so I allow a little more of the details to take shape...

The part with the controls is the touchiest because of its position. this is a close to finished shot from the top down, fresnel on the right...

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This is a blurry shot of the front with the screws in so you can see what Im aiming for. No extension cables, no passthroughs...

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and lastly a more clear shot of the side...The holder for the controls is recessed (sp?) and the tension of the curve keeps it in place by friction on the frame. If I do another one like this, I MAY try to make this one section out of fiberglass. Seems like it would be fun.. All I have to do is make some side slot inserts and button up the bottom...

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Im getting excited to see the final results... Last night I barely slept thinking of different things I could do with another design...

In dating terms, this section is the "Kiss on the doorstep" phase...

Will she invite me in?

Okay, not so good of a weekend...well maybe...
I skipped Saturday because I really needed to do the old "take down the tree" routine and then clean up. Of course, once you have made a clean spot, you really owe it to yourself to keep going...sigh.

So Sunday rolls around and my oldest has a playdate and it looks like my youngest will be going down for a nap...(Rock On! 2 hours of uninterupted SJ time!)

Then the phone rings...

My friend Ray buckled under the pressure and subscribed to a cable HighSpeed service which shall remain nameless, but starts with "Ad" and ends in "elphia".
This company sucks big time.

The tech came and installed the service on Friday and said that "no matter what he did, he couldnt get it to connect..." Basically saying it was a problem on Ray's end. So Ray played with it Saturday and finally called me on Sunday.
After a seeming eternity of helping him on the phone, my daughter walks back through the door. I cry inside at the loss of two whole hours. Then I tell Ray that he needs to call them and make sure the circuit is actually active.
20 Minutes later he calls back and says " Hey! I got on!, All they had to do was flip a few switches and I was on."
"So, what was it? " I ask.
"Oh, they forgot to turn on my account..."
" You mean the tech didnt know the account wasnt on?"
" He said he checked it. He also said I had to reinstall all my Antivirus stuff because he took it out...and something about my firewall. Hey? How come my email wont work?..."

I explain to Ray I should come look at the machine since some stranger had his hands all over it and probably gave it a bad case of cooties in the process. Then, for the good of all mankind, we must find this tech and imprison him. Not to punish him , but simply to keep his eventual rise to a position where he works with nuclear weapons to never become a reality.
Ray agrees and suggests medievil weapons as a possible alternative.
We say goodbye and I will be down some time to fix him up.

Its now time to start dinner.
My PJ is still right where it was before...

I sigh and begin cooking as I realize that this cable company is nothing more than a thinly disguised evil organization, hell bent on retarding mankinds forward evolution.

In the meantime, she waits...

and I think this company owes me money for doing their job for them.

Heya SJ.

Don't sweat the small stuff. The 2 hours you lost wre spent helping a friend, even if you were doing someone else's job for them.

Oh with some of these cable support people, there's only ONE thing worse than them helping a non-technical user... That's then trying to help a technical user who KNOWS what the problem is, and just needs them to do it on their end. (I'd do it myself, but I don't have the password to your router, and I didn't think you'd appreciate me hacking in, even if it was to fix stuff!)

This was my experience with cable a couple of years back. In this case, though I spent the first hour on hold. ("Your call is important to us" gets real old after a while.) Then I had to jump through hoops to prove that it wasn't my system's fault, basically translate the "click here, checkt hat box, click that button" into Unix command line functions.

In the end, I guess you're getting anxious to see the big picture. So are we. I still marvel at your patience and methodical progress. Keep your chin up!

Patience? Methodical? Hmmmm....You must have me confused with someone else...

More like stressed out, no time, harried parent of two and a wife "heavily involved" in World of Warcraft...!
(Sssshhhhhh......Whispers:They dont like the word "addiction"....)

Which just seems to make it all the more impressive to me.

I sneak my projector work time away after the kids are in bed, which basically means that I short myself on sleep to do it. (Last night I managed a whole 3 hours, I'm improving!)

