Automotive Headlight Projector Mod V1.2 - Instructables.com

http://www.instructables.com/id/Head-Light-Projector-Mod-V1.2/

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Automotive Headlight Projector Mod V1.2by VIPER2475 on September 30, 2007

Table of Contents

Automotive Headlight Projector Mod V1.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro:   Automotive Headlight Projector Mod V1.2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1:   Gathering parts and supplies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2:   Finding a bulb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 3:   Extracting the bulb! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 4:   Wiring the bulb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 5:   Wiring some more . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 6:   Lights, Projector, ACTION! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

http://www.instructables.com/id/Head-Light-Projector-Mod-V1.2/

Intro:  Automotive Headlight Projector Mod V1.2Modding your projector on the cheap! With the simple use of a 12V Automotive headlight and a power supply.

The OEM replacement bulb for my projector cost ~$300! More than what I paid for the projector it self. And my power supply that powered the original bulb was almosttoast. Using this guide you can use an automotive head light bulb for about $15 dollars.

If you like this mod please Digg It!

Please note: This project has been added to please check out my Halogen WORK LIGHT Projector Mod

WARNING : This mod involves modification of a power supply, projector, and a high power bulb if you are not comfortable with moding on this level, DO NOT attemptthis mod. The writer is not responsible for any injuries resulting from these instructions.

Step 1: Gathering parts and suppliesFor this mod you will need the head light ($7), power supply (old PC supplies work well $5), and some good gauge wire ($2), thin bare craft wire ($1), pliers and othertools. And oh yeah, one projector with a burned out bulb (E-bay).

Step 2: Finding a bulbFirst begin by estimating the amount of space allotted for the normal bulb. If you have one that takes a bulb cartage youll have to find a bulb that fits into the cartage ifpossible. The standard size of the auto bulb fits mine well. Now you know about what size bulb you can buy. (I recommend a 9004 XV from Sylvania, others may work aswell. Youll want at least a total of 110 Watts).

This mod "should" work on all projectors that can fit a high power headlight bulb in the area that would normally hold the original projector lamp. Most all newer projectorsuse a lamp cartridge that houses both the bulb and the non conductive reflector. You would have to find a suitable bulb and insert it into the cartridge. Most automotivebulbs are of the size I used in the instructable. Remember you need A LOT of light output, so a wattage of 110+ at 12v is recommended. (Add the high and low wattagevalues).The nice thing about my projector, the MVP800 is that is has no cartridge. It uses a glass bulb shaped like a rod with a ball in the center. The reflectors and lensare all part of the projector. (The round reflector closes around the bulb witch has been removed from the projector in this picture)

http://www.instructables.com/id/Head-Light-Projector-Mod-V1.2/

Step 3: Extracting the bulb!Next youll mostly likely have to remove the base that holds the actual glass bulb. This is the most difficult part of the mod. Youll want to wear gloves and use lots ofpatience when extracting the bulb from the base. I broke the prongs out of the bottom of the base then used side cutters to free the bulb from the metal holder toward thetop of the base. After it was loose I worked the bulbs thick leads back and forth until I was able to cut them at a reasonable distance. You dont want to break off the powerleads to the bulb or you will ruin the bulb.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Head-Light-Projector-Mod-V1.2/

Step 4: Wiring the bulbAfter it is extracted you need to use butt splice connectors to tightly connect both the standard and high beams together to a +12V and ground lead to be strung out theside of the projector. There will be three or four leads. Look through the glass to find which lead goes where, and activate both the regular and high beams at the sametime. I used automotive connectors so I can change the bulb out if needed. To hook the PC power supply to the bulb connect a +12v lead (yellow) and a ground wire(black) to the automotive bulbs contacts. You will need to crimp, solder or use wire nuts because your dealing with a good amount of power. To power the bulb you eitherneed a big 8+ amp 12v supply or use an old PC power supply. If your using a PC supply you will need to manually activate it or hot wire it.Heres a how to : http://www.techwarelabs.com/guides/misc_mod/psumod/

Step 5: Wiring some moreThen youll need to use a little bit of thin wire to hold the bulb exactly where you want it to get the best projection. And you'll also need to run the projectors fan to keep thebulb cool.

