[simpits-tech] My projector fix project

[Sean Galbraith]

As some will know my projector took it' s own life in a rather grand manner 
some time ago, and I have been working on a cheap fix.

I have investigated alternatives to the seriously expensive original 
replacement bulbs, but have ended up at a bit of a brick wall;  The 
projector uses a metal halide bulb, which uses a ballast and transformer 
setup which is very sensitive to the type of bulb being attached.  From 
research I've done it appears that if the replacement bulb is more than 
about 1% different in spec then it will blow either the ballast or 
transformer.  Not good.

I have however stumbled over (which is a fair indication of my research 
skills...) two possible solutions.  One easy, one much harder, but do-able 
and with some very positive benefits.

1, Many projectors have a way for technicians to isolate the signal 
generator from the lamp parts of the unit.  Used for service/repair 
work.  The down side is you will most likely need a tech/repair manual for 
the projector to find out how to do this.  Tech manual for my projector is 
not available, so I have asked around and got some tips..... results to 
follow, assuming I don't blow myself to tiny little bits :)

2, If I can't get No1 to work then it's off to the department of drastic 
measures!
I have been looking at some of the DIY projector projects on the net...and 
thought to my_sick_self "I can do better than that.."  Most of the DIYs use 
little tiny LCD's lit with consumer lighting units....
So I, using the Tim "The Toolman" approach thought.....more power :)
A projector consists of 3 main parts;  Light source, Image generator and lens.
- Lens I got, remember the dead projector?
- Light source... I spec some pretty good lights in stuff I design at work 
so that's no problem.
- Image generator, forget 4" LCD's.... What about a 15" LCD..which are 
getting cheaper by the hour?
I figure, rip the back of the LCD, shine honking big light through, focus 
with lenses...easy huh?
This solution will be much *MUCH* bigger than a commercial projector setup, 
but has two definite advantages;  Bulbs will last thousands of hours, 
rather than hundreds (oh and they are cheap) and a modern LCD has much 
better resolution and colour depth than my existing projector.

This weekend I plan on test flying the P-3 sim setup and then delving into 
the innards of the projector and see what happens...wish me luck!

Sean.