hey all. i've finally got some days off to put it all together but i can't get my head around the enclosure. most of you seem to find this the easiest part but as i said my diy skills are sadly retarded. you know when you don't use a (creative) part of your brain for so long that it just turns.. retarded?

i have the benq 567s v2, venture MH400U, big ass electronic ballast and a huge lamp holder (about 6" long). standard lens kit, and i just bought the avermedia tv box 9 for y/pb/pr and composite connectivity.

could someone give me a brief 'box building run-down for dummies' ? the official guide brushes quickly on building the box, and the wiki guide is also very brief. none of the plogs i've looked at go into detail as to what measurements were taken before building the box. which is essentially what i need. here's how i understand it so far, listed as 'size priorities';

1. box needs to be wide enough so that the lamp's arc begins in the centre of the box (or in line with the centre of the lcd)
2. box needs to be wide and high enough to snugly fit the LCD.

- from what i've seen most boxes with or without lens/lcd sleds are made to fit the lcd's. i think my problem will be that my lamp holder (essential as it interfaces with my electronic ballast - link http://www.hydroshop.com.au/Products/Stock...asp?stockNo=159 ) is so large that just having the box as wide as the LCD will mean that the centre of the lamp will be off centre. i know the original enclosure design has the MH400U mounted diagonally but this will mean a drop in lumens and also would be very difficult with the lamp base i have (ceramic base and galvanised steel housing or something very tough).

does this mean to horizontally mount my lamp i will need to have a wider box than usual or can i mount it so the arc is off centre?

3. box needs to be long enough to incorporate the different focal lengths of the fresnel lenses, 330mm and 220mm i think. also to focus on the magnifying lens.


also what are the other measurements will i need to get spot on? i hope not to have to build a lens sled or lcd sled. this is because the less woodwork i do the less margin for error there will be as this is my weak point - i fear broken ffc's, smashed lcd, frayed wires, excessive rebuilding costs. another thing - what tools will MUST i have to accomplish the end result?

here's hoping this is all a total no-brainer for someone. i swear i found a post outlining this in stupid-person friendly terms but it got lost in the void.

- pendulum

Most people build the box around the LCD, the most important thing is to be centered. the arc of the bulb should fall in the focal point of the rear fresnel (220mm), the bulb could be mounted diagonally as in the early style enclosure but you will lose some lumens and bulb life. next is the focus of the lens, the front fresnel should focus the light on the triplet. the focal length is 330mm and your triplet should be able to move back and forth to adjust for focus depending on how big an image you want to project and how close you are to your screen. it is most important to keep everything centered, I mark center lines on all my sides and front and back to keep everything lined up. these are the most important measurments (330/220) the rest of the enclosure can be built to accomidate your electronics. another important thing is cooling the box. you want good air flow thru it. you need to keep your LCD cool. as far as tools go, besides basic hand tools, you will need a drill, jig saw, clamps, t-square, a good tape measure, and a few sharp pencils. you could get a hole saw for the fan as this makes a nice round cut. on the other hand you could go to a home center that sells kitchen cabinets. these can be very nice and are made in many sizes. they also have doors and a veneer skin. this could serve as your enclosure with little work on your part. all you would need to do is put everything inside. you really need to look at more plogs, there are many ways to mount your internals and people have come up with some ingenius ways to do it. good luck, hope this helps.

I think you have your "width" priorities right - and stick with horizontal bulb mount at dead center of your box width - especially considering your DIY "aptitude". Just don't forget to allow for...

- mogul and mogul mount (if you plan to use one) in your width measurements
- lcd frames and fresnel frames (and any keystoning mechanics)
- gaps for cooling/airflow
- adequate room for your ballast (in a cool place)

Get your length measurements pretty darn close for starters following the guide, then do your tweaking once operable. Trial and error with sunglasses

Suggestion:
If I had to build a standard LL box, with very few tools, I'd measure all my parts, mock it out on paper (full size), and go to HomeDepot to have them cut the wood. After rough build and finalizing measurements, I'd plan a second trip to HomeDepot for the final wood/cuts. Maybe they could even cut vertical slots so you won't even have to build frames? Basically, build it twice since you can't compensate with tools This won't cost much more, and you'll know so much more on the second build!

Tools:
If HomeDepot cuts your wood -I bet you could get away with a dremel and handtools. It would be slow, but possible. HEY - that would be a neat contest - an entire PJ built with ONLY a dremel - not even a screwdriver!!! Wonder if Dremel would sponsor that one

Good luck.

I seond the Depot, they cut most of my wood and for a quarter I should have had them cut it all.... I just used a drill and a coping saw(for the triplet hole, the light switch etc), though with a dremel you could get a routing bit and have an easier time mounting the fresnels
I used mdf, 1/2" on bottom and 1/4" for top and sides, 30" long, 13" high (although the front and back are 12" high...I like to have lots of room to mess up;-)
if I was you I would make a sled.... mine holds the lcd,its electronics and the fresnels(in unsplit config, as simple as it gets) .... makes it MUCH easier to adjust things.... if I was doing it from the start again(3rd time now..sigh) I would as he said, draw it on paper and have the store do all the cuts, then all you have to do is drill pilot holes for the screws(absolutely essential for mdf) , should take maybe an hour to get iot all screwed together at most.... mounting the fresnels, now thats difficult, I eneded up using 2 peices of 1/4" mdf, one with a rectasngle cut out big enough to set the fresnels in and another piece just a tad smaller to press them against and then a popsicle stick screwed into the bigger peice to hold them in place......

man I need help on my PJ box I went to Homedepot and had it cut based on the LL Guide but I cant put it together because its sizes are off.. Please take a look at my PLOG and see if theres any answers thanks..

Home depot is always off by a quarter of an inch .