mod-the-pc
Member
Me and my cousin did one such LumenLab projector 2 years ago just for fun. We Incurred the following costs
Used 15.6" Samsung 16:9 LCD - Rs. 3000
400W MH Lamp + Ballast - Rs. 1800
Fresnel lens + Triplets from old projectors ~ Rs. 1000
Cooling fans ~ 300
Construction materials + Carpentry labour ~ Rs 4000 (MDF, fasteners, tempered glass, threaded rods etc. Had to get a carpenter since we didn't have power tools to make it. The vertical build increased the cost).
The end result was perfect too with almost uniform brightness even towards the edges. However the downsides were
1. Bulky projector. Occupies considerable amount of space.
2. Heats up very bad and fan noise is audible. Comsumes a lot of power
3. Fixed focus
The projector now probably is lying with my cousin unused and looking back we've spent well over Rs 10,000..Good enough to get a used 1024x768 projector today.
The only advantage these DIY projectors is the cheap replacement lamp. But to me the drawbacks seem to overshadow this sole advantage.
Most of these drawbacks will go away once higher power LEDs are affordable. We can replace the MH lamp with an array of LEDs thereby reducing the build size (length), power consumption as well as heat generated. Further reduction in size can be achieved when small size high definition display panels become affordable.
Used 15.6" Samsung 16:9 LCD - Rs. 3000
400W MH Lamp + Ballast - Rs. 1800
Fresnel lens + Triplets from old projectors ~ Rs. 1000
Cooling fans ~ 300
Construction materials + Carpentry labour ~ Rs 4000 (MDF, fasteners, tempered glass, threaded rods etc. Had to get a carpenter since we didn't have power tools to make it. The vertical build increased the cost).
The end result was perfect too with almost uniform brightness even towards the edges. However the downsides were
1. Bulky projector. Occupies considerable amount of space.
2. Heats up very bad and fan noise is audible. Comsumes a lot of power
3. Fixed focus
The projector now probably is lying with my cousin unused and looking back we've spent well over Rs 10,000..Good enough to get a used 1024x768 projector today.
The only advantage these DIY projectors is the cheap replacement lamp. But to me the drawbacks seem to overshadow this sole advantage.
Most of these drawbacks will go away once higher power LEDs are affordable. We can replace the MH lamp with an array of LEDs thereby reducing the build size (length), power consumption as well as heat generated. Further reduction in size can be achieved when small size high definition display panels become affordable.
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