SWEEEEEET!!!!!

Way cool!

Now that's one big fat kudo for you, we're all jealous of course lol

Thanks guys.
You are all too kind!
I am not worthy.
Now where is my *!@*?& lighting kit!!!

Samurai,
This is my pc,its different!

It has dual video,this is my "officially sancioned area";ie,the one space that doesnt get cleaned by "she who must be obeyed".

painted the mirror mount today:


Have to admit thatI am quite pleased with it,its just a shame it will be inside the pj!
Also I am having serious doubts about my box.It looked good on paper,but in the flesh,it's a bit on the tall side,and with a moveable mirror,I think that I can come up with a much more aesthetically pleasing and unobtrusive design.I am thinking along the lines of a midi tower pc case shape with a curved front.I will have a think and try to illustrate tomorrow.
My lighting kit has arrived(in the country at least!) It is being delivered to my local post office tomorrow,lunchtime was the most accurate time that I could get,so hopefully by tomorrow mid afternoon I will have it in my eager hands.Couriers slapped a £20 handling charge on it,could have been worse I guess.
Thanks again chaps,hopefully will post a pic of a succesful lighting test tomorrow...

Ver2 of the image bank is assembled,I havnt added the lenses or lcd yet as they would just gather dust:

With the new mirror mount,my box doesnt need to be so tall,here is a pic of of new bank in old box:

As you can see,I have some spare height in there,which I really don't need if the box is going to be placed infront of me.
I was thinking that I might build a new box along the lines of:

Dimensions are way off,but you get the idea.
Still waiting for my lighting kit,should be some time today.
Also found a supplier of fs mirrors in the UK,while browsing the folded lightpath design forum last night
Uk fs mirrors
Prices seem OK,plus they cut to size too.
I have been thinking of how to mount my bulb/holder for a while now,and have spotted a great design that should fit in to the threaded rod design nicely.
Check it out:Worldprojector's plog
OK,I'm off to the post office to see if my lighting kit has been delivered yet(lunchtime,yeah,right),(its 4pm,here now).

I knew it! I like the amount of dust on the zalman! I take it once you get things tweaked you cant live too long without your CPU? heheheheee. My wife calls it "Silicon Withdrawl"...She hates it when one of my cpu's is down.
The last case I did was a wooden cube with a self contained filter system so I could listen to MP3's in the garage....Yes, my garage is wired for CAT5. Sad, isnt it?

Right now, mine is an ominous black box, with a mirrored door. 1 light and thats it. I went for the classic understatement.

Still have no true idea what Im going to build for my PJ, though...

I like the space that untouched by "She who must be obeyed". I was banished to the den because I use and store so many computer parts!

He he,I have made a perspex box to go over the m-board,I took it off about a month ago,I cant remember why!!
I am seeing stars at the moment,yes I know youre not supposed to look directly at the bulb,but hey,I'm not going to turn it it on for the first time and not look at it,am I?
WOW,that is BRIGHT! Have taken some pics,but the battery has died in my camera.Now I have the lighting kit I can get on with making a mount for the bulb,and I now know how much sace to leave for the ballast.Thanks to all at lumenlab.I have no more excuses,I have all the parts for my pj,but I am still not going to rush,I dont plan on rebuilding it anytime soon,when I am happy with it,I am going to build one of these:
1/6th scale paintball firing tanks!!!!

Are you sure you dont need that extra length to have a light path distance of 320mm from your LCD to triplet.

I am also just wondering why you dont show off that excellent craftmanship and cut down on some of the wasted space in your box.

Something like this:

Thanks Dergrin,I hadn't thought along those lines,
I like it,I will see if something like that will work(mainly depends on my woodworking skills on the day)
Absolutely love your images,look fantastic.

Thats TOO cool. Im not a military geek, but I do play paintball!. That looks like a hell of a lot of fun!

Perspex? What material is that?

Hey, Pman! That computer of yours reminds me of the Voight-Kompf device from Bladerunner!!

hmmm,retina scanning,I wonder...(he he)
nice one tj!
samurai,my garage is littered with the dead carcasses of pc's,I would post a pic,but the amount of crap in there is not something to be proud of!
Those tanks look like fun,The only drawback is that I would have to build 2,as I dont think anybody in the UK has one!!!
I am so happy that the lighting kit works,I was half expecting the bulb to be in pieces,or the base to be cracked,or etc etc...
But here it is:

after a couple of secs.

and after a couple of mins.
I am also very happy as I should be able to mount my lamp without any cotouts to the sidewalls of my lighting enclosure,it should fit diagonally,but I dont think I have the room to borrow worldprojectors idea,I think that I might be able to get away with a simply fabricated metal bracket attached to one of the threaded rods,I will play with that idea later

I may be able to meet you on that one. I have several dead bodies in the garage, but my office is the usual dumping ground. I cleaned up a bit a few weeks ago because I lost my Neverwinter Nights discs, and in the process found a computer I didnt remember having, 1.2 GB of various RAM and an Nvidia 64Mb video card.

