So, the time has come to start a plog.

Let me fill you in on a brief history of my PJ building life so far.

1: Got obsessed with the idea of a projector

2: Bought an OHP - 250W Halogen with old yellowed fresnels! and 15" LCD

3: Looked goodish but the sides were chopped off

4: Built shoddy enclosure

5: Not nearly bright enough

6: Bought 400W MH, wouldn't fit in enclosure

7: Realised the lenses were rubbish (yellowed fresnel and a singlet)

8: Got obsessed with the idea of building a PVR instead

9: Built a Myth Box (coolest project I've done so far!) highly recommended

10: 1 year later, and I'm back on the PJ thing. Got all the parts just need to build it now!

Odd

The new PJ is starting to come along. I'll try and get some pics across as soon as I find my Camera charger!
So far I've stripped the antiglare and rear tac. Built the LCD and lens frames. Started on the light box.

Stripping the antiglare was a real worry

I tried soaking it for a few hours wouldn't budge.

Tried paint stripper wouldn't budge.

Tried soaking again wouldn't budge. (The Screen was starting to look like a big mangled mess by this time! Getting worried and pricing new monitors.)

All of a sudden I found a small blister in the centre. started to pick at it and low and behold 2 hours later the antiglare was off (albeit in very small pieces!)

So then I thought ah well might as well do the rear as well!
This seeemed to come off a LOT easier and only took about 3 hours in total.

Scary experience!

Odd

WOuld have been scarey...I am waiting on delivery of my Benq 567 v2.. I wil be removing the AG but Iam not looking forward to it....
what is a Myth Box?

Just be VERY patient! ( I get too excited and can't wait for things to be done, rush them and mess them up!)

Do a google for MythTV, It's basically a computer based HDD recorder, music player, DVD player, TV Guide, all bundled into one box of loveliness!!!!! Comes with time shift, one touch record from tv guide, record all episodes of a series etc. Think Sky+ but without the subscription and better. I've got 3 TV tuners in mine and never watch 'normal tv' anymore! Lifechanging

Odd

Welcome along,Odd.
AG removal is a scary thing,luckily SIM and a few others are striving to give as much info as possible,so as to make it easier for us scaredy-cats!
That myth box sounds very nice! I may have to look into it.
Good luck with your build!
P

Ok time for a quick update, the light box is almost complete so I've added some piccies. (Found the camera charger!)

The first picture shows the light box without it's lid, I've mounted the pro reflector using an 80mm fan grill that I had spare from the last projector failure. The 4 bolts allow for a bit of angle adjustment should it be necessary

Click to view attachment

The light box with it's lid on. The gunky black stuff is black silicone sealant. The whole box is black but the flash makes it look a bit grey!

Click to view attachment The glass is tempered glass from a 500w security light I had lying about.


Odd

From the side

Click to view attachment

From another side

Click to view attachment The bolts here provide a little adjustment for the lamp angle and height


Odd

A fan in place (there's one on each end, one sucking one blowing.)

Click to view attachment

And IT WORKS!

Click to view attachment Please excuse my messy work space! (my wife's gunna kill me for posting that!!!)


Odd

Crazy bright light being emmited from the room! The camera was on auto and the lights were on (low) in the room that looks dark (just to give you an idea of the brightness!)

Click to view attachment

Initial tests have proved quite promising, lots of hot air coming out the fan and the glass remains comfortable to the touch.

Odd

How did you attach the pro reflector to the fan grill?

The fan grill was cut down to the outer 3 rings so that the reflector would just pass through unhindered. I then bent in each of the four sections, so the reflector was just held in place around the edge without overlapping into the reflective part. The grill is flexible enough to allow for expansion of the glass, but stiff enough to keep it in place. I hope the picture shows it clearly enough.

Click to view attachment

and close up

Click to view attachment

Odd

Nice job thats a real clean solution!

thanks pagercam, it's good to have some words of encouragement every now and then (especially on the bad build days!!!)

More pics to follow later tonight.

Odd

Ok, so a day late maybe but here's a couple more pics.

The first shows the panel with antiglare in place, the second with it removed.

Before

Click to view attachment

And after

Click to view attachment

Odd

Here's a couple more.

These wer both taken when I was trying to show the difference in antiglare removal. The first shows a nice reflection of my door. The second actually show the transmissiveness of the panel (by accident, it was supposed to show a reflection!)

Reflection

Click to view attachment

See through!

Click to view attachment

I'd like to point out that these photos were taken before the big cleanup!!

Odd

Wow, so it's been 5 days since I updated my plog! I've definately been building though and not just slacking off!!!!

