Not wanting to clog up GadgetSmith's HLX-5P Refurb (speaker) project thread...

Have you tried cutting up furnace filters to fit your projector to keep the dust out?

Yeah, that's an excellent suggestion. I used a pleated filter on my main inlet but want something nicer looking (black) for the filters that show. But now that you mention it I think I will simply try layering some sheer black stuff overtop of some HVAC filter material. Thanks for the suggestion. Sometimes a little mention like that is all it takes to make the light bulb come on.

D, I just took a closer look at your description of gamma distortions at the various settings. If I understand correctly you are getting distortions with the Gamma correction tuned on, correct? The only time you should get that kind of distortion regardless of your color temp, contrast, or brightness settings, is when you have the gamma correction turned off; you should have it set at 1.8 minimum. That’s the bug I haven’t been able to tune out. What does this all mean? It sounds like your card does not have the latest panel file loaded. Try flashing just the panel file with the full version CfgWorkbench app.

Gotcha HF. I'll have a go when I've some spare time . . . like next winter maybe?

Seriously, thanks for checking back in!

Gawd but I wish I didn't have to pull my whole sled every time I needed to flash that controller!!!

Edit: If I don't use gamma correction I can get a good image. If I use gamma correction things go all to hell. But lemme fiddle some more to be sure we're on the same page. Check back in when I have time to diddle with my beast again. Thanks!!!

SCORE!!! Another new bauble for my projector.

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Yeah, I'm still alive and kickin'. Slow as ever.

Edit: I may risk bustin' it to see if I can reset it.

Okay . . . I am never, NEVER, NEVER going to reset that again!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Was it difficult D? and where did you score it from?

Here's a new one on eBay - http://cgi.ebay.com/Honeywell-HOBBS-HOUR-T...1QQcmdZViewItem

Difficult - no. Tedious - yes. I knew you'd take my bait SIM.

Remove case. Pull pin holding numbered wheels in place. Re-index them. Reassemble. Sounds easy huh? Actually, it was easy. But there's always that learning curve. I think yours would be harder from the little I remember of it. Mine is pretty much made in a way that says "UNDRESS ME AND EXAMINE ME BABY!"

Note the wheels must go back in the order they came out. They're unique.

Now, I was just watching Mr. Brooks and can't get the damn subtitles off using Zoomplayer. Any hints? I have them turned off in the player menu and can also overlay the subtitles simultaneously with the DVD controls but can't turn off one set. Where are they coming from???? YAAAAHHH!!!

Hot tub time . . .

Oh, BTW, HF - I got gamma to work. I can't use the "User" setting on color temp with gamma enabled though. Or sumpin' like dat. Man I still have a lot to learn to get this baby tweaked out. Color is washed out 'cause I cranked the brightness, contrast, and lessee . . . umm . . . hue and/or saturation to 60 of 100 just to get things watchable for tonight. Gotta learn how to properly set this baby up. Hell, I don't even know which color temp I settled on - my wife was getting antsy. She's less than discriminating when it comes to watching a movie while I sit there and almost go nuts over the damn PERMANENT subtitles and crappy color.

All in good fun.

Edit: Oh, it's from a scrapped piece of equipment - a recirculating oil filter unit.

Just the bait? Hell, I took the entire rod and reel. I've already clocked in 44 some odd hours on mine and most of them were from tweaking. Still your right, I wouldn’t want to screw up anymore things on her as it is. Still waiting for a 10.6” replacement.

BTW, when we gonna see this baby in its entirety?

I reset it so I would have a true zero start - obviously. But now I find myself using my projector without it plugged in so . . .

I think I've almost got the component spacings where I want them. Here's a power-off screenie with my well-warmed-up 575HMI shot with my Canon S30 on sunny/daylight white balance setting:

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And the histogram as per Natural Newbie's calibration topic:

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More green push than I anticipated but truly I can't say I had good reason to expect any particular result.

Here's the top pic after a Photoshop auto-level-adjustment:

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I think that shows better the homogeneity of light distribution but maybe that's just me.

And here's the same pic tweaked out to emphasize the small imperfections in the projection.

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I intended to get some back-through-the-lens photos to show the arc and bulb image looking into the triplet but didn't take the time yet. Later I shall. It's coming together slowly and surely . . . as always.

My lamp takes a few ignitor cycles to start now but I'm not worried about that . . . yet.

For some reason I see a bug in that last pic

Yup a bug... but not a roach as one might think...

it's a big FAT spider with 8 legs

Looks more like one of these

Holy crap!!! I didn't see that before!!! Ain't dat sumpin???