I would dig deeper, but Im afraid I,d run into a Balrog or something

Found 2x small brackets in my "spares"box,drilled out the holes,and rounded off
the corners:

Attached countersunk screws,and as a guess,2xnuts as spacers:

Attached to base:

And mounted onto threaded rod:

This is the method I used to find the centre point:

Found that I was 10mm too short on the base mount,so I added 10mm spacers,in the shape of some cut down tubing,however this didnt leave me enough thread left
on the bolts to attach it to the base!!
I found some M4 threaded rod in the garage,cut to size,mounted the spacers etc and:

It is just the right length.
I now need to order my fs mirror,and design and build a new box!!!
Lucky its a long weekend!
I put everything together and did a test projection,holding the triplet at the apropriate length by hand,it was ok,but it was 2pm on a sunny day.
I think I am getting ahead of myself a little,I will resist temptation,and wait until it is all together.

Rubber bands! Thats so simple! Damn I love that! Keep it up, its lookin really good!

Have just been playing music videos at a good 8 foot across,no side panels,just the image bank sat on the floor,no fans,and holding the triplet by hand over the front fresnel,and man do my arms ache,but I cant stop doing it!!!!
So much more to do, but WOW!!!

Hey Samurai,how are you getting on?Have you got a pile of pj parts spread all over the kitchen table yet??

I have been following your plog for a while and just love the optics mounting and adjusting. Your progress makes me say "nice" and "that is a brilliant way to solve that problem" and in general nod my head while smiling all the time, not to mention the sweet mount for the mirror. can't wait to see what's new after the long weekend!

Worldprojector,thanks,I fear that after seeing what you are doing,you are on a different level,just awesome,keep it going!

OK,box2...
Kinda busy over long weekend,damn that family of mine!!!
Patented 1:1 scale drawing™ of new box design:

Now there was nothing wrong with the old box,I just decided that it would have been a bit tall,there is only about 80mm difference in height,but it seems to have quite an impact in the room.Rather than this giant tower thing,the smaller box just seems a bit more unobtrusive.
Just thought I'd show a pic of how I get the lightpath on my scale drawing.
You can just make out the laser level,the edge of the fresnel,and the position of the triplet and mirror:


Here is a pic of the 2 boxes,showing the size difference,like I said,it doesn't look like much difference,but...

Here is a pic of the box shell:

here is a pic side on with image bank:

Here is a pic of the box with image bank,ballast and pc psu,not going to be much room in there!

and another showing mount for focussing mechanism:

And last but not least,due to the reduced height,my mirror mount will not fit! boo hoo.
But I have found another use for it...

Cool hood ornament!!!

Ah not yet. Im still trying to decide on the design. We have huge beams in the house ( 4 inch x 16 ) that have tounge in groove on top of them. Trying to decide if I want to ceiling mount between two of them or build a floor model. I have made steps towards cleaning up the shop and garage though.... Oh yeah and I did a little bowl shopping this weekend.

Wife is becoming fearful of the idea. I just spent a pretty large amount of money on an 8 inch dobsonian telescope, so I have to be careful with the "wife approval factor".

By the way, yours is looking great. I like the new design.!

Take your time samurai,if you are anything like me,you will change your mind half way through anyway!
I also notice you have 2kids,me too,mine are 4 and 12,(girl and boy). I cant wait to see their faces.My son is a huge film buff,LOTR,Starwars etc etc.
This project is not for me at all,I really don't want to kick back with a beer and watch mad max (1),not in the least!!!!
Ok,Mirror mount II...
The old mount was 12" x 12",the new one is 12" x 9".
The mirror will be 12" by 11",the mirror will overhang by an inch each side,but what the hey,the largest piece of mdf I had was only 9" !
Its a bit different from the first one,but along the same lines...




Been having dificulty alocating time to my pj over the weekend,but hopefully things will get back to normal soon.