Optional: You may also want to reset the bulbs timer. The one in this projector counts down from 2000 hours, but is not necessary to operate the projector.

Step 6: Lights, Projector, ACTION!Close the lid and fire up the power supply. I can get an eight to teen foot screen using this bulb. Add a medium to large stereo system in the front or back of the room forthe perfect theater experience. Invite your friends and family to the Movies. Pop popcorn, have some drinks and turn on one of your favorites.

I chose this image to show how light and dark areas will show up with the projector mod. This image displays very well on screen, however is VERY hard to take with adigital camera.

If you like my projector mod please Digg it!

Please note: This project has been added to please check out my Halogen WORK LIGHT Projector Mod

http://www.instructables.com/id/Head-Light-Projector-Mod-V1.2/

Related Instructables

Halogen WorkLight ProjectorMod V2.0 byVIPER2475

LED ProjectorLamp v.1.0 byclaudiopolis

Home TheaterUnder $500 (tipsand tricks) byGamer6460

Cheap ImprovedLCD OverheadProjector bythemakeclass

NeighborhoodBackyard MovieTheater bybloomautomatic

Cheap & simplemedia projectorwith a recycledikea lamp byderte84

Comments

50 comments Add Comment view all 106 comments

 abadfart says:  Feb 27, 2011. 1:18 AM  REPLYdo you think a bulb from an overhead protector would work

 charlieb000 says:  Oct 16, 2010. 9:08 PM  REPLYthe computer power supply is 12v and the car one is 14v usually (as high as 16v), this may cause some dimming.... secondly the lamp in the projector i amlooking at is 160w-130w (eco). car lamps can be 55w so you might have to get a trio for adequate brightness...

 Shorin says:  Jul 22, 2008. 12:10 PM  REPLYHey I hope you guys are still up on this topic - because I got questions!

Something about the power supply worries me quite a bit.

I don't want to burn my house down by drawing 20A with an ATX power supply. I know Ohm's law shows that that's not much wattage at 12v.... but I want tobe absolutely sure I'm not running much risk running a 400W supply at 12v to power this thing. The math of that scares me: 30 A current to the bulb. Thatmight actually blow it too.I dunno if my understanding of lightbulbs and current are right....

... I guess I am probably just obsessing. I managed to dig up an entire post on just lightbulbs. The last few posts were what I needed to read... but it didn'tentirely clear things up.

http://www.advancedphysics.org/forum/archive/index.php/t-2723.html

Anyways - I just want to know from somebody whether I'm running the risk of drawing too much current on my house circuit.

 Shorin says:  Aug 3, 2008. 3:24 PM  REPLY-- it works just fine FYI.... I did it already. However, I find the bulb to be dim.... I think maybe an FXL overhead bulb may be brighter or something.

 lukevn says:  Sep 16, 2010. 12:59 AM  REPLYThanks for the information, I’m in the process of learning blog commenting myself. It has been hard work!

http://www.instructables.com/id/Head-Light-Projector-Mod-V1.2/

 Shorin says:  Aug 3, 2008. 3:24 PM  REPLYYeah - I can't use it in the daylight. Maybe it's because my projector is a 3-LCD model. Most people are doing this with DLP projectors.

 slimguy379 says:  Jun 9, 2008. 2:16 PM  REPLYHELP!!! S.O.S. well I got a Proxima ultralight ls1 off ebay for $50 but I am currently not able to watch anything because there is a led that appears if theappropriate is NOT in there (or not in at all) and then shuts off is there a bypass of this problem? the place needed to insert bulb is below

 Xypher Orion says:  Apr 20, 2010. 7:51 AM  REPLYOn my projector, I forget which model at the moment, Sanyo brand I believe, I was able to remove the ballast entirely and bridged a 3-wire cable that wasplugged into the ballast (Just soldered all 3 together). I got lucky, as I'm none too great with a multimeter, but it effectively disabled the bulb detector.

On a more personal note I had made the mistake of trying to use an external power source in conjunction with the ballast without properly bridgingthem..luckily the projector had a 4A fuse in it. Of course I didn't find this out until AFTER I had tossed it in the trash and pulled it out again a few dayslater. I'm using a Sylvania 9007XV with both filaments and it hardly provides enough light to see the picture. I looked up the spec sheet:

http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/HighPerformance/Xtravision/ProductLine/

Its trying to pull 12-13 amps, so when I get home today I'll be removing the low-beam lead. Hopefully this will improve the brightness for me! :)

Thanks for this project, and thanks to lumenlabs as well!

