So here goes #2... I plan on completing parts as time permits. My studio has been to active to allow me to commit fully.

Once again many thanks to everyone in the forums. Pun,Sim,AV,Tescorp,Dajyn,Fulcrum, and so many more I could list all day. All your thoughts and suggestions have made this one a lot easier to figure out in advance. Though there are miles to go yet.

Basic setup:

2 Silenx fans - 18 dBA - 90cfm (read good and bad reviews on these)
Ushio S400DD bulb (blew the OSRAM HQI)
S51 Ballast
Precondenser from DIYbeamer
possible 5-1/4" Hot Mirror
330 rear Fresnel
Sharp WUXGA panel
G2A210 controller (finally in, should order soon)
550 front fresnel
18" beseler lens with Vu-Lyte focusing mech.

Here are the basic layout images with little detail of connections or materials. Most of the light area will be 1/8" aluminum, though I may try to use a material that resonates less. I am aiming to reduce noise and I find that the aluminum box can act as a sound chamber for fan vibration.

I found the heat sink in the first build to be effective, and the new design uses one as well.

The idea is box-in-a-box, with the table mainly acting as attractive cover. I have spent no time considering materials, and only a basic layout.

quick caps of the design thus far:




The table and a blocked out couch. The focal lengths work perfectly for our space!


Next post will have shots of the first step... Fan mounting

Fans... Two Silenx IXP-76-18. These get mixed reviews, but I wanted to try something closer to quiet.

After feeling the fans in the first build vibrate the box, even with damping kits, I thought I'd try more to isolate these.

They come with silicone mounts, which I am using, and I will also be using something similar to separate fan mounting frame from the rest of the PJ.

I took the first step this morning and built the mounting frame. Turns out a 3/8" bit with a pilot end puts the perfect hole in 1/8" aluminum for the silicone mounts.

Next comes floating this frame with the fans off the rest of the PJ, but sealing the air flow. should be fun.

Pics of the fans:




This setup is wonderfully quiet. It will probably get a little louder when the air flow is constricted, but I don't even notice the sound when they are sitting on the table and the tv is on low.

I've also cut the main pipe down for the light chamber and built the mogul lamp base mount for the bottom.

I'll post more images as progress is made.

Good to be back working on it a small bit...

Question:

Has anyone checked with Brain to see when the Pro Reflectors might be coming?

Ony parts I don't have are that and the controller. My target bowl won't fit into the light chamber (bummer) and my wife and I are still using the first build enough that I won't pull the old one.

If anyone knows what the schedule is it would save me adding to brain's list of "when is it coming?" PM's

no idea on the Pro Reflector, but thats a very nice design.

You have any of the plans rendered with texture?

Lining the baffle will reduce the noise even more. I use this stuff.

http://www.heatsinkstore.com/49spsoundpad01.html

I also look for fans with the lowest CFM to rpm raito not the highest. Fans made to push a load will have a blade with a lower pitch just like an outboard motor prop has a "power” prop with less pitch. Blades with a high pitch will become turbulent and have non lamer air flow sooner than a low pitch one when pushing a load.

I have always thought that a folded coffee table setup would fit nice and look good too.

Are you sure the screen will be big enough for you with the 15.4 LCD? I have the 18" and a 17' LCD and the PJ is always behind me so the screen is nice and large. You will be using a split setup and will get some enlargement of the screen by the front Fresnel but not that much.

Good to see you posting again. Nice fan mount too.

These reflectors from Anchor Optics aren't IR pass, but maybe one would work for you until the pro reflectors come in. They are here....Radius Mirrors

I like this design, very nice. excellent drawings.

Yea, another floor / table pj. Beautiful design and the fold keeps it compact! Nice!

Looks fantastic,SculptorM.
Love the whole lamp cooling circuit design,very nice.
We would expect nothing less.
Any thoughts on materials???
Cheers P

Thanks guys! I'm looking forward to working this on out and posting as it changes and evolves. Last one was more or less done before I posted and I thought I'd share earlier with this one since it will take some time.

Materials are not really set on anything yet, with the exception of the light chamber, which will be all built with aluminum to absorb and disperse the heat.

The form of the front half is not completely settled, though function will probably rule. I forgot to mention I absolutely love the Vu-Lyte mirror three-point mounting and adjustment system. I will be adapting that salvaged part for the mirror mount.

