Guide Guide: Building a 100 inch LCD Projector (DIY-Self Made - Updated with Pics & Video)

Guide: Building a 100 inch LCD Projector (DIY-Self Made)
All this within the price of a 15 inch Lcd


Hello Everyone :) . This is my first attempt at writing a guide. Im not particularly good at it. Isnt as nicely written as some of the others here but its a start. Not too much to explain as the links explain it all.
I was on the lookout for a cheap 22 inch LCD (Aoc or the Acer AL2216) but then, came across these links which, i found to be quite interesting........

DIY Projector Guide - Lumenlab
Lumenlab -> Projector Builder
diyAudio Forums - DIY Projectors
LCD Projector, XGA, Self Home Made, Long Throw
How-To: Build your own HD projector (Part 1) - Engadget

How can a 22 inch LCD stand up to a 100 Inch Image???????
After reading through some of the posts and some made by people from India, found their results to be impressive, had to try it and so.........
I decided to take the plunge and build one myself.

Searched the market and found out that most of the components are readily available for this specific project.

Here's the list of components needed/used along with their prices that i paid for them:

1. 15 Inch LG LCD (Max. Res. 1024x768.) from TE itself. Rs.3700/-

2. Fresnel Lenses (217mm and 343mm FL) and a Triplet Lens (317mm FL) from Lensel Optics. Rs.2200/-

3. 400w Metal Halide Lamp (Radium Brand) with Ballast and Mounting Base. Rs.1500/-

4. Plywood and Wooden Blocks(Free). MDF Recommended as it is easier to work with (~Rs.800 a Sheet).

5. 2x 220v 4 Inch Fans (Second Hand - 125 Each) Lammy.

6. Steel Ladle (As a reflector) Rs.50/-

7. Assorted Screws,Nails,Glue,Double Sided Foam Tape,Black Paint etc.

Power Tools: Drill Machine

Hand Tools: Saw, Hexo Blades, Files, Screwdrivers, Cutters etc.

Total Cost till now: Around 8k.
Can be made even cheaper if used components are used.
Here is the basic design and component placement of the projector.

DIY Projector Guide - Lumenlab
http://lumenlab.com/wiki/images/1/14/Diy_pj_Fig1.jpg

FocalCalc is a small app developed by a member at Lumenlab which acually calculates the distances between all components and helps one design the projector accordingly.

link:
Focal Calculator II - Lumenlab

Actual Pics of my Projector (Taken from my Cellphone Camera. Will have to arrange a digicam - The result is much better than these pics seem to show. Some pics are from the earlier stage of building so look messy)
Further tweaking will improve the output.
Still have to put some finishing touches (final wiring and painting) and have to ceiling mount it.

UPDATED PICS:

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Large Pics:



More Pics:

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Money well spent. 100 INCHES and very viewable. Amazing results. Well worth the effort.
The build process is what i enjoyed the most. A great learning experience and very rewarding results on the whole.
This can be made HD simply by using a HD lcd Panel.

Update: (Typed on a P990i. So.......)
Component descriptions.

The Lcd:

The Lcd is the primary component around which the actual projector is built. It is what forms the image on the screen. The lcd needs to be as small as

possible with the maximum possible resolution. Smaller lcds make the enclosure smaller and small size helps us get better corner to corner brightness and

focus.
The most nerve wracking part of the build is stripping the lcd to its panel and carefully handling the FFC ribbon cable that connects the glass panel to the

controller board. Utmost care has to be taken while handling this as one wrong pull and the lcd is history.Higher contrast ratio lcds are also preferable. WS

15 inchers are not recommended as the sides may fall out of the fov of the projection triplet making sides dim and out of focus.The best option would be to

use a car lcd. I have seen a 'super' brand chinese 10 inch screen which does 1024x768 and seems to be perfect for a build. )I bought a used lcd from te

itself. Its a 15 inch lg 1520b. Dismantled it in a matter of minutes. Didnt remove the lcd panel until the last moment.

Some people remove the Anti Glare Coating (Film) on the front of the LCD. This results in a brighter crisper output. The process is risky. The film has to be

soaked for 10 to 12 hours using paper towels and distilled water then pulled out. I dont intend to remove it now as im quite satisfied with the results for

now.
The lamp:
Our project needs a very bright point light source which provides max lumens and minimum heat emission.Metal halide lamps are perfect for this application as

they provide max lumens (light output) vs heat generated. They also generate a high colour temprature (k-kelvin) and a high CRI (colour rendering index)

output similar to white daylight. Mh lamps use a ballast (5 kgs. Very heavy) to step up mains voltage which is applied across a glass arc filled with gases.

This excites them resulting in light radiation.

EXTREME CAUTION SHOULD BE EXCERCISED WHEN WORKING WITH MH LAMPS. THESE OPERATE AT VERY HIGH VOLTAGES AND PRODUCE HIGH LEVELS OF UV IF THE OUTER SHELL IS

BROKEN. PLEASE TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS WHILE HANDLING THEM.