Oh, and for what it's worth, I'd planned to be spending the weekend finishing my projector, but it did not happen, I was volunteered for other things. Well, another 6 days until my self-imposed deadline.. Well, actually, I guess I need to have it done before Friday to make it for that. Saturday I'll be volunteered again, I'm pretty sure.

Your wife plays WoW? o.O Didn't know girls played video games

You should see her play Quake. She'll take a chainsaw to your ass in a heartbeat!
By the way, my wife says " You done get out much, do you? ".

Actually she was the one who woke the sleeping mad scientist in me back up. She gave me my first computer and introduced me to all nighters on silicon.

She taught me my first moves in Civilization.

After that, it was all over for me...

Well. Its almost done.

Sneak Peak anyone?

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A shot from the top. The velvet absorbs all light but I think it enhances the shape and feel of the rails...

Side shot.

I like this design. I might improve upon it in the future...

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I will post more details tomorrow.
Screenies coming once I figure out how to work the camera again. Wish I could remeber what I did last time...

Handy feature to have in a wife!

If that's the case, Micro$oft owes me a fortune. Just finished a customer's upgrade from W98 to XP using the 'official' upgrade CD. No, I usually insist on a fresh install, but this customer had already gone and bought the upgrade (not from me mind you:angry:) They called M$ about the problems they were having and were told it was going to cost $50/hr to attempt to fix over the phone with no guarantee of a solution. I ended up spending a couple of hours last night fixing up all the things that it broke.


Anyway, I don't want to detract anymore from your artwork Samurai, looks like a masterpiece. It might look a bit Escher-istic in a darkened room. When it's finished, maybe there should be some sort of ceremonial unveilling by a public official or something.

Mine's now in a pine box (no, not 6 feet under..), I really should pull out the proverbial and finish it, but work got extremely hectic a bit before the holidays and hasn't let up much since. I can't bear the thought of doing without it if one of my 'one day upgrades' isn't ready for the night-time viewing....

Okay, just the basics for now...

I had to plug the bottom side vents. I used small pieces of thin masonite covered in BV to complete the look.

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Then put them into the side vents and secured them with a small screw on each side.

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Then, as always, I ran into a tiny problem. Time for thinking on the fly. The rigid sheets of metal that I used for the insert covers were stopping the focus sled from going in. I knew they would be tight, but I hadnt counted on not being able to actually get them in. So I used a suitable application of power tools...

The problems...
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The solution...
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Now it fits and guides the metal under the focus box with little or no problem.

Next up is my fancy schmancy high tech way of securing my Lightgate to keep it from sliding...

Okay..Ready for fancy?

Hahahaha. Here it is...

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A block of wood as wide as the slot underneath the Lightgate with Velcro on it. . Take it off, adjust and stick it back on...Seriously fancy, I know, but Hey! Its a class act....


Now some basic pictures?

The ever popular 5th Element...

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Picture is about 10 feet diagonal at best. The player I was using didnt allow for pause and full screen...?

Me for scale....

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Right now Im taking these on a 220 CT sheet hung from the ceiling by clamps...ewww.
Yes, my camera still sucks...
and Im running from a portable gateway2k with a 1.0 proc....

I wish I could show you how this looks in person.

My favorite picture so far...It really comes close to showing how much contrast there is. The darks are nice and dark and the the whites are damn fine. I am SOOOO needing a better screen...

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I will look into camera settings tonight and see if I can take some that are close to what Im seeing.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

SJ's got screenies! Real ones!

Looking mighty fine there, Even without being bright, there's a clear indication of what the picture looks like. The corners look amazingly even, I guess all that time adjusting and pefecting the lightgate really paid off!

Big thumbs up, bud!

Thanks Man! In 16x9 mode it looks great. In 4x3 its still pretty good, but I think I dropped some felt over the screen. You can see it at the bottom. I gotta tweak it out...