Here's a couple more pics just to keep it alive! The Fresnel frames are made of strip wood that I routered (is that a real word?) (or routed?) who cares..... The fresnel frames are made of strip wood that I trimmed the edge off of with a large power tool chipping away about 1/8 inch.

Then painted in the obligatory heat proof black paint.

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j273/Oddski/IMG_0278.jpg

The corners were mitred / mitered??? (Think I'm tired) and screwed together.



Pics should be a better now I've sorted out some hosting. Stick with it it get's more interesting!!

Odd

Also just reminded myself, the black heat proof spray paint was costing a fortune (£7 a pop) I've used 2 cans just on the light box and frames!

After a small amount of hunting I've found Dulux do a black matt paint (~£9 a litre) so I'll be using this on the rest of the internals that aren't subject to heat.

Odd

Okey Dokey, here's the first picture of the inside frame that will hold the fresnels and lcd (they're gonna sit on top on threaded rods)

It's funny how the shape and style changes as you go along. The shapes totally different to my first visions.



Odd

Hi all, time for a little update. It's been a few day's since my last post cause I've been busy building (I can tell when I haven't posted for a while as I have to search near the bottom of page 2 to find my plog!!)

This piccie is of the base. Complete with castors for a bit of maneuverability. The paint was just wet not gloss!



And the piece from the previous post painted black with the light box installed.



Odd

Oh yeah, the gunky stuff is black sealant holding the uv filter in place!

Odd

Just out of curiousity how large are you planning on making your pj? The basic build looks neat so far.

And tah-dah!



Somewhere in amongst all that cable and mess is a PJ dying to be set free
It's coming along nicely and 'it' is slowly becoming a 'she'!!!!!

Next up, her eye will be transplanted the projecton lens shall be mounted.

Odd

Sorry man, bit if a cross post there (I'm not used to other people replying on my plog)

Absolutely huge! (no I'm not boasting) Originally it/she was going to be really small, but due to bad design or factors beyond my control, size has increased considerably!

Currently 89 x 62 x 35 (height x width x depth)
Thats cm not inches!!!!!!

Hopefully I'm going to keep some 'WAF' with a good paint job!

Odd

Looking good,oddski!
"She" will be a beauty I'm sure.
Have you fired her up,yet???
Cheers P

Thanks P, we've had a couple of test fires in the day for the sake of alignment but I'm saving the darkened room and proper screen for when she's finished.

I'm so excited, it's like being a kid again!!

Odd

Okey dokey cokey, been a busy week or two what with all the bank holidays and all. Spent the last couple working on my lens and focusing assembly.

Finally got all my angles correct and got the projection elevated to where I want it.



This is just a 'prototype' for the real one, so don't be shocked by the shoddy workmanship!

Now it's all lined up I can start trimming it down to a decent size

Odd

Oh and sorry Pun if you're reading this, cause I've totally ripped off your idea for a motorised focusing assembly. Hope you don't mind! (Why re-invent the wheel!)

Also ordered a screen from ebay this week and it arrived yesterday. I can hardly contain my excitement now that it's all so near to working!!!

The screens nothing fancy just a 1.1 gain black border jobby, should be good enough though. 6.5ft wide 1:1 ratio, seems HUGE standing on end in the front room! I can only imagine what a 9ft one looks like!

Should be up this weekend all being well. Well chuffed as the screen proved itself to have some WAF within 10 mins of arriving! HURRAH!

Odd

Evening all, got a quick question for anyone using mdf and/or heat resistant (BBQ) paint, after about 30 mins of the lamp being on I'm getting a funny pungent smell

Is it the paint the mdf or neither? Will it subside? HEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPP!!!!!

Odd

Could be both! Track down some of this. I use it in mine. It's only 10mm thick, just glue it to where it's needed using contact adhesive or whatever. I think I paid $26Aus for a 2mx1m piece (more than enough!)

Cheers Ozstang, looks like good stuff. Anyone know of anything similiar in the UK?

Odd

Hey,Odd,your "rough" version looks pretty polished to me.
I got some very cheap heat reflective foam from B&Q for £5.
It is shiny though,so shouldnt be used where you dont want reflective material.
I have used a bit of BBQ paint,and have noticed it is a bit more shiny than the stove paint,both have the same temp ratings,though.I have used the stove paint inside my light tube thingy,with no smell at all.
Hope this helps,cheers P

Cheers Pun, is that the stuff you use behind radiators to reflect the heat back? Reckon it will take the heat being sandwiched between steel and mdf about 1 inch from my bulb (under the reflector)??

I'm thinking it's the mdf under the metal light box base thats getting a little too hot (I cranked up the intake fan to full speed and the smell seemed to mostly disappear!)

