Build your own LCD projector for Home viewing

[hertzblaster1]

Its hard to find 7 inches w/ vga input is hard to find. 8 inches lcd has FFC problem. some guys at tipidpc was able to remedied 14 inches lcd with ffc issues .

I was tempted to build 15 inches lcd because of low price and what I got also has the best specs for 15 inches lcd in the market today. LG 1553s. thought the box is twice the size of my 8 inch build, the image quality is much better. Now i have 720p projector.

You can find in the internet lcd with smaller size but price is about 15-20t for the lcd alone. Its out of our budget. So used 15 inches w/ xga resolution is still the way to go at this time. But if you can find 14 or 13 inch lcd w/ xga resoltion, then much better.

[hertzblaster1]

7 inches iw/ vga input still hard to find but you buy on line for $170. Still expensive. 8 inches w/ vga is sometimes available. Some guys at tipidpc was able to remedy the FFC cable issues.

I joined the bandwagon in building 15 inch projector because I was able to get cheap lcd with very good specification. Image quality is alot better than my 8 inch build though double in size. But its ok.

[russpogi]

Question, where can we get the lens, light source and mirror for this kind of project? I'm considering something that looks like in this thread:
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index...15&hl=sculptor

Pero syempre mas simple dyan! hehehe! Hardcore na kse yan sa ganda eh! hehehe!


Also, what specs should I be looking for in a used LCD screen?

Maganda din to:
http://www.hommie.net/construction.htm

[ghosthunter]

Question, where can we get the lens, light source and mirror for this kind of project? I'm considering something that looks like in this thread:
http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index...15&hl=sculptor

Pero syempre mas simple dyan! hehehe! Hardcore na kse yan sa ganda eh! hehehe!


Also, what specs should I be looking for in a used LCD screen?

Maganda din to:
http://www.hommie.net/construction.htm

What is your budget?...

You might want to look in actual DLP projectors if your budget permits. Like the ones from Acer which are actually pretty affordable given their features.

Also check if the promo of a "free" projection screen is still available.

[wildthing]

hindi ba ubra na HID ang ilaw instead?

its 12v (transformer na AC to DC lang ang kailangan) at hindi mainit pero mataas ang lumen ng ilaw.

[russpogi]

What is your budget?...

You might want to look in actual DLP projectors if your budget permits. Like the ones from Acer which are actually pretty affordable given their features.

Also check if the promo of a "free" projection screen is still available.

Cguro mga Php10k or less lang pare. I was thinking of cannibalizing an old 15" LCD, use the scrap plywood here at home and wiring. So bale, I just need the light source and the lens. I'm actually just want to do something while I'm not working. Boring dito sa bahay eh! hehehe!

[hertzblaster1]

Its a nice project for builders. Its very rewarding.

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/d...r/DSC06305.jpg

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/d...r/DSC06316.jpg

he he he!

http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/d...r/DSC06320.jpg
http://i224.photobucket.com/albums/d...r/DSC06324.jpg

[ghosthunter]

*hertzblaster1:

I applaud you for your enthusiasm in this line of DIY projects but...

I strongly suggest stop posting "replies" to this thread if it just contains more pictures of your screen and nothing more.

[wildthing]

agree with that....it would be helpful sana if you could put more details sa exact project mo ... step by step process would be good.

[hertzblaster1]

Wow its all in red response. I will give in to your request though kinda look offensive. I feel better with wild thing comments. Anyway I am working on it. Hope to finish it soon.

[ghosthunter]

Wow its all in red response. I will give in to your request though kinda look offensive. I feel better with wild thing comments. Anyway I am working on it. Hope to finish it soon.

That is my comment to you as a moderator of this forum site. It is in red so it will be visible

[hertzblaster1]

Consideration choosing the right LCD for your need.

A> LCD size

DIY projector normally is bigger , or alot of times, alot bigger than commercial projector. Size normally is the first issue.

1. If size is not an issue, then there are alot of cheap used LCD out there with digonal size of 15 inches with xga resolution, very good enough to project high definition images.

2. If size is a problem, then its gonna take alot of effort to get compatible LCD. But if you have the money to spend, you can easily buy on line. Smaller LCD like 8.4 inch diagonal normally has SVGA resolution, few are xga resolution which are very expensive say around $250 on line.