Still I got a really nice compliment from the wife. I was worrying about the color with the sheet and she looks at me and goes "Well then you should get a really nice screen, a big one, but it has to be a pull down...It would be a shame to waste this on a sheet."
DING!
Wife Approval Factor! Yeah baby! ( She actually broke away from her game to come see..)

What I really cant believe is how much I have learned and how much fun I have had so far. What a great hobby!

OMG OMG OMG, WHOOO HOOOO!!!!! Great job SJ !!! Nice picture... I couldnt wait til this build was complete. I think this was the best plog yet. The only problem I have now is that your done with the build for the most part. Now what am I going to look at while I am doing nothing at work. I have enjoyed your dedication and look foward to your next build. (your wife would probably kill you if you ever decided on that.)

Hey, now you have the screen fabrication. I expect nothing less than perfection. No prefab-off the shelf stuff you hear!!!


I am glad you now will get to enjoy your hard work!



(from an envious fan of the build)
Tucc

Outstanding job SJ, looking forward to more screenies. Oh and my regards to the missus. Good woman you have there.
sim

Excellent shots! Its great to see some images from all the work you have put into this.
Looking forward to seeing more from your great setup.

But aren't the girls inside when their playing video games? So I don't think I'd see any going out? Am I right?

I heard the Da-Lite High Power screens are really good. You should get one for the ultimate picture.

Wow my friend. Just wow. There isn't much else to say...

except - now you can help me build mine!

My thanks my friends! I am getting very close!
The wife wants a pro screen that will hide in the ceiling. She handed me a blank check today and told me to have fun...( )

1. borrow a better camera.
2. Still much tweaking to do and I have an offer to test the new bulbs...
3. Improve the triplet ala Astrogeek suggestions....( Thanks ET..!)
4. Begin work on quaternary light recycler enhancement for V2Lighgate. ( seriously Alpha...)


This PLOG will go on. Im not done yet. Not by a long shot!


5. watch a few movies!!!!!

By the way, just for grins I put the PJ in the back of the couch which yielded me a picture of about 20 feet across. Just for fun I might post a pic. Since my house has no white walls, it is a source of much envy that some of you have these large walls...

I feel an addition coming on...

Some WOMEN come with no strings attached...AKA "wireless" But since you are inside with all the girls, whats for tea?

lol, to use an nz phrase 'cook me some eggs, ****h!' (once were warriors movie, one of those things that becomes a classic)

awesome build, ive been following this for ages. How happy are you with the picture, SJ? as good as you thought it would be?

Hows the focus and corner lighting?

So how does this compare with the WEGA???

Perhaps 440 thread counts might bring up the contrast some and maybe a light pink to help the red skin tones pop out better?

It really looks great and it has been fun watching it all come together.

For the first upgrade the new reflector should be worth at least 25% more lux for $15.00 you can’t pass that one up.

after a few movies that is

OK Samurai, you've finished number 1 time to start #2.

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that liloo shot should be a new benchmark frame. It's got a full range of good whites and colour plus darker detail.

By the way SJ

Happy to see you turn the light on!
Looks good even before tweaking

enjoy!

Thanks Foxy!

Pagercam/ AZ: Actually a higher thread count might help. TC on blackout cloth are higher if I remember right. And I already have plans done for some new components. I just discovered I have the perfect spot for the PJ but I would need a long throw lens to make it happen, or a 15 foot by 10 foot screen...

The WEGA is obviously brighter but nothing beats the size of the PJ...


Was it all I hoped for?
Hmmmmm....Since Im not truly done, I find it hard to say. I played with the corners and some adjustments last night. I used "Batman Begins" after I sorted out a few things and I can say that the lighting is fairly even. I spent a good long time moving the Lightgate forward and back checking the way things work. I think I may have to shave a tiny bit off the top and bottom slats in the Iris.
Since we are a 16x9 family, I think I may have hit it pretty well.

Still Lots to do, though.

Okay,
I need some type time to tell you a little bit about my AM...

