DIY LCD Projector Help

[elkmanwsu]

A friend of mine had a 14.1" monitor that he sold me for a very nice price and I decided to follow the "Supersize your TV" diy projector video and make a huge projector...everything went great. I was able to find a nice overhead at my campus' surplus store, I was able to remove the lcd from the plastic cabinet, and when I powered up the lcd and overhead I was successfully able to make a sharp 60" image on my wall...the problem lies with the monitors cabling...in the video example the circuit boards went along the side and the bottom of the lcd to provide the image.

my monitor however had the circuit boards wrapped behind the backlight. and when i removed the backlight I had to put the circuit boards in their original place...directly behind the top and left portions of the screen. the one on the side is not too much of a problem but the one of the top blocks about an inch and a half of screen. light isn't able to pass through that portion so I have a circuit board mess to deal with.

The problem is that the flexible printed circuit that connects the two bands of chips together is too short...if I were able to find an extender somehow make my own extension I can move the chipsets away from behind the monitor. So I guess my question is....does anyone know where I can find some extra flexible printed circuit so I can lengthen the connector?

 

[rtfm]

Wow, I wondered if anyone would actually do that project, hope you've got some cooling fans for that projector...

Could you supply a photo so we can see your problem exactly?

I think you'll have trouble finding a cable to suit, I think those things are generally specific to a single product (feel free to shoot down my ignorance if I'm wrong!).

Maybe the make of the monitor used too.

 

[steinomite]

I am going to be attempting this soon. I am looking at different monitors. Widescreen monitors have become more popular since the article was published, what do you think of using one instead of a fullscreen monitor? Also what brands have people tried so we know which ones disassemble nicely?

 

[stealth91]

I have taken TWO monitors apart with my friend to try this. He bought the overhead projector and we ran into the same exact problem with both monitors. We even went so far as to make our own FCC cable(which is that flexicable you are talking about) with stripped phone line. After HOURS of work and little to show for it, we took the defeat and ran a program to size the window so there is just black where the circuits block the light. I believe later on we found a longer cable online we could have used but we broke both of the connectors and decided that it wasn't worth it. My only suggestion is to find the exact same model they used or it wont work!

 

[steinomite]

I have taken TWO monitors apart with my friend to try this. He bought the overhead projector and we ran into the same exact problem with both monitors. We even went so far as to make our own FCC cable(which is that flexicable you are talking about) with stripped phone line. After HOURS of work and little to show for it, we took the defeat and ran a program to size the window so there is just black where the circuits block the light. I believe later on we found a longer cable online we could have used but we broke both of the connectors and decided that it wasn't worth it. My only suggestion is to find the exact same model they used or it wont work!

That was my original intention, although after a cursory investigation I realized that (a) the model they used would be difficult to find (because i think its old) and (b) that if I bought a newer model I could get a higher quality and for a lower price.

Can you tell me more about what you tried? I'll take any of the following information if you still have it: the names of the two brands/models you tried; the name of the program you used to adjust the display area; the overhead projector (OHP) you got and where you got it from; and the name of the "longer cable" you said you thought would work, and where you found it.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[klaushomey]

http://www.lumenlab.com is a good site for this.Lots of people making their own projectors and they have a list they're compiling of all the different monitors that people have stripped and the results they got!