Donkeytech’s Retro-Green Edsel...

Well, this year’s rebuild is about done so I thought I’d snap a few photos. It’s a fairly standard build, but I did spend a little time getting away from the old coffin look. A few white-faced VDO gauges would've been a nice touch, but it just wasn’t in the budget. For some reason it reminds me of an Edsel

The Basics…

• 10.6 LCD w/MST controller
• 18" Beseler triplet
• 220/330 fresnels unsplit
• S400DD/eBal
• pro reflector
• scrounged pre-con
• 125" diag. 16:7 BO cloth screen @ 20ft throw

Cold Air Blower…

Since the PJ is mounted in a closet, cooling is accomplished with a bath fan mounted in a nearby crawlspace. Relatively cool air from the crawlspace is filtered and pushed into the PJ, providing comfortable running temps at the LCD (59F winter/~75F summer?). There are no fans within the PJ itself and the fan/filter-unit includes a "muffler" so it runs extremely quiet - just a tad bit louder than my HTPC. An attic thermostat and buzzer notify me of a fan failure.

DIY Sound Bar…

The DIY “sound bar” sits just below the screen and houses speakers torn from classic PolkAudio bookshelf and center channel speakers. It sounds nearly the same as the stock speakers – so I’m pleased. The top “bar” is designed to absorb sound but was really built to hide a window located behind the screen.





The Closet and Workstation…

If you haven’t noticed yet, I prefer not to have any footprint or stray wires – so I built a black mini-workstation around the corner from the PJ/HTPC closet. It puts all of my external HD’s within reach – located under the desktop surface. BTW – If you can live with mild latency issues, I recommend the Motorola Bluetooth headphones (HT820) because the controls on the headset provide volume +/-, track +/-, and pause/play (yeah – I’m that lazy).

In The Dark…

My apologies for the photos - I own a Sony camera
125” diag. 16:7 BO cloth screen @ 20ft throw.











[04/09/2008: Updated photos with more neutral color settings]

I have two questions:
1) Why'd you spend so much time and (i guess) extra money making it not look like a dog coffin if it was only going to be mounted in the top of a closet?
2) Are the projections really that red or is that the camera?

Great job on a unique design for the projector. And outstanding job on the projector room and the little work station, very professional looking. Just how big was the window that you covered with your 125" screen?

Good question Probably for the same reason I like to build PJ's - to challenge myself and learn new things. Plus I have lots of extra wood, paint, and whatnot laying around.


Unfortunately, I'm still tinkering with color balance. Everyone in the family has an opinion on this. I'll update the photos when it improves.

Thanks! The window was about 60" x 40". The view wasn't all that great, so my wife doesn't mind.

Thumbs up to the wife for being a sport about it

Oh yes - she's been great about my PJ habit over the years. Maybe this year I won't work on any upgrades or rebuilds or new PJs?

that thing looks sick
more pics of the inside please

you modded a pc case i take it ?

Thanks. Sorry, I don't have any inside pics handy, so I'll snap a few the next time I bring the PJ down. Let me know if you'd like to see anything specific. Yes - it's an old PC tower...

Hey what did you use to hold the beseler in.... it looks like some PVC pipe kind of thing?

I think it's an NDS round grate from the drainage section of Home Depot. It just needed a little grinding/sanding to fit the 18" triplet. HD plumbing section also has similar flange shapes. Link to similar one at HD.
Click to view attachment

this thing looks so sick .. its such a shame to have it tucked away where no one can see it

I couldnt find that at HD so I will have to look again. How do you grind/sand the inside of that round part I have no idea how to do that and not take off more in one area as opposed to another area.

Actually, most visitors end up seeing it - they notice the bigol' screen and want to see a DIY PJ!


I used my dremel with a little barrel sanding tip, but it could be done by hand with aggressive sandpaper, or even a drill with a sanding/grinding tip. I ended up grinding off too much, then glued a strip of black felt to create a snug fit. It fits the triplet well enough that I can push/pull for focusing (while twisting), but wouldn't ever point my triplet/PJ directly at the ground - it just might drop out!

Very nice, I would love to see upclose pics of the inside.

do you have a plog for this awesome machine?

Thanks - I'll try to bring it down and snap a few soon. Let me know if you want to see something specific.


Sorry - no plog, just haven't had the extra time (maybe next build), but thanks for calling it "awesome"! I really enjoyed this build!

Sure would love to see some pictures of the inside

Sorry for the delay - I've been too busy working on the house and watchin' movies! I'll have to take a day or two to run through my PJ list, including taking more photos.

On a good note, I just noticed the running temp at LCD after a 2 hour movie is still only around 67F (ambient = 69F). Even during mid-summer it ran around 72F (ambient near 75F).

Are you my brother? Were we separated at birth? Seems we share the same eye for detail but I don't think I could ever match that setup. I'm not even close to starting a PJ yet. I only want to build one for in my yard to host a few movie nights but if I had the space inside the house I dont think there's much I could do to better your effort.

Thanks brother - although I don't think my mom has ever been to NZ
I'm sure you'll be showin' me up with your monster outdoor theater soon enough.

Why isnt this one in the hall of fame!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, the Fall rain kept me inside today, so I knocked out my PJ list and snapped a few interior shots. Hope they help someone...

I got hold of Really huge lens from a Opaque projector and was about to order 550 Fresnel. Seeing your results can I make do with the Fresnel from OHP? By the way FL is marked 500mm on the lens.

Honestly, my 220/330 combination is based on my fresnels on hand (220/330/550), my precon (which I have no specs for), LCD size, and my available distances given the choice of housing. I think a 550 would work better if you have the available space and no precon. Better yet, you might want to throw this question into a more appropriate forum/topic for better opinion and support.

Good luck!

This is a most impressive build!

I understand that you don't have a plog but would you give us all some details about your light engine??? I'm curious to know about: Wattage; what you "scrounged" your precon out of; do the fins help with the cooling; any pictures of your light engine you would be willing to share???

I'm really impressed with how clear and evenly lit the screen is, especially the corners! How much tweaking did it take to get this result???

I also like the still that you took of "Ratatouille"... looks like he's waiting for someone to "bump" him!!!

I second the "hall of fame" call... this one definitely belongs there!

Thanks jcherokee! I appreciate the compliment.

Unfortunately, I didn't take photos of my light engine in progress, but I can tell you it's just a metal mud pan from HD, with internal braces holding a pro reflector and S400DD bulb/mogul in place. Thin regular glass (which I find reduces lcd temps well) and my precon (from this pj) sit in a "window" cut into the metal pc box. The "fins" don't help with cooling, but keep kid hands away from the superhot mud pan, and they look cool

Tweaking was pretty easy on this pj because I kept it "modular". The reflector and bulb are fairly fixed, but the entire mud pan can be adjusted in relation to the window, the sled as a whole is adjustable, and the fs mirror angle is adjustable from outside the pj. The edges are pretty evenly lit, but could be brighter with a longer fs mirror. I must've spent a couple days tweaking.

Thanks also for the nomination, but I haven't seen any additions to the Hall of Fame in a while - not sure if it's still maintained.

dt