The case will be where the most fun happens. Since I cast a fair amount of concrete counter tops I am thinking the table tops will be concrete. I may sprinkle stainless drill shavings from a local machine shop into the top and grind it down (we've produced a few tops like that). All this is a long ways off of course, but fun to dream about.
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AV- thanks for the tip. I've been searching sound damping materials and that's the same source I found. Confirmation of its' usefulness is marvelous! The Nexus material there is heat rated to 150°C continuous/200°C peak. I'll also be looking for heat resistant silicone for seals and gasket material.

As for the screen size, I have a 72x96 High power and the current PJ sits right in front of the Sofa to the right. If anything the Pj might move forward a touch, as the active area is 1" wider on the Sharp LCD than my current one. I feel confident I am close to the right spot with the current screen. Watched Crash last night and it was a great experience... I can always go bigger after it's together. I have room to move it back.
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tgreenwood... Thanks for that link. My Pre-Condenser lens in the last PJ is from Anchor, but I did not find my way to this page and it could save me if the reflector can stand the heat.

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Looking forward to keeping a steady pace on it!

Thanks

Not yet. I've mostly been drawing here and there at night when I have a moment. No real time to make it pretty. Mainly I keep changing the plans (mainly airflow patterns) and haven't figured everything out yet. As I progress I'll try to keep the Cad file up to date and render out more for everyone.

Tweak on the design..

Having problems with the direction of air exit. I was headed towards pushing it down and out the front. I was running out of room in the back and the path seems elaborate.

Answer: Switch the entrance and exit direction. I didn't want to shoot hot air back at the sofa, but pushing hot air out under the chamber would only add heat, as it does rise. Don't know why this didn't occur to me from the start.

This way I can simplify the air exit. Not sure how that will work, but I'll keep tinkering. This also points the fans up pushing the hot air up and pulling cool air in from the floor. I always thought that was an illogical part of the first build. Now I just need to give the air some direction after the fans.

I also extended the heat sink fins to meet the fans. I'm having these parts laser cut, so their shape can be anything. Less room for turbulence with a dozen channels helping direct the flow.

Screen caps of the evolution:






Also researching low durometer silicone gasket material for seals. Mcmaster.com has a broad range. Silicone is rated up to 500° F. This will be part of the seal around the floating fan frame. I have a gap around the entire frame, and found vibration isolation grommets for connections at Mcmaster as well.

That all makes good sense.
I have looked into the natural effect of heat rising quite alot now,and would always advise,whenever possible,to use it to your advantage.

I am loving the concrete top idea,it sounds like it will be really cool. Do you have any pics of previous work??
I can imagine it is kind of difficult to catch the full effect in a pic ?
Cheers P

I am thinking of doing the same thing with a old cedar chest (wifes family heirloom...just collecting dust )

Not too hard to catch if you light them right...

Here's shots of two 12"x12" samples, one black with stainless shavings, one red. The other two shots are of a pure terrazzo countertop with a stainless lower edge. That job has glass, mirror, and granite chips, not stainless.

We usually cast smooth tops (inverted in a smooth mold) with integral color, not top cast and ground like all of these. The first two show more of what I am thinking for the table tops.









All this will be much later of course. Lots to do before I can have fun making that kind of mess....



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Subgenius,

Sounds like a great plan. As long as the wife doesn't mind cutting a hole in an heirloom for it....

Great design. Will follow it's development.

Sorry you blew the HQI. I'm having great results with the Philips CDM 150W/TD/942. It runs real cool and I'm considering going down from two 4" fans to just one. May want to consider.

Thanks bevo, hope it lives up to its' plan. I'll look at the bulb you mentioned. nothing is so set in stone right now...

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on another note for those impatient for the power kit...though I think LL should have them next week.

I found a Shurter power module/switch, a Tyco 5 amp Breaker, and a 10 ft. power cord.

Bought the set online at Allied electronics. switch - $7.00 , breaker $3.63, Cord $9.26, total with shipping about $26.

Lots of neat illuminated switches and other things there as well.

Chamber/Heatsink tests

Took a half hour at the end of work today and tested a couple of details. Knocked it out quick.

The pipe I cut for the light chamber opened up more at one end and I wanted to test one blade of the heat sink at both ends. I cut a test piece to the smaller diameter and it fits like a glove throughout. This is key, as the contact is crucial for welding and heat transfer.

I also tested using the Tig to weld the fins on the back. On the first build I used channel and plug welded through 1/2" holes with the Mig spool gun. I wanted to keep this one much tighter. I tested 1/4", 7/32", and 3/16" holes. It is 1/8" plate on three pieces of 1/8" x 1" angle. The pipe wall is 1/8", so the test should match what I'll be attempting on the final.

