So I have this nightstand in my room, it has 3 drawers and a gigantic cabinet opening.
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It is quite compact and light (lighter than my regular PJ box without all the crap in it even!)and the internal dimensions of the cabinet section is perfect for a PJ. I have decided that the triplet will come out the top and on top will have an adjustible FS mirror to adjust the projection angle. So it will be a straight shot projector with the mirror after the triplet (there are no known problems with this design, correct?)

So here is the nightstand in all its glory. Controls can go on the side, exhaust fans on the back. The electronics and ballast can go in one of the drawer sections with the drawer removed (the face will be just nailed to the front so it looks original. The aim of this projector is stealth and silence, so I'll be using a different fan than the 172mm monster I'm currently implementing. I might even put a micro-ITX form factor HTPC in one of the drawers later if I get bold.

So, using most of my current stuff (except for the fresnels which I managed to mangle), I'll deconstruct my current box and start off with this new venture.


My first question is this. In this configuration, should the FFCs and electronics on the LCD panel be oriented on the wall side of the box or on the opposite side to produce a picture that is right side up on the wall? This kinda stuff always confuses me.

And a picture of the front of the nightstand without the drawers in.
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Well, this sucks. I managed to break my LCD somehow taking it apart and while testing it to see if it was just a loose connection I accidentally touched inverter section of the power board when I thought it was unplugged. This is what several thousand volts does to your hand in a fraction of a second:
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It was a very strange sensation indeed.

Anyways, I'm gonna continue working on this while I wait for the new fresnels and a new LCD to show up. This is what I have so far:

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I'm still not sure if that is the correct orientation for the panel, but I guess I can just rotate the screen using software if I need to do that.

This friend, is a very cool idea!

i can't wait to see the end it is lookin good!!!

Working on the wiring inside the bottom drawer. I'll probably add some kind of vent in here, but right now I dont think its necessary. Trying to make the wiring as neat and tidy as possible, I had a bad experience with my last wiring job. The fan wire was too close to the bulb/reflector and it was very soft plastic, so it melted and shorted out the fan. I started to smell smoke in the middle of the movie and realized that the PJ wasnt making noise, so instinctively I pulled the plug and opened up the box. The top of the box was browned from the heat, but no serious damage was done.

Needless to say the wiring will be spot on this time.

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So I'm off to work on my new PJ again. This is a pic of the left side of the fresnel holder. I'm also cutting holes in the back for fans and an intake.

Oops, forgot to attach the pics.

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The second one is a pic of the string alignment mechanism (really, just a hole drilled in the center of where the triplet will go and a string dropped in with a little weight on the end. Right now, the top and the mark on the bottom as the center of the base are perfectly in line, as is the center of the top fresnel and the LCD holder.
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Will post more pics as progress continues.

Top cut with the lens holding mechanism in place.

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Decided to remake the Fresnel hanger to something a little more heavy duty. This time I'm avoiding putting glue of any kind on any of the fresnels or lcd. So everything will be clamped into place.

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So I found out the problem with the panel. Apparently I chipped one of the edge connectors. On the 520D, one side of the panel has the edge connectors built into the glass and covered in a thin layer of white silicon, they look like extremely wide rectangular CPU cores. The one in the middle had a tiny corner taken out of it (probably happened trying to free it from its old frame). Reminded me of the old athlon days and cracking cores. Just a little bit and its gone.

Anyways, the new panel is on order. Tested out the PJ a minute ago, just pointing towards the ceiling. Nice square picture with no stray marks or anything. With the lamp just right the lighting is absolutely perfect and square, edge to edge.

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Just have to find a way to mount the lamp, have to get a FS mirror, need the new panel in and installed, and I also need to work on painting it up nice. Other than that, the hard part is done.

just drop a piece of plywood (does not have to be thick)at the bottem and cut a O for the reflector and ur done

by the way it is looking GOOD i like the idea of the night stand:)
and y is the lens on the top.
ur moveing it right? FS mirror

I figured it would be difficult to adjust the angle of the projection with a mirror between the fresnel and the triplet because you would have to move the triplet too. So I got to thinking and decided to simplify it by just having the triplet come out the top and have the FS mirror mounted on a pivoting frame at about a 45 degree angle.

As for mounting the bulb, I'd like to have some adjustment in there somewhere. So just bolting it to the piece of wood that makes the bottom shelf wouldn't work out too well, even though I entertained the idea. I think I'll just use some right angle pieces of metal and bend them until the lamp is in the right spot. I dont want to overcomplicate it.

true true!!!!

Ok, tested the projector today with a clear plastic bag with some writing on it and I have the screen orientation right. I was hoping the way I had it was correct. Working on bulb mounting right now.

Do you think my screen is too big? Its 8'x6' (wanted an easy 3:4 measurement )

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are u hanging the from on the angled roof?

I originally planned on attaching it to that metal stand so I could put my center channel and my receiver on the rack below it, but its too big for that. I think I'll reduce the picture size to something a little smaller, like 90" rather than 120".

y don't u move all the stuff that is going to be put on the rack. to the back of the room with the pj. and u can put the pj on it so u will have all ur controls at ur fingertips:)

Well, see the center channel has to be up there somewhere. And its definitely not a small speaker.... dual 6.5" drivers and its in a pretty big box too. I dont want it on the floor, and I figure there will be less wiring if the reciever is up there. Plus brightness isnt too great with a 120" screen, I'll bet a 80-90" screen will be far brighter.

Ok, changed the screen dimensions from 120" diagonal to 90". This is a much more manageable and realistic screen size. Should help a bunch with brightness too.

Before:

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After:

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Now to find some screen material.....

90 diag is 72 x 54. The BO cloth at JoAnne's is 54 inches wide so you would need exactly 2 yrds. "I love it when a plan comes togther!!!" (A-Team c.1985)

How stretchy is BO cloth? Will I be able to wrap it around the top and bottom about an inch to staple it on the frame?

Screen completed.

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Now buying a FS mirror for the top of the triplet. WEEEE!

making some good progress there noodle!!
really nice theatre setup wou have,I can see it being very cool.

Not sure how necessary a FS mirror is yet, just using a vanity mirror from my mom's bathroom seems to do the trick nicely (the old permanent marker on a plastic baggy as a test screen). Oh well, already bidding so I wont worry about it.

I used a sheet of mirrored plastic "borrowed" from my daughters toy dressing table,
it looked good to me! but you might as well the right tool for the job,we owe it to our pj's.

So you dont see a double image with your projector? I guess the mirror has to be really thin then so the distance between the two reflections is less.

Sorry I should qualify my post! Dressing table mirror was just for testing,replaced with fs mirror before full build.And very happy I am!

Ok, some progress. Finally got around to buying a new LCD, glad I waited. Newegg has Refurb CMV522A LCDs going for $133 shipped, which is a killer price, especially considering newegg reliability.

Good sport about sharing that. You could've just kept it to yourself, but you didn't.

You mean my super secret info on the newegg clearance rack? Pfft, you guys is like family to me. Never let a brotha down.

i got my samsung 510m-s from there last month for $250.00
there was $100 mail in rebate:)
i think it was good