in perpetuity - heck, a soda can cost $2.
Hint: save your money and pay for things you can afford when you can afford them.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
We had an IBM Thinkpad 486 where the back of the screen came off, and you could use an array of velrco straps to lash the sucker down to an overhead projector. We also had one of those LCD panels, and they were a bit underwhelming. I found ours when we moved last year, and didn't think much of turffing it in with all the other space-junk headed for disposal.
Xix.
"Everything is adjustable, provided you have the right tools"
I bought an OHP and a flat panel display off ebay. An Nview Spectra (640 x 480) an and Elmo portable OHP. Granted, the Nview was/is a slightly older technology, but it was made for this application. The main problem with these panels and I believe with the LCD monitors is their contrast ratio. The Spectra was 150:1, I think the LCD panels may be twice that, but blacks are still gray. Total cost: $200 My Benq 6200 is XGA DLP with 2000:1 contrast ratio. I bought this DLP without ever seeing ANY DLP in operation ($1150 after rebate). My wife was skeptical based on my DIY setup. Totally converted upon viewing the first DVD on it. My advice for those who want a CINEMA experience is to get a DLP. Enjoy.
This ain't no upwardly mobile freeway This is the road to hell
THG's use of a flat panel display simplified things for connecting to a computer. As someone who has an older laptop with a dead backlight, I'd love to give it a shot with that display. Anyone know of any good references to tell me how to connect that panel to a PC's video card output?
To everyone who's been wondering if this could be made into a viable project that's a bit sturdier and easier to move around... the answer is yes. I spent a bit of $ on materials to do so, but, I'm satisfied with the results. I've got a 6000 lumen projector on the way... the projector I currently have is more than capable of giving me a 10 foot diagonal nighttime viewing with superb color and contrast.
p anel?full=1
Here's a link to a picture of my projection panel, you'll have to forgive the location, it's the only hosting I have for this picture right now:
http://www.skoolie.net/gallery/Odd_Projects/proj_
And to answer any questions about cooling, this setup keeps the panel at a "slightly warm to the touch" temperature with my current projector. It'll be interesting to see if cooling becomes an issue with the new projector when it arrives.
-Kevin
"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." -Thom
Its being done since about 4 years ago. built mine last march. Check out my site (use internet explorer only) http://www.diyprojectorphils.netfirms.com