Quite jazzed by my adjustments last night and my success with the PJ I was naturally having a tough time going to sleep. I think I finally dozed off before 12...

Earlier in the day, I attempted to curry favor from the wife by brushing our dogs teeth. As dogs get older they tend to get a little "breathy" and it can become annoying if they are sleeping in your face. Dreams of WW1 and fields of mustard gas are often the result of this...

Interestingly enough, they dont use fun flavors like "Berry Burst" or "Mango Chutney Baking Soda Surprise"....

For Dogs, we get "Poultry flavored" toothpaste.
Naturally the dog didnt like it as much as she would have expected. She squirmed and did her thing and whined a little, but she was good. So then the door opens and my wife comes in. I tell the dog how stellar she is and present her to the wife with fresh poultry breath.

Long story short. Wife is happy, SJ gets to work on the tuning and the dog is acceptable.

So this AM, I am very tired. I tried to get myself to sleep by thinking of fun things to do with the PJ. Naturally this kept me up for a while as I suddenly verged into a twelve person theater made up of barcoloungers and hot chicken wings served by ex playboy bunnies. The mind reels, especially if the barcoloungers are covered in vinyl and I have a gallon or two of olive oil...Later I determine I also need a stone pizza oven and a tap.
Hey, c'mon. Im restless...

Fade to morning...

After a small infusion of java based goodness, I am still sleepy but have turned off the no smoking sign and am moving feely about the house in "Auto" mode. One track is firmly dedicated to the PJ and where I can find enough bunnies to fill my needs...because "Everybody needs a Bunny, Sometime..."
Coffee is done. Its time to brush my teeth.
I wander into the bathroom, listening with one ear to my children asking myself " Is that a good scream or a bad scream?". Absently I prepare and put some paste on my wifes sonicare toothbrush...and go to work.

After slyly slipping past the coffee taste, the toothpaste flavor ninja's my tounge with its deadly strike. My mouth is suddenly assailed by the full sonic driven force of the poultry flavored toothpaste. My mind wakes up as a close association with feathers and dusty chicken coops makes its way into my mind and triggers a Kernel Fault IRQL not less than or Equal.
Its not Kentucky Fried Chicken, but I have had worse. My Aunt Nancy's cooking comes to mind...

Gagging and laughing at my misfortune at the same time I bend over the sink and start "Phut"ing out the flavor. Pale sienna foam comes out of my mouth and suddenly I am rabid as I add more drool to it in an effort to just get it the hell out. It is not my finest moment, but the sheer idiocy of it just makes me laugh. If this were an english comedy, I wouldnt notice, but of course the audience would.

Cut to SJ finally getting it out of his mouth and rinsing.
Suddenly I realize that I just did this with my wifes toothbrush and she is approaching down the hall with the most chilling phrase I have ever heard. "Hun? Can I have that when you're done?".
Panic begins to ensue as I realize if she finds out she will never use it again and I will be held accountable till the end of time. So I pocketed it and slipped out the hall in the opposite direction and ran upstairs to my toothbrush and switched them, then walked casually down the stairs. She in the meantime has walked around into the living room looking for me. I hand her the toothbrush. "here you go sweetie" I say and walk away.
There is an odd silence as she stands in the hall. "Honey? The brush isnt wet, did you brush your teeth?"
"Oh yes!"
" Oh, ..." then she brightens up.."Oh! You changed my brush for me?"
(Now what man could resist this chance?)
"Mmmmm", I mumur, "Go get ready. We are starting into late time..."

I had packed my lunch the night before. Naturally it was chicken soup...
I ordered out.



The lesson here: Either hide that stuff or dont stay up too late...and never tell your wife things she doesnt need to know...

Now that was the funniest thing I've read all week.

Thd the chicken soup... Almost fell out of my chair...

Glad to see you could keep a sense of humour about it!

I figured if anyone would get a laugh out of it, it would be this group.

haha. civ's gotta be the most addictive game ever made

Yea I almost seen it coming, but still laughed pretty hard. And then the chicken soup .

