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Good find on a video projector... — Parallax Forums

Good find on a video projector...

Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,568
edited 2009-12-27 17:43 in General Discussion
Just thought I would pass this info along!

My wife was showing me this for a possible Christmas present for one of our girls, and I said "Oooo Get me one too!!"

For $40, Propeller Demo's will never be the same!!

This is a limited Christmas sale special normally they go for about $100


Mini LED Projector


Note: This is meant to be more of a toy, and the video quality is reported to be low. However I think as a workbench tool for displaying video from the Propeller it will be ideal.

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Beau Schwabe

IC Layout Engineer
Parallax, Inc.

Post Edited (Beau Schwabe (Parallax)) : 12/18/2009 5:49:13 PM GMT

Comments

  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2009-12-18 19:06
    Looks like it has gotten mixed reviews. But for $40... I think it's worth it.

    Bean.

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    1st rule of finance...Don't lose money.
    Never be ashamed of making an honest·profit.
    Live within your means...Make do, or do without.
    ·
  • noobmunchernoobmuncher Posts: 124
    edited 2009-12-18 19:22
    Ah this is sweet, I think I will definitely purchase one eventually to integrate into my robot.

    No longer will R2D2 be the only robot with a projector!
  • HollyMinkowskiHollyMinkowski Posts: 1,398
    edited 2009-12-19 01:02
    WoW!

    This is a great gadget to use in a techno-artwork whatsit that I'd like to make for my
    little office smile.gif

    Mediocre quality video just won't matter for something like this....I'd like to find the proper
    bottle and aim this through it to make it look like some sort of home-made crt tube. If I can
    somehow frost the bottom of the bottle a bit with a light dusting of white spray paint an eerie
    image should be visible when looking at the bottom of the bottle. A prop could put on a great show
    I would think.
  • Chris_DChris_D Posts: 305
    edited 2009-12-22 17:54
    WOW, they are fast on shipping. I got mine yesterday and hooked it up to the demo board.· As all would expect, you need to be in a very dark room to see any detail (or image for that matter).· Like others, I am having visions of some sort of neat thing to do with a robot or similar project.· I might be able to impress the grandkids with something.

    By chance, does anyone know if there is a way to mirror image the video?· All the ideas I am comming up with so far are for some sort of rear projection uses.

    Chris
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,568
    edited 2009-12-22 23:46
    Chris_D,

    Thanks for the update!! We have ours (2 of them) ... I was going to wait and open mine with my daughter. She'd get a kick out of us both getting the same present. As the reviews have indicated these are not super bright, but I thought that they would be fun at her slumber parties here at the house for her and her friends to watch a movie on the ceiling.

    As far as mirror imaging the video, this is difficult with raw video, because you need a dual port memory buffer to store and read the entire frame at a time. If the video is originating from something like a Propeller object, the easiest solution would be to modify the object code so that it reads the buffer from bottom to top, or from right to left.

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    Beau Schwabe

    IC Layout Engineer
    Parallax, Inc.
  • OakGraphicsOakGraphics Posts: 202
    edited 2009-12-23 00:16
    I was just wondering what would be the 'hackability' of changing the light in this unit.. smile.gif Say for a Luxeon Rebel White? Seems like fun...
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2009-12-23 00:57
    I got mine today and did some playing around with it.

    I'm actually pretty impressed with the projector for $40. For $100...Propbably not.

    The resolution seem pretty good. And in a completely dark room, I was able to use the ceiling and get about a 60" image that was watchable.

    The sound is decent too. Note that the projector turns off the LEDs when there is no video signal.

    The best part is that it can run from 4 "D" cells (it always bugs me when people call "AAA", "AA", "C" and "D" cells "Batteries", they are not batteries).

    Bean.

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    PropBASIC home page www.propbasic.com


    Post Edited (Bean (Hitt Consulting)) : 12/23/2009 5:38:07 PM GMT
  • mikedivmikediv Posts: 825
    edited 2009-12-23 00:58
    Chris_D can you give us a little more detail ? When you say not that bright would you be able to use it outside on a sunny day?? or in your house during daylight hours? I'm with OakGraphics does anyone know if we could change bulb/LED to make it brighter??
    Has anyone seen the new video projector cell phones do you think this thing is comparable to that?? What about size and weight can you post any pictures of it near somehting we can identify BoeBot or somehting thanks guys
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2009-12-23 01:01
    mikediv,
    Outside in the sun ? NO WAY. Inside during the day ? Maybe with a 6" screen. This thing is like 3 lumens (yes 3).
    The projector itself is pretty lightweight and could be mounted on a boebot, the battery pack with 4 "D" cells is pretty heavy though.