Really like the lines on the new box. Sorry the old Punisher logo didn't work out, but this one looks just as sweet!! How was the second movie incarnation, truer to the source material than the Lundgren version? I was a Blade/Tomb of Dracula fanatic as a kid, myself

Just as crap,tj,but with better effects,it was ok,the big fight in the middle with the huge Russian was the best bit,very comic book,nothing more.The new game looks a bit more like it,nice and gory!!
I'd like to be able to offer you a bit more techy help,but you are further along than me now,so be prepared for some probing in a couple of days when you are maxin and relaxin!!!!!

That should look very nice! Perhaps, even cooler looking than Hass'!

That's Blasphemy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Too bad about the Punisher flick, I actually kinda like the actor that played him and thought the movie had potential. OF course, I liked him in Deep Blue Sea, a flim that alot of people other than me despised, but what can I say, I'm a sucker for shark flicks And imagine what Spielberg could have done if he had those mechanical beauties!!! Actually, I can't imagine Jaws (my all time favorite movie) any other way than it is.

But, this is your plog not the off topic forum, keep those updates coming!!

My wife has just said:" No Way Man",she is a HUGE shark/shark film fan,Jaws obviously being the benchmark.

My Son obviously prefers deep blue sea,though!
My wife likes the 3rd Matrix film
I have watched it twice,really trying hard,as I really enjoyed the first two but the scores have just come in and are as follows...
Matrix 1
Matrix 2
Matrix 3

I have just realised what my pj (in theory) looks like,but if anybody makes any kind of reference to it ever,even in jest.I will come to their house and crack the corners of their lcd's. A mini fridge!I was thinking of painting it off white,with rounded edges,I am hoping to have no protruding focussing mechanism,just 2 holes in the front,1 for the lens,one,the same size below for the air intake.I would like to mount the 2 pcac's on the reflector mount,and have just a slot in the back,for exhaust.Well thats the plan as it stands,but tomorrow is another day.The one thing that I can guarantee is that if I can think of anything better tomorrow,then I will probably change it again.
I have realised that I am probanly enjoying this too much.I am a graphic designer by trade,But I wish I was designing Killer robots like Mechadon (The Ultimate,will never be beaten,perfect design RAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!) sorry

I was thinking it looked like an old fashioned radio....hehehehehe......NO! WAIT!
AGHHHHHHH!!!!

Robots? Hehehe. I built a friend a mini case Mechwarrior. I think it was Wolf. Fun build. We didnt follow the build for true. But it looked pretty cool anyway. I even used Gold Plated phone jack adapters for the missle banks. Ever try to explain to a streo store why you need 80 of those at a discount? Heehe.


I like the new design.

"Ah!, The last of the V-8 interceptors!"

Yeah my PJ is all for my kids too. I mean what kind of parent would I be if I kicked back with few glasses of wine after the kids went to bed and watched "Event Horizon", or even "Brotherhood of the Wolf"? Or even immersed myself in an all day stupor of back to back LOTR trilogy? Yeah its really just for the kids so they can watch spongebob or Avatar: The last Airbender, get the full screen experience and not have me yell at them that they are too close to the TV.
I MIGHT be tempted to watch a John Woo film 'just to see whats its like...'

( oh man, its getting really thick in here...)

I have a 6 year old girl, a 3 year old girl, and a 4 month old boy. They've watched almost as many programs on my projector as I have. (Though I've watched more discs, since the LOTR trilogy is 2 apiece. ) I'll probably shift that balance tonight, though.

The kids DEFINITELY like it, though my wife hasn't bothered to watch anything on it yet. I'll have to show her how to operate it, so that she can put a movie on during the day, while I'm at work... (Scary prospect that!)

I can definitely think of worse things than a mini fridge for your projector to look like. And regardless of its shape, the detail that you've put into it will always make it look cool.

For the Matrix movies, it took me a while to get over the gaping holes in the plot and premise in the first one. The whole "suspension of disbelief" thing took a nasty hit during the movie. The special effects were awesome, in all three movies, but I just can't take the basic premise seriously.

Back to your project, I like the new design, it looks efficient, but still has some style. Different from the typical big box. (I think mine looks like it should have been a kids' toybox.)

Supra,I think your box is a brilliant idea,all in one.
You have obviously thought long an hard about it,and that is the most efficient way of achieving your goal.Top notch stuff!!
Your results are looking excellent.
I can sit and watch the first 2 matrix films,very cool & stylish.
But the 3rd,aaarrrggghh,I dont know what it is,my wife loves it,but I get about half way in and find it really frustrating.I have to get up and do something else,but always come back just in time for the end!

