ALLINBOX

"MADE YOUR OWN DIY LCD PROJECTOR (Do IT Yourself)"

The Allinbox site will allow you to make your own video projector for a starting price of nearly 350 €. If you like home made stuff, you don't have many money but you are determined, you're welcome in our community.
. This small summary will allow you to understand how it works in order to start your project.
You also can read the "DIY Video projector bible" where you can find many technical tips, after you have the forum where you can explain your problems, find help and ideas (read the rules before posting on it).

This is the both types of projector we communally use.

In line project

In "L" project

This the differents parts you will need to made it :

Parts

1) A light source

It could be an indoor or outdoor halogen lamp of 300 to 500W under 220V (be careful, the more powerful is the lamp the more heat it done). The most used (because taken on overhead projector) are 250W/24V halogen or 400W/36V halogen lamps. Theses bulb will give you a yellowed light (not a clearly white light) and have a short life between 10 and 100 hours, the cost is under 15€.

Today the most used lamp is HQI (Metal halide lamp) you can find in 150,250 or 400W because they are more efficient of 20% than halogen and heat less. Their light is more white and their life is many hundred of hours. But to work theses lamps need a Ballast, an igniters and a "condenser". An HQI kit will cost between 50 and 100€ depends on his power 150,250 or 400W.

Since a few times some people start LED based projects, it heat less but have less luminosity

Hagen bulb 250W/24V

HQI bulb and his kit (ballast, condenser", ignite)

LED Panel

It is better to ad an adapted reflector behind the bulb to increase luminosity, also a condenser lens to condens the light.

Reflector behind the bulb.

The condenser in front of the bulb.

These elements made the light module, commonly called Lightbox.

LighBox example

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After you will have to cool the lightbox. The more simple way is to use FAN, you have to extract hot air , never send cold air on the lamp it would be nefast for is life. Some light should escape from the fan hole, so you may have to make roast, baffle …

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2) A fresnel lens
It have to be of the size of your LCD panel, it is used to spread out uniformly the light of your light source on the LCD panel. The fresnel lens is positioned before the LCD panel, commonly at 1-3 cm from the LCD panel. Someone Split the fresnel in two parts, on part before the LCD and the other after.

Fresnel lens

fresnel before the LCD panel

Splited fresnel one part before one part after LCD panel.

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3) A LCD panel
We take it on commercial LCD monitors from 2.5" to 19".
The size of the LCD panel will determine the final size of your projector, and also the definition and the size of the projected image. After we dismount the monitor in order to get the LCD panel (take some photo of the operation if one day you want to cancel the operation). Some models have electronics behind the panel, in this case you cannot use the entire panel because the light will be blocked, in some case you can deport the electronic but be careful it's fragile.
For information a 15" panel will give you a 2,5m base image with a retreat of 2,5m
A 8" LCD will give you a 2m base image for a 3,5-4m retreat
TFT list

13" LCD monitor
After dismount the LCD panel the light will cross over

4) A projection lens, Triplet or Varifocal.
This is the end of the light path, it allow the projection and is needed to adjust the focus.

Triplet

Varifocal

This is the schematic of the projector in line

If you want to made an "L" based projector you will have to use a cold mirror

Cold miror

"L" based schematics

Remarque:
To start , it's more easy to use an overhead projector because in it there's the lightbox, the fresnel, and the projection lens, you can find it on Ebay.

overhead projector

After you only have to buy an LCD monitor and dismount it to put on it the LCD panel.
Exemples: Here
After you should want only one beautiful box so you will made your "All In Box".

For the handyman, you can start directly, you can ask for help on the Forum (read the rules).
When you finish you project, think for the new DIYists and send your project Here and it will be published on the All In Box Website.
Welcome in the adventure.