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DIY Projector Plans Released
vroom writes "Lumenlab, a rapidly-growing website dedicated to the art of building LCD projectors, has just released its guide on how to build your own projector. The guide used to sell for $19.99, along with entrance to the "Premium Forums," where like-minded DIYers work together to constantly push this obsession forward. Not sure if building your own LCD projector is for you? Not a problem anymore. Just download the official torrent file of the guide and you're good to go. If you want to roam with the others in the Premium Forums, however, you'll still need to buy a membership."
I didn't see anything on their site that they were releasing it via torrent... are we sure this is truly an official release and not someone just tossing it up without permission?
I see a LumenLab banner at the top of Free2Code's site, but with a referrer link like they're an affiliate.
Maybe I'm just paranoid, but this doesn't feel legit.
All they did was take an LCD screen, designed to be used with overhead projectors, and put it onto an overhead projector. The only "DIY" was the case they built out of "partial board" and covered with black felt.
My department bought one of those transparent LCD screens in 1997, back when overhead projectors were still to be found in every lecture hall, laptops were $3000 and LCD projectors were $5000 and as big as a suitcase. The idea was to use this to go from the computer screen to the wall screen on the cheap. It was used every once in awhile, but if you weren't using a laptop, it was a pain to use, since you had to wheel in a cart with a desktop PC.
Once laptops got cheap enough so that they were commonplace, LCD projectors had gotten cheap enough that the department bought one and consigned the transparent LCD screen, with its terrible picture quality, to the back closet of the copier room. There, it collected dust, along with all of the other obsolete junk that no one wanted to use anymore, but had cost too much to just throw away.
The transparent LCD screen was an ugly kludge, a bridge technology to mate the old with the new. Let it die.
Ok... this is one of those DIY projects that can be cool to do, but overall its not worth the effort unless you need a very custom looking projector. Quick cost breakdown: You have to buy all the parts - that can easily run over $300. Add $N if you need tools. We are already sitting at $300+N, not counting labor. This project does not appear to be something you can do in 30 minutes or less. And when you are done, you are without any kind of warrenty. Total price so far (best case) = $300 + N + (Hours * Hourly wage) - warrenty Total price so far (worst case) = $300 + N + (Hours * Hourly wage) + Hospital trip - warrenty Or you can go and buy a new cheapie projector for under $600. It is also safe to assume that an occasional projector will turn up at a computer scavenger or pawn shop. Of course, I'm waiting for the SCO corporate liquidation auction to pick up my projector...
Navicula hydraulica plena anguilarum est. Omnes castelli tuus nostri sunt. Ed elli avea del cul fatto trombetta.
The Tom's Hardware article was a great proof-of-concept, and is still useful if you have a spare LCD screen and an OHP floating around, but it's hardly elegant or robust or electrically safe. The Lumenlab style of PJ is a refinement of the idea - less duct-tape and more lounge-room appliance. Your wife would probably want the TH PJ thrown out :)
A bit off topic but regarding projectors, I always wondered why the lamps are so expensive (>$200). Are the filaments made of gold?? (joking). Seriously, I would like to know why manufacturing could not yield much cheaper lamps. Anybody got a clue?
Remember the year 2000? They promised us flying cars. They delivered the PT Cruiser...
Go home.
Place tablet on projector.
Plug in all cords into their correct sockets.
Enjoy!
The users in the LumenLab member forum are the real reason to buy the plans. Their experience is invaluable and they are amazingly eager to help you.
Brain, the guy who operates LumenLab.com is highly accessible, both in forums and LL's IRC channel. He's an interesting character. He and his wife built a biodiesel car that runs on hemp oil, a DIY home CNC machine, among other things.
I highly recommend browsing the LumenLab free forum where users post pics of their finished projectors. Hundreds of success stories. Look for my friend PyrettaBlaze, his finished PJ is amazing.
The finished result with the LumenLab kit is siginificantly sharper and brighter than the overhead projector/LCD panel kludge - Approximately 1800-2000 ANSI lumens at 1024x768 with the ability to throw anything from your PC to the screen (or other sources through adapter box.) The LL guys are using quality optics and have a fanatical support community behind them.
Check it out.
THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.
I built one. My favorite reference, and probably the largest information collection and most active discussion, is at DIYAudio in the "Moving Images" section.
Here's two photos of my results:
http://lserve.homelinux.net:7780/PICT0056.jpg
http://lserve.homelinux.net:7780/PICT0141.jpg
The white bar on the lefthand side indicates one problem you'll have: the internal components of an LCD are very delicate. I can solder 0603 SMD resistors without breaking a sweat, or lift a 208-pin FPGA from a circuit board without damaging either, but I still managed to tear one of the mylar edge connector ribbons loose. Fortunately it was right along the edge and there's still plenty of usable viewing area. I do have another monitor I'll use to replace the broken one, but for now it works.
You do need a fairly dim room, but the image is definitely bright enough. I use a 400W metal halide, but I don't have a reflector so that's one possible way I could upgrade the projector another 30% in brightness. And the cheap lenses have a short focal length, there is no zoom control and to fill an entire 8-foot-high wall, the lens is only 10 feet away. Makes couch placement difficult. I ended up putting my couches in an angled arrangement with the projector in between. Kind of like this: \./ except a shallower angle.
Anyway I like it and it was definitely worth the pain, misfortune, and expense.