    Bean.

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    Post Edited (Bean (Hitt Consulting)) : 12/23/2009 5:37:47 PM GMT
  • mikedivmikediv Posts: 825
    edited 2009-12-23 01:54
    Thank you Bean I just seem to want everything I see posted lol , it really is a good deal I just don't know what I would use it for, beside my BoeBot I built a BoeBot Prop and have been trying to think up cool things to do with it I had to have major surgery after I broke my back for the 3rd time so I am home for a while and so bored I live in CT and we finally have snow and I really can't ride my Sled or shouldn't ride it so now that I have time I have been trying to stay occupied building stuff,, Bean you always come up with cool stuff what would you recommend using it for
    Thanks Bean
  • RickBRickB Posts: 395
    edited 2009-12-23 15:52
    "D" cells et al "are not batteries". Please elaborate.

    Rick
  • davejamesdavejames Posts: 4,047
    edited 2009-12-23 19:12
    RickB,

    "Batteries" are made up of "cells". All the "A", "C", and "D" units are single cell. The typical 9-volt unit is a "battery" as it's made up of multiple ~1.5V cells to achieve 9V.

    However - I still call all of them "batteries" (sorry Bean...).

    DJ

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  • noobmunchernoobmuncher Posts: 124
    edited 2009-12-24 08:20
    So whats the consensus then on replacing the light? I like the idea of using one of the luxeon lights, wow they are bright!
  • noobmunchernoobmuncher Posts: 124
    edited 2009-12-24 09:07
    On a related note, if a luxeon light is used, some sort of small heat sink will have to be used. Spark fun has some that should work.
    Heat sink for multiple (or just one) luxeon
    It says that these won't work with the luxeon V's which i assume is what the rebel is, but I dunno I think it would work, I haven't got my hands on one yet though.
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,568
    edited 2009-12-27 06:46
    noobmuncher,

    Not sure what kind of LED bulb is used, ... The most difficult part I would think if another (brighter) bulb were used, would be the RGB alignment.· These units are basically good for a dimmly lit·room or directed at a material that's highly reflective...· A projector "silver" screen·for example works much better than just a wall or ceiling.

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    Beau Schwabe

    IC Layout Engineer
    Parallax, Inc.
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2009-12-27 12:43
    Amazon, as usual will not ship abroad...

    Luckily, it's not sold by amazon but another company trough them, so it can be bought at www.drugstore.com
    (The shipping cost is higher than the price of the projector, though.)

    They also had the infrared nigh-vision goggles from the same manufacturer, but that was 'either too heavy or too large' to be shipped abroad.

    A pity as I have a nephew I'm supposed to spoil rotten...

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  • PJAllenPJAllen Banned Posts: 5,065
    edited 2009-12-27 15:19
    voltaic pile

    Batteries, cells.· When Radio Shack had the Battery Club, you could get a free red-label A. C. D or 9V.
  • OakGraphicsOakGraphics Posts: 202
    edited 2009-12-27 16:03
    Beau Schwabe (Parallax) said...
    noobmuncher,

    Not sure what kind of LED bulb is used, ... The most difficult part I would think if another (brighter) bulb were used, would be the RGB alignment.· These units are basically good for a dimmly lit·room or directed at a material that's highly reflective...· A projector "silver" screen·for example works much better than just a wall or ceiling.
    I have not taken one of these apart so I have to assume what they are doing based on what I would do with an elipsodial light with a 'gobo' insert.· This is most-likely a 'single point' light source, and is probably 1 high-brightness white LED.·· Otherwise you would get multiple images from the lcd.· So the toughest thing would be getting the repacement light in perfect alignment with where the center of the light was previously - in all 3 axis.· Though the Z-axis probably does have a focus knob, you still want to get this part right or it will change the relative distances it could project on.· So the next consern would then be to get the right power/current to the new LED which could be done with a buck/boost driver with extra·bonus points given for·making it turn on·and off with the unit automatically. :-)

    Ultimately I think it would probably cost about 40$ ~ 60$ to try to do an 'upgrade'.
    ·20$ for a buck/boost
    ·20$ for the Rebel white LED and a heatsink
    ·20$ for various hardware bits and power source.

    So is it worth 60$ to figure out is it possible? :-)
    ·
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2009-12-27 17:43
    Only if you happen to have most of the parts laying around, and of course, doesn't have to pay for shipping across the pond...

    I really dislike companies that doesn't offer USPS shipping internationally...

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