Didn't need to use the pedal, that was nice. The momentary switch worked great. 3/16" holes gave the strongest results. All I'll need to do is keep a blob on top to sand the inside of the pipe smooth for airflow. Drum sander to the rescue.

Anyway, here are pics of the tests....

Nice work so far,

So the strait piece is the old one with MIG welds?

The new one, with TIG should turn out very smooth and sexy. Is that SS?

Looking forward to the build, very nice design.

Just wanted to say you have one of the coolest jobs I have ever seen, I love fabrication, and you have it at it's best!

NN

Thanks! I'm trying to track small steps on the second since the first plog started by blurting out a ton of images at once.

The old one is in the PJ #1 and drawing heat as it should. What you see above is the tig test. All parts shown are 1/8" aluminum, no stainless. The size of the weld mostly has to do with amperage and the on/off switch. A pedal allows you to start the arc and back off to maintain a smaller bead. I ran through this test with little care for beauty or fine detail. Just wanted to find out how small of a hole I could plug.

Stainless is much easier to weld with very tight beads (1/16" wide or less). Following is a picture showing stainless (bracket) and aluminum (plate with fin) welded with a tig. Both are fused (no filler used). The aluminum bead is 3 times as wide. I may just do this on the fins, as long as I can get the welding torch into the 3/4" gap between each fin.

samples:


We do get to make some fun things at work. I have been fortunate to find a clientele receptive to creative thought on many fronts, and the opportunities have been grand thus far. The PJ is kind of a tech experiment that may open new borders in the way I think about my other work. I also just enjoy figuring things out, solving problems, and tinkering for escape, as do most here .

Gotcha!

Last post on welding until I get the fins and the light chamber is built...

Had success this evening setting up the pedal on the tig and welding strap to plate. Took about an hour to settle my concerns. I'm pretty excited it's worked out so well. I wasn't too sure about welding through holes. It was a little sketchy for an air seal. A full seam will give perfect sink performance as well.

Out of 6 lines I had one true beauty, most came out fairly smooth. Had to post a picture of it. I just hope I can keep 12-14 lines this clean on the final, especially on a curved pipe. When I finally get to it I'll start on the middle fin and work out so I can have clear access.

Here's the best of the bunch:



Done welding for a while. Have to get the Cad file to my cutter and get back to figuring out how the top and bottom attach to everything else.

wow...thats a nice weld

Thanks... here's hoping I get that lucky building the real thing. I suppose it's the shop nerd in me that gets so much joy out of a weld bead, a bit silly I suppose. thanks for indulging....

My controller came in a few days ago. G2A220 from dobie in California. I have two panels, Sharp LQ154M1LW02 and LQ154M1LW12. One I found on a great deal and I wanted a backup for AG removal issues. The FFCs are so very fragile and the AG strip is a royal pain.

That said, both panels have AG and reflective layers removed and I have tested them with the backlights and they survived the process.

So the panel is good.

Ordered an 8" diameter x 12" piece of aluminum pipe for the outside wall around the heatsink. Once that comes in and I can confirm its' size after cutting I'll be ordering the laser-cut parts.

Vibration control silicone grommets came in from Mcmaster. For the Fan mounting. Also received gasket material to test around the box sides.

Comin along nice, That is one good looking weld also make you appreciate the guys who can do the hard welds like Titanium it an art, nice job.

Congrats on that milestone. Did you use an acetone/water solution and what was your mix ratio, duration of soak?

Thanks!

I used a 10% acetone solution (2 oz acetone, 20 oz total with distilled water).

I soaked them for about four hours each before pulling. Very very slow. As I noted in the AG removal thread, about 1/8" every 10-15 seconds, once I had the short side width in hand.

Had a problem on the second with the polar coming up, but it is not noticable to cause problems.

Glad that's behind me...

On to the next....

On other fronts...

More material arrive today. 1/4" thick 50A durometer Silicone Rubber gasket sheet for sealing air flow around the fan mount. I'll be cutting it into 1/2" strips. I also found vibration-damping silicone grommets to connect the fan mount to the box. All from McMaster.com. I have a sheet of gasket material for the top and bottom, but I think it may be too thin and inflexible. I am not quite up to thousandths in the manufacturing quality.

I ordered an 8" diameter section of aluminum pipe 12" long to use as the outside wall around the heat sink. That should be here on Tuesday.