In the pics below, the black box is the box for my 8.4 inch lcd and the bigger one is the box for my 15ich lcd. Beside them is the chair for comparison. Those boxes, I believe can still be made smaller by 30-50% based on your design.


B> LCD resolution

1. XGA Resolution (1024x768 pixel) A bigger LCD say 15 inches and above has xga resoluiton which are capable enough to display high definition images. Smaller LCD with XGA resolution are expensive.

2. SVGA resolution (800x600 pixels) - DVD disk has a resolution of 720x480 pixels so if you have an lcd with svga resolution, it can display the full resolution of dvd players which can display very good images (xga of course is alot better)

3. VGA resolution (640x480) - If you are really low on budget, some small lcd has vga resolution. this can still project good images though your projected image size will be limited otherwise you will see screendoor effect(pixelated) and washout images.

It is not recommended anymore to use lcd with resolution lower than vga resolution.

C> LCD inputs

1. VGA input - Never buy the lcd without vga input (computer video cable) . VGA input can display progressive output from your sources like pc and component output ( need transcoder to convert to vga) of dvd player .

2. HDMI/DVI (digital input) - Some lcd models have DVI input which is very good because some dvd players have dvi output. Very few lcd have HDMI input. DVI/HDMI peforms better than vga interface because it will bypass the A/D converter from dvd players, pc, and lcd monitor. The lesser electronics used, the better is the image quality.

Composite input/ s-video of dvd players only displays 720x240 pixels so avoid using this as much as possible. Remember VGA interface is the minimum requirements.

D> LCD aspect ratio

1. 4:3 aspect ratio- It has the same aspect ratio of regular TV. In the old days, most of the movies are 4:3 so no problem in displaying the correct image size. But nowadays, most movies are widescreen (1.77:1)or letterbox format ( 2.35:1). So you will see black bars in top and bottom of your image. You will lose up to 60% of lcd resolution when you use widescreen and letterbox movies so image quality will go down.

2. 16:9 aspect ratio- When you play 4:3 aspect ratio movie, you will see black bars at the two sides. But nowadays, widescreen are prevalent and you will use full resolution of your lcd and image quality will be better than when using 4:3 aspect ratio lcd.

E> Contrast Ratio - This is other lcd specification that can make lcd cheap or expensive ( the other one is resolution). Higher contrast say more than 1000 can produce beautiful images than with lcd with lower resoltuion. Contrast is the difference in intensity of white and black.

F> Response time- Lower lcd response time means lcd can display moving images smoothly. try to get lcd with response time not higher than 25ms . The lower, the better

G> Number of colors- Look for lcd with 16.7million colors to give accurate color rendition. colors with 200k is also good but will not be displaying the real color.

[hertzblaster1]

LCD compatibility.

You must make sure that the lcd is compatible. You can check out this site for compatible lcd
http://www.baseportal.com/cgi-bin/ba.../Lumenlab/main

I uses LG L1553s which currently is available in the local market and has the best specs for 15 icnh lcd. Bought mine used for 4500 pesos.

Compatible lcd only has one circuit board attached to the longer side of lcd panel.

[hertzblaster1]

Only the lcd panel is needed. the backlight light will be behind and is of no use for this project. SO if somebody sell lcd with broken backlight, it will probably sell cheap.



Another image of compatible lcd

[hertzblaster1]

Incompatible lcd. Notice that there is a circuit board at the left side and connected by 90 deg flat cable to the other circuit board. This cable is what makes this lcd incomaptible. But if you are good in modding/soldering, then its ok.
The control board and OSD board is connected by ordinary cable and is long enough to be put out of the way of the lcd.

[hertzblaster1]

Another pic of incompatible lcd.

[hertzblaster1]

Recently ompleted a 10.2 inch projector. this will be used in my brothers retaurant and to project 175 inch image later

Now using new short arc bulb. Alot cheaper and better.









15 inch projector vs 10.2 inch size comparison

[hertzblaster1]

Sample image 90 inch diagonal. Sorry for the date in camera. It was repaired before and have not corrected the date yet.

[hertzblaster1]

Now currently working on a smaller 7 inch lcd projector.









Hope to finish this next week.

Target design

[DBanker]

*hertzblaster1
Sir, i sent you a PM, hope to get a reply... thanks