Welp, this would have been useful a few months ago:

The new 0.2-inch DLP2000 chipset and $99 DLP^® LightCrafter™ Display 2000 evaluation module (EVM) now make it more affordable to leverage DLP technology and design on-demand, free-form display applications such as mobile smart TVs; pico projectors; digital signage; projection displays for smart homes, smartphones and tablets; and control panels and Internet of Things (IoT) display solutions.

Yep, TI has released a DMD (digital mirror device) chip + light engine + controller board for $99.  It's compatible with BeagleBone out of the box, but also accepts I²C and 8/16/24-bit parallel RGB video.  Which means it is the cheapest hacker-friendly DMD that exists (as the alternatives are buying an old DLP projector and tearing it apart).

The chip by itself costs only $20, which is super cool for developing your own pico projects.

The resolution isn't great (640 × 360), but it would certainly be ok for a hackish project like mine.  And DMD's have huge advantages over LCoS in terms of simplicity... no worrying about polarizers, etc.  UV light plays much nicer with aluminum mirrors.

More info here:

• http://www.ti.com/tool/dlpdlcr2000evm#1
• http://linuxgizmos.com/tis-99-dlp-pico-projector-board-connects-to-beaglebone-black/
• http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332100

Pretty cool!  I'll keep this in my bag of tricks for future projects.

Alas, my course is set for the moment.  I've committed to direct-laser writing for now, and have essentially all the components I need.  Just need to start fabricating again.  Updates to follow as I find time!