Part collecting continues.

Here's a pic of the rubber fun...

That is the cleanest aluminum weld I have seen in a while. Amazing job!

Thanks GSX! Nice work on the AG strip on your plog, by the way....

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I posted the following on the WUXGA thread and figured I'd put it here as well.

I noticed differences in the inputs (using the same source) on the G2A220. Below is the post reflecting those differences, just for note.

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Pics of input differences I mentioned.

First a shot of the board. with all cables attached including fairly useless speakers...


The following pictures were shot with the exact same aperture and shutter speed, to compare. Also worth noting that these are just shot with the backlight.

Shot of Side-by-Side (part of PIP feature on the card):
This is showing two inputs from the same paused DVD player at the same moment. Not pasted together like the triple-shot below.
Left side is Component input. Right Side S-Video.


Three shots full screen.
Top-Component Input
Middle-VGA (loaded on computer with WinDVD)
Bottom - S-Video


Obviously some ratio difference between the DVD player and computer. Haven't looked into that yet. Just looking at color and contrast.

No real questions, I just thought it was interesting enough to post on.

Sculptor, good find. I noticed this with DVI and VGA inputs on my G2A130. I researched some on the net, and found that video signals use 16-235 range on the colors, where computer signals are 0-255. So a video signal in VGA form would have washed out colors and grey blacks. CHeck out the post I made in the q&a thread, I have more testing to do also.

On my G2a130 I had to adjust the settings different for each input to get them to look similar. Pain in the butt, yet worth the time and effort.

Good points guys...


Thanks for the explanation, I'll check the Q & A thread. I remember your post, had not connected it to this circumstance, perhaps because the board had not come in at that point.



Thanks for that tip as well. It had crossed my mind. I have a little time before I get to the projection stage, so I'll probably wait. I want to see how the panel shines with the bulb instead of backlight.

Having seen Fulcrums gearbox focusing mechanism (very cool), I was inspired and pulled out the Vu-Lyte focus rig and added detail to my Cad drawings. I also have been researching more powerful motors, as I am afraid the Tamiya gearmotors may not have enough force to replace a 2-1/2" hand wheel.

I found this very nice site of mechanical bits, motors, servos, etc. wanted to pass it on to any looking for this stuff. Fulcrums worm gearbox is $12.99, but the more powerful motors go up in cost. They have a 2 rpm for $24.99 and higher torque dayton gearmotors for $39.99

Links:

ServoCity

ServoCity - Motors & Accessories

Very cool stuff. Add another detail to the list of future dreams. Power focus. so far from necessary, but it would be fun.

Here's a pic of the stripped Beseler Vu-Lyte focusing rig without lens

Your welds look like folded dimes, great work. What program are you doing your drawings in. Just started taking Solidworks. Hope design mine as well as yours...

Thanks. I hope the final passes turn out half as well.

I use Rhino3d. Need it for work presentations and project layout, so I've had some years practicing (6-7 I think). I hear Solidworks can be tricky, fabulous engineering program. I'm sure it will serve you well in this and other pursuits.

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Topic Digression

Assuming Saabnob is a car thing....My bro had a collection of Sonnets for years. none of those left, but cool little sporty cars. They have an equal world of followers as do DYI Pjs

Here's what he has now:





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Good luck with your Cad work! Awesome project to learn on...

Nice find on the inputs. I was about to spring for the 220, when Dobie gave word of it. Tho I need to know one thing. Will it accept 1080p from a xbox 360? If by some chance you happen to have one, I would appreciate a quick test.

Focusing mechanism looks like it will work great. Question on the motrs tho. How are you going to reverse them? Some sort of speed controller? Just asking as I want to motorize my linear slide a similar way. Another idea I had, was to somehow use the volume controls on the g2a, to activate the motor by remote. Tho that is a long shot, as my electronic's knowledge is slim.

Wish I could help you on testing, don't have a 360, but hopefully someone will pop up who does.

Fulcrum has a nice pair of button switches for his: Post #328 Fulcrums Plog

I'm not sure what I'll do, just thinking about it right now. The motors are reversible to my knowledge (not positive on that). The idea of using the board to control them is very cool, but also beyond my brain. Perhaps another question for those electronics geniuses here on the forums.

Updated Cad Caps:

Since I have a proposed air exit route and a few more details in the cad drawings, I thought I'd update with screen caps.

