Okay, so I now have all (well, most of) the parts to assemble my projector once again; this time not melting everything inside it 😛 😄 However, upon inspection of the ballast, none of the wires were labeled (🙄) , but there was a schematic label on the ballast itself. So I read that and try to figure out the wiring, but then I notice that +120v, COM, and one side of the CAP are all connected to each other (left side of schematic). Something tells me when I flip the switch it'll blow up in my face. Kerm, do you think the schematics are correct?

i would, uh... have someone else flip the switch, you know, just to be on the safe side 😄

UltDev: they're connected through a transformer, so it's OK. That schematic is kosher.

Hmm...if it blows up I hold YOU responsible 🥷 😛

I'd rather that you didn't... ☹️

Okay, so I wired everything...put it on wood, isolated it, turned off the lights, brought all of the power cables out of my room, got the fire extinguisher (just in case), flipped the switch and the light came on!!! 😁 😁 😁 !!!

However, it really doesn't look all that bright to me...maybe because it's a point light source and not meant to fill up the whole room with light (hence why I have a reflector)

*Supposedly* These types of lightbulbs (Metal Halide) produce UV light...I wonder how much (oh, and this lightbulb that I have is HUGE!!! IT'S OVER EIGHT INCHES LONG!!!)

Yay for my amazing schematic reading skillz. 😉

Reading it wasn't the amazing part; knowing that when connected to a transformer it wouldn't blow up was 😉

Hehe, ok then. So have you made any more progress? Did you get an LCD that you're not gonna melt now? 😁

Well, now I know how bright a 11,000+ lumens lightbulb is

I have a fairly crude setup right now; I can't project full size just yet, and I need some more tools to actually construct this "thing". I might post pics when I get the chance.

As for the LCD...I'm about $120 short of being able to buy it 😁