I bought mine from a local electricals shop. Available everywhere. You can see them everywhere - shops/malls display boards etc. I got a 400w Lamp (radium

brand - chinese) and a matching ballast (priya make - 400w with warranty) along with the bulb holder (mogul base). Total amount paid : 1500. )Should have

got Osram (German). Better brightness and colour.

Also, a reflector needs to be used in collabaration with the lamp to use tne unutilized light from the back of the lamp.i have used a simple ladle (50 bucks)

as a reflector. )The reflector needs to be spherical and must be mounted such thats its focal length must be in line with the lamp arc. )These amps do

produce some heat and need cooling. I have used 2 220v 4 inch fans . One for the lamp and one for the lcd. Iv cut a slit below the lcd which allows cool air

to pass around the lcd and exit through the fan at the top. )Cooling the enclosure is essential as the box has to be sealed out and can get very hot. Also

wood is used so....
Fresnel lenses:

A fresnel lens is a flat acrylic plastic lens used in ohp projectors. Have you seen a page magnifier? It is a fresnel. I wont go deep and describe its

working here.We have used 2 fresnels on our build. The first one is a 217 mm focal length which is used as a collector. It is placed between the lcd and

lamp. It collects light from the lamp and focusses it through the lcd.

The second fresnel (the Collimitor) is a 343 mm fl lens placed between the lcd and the projection lens. It focuses the light coming from the lcd to the

projection lens. Both sourced from Lensel optics, pune Precision Glass Optics, Plastic Optics, Magnifiers, Opto Electronics India
The Projection lens (Triplet):

The projection lens is a combination of 3 different lenses made out of different materials. Each material(flint,quartz,pyrex etc) has its own unique optical

properties( refractive indexes etc). 3 different lenses are so chosen that they cancel out the chromatic abberation that is produced when a single lens

(singlet) or double (doublet) is used. Only one fl is available here so we have to design our projector using this 317 mm fl triplet.

Sourced from lensel optics pune. Total cost of 3 lenses shipped to mumbai Rs. 2200.
Building the box:

Mdf is the preferred material for building the enclosure. I had wood lying around so used it. Mdf is easier to work with and is cheaper too (800 a sheet 8ft

x 4ft. I built the box on my own but one can get it built by a carpenter if he/she finds it difficult or does not have all the tools.
How it works:

The following diagram shows the placement of components in our system.



The first fresnel is placed close to the lcd panel (10 to 15 mm) and focusses light from the lamp arc to all sections of the panel. Fresnels have a property

that they require a point light source to operate effectively. That is the reason why mh lamps are used for this purpose. Other light sources like cfls do

not have a point source and are hence useless for this task. The lamp arc is placed at the focal length position of the fresnel ie 217 mm. This focussed

light passes through the lcd and to the second fresnel at around 10 to 15 mm from the Lcd between the Lcd and the Projection Triplet. The reason for using

such a bright light is that lcd pass only 15 to 20 percent of the light that hits on one side of the panel. The lamps we are using are extremely bright. The

second fresnel focusses this lcd image to the triplet which then focusses it on the screen.

Accurate component placement is vital for a crisp projection. Hence, i used focalcalc for determining distances between various components. Excellent
tool.It also calculates the final output size of the projection.


Some tips:

1. Before starting the build, decide where to mount it. My projector is 2ft x 1ft x 1ft (quite large) and projects 100 inches at 8 ft distance. Component

availability is limited and so anyone building one will most probably use the same components.

2. Keystoning is also an important issue i forgot.Keystoning is used to get a level image if the projector is mounted at an angle to the screen. If at an

angle the image will be trapezoidal without adjustment. The front fresnel has to be kept parallel to the screen in order to get proper projection. Around 15

degrees of keystoning is achievable . No more. One can also use nvkeystone which is a part of the nvidia driver app. Good for movies but crappy text.

3. Get all components before starting. Plan the build accordingly. I started early and made the box a bit small. Had to extend it to accomodate the fresnels

later. Use the 400 w Osram lamp. I got a 150 w one but image was not bright enough. Got it replaced. There is a 250 watt one also available.
Ceramic Metal Halide Lamps may be available at Lohar Chawl (Osram Powerball Series). Much better Colour Temprature and brightness.

123.skp - - BADONGO
123.skb - - BADONGO
Updated with a Google Sketchup Model (Not very detailed though)

Some Videos:
YouTube - cs
YouTube - vc
 
well ballistic I am putting mine on hold as I am going to visit my native place.

Will try sourcing the 14 incher from there only as I have been disappointed

with the resolution offered by 10 incher car LCD.

So the project will resume when i will be back.

Watch this space.....
 
