ens. You should not use these
dimensions exactly to cut your enclosure panels - the specific dimensions for each MDF panel
are presented in the following pages of the instructions.

General Layout
Below is a rough sketch of how the inside of the Pico is designed. Note that it uses a cold mirror
to reduce the amount of IR rays that strike the LCD. Without the cold mirror, you would most
likely experience a heat spot (dark discoloration) in the middle of your LCD after approximately
1/2-1 hour of use. Because a cold mirror reflects light, but not IR, there is no concern for LCD
damage by heat when using a cold mirror.
Another thing worthy of mention is that the Pico uses the triplet-135 model of projection lens by
default. This is the best option to acheive a reasonable-sized, high-intensity projection image
from longer throw distances. Cutting Instructions

In order to cut the panels for the projector shell, it is recommended that you use 1/2" MDF wood,
available at Home Depot and other major home improvement stores. You can also substitute
plywood or particle board, though MDF is typically smoother (nicer looking). Below are the
dimensions and quantities needed for each panel of the pico projector enclosure. Note that the
side panels can be made from much thinner wood if desired. For the purpose of creating a more
light-weigh enclosure, all of our Pico projectors ship with 1/8" thickness plywood for the side
panels.

Panels Needed



(2x) Sides: 18" x 16" x 1/2" or 18" x 16" x 1/8"
(2x) Top/Bottom: 17" x 9" x 1/2"
(1x) LCD Holder: 17" x 8-1/2" x 1/2"
(2x) Front/Back: 16" x 9" x 1/2" Forming the Panels

Now that we have all of the MDF cut for the basic enclosure, we now need to cut the holes for
the triplet lens, cooling fans, LCD, and power cord. For this step, you should use some type of
reciprocating saw if you have access to one, but a keyhole saw is a very inexpensive alternative
(though it will take longer to cut). Recall that all of the DPC complete projector kits include pre-
cut panels with all of the necessary holes drilled,
making these steps unnecessary.
Triplet Lens Hole
Using your saw (or a hole-cutting bit in a drill press),
make a 136.5mm hole in the front panel as shown in
the diagram to the right. If you do not have a means of
making a hole with this kind of accuracy, you can
alternatively trace around the bottom of the lens onto
your panel, then cut just inside of this line.
Fan Holes
The pico deluxe kit ships with 2 80mm PC case-style
fans. You can use larger fans if you wish, but 80mm is
sufficient. In your rear MDF panel, mark and cut two
fan holes - an intake and an exhaust. You can put these
nearly anywhere you like, but it is recommended that
you center them along the longer center line of this
panel and space them out such that the holes do not come within 1/2" of either of the side panels
or the middle of the rear panel (where the LCD tray will attach).
Power Cord Hole
I use a 1/2" bit to bore the hole for my power cord. You should choose a hole that is slightly
larger than the diameter of the power cord you are using. Whichever half of the rear panel you
make this hole on will encapsulate the ballast/lamp section of the projector. The placement of
your power cord hole is not very important, but it should be sufficiently far from the fan to allow
for better cooling.
LCD Tray Opening
If you purchased your pico enclosure from DPC, then the LCD opening is already cut to
approximately 7"x7". This is to allow for maximum compatibility for different sizes of LCD
panel. You may choose to cut your LCD opening to the same size as your LCD image size. This
prevents any more light/heat from entering the upper compartment of your projector than is
necessary. Cut the hole for your LCD panel starting 1" away from the
rear edge of the LCD tray (where the rear MDF panel will
attach) and make it centered along the longest centerline of
the LCD tray panel. This ensures that your LCD will have
maximum cooling and more even light distribution over its
surface. You will also want to cut a hole or two at the other
end of the LCD tray to allow for better air circulation. I
recommend cutting them to be approximately 80mm in
diameter in case you later want to put another fan in the
projector to help move air between compartments.
Enclosure Painting
I personally like to paint the inside of all of my projectors
flat black. This keeps the amount of radiant light to a
minimum and helps to keep the color of light as pure as
possible. With high color temperature lights that produce a
lot of blue spectrum light, the mixture of blue light with the
yellow sides of the projector can sometimes give the image a
greenish/yellow tint. If you wish to paint your projector, it is a good idea to paint it now before
you start assembly. Only one side of each panel needs to be painted (whichever will be the
inside) except for the LCD tray, which should be painted on both sides. If you don't already have
black paint, request "lamp black" paint from your local paint shop or just use flat black spray
paint. Installing the Light Source