This was majorly fuuny!

I was wondering why you didn't just wash off the toothbrush or tell your wife and then wash the toothbrush, but....... then I remebered your comment a few posts back about her being handy with dismantling opponents with a chainsaw, and suddenly it all fell into place.

Hehe...In return for her being a very pretty geeky girl, I put up with "one or two mild traits" not the least of which is that we share an almost empathic bond to objects when strong emotions occur...

That and I wasnt sure if I could get the "poultry" smell off the bristles. So I racked some good husband points AND got away with it!

She's not only good with a chainsaw in games, she is also good at holding a grudge...





FESSUP? Are you kidding?! The next time she kissed me all she would think about was the dogpaste....No way man! NooooooWay!

Well lots of fun last night. I did a little more tweaking and made a few minor adjustments and then decided to wash my screen and dry it on very hot. The funny thing is that it worked. The picture actually looked a tiny bit better because of the shrinking of the weave and increase in density.

Im seriously toying with the idea of a 1000 threadcount sheet...

Getting better with the camera...
Well kinda...

First off, my fresnels are FILTHY! I mean ick.
Take a look

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All I can say is "eewwwwwww"! and I am projecting against a single sheet.
Still they are looking good!

Okay so a little picture fest because I am feelin good about this PJ...

first up...my daughter listening in rapt attention as a clownfish ( who isnt very funny...yet) tells a joke..

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The child, by the way, is 52 inches tall....yes we grow them big....

Next, my daughter pointing out the green Jello spot on the sheets ( which were on the floor a total of three minutes...)

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Even though I have repeatedly warned her not to stroke sea animals.....there she goes...

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The same picture with an enigmatic 6 foot tall scottsman in the way...

I feel a flipper in my crotch......unsettling.

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"Curious waters indeed..."

-Bored of the Rings

Colors look really great.
What are your plans for a screen, continue with the sheets or BOC or light fusion or a dalite??
By the way what happened to light fusion haven't seen MississippiMan here in quite a while.

***Etacovda demands desktop close ups

My plans for the screen?
Well thats a tough one. You see, the inside of my house is all tounge in groove pine panels, so I have no wall to project on. My living room is 30 x15 so I should be able to use the far wall, but the TV is already there. The ceiling is 14 inch timber beams that are spaced 36 inches apart and on top of that is, (ready?), more tongue in groove.

So it basically comes down to this: It cant be rigid screen because it needs to go away when we watch basic TV. I asked if we could use a panel and store it behind the TV and got "The Look"...

SJ does not like the look...

So its either going to be a DaLite pull down ( she insists on a black case)
or I might do something kind of odd...

I have been thinking that I could take a 4x8 panel and do a coating on it, then suspend it by two trailing arms so that it could stay flat against the wall with the light sinde INWARD. When we want to use the pj, we allow the trailing arms to fold out and then flip the board around. When its not in use it flips back. The rear of the board I would cover with something decorative like a sculptured rug or something like that. Chance are I will go with a dalite screen.
It seem to me that the room layout lends itself to a HiPower screen. Here is a really basic layout of the room.

SJ

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Right now the PJ is on the table inside of the couch. If I get a pro lens then I can move it to the table in back of the couch.

this project is so good looking, and the screen pics look awsome, im wondering if there was an easier way for me to have all the jpg in 1 spot for easy download to make myself an easier quick reference for my build. I have the fresnels, lense, cmv lcd, bulb, mogul, balast, wood, hardware, saws, drills, and i am ready to build.

What would you like?

Thanks for the compliments!

It does go on a bit, doesnt it? I could probably shove them all in an archive somewhere. Let me see how big the whole group is. I also have to sort out some pictures from it, because I didnt use all of the ones I took.

thank you,
from a 6'1" irish guy, wishing you were female. JK.

i've been planning mine since, august 2004


WOOO HOOOO you hit 1000 posts here!!!!