Never did see Matrix 2 or 3. Loved the first one. A real mind f'er (pardon my french), like the best of the Next Generation episodes.

Say, Pman, did you're wife ever here the rumors that floated around a couple years back about Speilberg being so impressed with the CGI inserts his buddy Lucas did on the original Star Wars that he was considering doing the same to Jaws? Rumor was he wanted to remove Bruce altogether and insert a CGI eating machine in his place! No truth to it, according to the MAN himself, of course. I just wish that they'd fix the raping the studio did to the sound elements for the anniversary DVD and restore the original effects. I MEAN, COME ON PEOPLE THE THING ONE AN OSCAR FOR SOUND, FOR PETE'S SAKE!!!

Oh no,don't get me started on next gen!!!!!
Just a pic to show the difference between the mounts:

This is a pic of the focus mount,one screw each side so that I can play with the angle of elevation,until the front panel goes on.

Just another pic of the same,but from inside the box:

A pic of how I pre-bent the front panel,to minimise the stresses,when fixing it:

(Before you ask,no the videos are not from my private collection,they belong to my kids(all but one,anyway)!)

I have attached the front panel now,and it is taking shape now:





Had an empty house this morning,so got my freak on for a couple of hours!

Very nice work Punisher! I love this design.
I think it was mentioned in 11steve11's plog, but a vertical design built like R2D2. It looks to me like you have the skilz to pull that off!!!
Bluto

Oh yeah,I was tempted by the R2D2 challenge.
But I dont think the "ball and chain" would be very happy with a 3' high
starwars robot as a permanent fixture in the lounge.I can hear it now;"It doesn't really go with the wallpaper,dear"!
If my current pj ends well,then how about this; an R2D2 pj using Brains new 8"!!!! Now we're talking.My son would kill for one of those in his bedroom!!

Hey, P! Throw the ball and chain this tidbit!!!

Jaws celebrates three decades
March 28, 2005


Thirty years later, we’re all still afraid to go in the water thanks to Steven Spielberg’s Jaws. A Special thirtieth anniversary edition will be surfacing in June.
In all, five versions of the DVD will arrive. Three single-disc versions similar to the existing three versions (widescreen DD 5.1, fullscreen DD 5.1 and widescreen DTS). Additionally a two-disc version will be available in both fullscreen and widescreen flavors. Both will contain Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 tracks. Extra content on the second disc will be arriving shortly from Universal Home Entertainment.
All five versions will arrive on June 14th.

Hopefully, the schmucks will give us at least one disc with the original oscar winning sound elements intact!!! :angry:

Thanks Tj,I think you made her day!
Quite happy today,test rigged box with lenses,and a scribble on one of my sheets of glass.


First pic is with fresnels mounted the wrong way,(on purpose of course! !

Ooh,I must have wobbled as I took this one,thought it looked cool though!!

This is a better shot of the projected image,with the fresnels the right way round,I wanted to get the floor and ceiling in aswell to show that it wasn't 2" square!!

I was pretty impressed with this image,mainly for two reasons...

...The first being the mirror that I was using was "borrowed" from my daughters toy dressing up table and is actually a shiny sheet of paper,held onto my mount with a rubber band!!

And also it was the middle of the day,with all the curtains open,pretty light in fact:

I am going to order my fs mirror now that I am a bit more confident that the end product should be awesome!!.
By the way,the wall is blue.

Sweet! My daughter offered her barbie projector if we need it! We actually went out and started thawing the garage for the project. We ended making a birdhouse to warm up with.

PICs look great! Cant wait to see it with the FSM!

Thanks Samurai,I could have done with a bit of woodworking practice before attacking this project myself!!

I am making a fan mount in my reflector base at the moment,I have been looking for some silicone sealant to seal my fans,lcd,reflector etc.Is this the kind of thing I should be looking at:
Intek electronic sealant(high temp)
I have searched all major hardware shops,but no mention of temp anywhere!!
But if this looks good to anyone,its a UK based company,so I will try to get my hands on some,
thanks guys

Ok small update,re-fan mounting.
I am going to mount two evercools on my reflector base,in a small housing,and then I am going to prey that they dont melt!!
This way,I have nothing sticking out of my pj at all.
This is a pic of the cutout in the existing reflector base(hole in the middle holds reflector:

Here I have test fitted the pcac's:

Here is the back plate,which will line up with a hole at the rear of my box:

And here it is,ready for the pcac's to be sealed in(when I can get some sealant).