I'm getting closer to working out connections. I designed a mount plate for the lamp that allows movement in all directions. The reflector mount can be moved up and down. The Pre-condenser mount plate can be moved forward and backward. I moved the ballast to the back.

A few other details changed, nothing huge. Once I have the outer wall pipe in I can get a few things cut out.

I have linked these images to larger views, if anyone wants to look a touch closer. They are not huge, mostly 1000px wide.

Thumbnail links to Larger Shots:

Another quick note...

Thinking about sound and vibration. I've been poking around the Cascade and Dynamat sites, manufacturers of sound damping for automotive use.

I thought the application of heat resistant sound-proofing might be found with car stereos (engine heat/thumpin sound). Seems like it would be mostly low frequency they might focus on, but it was worth checking into. Both companies offer spray-on solutions, which might be easy to apply.

I am looking at lining the air exit with something like that. No quick decisions, just something to explore.

Yes a car thing, 87 900T conv. 238hp (overclocked the turbo ballast)
Great collection, those Sonnets were some of the best rally cars built and easy to fix.

I hope that this 50yr old can learn Solidworks, the more I read the more I think I want to start a pj. I'm amazed at all the help and input. A lot of these pj's are a collaboration of many users, so if I get stuck I know where to find help.

Kendel Design School here in GR uses Rino a lot, is this program more for rendering?

Cool... I always thought the Sonnets were slick.

I'm not sure Rhino has any material engineering add-ons. I beleive it is for form & rendering only. I use it to have parts cut in metals & other materials. As far a precision and flexibiity go, it is excellent, and I found is very easy to learn, very intuitive. I've never needed anything as pwerful as Solidworks.

I have a friend who uses Maya animation software to draw and render projects, and I learned it hoping it might be better, since it has a lighting fast rendering engine. I found it to be quite opposite in interface and had a hard time switching back and forth. Also, Rhino has a stack of commands i really enjoy, like "tube" for creating rods with lines.

All depends on what you are doing.

Here's an example of a tweaked rendering for work. Presentation of a Pool table we built & delivered to Delaware a while back. This image was generated with Rhino and Flamingo. Precision is crucial with a Pool table.
This thumbnail links to a 1280px wide shot:


Shot of finished table



No reason not to dive in and learn!

SculptorM I read in your other plog thaet you made ice lights, I showed it to a fellow that I work with that make lumanaries out of 5 gal buckets. He was blown away wants me to find out how you did it.

You did work for Steelcase, I do work for Herman Miller I make the designers ideas work. Hold patents on teh Aeron chair, I have worked with Don Chadwick, and Bill Stumpf.

Very cool (heh). I'll have to PM you the details. It was quite a long adventure and wouldn't want to wander too far on the plog. Sounds like your friend has some fun things going...

Herman Miller should be a very cool company to work for. My round with steelcase was pretty cool. Neocon is a crazy convention and H.M. was there in full force, along with Steelcase and many other huge suppliers.

The chair at my desk at the studio is actually an Aeron. Marvelously comfortable. Watching people try to rip off quality is entertaining. Good work! Excellent company to keep.

No time to get into Ice now, but I'll pass it on soon....

Off to kill computer virus...

Looking forward to seeing your progress on this one as well!

Off topic: My dad's got a Saab 9-5 Griffin 204hp, V6 3.0 '02. It rocks! It's a pretty rare car in my city. Actually there are only 3 here, and they're like "Saabmates"(non of them are griffin), they say hello each other just because of having the cars.

I love that car

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Great work again here sculptor. I cannot wait this one to be finished. Your work is very inspiring

Keep surprising us

Thanks Lola & zanteeh, I'm hoping to keep it interesting and on course.

I'll have to check out that car. Always interested in the rare and beautiful.

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On the material front... More stuff: The outer wall pipe came in today. 8" diameter x 12" section. I was worried it would spring open and change my dimensions for cutting. Beauty is that it didn't. I remained remarkably stable. Only the blade kerf gap remains where the cut is.

This means I can continue and get some tricky parts cut by laser. I could do the work with a band saw, but would rather trust cnc for the tig operation. Plus work continues to be insane and I can draw, but no time at all to fabricate, at least not for a few more weeks.

Here's the pipe, with cut, along with the section I cut for the inside wall.

That is going to be such a nice piece.
I cant wait to see it finished.
Cheers P

Gents,

I saw this unit an thought you might like the focusing mechanism...
COMPLETE ZOOM COPY LENS ASSEMBLY


Cheers,
Tonks..