Odd

Yep,thats the stuff,I am using it outside the lamp enclosure,to stop heat entering the airspace above the firewall,but it maybe worth a go,although,if the smell is diminishing,it maybe worth seeing what happens.After all,no one wants their burgers tasting like paint!
Cheers P

Been a busy beaver again this weekend!

Ripped everything apart, trimmed excess bits, painted, cleaned lenses, rebuilt! Phew!!!

And so, (queue drum roll and prepare for fanfare)

TA-DAAA!!! Here she is!



Odd

And again from the side!



Odd

From above!


Odd

Wow. Pics Pics Pics. That is awesome. Im sure the results will be great. When I lived in London I dont think we had any large walls though to project onto.
Great Job!

Cheers Captain! Results will follow shortly!

And finally, a quickie from below!

This pic shows a fan I mounted underneath the sticky outy bit (technical term!) that drags air across the fres and the panel (theres a big slit on the other side) and will eventually blow onto the ballast, get sucked in at the bottom, go past the lamp and out the base!

Odd

Next jobs on the agenda:-

Mounting of electrics

To be continued...............

Odd

Very nice the whole design looks great almost artistic maybe there is a way to cover it in a skin that will still allow you to show the contours of the design. Those angles to the side could be converted into small compartments for storage or maybe to hold a small dvd player.

I'll be waiting to see some more images.

Thanks for the words of encouragement DM! My plan (at the moment!) is to have a big 1 piece cover that will pop over the top (thus eliminating all light leaks)

This should look like this :-
Click to view attachment

Please excuse the horrible Paint drawing!! (Took me 20 minutes would you believe!)
Not my strong point, hopefully the pj will be more to scale than the drawing!

Odd

Managed to almost eliminate the nasty smell that she was emitting! Turned out to be the mdf under the light box was getting a bit too warm. Took a stroll around my local B & Q and this caught my eye :-


It's used when you're repairing cracks in an open fire so heat won't be a problem for it! Stripped her down (again!) and slapped a 10mm layer in between the mdf and the aluminium.

Left the lamp burning for a good hour today and no smell as yet.

Odd

Nice find with the fire cement!
I am planning a complete lift off cover for mine too! Great minds,Odd
The triplet housing tube thing will need to be a separate piece,or be retractible or some such fiendish device to be able to lift the cover off though.

Just something that I have been thinking about.

What are you thinking of making the cover out of,that kind of shape has fibreglass written all over it????
Cheers P

Cheers Pun, yeah I know what you mean about the triplet tube. I ummed and ahhed for ages about it, thought I had a solution and realised it wouldn't work! (this went on for a while!)

Eventually I went with the retractable solution. Earlier pictures show the triplet in normal operating position, and the picture below shows it in 'stealth' position Think I've got just enough play to allow it to work (here's hoping anyway!)


As for materials, Hmmm. I definately want to go for a mega shiny finish and was going to go for mdf sand paint fill sand paint fill sand paint fill sand paint fill to eternity!!

But fibreglass eh? Now that's planted a seed in my head! Might have to do a bit of research into cost and ease of use. Mrs Oddski's gonna love you for that!!

Odd

Hi folks!

As per the norm I have done loads of building taken loads of pictures but not gotten round to updating my plog, new pics will keep appearing over the next few days!

First off I made a short vga cable to go from the original monitor input connection to the PJ base.
I know not all pins are used, but I just LOVE soldering!!

Before:


After!:


Darn that was a lot of soldering!

No shorts and every pin connected on the first attempt!

Odd

Next I started on the control panel. I decided to use the original button pcb rather than build a new one.

I removed the buttons and ran wires to some new buttons for mounting on a panel.

With buttons:


Without buttons:


Wires in place:


Buttons attached:


Odd

Last few for this evening!

The plan was to use sheet aluminium for the control panel, but after fudging it twice, I came to the conclusion that my metal working skills need some work!

I then stumbled across some old perspex from a previous project. After a further three attempts (the second to last one cracked whilst I was drilling the last hole!!!) :angry: and some paint on the reverse it looks like this:


The paint is slapped on nice and thick to get a good coverage. This is the side you won't see!

Here's the inputs with the vga connection from the previous post in its final resting place:


And the power and vga fixed in place ready to be used!:


More to come probably 2morrow

Odd

Oh yeah, just in case any wants to try the perspex thing here's a quick odd tip!

When drilling perspex or acrylic use a nice blunt masonry drill bit and rest the acrylic on a piece of wood/mdf whilst drilling for a crack free hole!

Wood/metal bits drill through fine but crack the plastic as soon as they get through.

Happy building.

Odd

You can use fiberglass just dont use the glass and don't by the stuff at the hardware store ther stuff will be old ge it at the fiberglass shop it will be cheeper and will set up like it's suppose to.