 Xypher Orion says:  Apr 28, 2010. 1:14 PM  REPLYApparently the PSU I'm using supposedly supports 20A on the +12v...perhaps the 9007XV just doesn't cut it? I can hardly see the menus at ~8 feetwith all the lights in the room turned off, at night. Adjusting the bulb position succeeds in removing light spots on the screen, but other than that thisseems to be a complete bust...

 Xypher Orion says:  Apr 28, 2010. 1:15 PM  REPLYGoing to try reversing the flow on the bulb and reattaching the the low beam.

 Xypher Orion says:  May 7, 2010. 1:27 PM  REPLYNope, still no dice. Its a little brighter, but not really watchable. Going to borrow a lux meter from work and see just how dim this sucker is.Next attempt will involve over-volting! yay! 19.8v laptop PSU aught to do the trick...

 Xypher Orion says:  Jun 22, 2010. 5:48 AM  REPLYApparently I tossed the laptop PSU, so wasn't able to do any testing. I'm about out of ideas for this one while using a 12V PSU. I mighthave to get my hands on a fistful of high lumen LEDs and see if I can't build a breadboard with a decent amount of light from that. I'veseen people with minimal successes with this build, so why not?! :)

 jssteinke says:  Dec 9, 2009. 4:05 PM  REPLYI figured out how to trick the ls series. If you take the top cover off the  projector, and look at the top left side of the board near the small fan. There is asmall 3 pin plug about 2 inches right and up to the edge. If you bridge the far right pin and the middle pin of that connector it tricks it.

 VIPER2475 says:  Jun 30, 2008. 7:58 PM  REPLYXeniczone has about the best idea. You'll have to use a large resistor that can take some current! If you don't know how to approach this I would getsome one with Electrical Engineering experience to help. Be careful! your dealing with high voltages, have a fire extinguisher handy. Also make sure yourprojector would work with a good bulb. Also if the projector was $50 how much is a real bulb? My projector cost like $300 and came operational, Bulbscan be obtained for ~$200. Perhaps their cheaper for your projector?

 slimguy379 says:  Jun 30, 2008. 8:12 PM  REPLYDUDE calm down its 120v if you have read ANY of my instructables you would realize I DO have engineering skills, but I don't know I think I'm goingwith the other idea (halogen) and those run on stock 120v -130v.

 VIPER2475 says:  Jun 30, 2008. 10:34 PM  REPLYHalogen does produce more heat. However if you have active cooling you'll be fine. My projector still runs a little cooler than with the stock bulb.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Head-Light-Projector-Mod-V1.2/

 slimguy379 says:  Jun 30, 2008. 8:14 PM  REPLYalso my bulbs are $400 - 500 and like I said I paid $50 so I rather chuck it the spend that money (remember I'm only 16 and currently unemployed)

 xeniczone says:  Jul 1, 2008. 10:27 AM  REPLYStill a good idea to keep a fire extinguisher handy. Like Viper2475 said. Because i have had a few resisters blow up on me and it's not pretty.Age has nothing to do with knowledge. Many people who are extremely smart in engineering are only teens. I'm only 17. Another problemwith Halogens, other then they create more heat, they also tend to release a yellow light rather then a white light. There are other sources oflight that would work better then Car Halogen Bulbs. I would try set of LEDs or Florescent. BTW, A car bulb probably needs more then a100watt power supply aka old PC power supply. Though it seems to work for you but that is just my recommendation.

 slimguy379 says:  Jul 7, 2008. 10:07 AM  REPLYI will try to make a led panel (I have to run to Radio Shack soon) below are pictures of my MANY LEDs that I was stripping off the pcb tore- use also I can't get a straight answer as far as the resistor size because this site (http://www.dannyg.com/javascript/res2/resistor.htm)will calculate everything but the max volt is 32v instead of 120v (try it out you'll understand) but soon maybe I'll make a instructable on thisidea!?!