Guys, I was doing some research on the same topic and it is too tempting. I'm still debating with myself on whether to do it or not :)

Just a word of caution..I read that low quality (chinese) bulbs emit a lot of UV and dont come with UV filter/protection, so please protect your eyes...be careful.
 
Yes, true.

although the lcd and the antiglare layer block most of it.

i too am thinking of getting an osram lamp

not for uv but for better colour reproduction.
 
^^ do you know any particular osram lamp model available in India that is most suitable for this?

I'm thinking of importing the lenses directly from US (the 15 inch kit from lumenlabs - some of my friends coming back from US can bring them). Lamp/ballast etc I think it's better to get from here (for warranty...)
 
Iv mentioned it befo re.
Osram 400w HQI-TS (official import but no warranty)
Available here easily.
Btw mine has uv protection written on its packaging. Most prob it does have it. (if you break the outer glass and use only the inside arc,that is a risky thing to do).
Better to get the kit here if ur going for the standard build as the specs are almost the same. No point spending so much.
Its ok if u want a higher spec component but the s15 is almost similar to what i used.
3Dlens - Fresnel Lens,Polarizer Fresnel Lens,Polarizer has a fresnel with a pitch of 0.2 mm vs 0.5 mm we and the "s15" has.
Also a larger diameter triplet is available at lumenlab but it has a higher fl which means it most prob will be useful for a long throw design.
No point spending so much for that kit imo.
Costs as much as my whole build.
 
@ballistic, Thanks for all the info man. I wasn't planning to get the whole kit from lumenlab anyway, I was looking at getting the "s15" fresnel and projection lenses only. Lumenlab's lamp and ballast are way too expensive anyway.

If lenses of the same quality/type are available in India, then like you said no point importing it.
 
^^ but you had mentioned that some cutting will be required for the lenses to use them with a 15 inch LCD rt? Plus I also remember reading that the brightness was not uniform and edges were not fully bright.

Lumenlab S15 lenses are supposed to be specially designed for use with 15 in LCDs....havent done much research on this so I'm not sure what "special design" they've done....but anyway if they'll work right away with no hassles, I was thinking of getting them even if they are slightly more expensive....

What say?
 
The specs of the lumenlab ones and mine are 99% same.
Except for the focal length i dont see any other difference. Tht btw is not a disadvantage. Cutting will have to be done in both cases to make way for the ffc connector that connects the lcd panel to the controller board. This connector will be positioned differently for different models. The pitch of the fresnel lens is an important criteria. A finer pitch lens is better. In this case, both have the same pitch. 0.5mm They'r the same. No point.
 
When buying your LCD, keep in mind 2 things -

1) Higher contrast ratio is good
2) See if there is an FFC issue. This is the flat cable
connecting LCD panel to the controller. google for more info.
 
Hi Ballistic :)
I am planing on buying a 10" Inch Super LCD, I have a few doubts and would be really grateful if you could answer them

1) Can you get the Super LCD at Lamington Road or is there a better place to purchase it from?

2) Does the 10" Inch Super LCD require a FFC extension and does it have any FFC issues?

Thanks in advance for your time and patience
 
From what iv read, the disassembly of this "Super" lcd is quite easy and does not have any stripping issues (thats what i read in a forum somewhere posted by an indian). I had definatly seen a 10 inch 1024x768 panel with tv tuner and vga in at musafirkhana recently. He said 4.25k so could be lower.
A 14 or 15 incher will also do. If u search , one can be bought for 3-3.5k second hand.
Btw regarding cutting fresnels as disscussed in the previous post, one can easily redesign the enclosure (make it larger slightly so that the ffc has a gap to go through without cutting the fresnels.
 
what if I want a 40 - 50 inch screen , could some one make it and also make it brighter ,sharper and the projector size also smaller ? . Meaning I want to make it small , like 40 -50 inch one and also make it smaller and hang it from the roof .Is it possible ?

Thanks , excellent DIY .

Why dont some one start a GO for items if they find it cheaper ? :P .
 
For a smaller screen :
1. Use a smaller panel or
2. Move projector closer to the screen or
3. Use a long throw (Higher focal length) projection lens (Increases the box size).
 
ballistic said:
From what iv read, the disassembly of this "Super" lcd is quite easy and does not have any stripping issues (thats what i read in a forum somewhere posted by an indian). I had definatly seen a 10 inch 1024x768 panel with tv tuner and vga in at musafirkhana recently. He said 4.25k so could be lower.
A 14 or 15 incher will also do. If u search , one can be bought for 3-3.5k second hand.
Btw regarding cutting fresnels as disscussed in the previous post, one can easily redesign the enclosure (make it larger slightly so that the ffc has a gap to go through without cutting the fresnels.

Buddy are u sure about the resolution part coz that is the only reason I am going for the 14 incher (back at my native place and on hunt already :ohyeah: )

I would ask my fren to go and check that monitor out.

BTW thanks for the info

Cheers
 
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