The pico projector is small enough that it should only be used with our 250w HQI metal halide
light kit. You can attempt to use more powerful light sources, but in those cases you will need to
use IR-filter glass behind your fresnel lens (recommended anyway) and use enhanced cooling to
avoid burning the insides of the enclosure.
To install the light source in your pico, locate your bottom panel of MDF. You will want to
carefully install the lamp into the lamp holders by sliding each end of the lamp into a lamp
holder. It does take some firm pressure from your thumb onto the lamp end in order to get it to
click into the lamp holder.
Now use a pencil or other marker to make a dot in the location described by the image below.
Then center your lamp assembly over this location and mark where the holes from the lamp
holders will need to be drilled through to the MDF surface. Then use short wood screws (1/2"
long) to secure the lamp holders to the bottom panel of MDF. Do not over tighten - the lamp
holders are ceramic and will crack! Installing the LCD Panel

These instructions assume that you have an LCD panel that has been modified to the point where
your have a translucent LCD with no circuit cards or other elements behind the image part of the
LCD. If you do not have your LCD panel modified to this extent, please view our
projection
panel modification guide
or post your questions on the
forums
.
For this part of the pico assembly process, you will need the two fresnel lens halves that you wish
to use in your projector. The recommended fresnel lens is that 330mm focal length fresnel lens
set available in DPC's
online store
. Install your fresnel lenses by putting them groove-to-groove
(smooth sides facing out), then decide how you want to mount them to the LCD tray.
First, put your IR filter glass (included with the pico projector deluxe kit) on the LCD tray, then
use RTV gasket seal maker as an adhesive to affix the two fresnel lenses to the top of the IR
glass, and to affix the entire sandwich onto the top side of the LCD tray. It is important that the
groove side of each lens be touching the groove side of the other lens or you will not get a good
image.
Note: if your LCD tray is only 8.5" wide, then it is okay for the fresnel lenses to overlap the edge
of the LCD tray by up to 0.5" only on one side since the inside width of the pico enclosure is
actually 9".
Next, to mount the LCD panel, you have a couple of options. The method that I use is to again
use some RTV seal on the corners of the LCD frame (metal part only) and then press the LCD
against the fresnel lenses once they've been mounted correctly. This method provides a semi-
rigid mount that will also absorb some vibrations in the event that you bump your projector.
Another option is to use some sort of metal mounting hardware around the edges of your LCD
panel. This solution will be different for nearly every LCD panel used since they all have
different mounting dimensions and different frame types. In general, the only rule that applies is
to use firm, but not overly-tight pressure with your mounting rig since it is relatively easy to
crack your LCD panel if you over-tighten.
Mounting your circuit cards for the LCD panel is different for every model of LCD panel, so I
won't go in to specifics. In most cases, the ribbon cables on your LCD panel will dictate how you
must mount your LCD panel. Another thing to consider is that where the circuits are placed
determines where you'll need to cut holes for your video inputs. If your circuits don't position
nicely for video inputs, then you can also purchase RCA or Svideo or VGA input connectors to
mount elsewhere and then run wires from that input connector to the circuit card. Below is a
picture of what the pico looks like with a Sharp QA-1150 LCD panel installed. Notice that the
circuit card doesn't mount in such a way that the video inputs would fit very nicely through the
side of the projector. I remedied this by just cutting a hole in the back-upper part of the projector
and running my Svideo cable directly to the circuit on the inside of the projector.
You will note that I am holding the mirror in this picture. To install your mirror, place your
projector with the side on your work surface (laying