 rumjar says:  Feb 1, 2010. 5:03 PM  REPLYyou could try something like this (cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ) they put out 3000 Lumens and run at 50 Watts. they still needsome heat sinks but i reckon they would be a great idea. they also have smaller rating modules that may suit better. just ebay searchit.

 xeniczone says:  Jul 7, 2008. 11:45 AM  REPLYlooks interesting but they will need to be clumped together more. Even overlapping in order to work. Now that I think about it theresistor would probably be a bad idea. After reading up on it the projector actually checks to see if the lamp strikes or not. If the lampstrikes it continues to run. If the lamp doesn't strike then the projector shuts down to protect itself. What you need to do is take yourprojector apart and find the return line from the High Voltage power supply. The return line will generally be small compared to thepower cables. Once you find the return line ground it. and it will trick the projector into thinking that the bulb always strikes. See theproblem with using a resistor or say a voltmeter like someone else said. Is that when you turn the projector on the lamp strikes. Thisstriking isn't 120volts. It's probably something much higher then that. A guess is 20,000 volts.

 slimguy379 says:  Jul 7, 2008. 12:40 PM  REPLYif the volts used is near 20,00v why can I connect my halogen 150w and have it run? (btw the 1st picture is an OLD pcb, I'm NOTusing!) also what would the "return line" look like?

 xeniczone says:  Jul 7, 2008. 6:42 PM  REPLYIt's only the striking volt. It's what is use to start the light to begin with. After the light is started it will continue to run at a lowervoltage. It's like a match. Once you strike it you don't have to keep striking it to keep it alive. Couldn't be sure. Follow theLamp's wires back to the high voltage power supply and tell me what wires come off it.

 xeniczone says:  Jun 30, 2008. 6:28 AM  REPLYHave you tried putting a resistor in the place that the lamp used to connect to? This would put a load on the circuit and maybe trick the projector intothinking that it has a lamp in it.

 OverSaltedFry says:  May 28, 2010. 4:25 AM  REPLYInstead of putting the headlight bulb in the projector, you should put the projector in your headlight! Portable movie theater!

 siggibahama says:  Apr 12, 2010. 8:58 AM  REPLYhi,  I am geared up and ready to do this instructable, I am quite exited and cant wait to pop some corn and have a movie night,  I am having a problemthough that maybe you can help me with.

I am using an acer pd100 projector, but it does not power up unless there is a working bulb in it, now I have to trick it into thinking that there is a bulb in byusing a resistor but i have no clue wich one to use.

I have looked up the bulb  but cant seem to find how much power it uses,  that is if its 12 volt or 220 (I am in europe) 

the bulb:http://www.oztion.com.au/buy/auction.aspx?itemid=9673891

any ideas as to what strength resistor I should use?

http://www.instructables.com/id/Head-Light-Projector-Mod-V1.2/

 vistal says:  Mar 26, 2010. 10:33 PM  REPLYhttp://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=400099100452&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&afsrc=1

Should try something like this . It would last years.

 VIPER2475 says:  Mar 27, 2010. 1:34 AM  REPLYYes, thats not a bad idea! LEDs were not quite avaiable in this form when I first did this Mod. Perhaps Ill get one and try this out.

 vistal says:  Mar 25, 2010. 8:27 PM  REPLYWell 2 bulbs just blew up in my face . I am trying to remove the bulb from the plastic case and POP blew glass all over.

 vistal says:  Mar 25, 2010. 8:30 PM  REPLYSo whats a Safe way to remove the automotive bulb form its case?

 VIPER2475 says:  Mar 25, 2010. 10:18 PM  REPLYIf you think your bulb will break I would suggest using safety goggles. and DO NOT hold it near your face. I crushed the plastic base with vice grips.and remove the thin metal braces with side cutters. Patience is KEY here. the bulb is delicate. It also helps to take a quick break if your hands aregetting tired so you dont put too much pressure on the glass.

 nicknewbie says:  Feb 28, 2010. 9:33 AM  REPLYi am planning to do this with a Samsung dlp tv my ? is what wire(s) need shorted or modified to make the DMD run the tv properly i have the five wire ballastwire any help is appreciated

 rumjar says:  Feb 1, 2010. 5:05 PM  REPLYdoes anyone know a way to mod the Infocus LP750?

 Gizmotech says:  Jan 23, 2010. 6:47 PM  REPLYAutomotive HID is ok for projecting under 50". Me personally would jut replace the burner. http://www.lumenarc.co.uk can just supply the bulb on it's ownwhich keeps cost down. bear in mind some projectors won't power up the DMD with these mods.

 CCronaldo says:  Jan 8, 2010. 12:38 AM  REPLYHave you tried putting a resistor in the place that the lamp used to connect to? This would put a load on the circuit and maybe trick the projector into thinkingthat it has a lamp in it.----------------------------------------quang cao online | quang cao

 transeunte says:  Aug 7, 2008. 7:21 PM  REPLYThis is a nice mod, but please stay away from Halogen headlight lamps, they're too inefficient for this job, and may melt everything inside.

What you guys should look for is a HID Xenon Kit, that consists of a Xenon gas filled lamp (works as the OEM halogen one) and a Ballast. I'd go with the35W since it's the most commonly available, but maybe a 24W kit is a "safer choice".

Color temperature should be something around 4.300K (warmer white-yellowish) to 6.000K (colder white-bluish), I'd personally stay with the 5.000K optionthat mostly resembles the original projector lamp.

Now just work on a different power supply that delivers some 6A @ 12V then you're set, a 35W 5000K HID Xenon lamp delivers something around2800lumens, should be plenty of light and also much more safer because it won't heat as much.

Congrats for the instructable btw, I would have never thought of that.. =D

 goldbar2975 says:  Dec 23, 2009. 3:00 PM  REPLYi have only found 100w xeon lamp. could you post a link..

 jerkey says:  Aug 3, 2009. 11:13 PM  REPLYI totally agree with you, people should be replacing the HID bulb in their projectors' original reflective glass enclosure with a similar bulb. But where do wefind such bulbs? I know that one can buy a mercury-vapor or metal-halide bulb rated at 100 to 250 watts, and that one could break the outer glassenvelope and swap in the bulb for their old one... but where could one find such a bulb to buy? Do they have them at hardware stores? oh hey; theprojector in this instructable appears to me to be an older style which came with a halogen bulb. I have one of those.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Head-Light-Projector-Mod-V1.2/

 VIPER2475 says:  Jul 30, 2009. 11:58 AM  REPLYNo the HALOGEN will not melt everything inside. Remember to use the projectors fan and you should be fine as long as its removing the heat from thebulb.

 guitarra says:  May 1, 2009. 9:29 PM  REPLYHi friends: I am trying to adapt a lamp to my LVP-X70UX . The problem is that I have no idea what voltage the lamp uses. I set my multitester to 600 volts ACand when I turned on the lamp voltage it damaged my tester! Is it a DC voltage? Also, it seems that the projector has a sensor to check the temp of the lampbefore it would turn on the LCD, if this is correct is there a way to fool the circuit to believe a lamp is installed and working? Thanks for your help! RL

 silicon skum says:  Oct 25, 2009. 11:02 AM  REPLYThe discharge lamps used in projectors are the same as all HID lamps, they operate using an electrical arc.  The initial voltage for the arc to form ("strikevoltage") depends on the type of lamp in question, but typically it is at least several thousand volts!  Once the arc has struck, the ballast (lamp drivingcircuit) acts as a type of resistor, thereby lowering the voltage levels to a safer level for the lamp (otherwise it would quickly melt / explode). The"working" voltage of the lamp (the voltage once the arc has struck and the lamp has warmed up to operating temperature) again depends on type andsize, but a small arc tube used in projectors would typically be around 50V or so. The current required by the discharge lamp is AC.

Be very carefull when poking around HID lamps, the voltages can be lethal. Its also certainly enough to fry most multimeters....As for tricking the projector into thinking the bulb is working - yeah, there is a lamp sensor on most projectors, but the means of bypassing it will varysomewhat from one make / model to the next.  Some simply need shorting together or a voltage applied, to trick the projector. YMMV.   :)

 purpulhaze says:  Jun 21, 2009. 6:22 AM  REPLYWas the meter you used a cheap one? You could try using a high voltage probe. You also might be able to fool the projector by using a resistor or tryfigure out the circuit that senses temp and bypass it by bridging a connection.

 abadfart says:  Jul 16, 2009. 7:24 PM  REPLYthanks i have an old projector that i got for $85 and the new lamp is $350

 Synaptyc says:  Aug 29, 2008. 8:09 AM  REPLYCan anyone who has had success (or not) with this please add their results to this post. I really want to try this, but I would like to know if it actually workswell, or if it is better to stick with OEM parts. Screen shots would help so many people with this project. You know... fan attachments, running shots, side-by-side shots of the OEM light bulb and the modded light source.It feels like this mod is 90% complete, and leaves the experimenter hanging with a few steps to complete.ANY info would be great. Even successful mods on any other retail projectors. Inquiring minds want to know!

 scotttherobot says:  Jul 3, 2008. 4:38 PM  REPLYI bought a InFocus LP755 for $9.95 on Ebay after reading this. It came with no bulb, and i am assuming that without a bulb it does not display anything onthe LCDs becuase they are always either all on or all off. Someone mentioned using resistors to trick the projector, how big/heavy duty of a resistor would beneeded? When my particular projector is turned on, the fans turn on full speed and then slow as the power light turns green. If i hold the power button, i canhear the ballast buzzing as it retrys to strike a bulb. I would be willing to try a resistor or even a bulb on the bulb connector but first i would like to know whatis required. Thanks!

 scotttherobot says:  Jul 3, 2008. 4:40 PM  REPLYOh, and i forgot to mention that i can get a used (less than 50hrs) bulb on Ebay for $100, and a new one for between $200 and $400.

 VIPER2475 says:  Jul 3, 2008. 5:20 PM  REPLYGo ahead an get a cheap bulb just to try it out. The mod is not that hard. but hacking the ballast is not that safe and could ruin the projector. Pleasedont take these instructions to mean you can make a free or nearly free projector or that it will work easily on every projector. Also make sure theprojector you have is in working order before you try the mod.

 scotttherobot says:  Jul 3, 2008. 6:18 PM  REPLYAllright, thanks! Today i made an advancement, i can get the projector to correctly display media on its LCD when i look through the lens withouta bulb connected to it! So i know the projector works, i just need a bulb. I tried to use a 12v halogen 50w bulb from the recessed art lights in myhouse but i found that it is simply not bright enough, even with the correct power supply amperage, etc... Im looking on Ebay now for projectionbulbs (the cheap ones for older film projectors), but i might just go to the auto parts store on saturday or monday (tomorrow is the 4th!! YAY!) andget a similar bulb. Monday i will have access to an ATX power supply, so im good in that department. I will post pics when i get it working. All ihave with me now is a 12v 1amp RadioShack transformer, but its a little weak. Thanks again!

 xeniczone says:  Jul 3, 2008. 8:20 PM  REPLYI would stay away from modding a Halogen bulb for use in a projector. These bulbs emit enough UV light to give you a first degree burn akaSunburn without the proper measures taken to block the UV rays coming from the Halogen bulb. A work light that you get at home depot usesa metal surround and a glass that is specially made to absorb the UV light to make it "safe" to use. Also how did you "trick" the projector intodisplaying stuff on the screen. I have been swaying back and forward between getting a HD projector or buying a new HD LCD screen.

 scotttherobot says:  Jul 3, 2008. 8:39 PM  REPLYUnfortunately I have no idea how I "tricked" it, all of a sudden it just started responding to button presses. There are two contacts insidethe bulb compartment that I repeatedly shorted out, and it seemed that it didn't make a difference whether they were shorted but maybe itdid, I'm not sure, I'm just glad it works at all. And Re: Projector VS. HDTV i have to say that i have a 32" LCD HDTV and i love it. It won'tburn out like a projector, and it has more connections than i will ever need. I can also see it in the daytime. But dont let that deter you fromventuring into the world of projection TV because i have a projector (different from the one that i am modding) that i use for outdoor movienights and I love it just as much, but in different ways. I love It's portability and I love how i can change screen size on the fly. And on a

http://www.instructables.com/id/Head-Light-Projector-Mod-V1.2/

dark night with the stars out and a good movie it looks just as vivid and gorgeous as any HDTV.

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