Edit: Ran an ethereal spectral image enhancement filter on that screenie and got this!!!

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friday night. nothing like it.

Well the projector is probably full of cobwebs.

Just like my skull.

Saaaayyyy . . . just what is that critter DAZZ? Is there some hidden message there?

AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

How did one of those get in there in the first place?
Let's just hope there's only one male!

hehe, finally had the 'itch' to ask eh?

Hello? I come to check in after what seams like a long time, and? Oh yea it's summer time!

Hope everyone is doin good.

Cheers!

Yeah - long days and short nights make for ZERO progress on the projector front. But thanks for stopping in anyway!

Surely you could turn it into "Father and Son" time at the wife's approval?

C'mon! We wanna see some progress!

***SNAP***.........whao, I thought it was done

Hoo been foolin' wit my ploD sub-title??? Three guesses and the first two don't count.

Watched 300 last night on the PJ. Been awhile. Will it EVER be finished? Have a good weekend all.

On a per-usage basis my movies cost me about $100.00.

Started watching the Planet Earth series recently since I spotted them at the library. Man these projectors are so cool.

I hope to put on a kitchen addition - think I've mentioned this before - and below it make a dedicated movie room.

Those of you who truly know me realized this will be yet another 10 year project.

Plus I've been toying with really digging into RoGR this winter.

Anyway, my latest plan is to get some pics of my laptop and projector together - something I've always wanted to do but haven't gotten around to yet.

Have a good weekend all.

Egads! I'm still not through the first Planet Earth DVD. Watching last night though I noticed a slight choppiness or jerkiness in the pan scenes. I can't believe my PC ain't fast enough to display smoothly. Hafta figger dat owt. Maybe use this HTPC for my RoGR and go SLI with the new one and get a Blu-ray player? Hey, a fella can dream . . . can't he?

Took forever for the 575 to fire despite ignitor trying over and over and over but it has always ultimately fired so far so I can't complain too much.

I've done a teensy bit of work fabricating the light blocking filters with the carbon air filter stuff.

Adjusted the gamma and color temp a bit to see if there's something I like best. Nothing to report though.

I've gotta get a shot of my laptop and the projector both showing the Flowered Hair Girl or sumpin' soon.

Just enjoying the projector as I am able. It's so nice. Gotta get my son to watch some stuff with me but he's in bed by 8PM and I usually don't find time to loaf until 10 or 11PM and by then it's usually bed time for me too.

Later . . .

you crack me up! nearly a month with a functioning projector and not even through the first disc you've started?! On the BD note, no need to go SLI for BD... just make sure you get a decent video chipset for the purpose (heck, even a sempron with the newer 780g integrated graphics mobos should do the trick for playing the BDs). I bought a combo (HD-DVD/BD) player a few months back on clearance (gotta love getting the planet earth collection on hd-dvd for $25). You have convinced me to get off my a** and build this thing... 1080p source? check. TrueHD audio? check. 7.1 surround for the garage? check. amp to drive 100lbs of speakers? check. 4x8 panel of do-able? check. projector? doh! I knew I was missing something! oh, and seats... right now it's criss-cross-applesauce on exercise mats

How is the calibration coming along? does simply dialing down the green (as AV has done for his HMI PJs) bring things together nicely, or do you really need gamma, etc. adjustments as well? shouldn't the default gamma for the LCD/controller be pretty close to what we need (~2.2)?

A gamma of around 2.2 does seem to please me most. Don't hold your breath waiting for me to do ANYTHING though because I am s....l....o....w!!!! Every time I turn the thing on I've totally forgotten everything done up to that point in time so it's like the movie Groundhog Day.

Okay, so I've had a minor issue with 575 start-up and this dual S51 configuration. The other night I waited and waited and waited and after umpteen ignitor attempts at starting the lamp I touched my secondary switch (the one which kicks in the second S51 ballast) and got a wonderful zap obviously of the high voltage variety. It's all well-shielded/insulated but a tickle still snuck through. Note it still does hang loose and is not in a proper control panel. I'm assuming that's pretty normal behavior 'cause the ignitor does just that - sends a high voltage pulse to the lamp - correct? And I'm pondering whether I should eliminate as much excess wiring as possible to reduce parasitic losses so that maybe my lamp will be easier to start. Any thoughts electronics gurus out there? AV in particular. Might it be my 575 is being stubborn due to too much of the start-up pulse being dissipated through my spaghetti wiring? It always ultimately starts but can take maddeningly long.

Well, last two burns the ole 575 fired up pretty much like a champ making me - once again - the chump.

At least I know enough to NOT grab the secondary switch during ignitor cycling now.

I decided twas time to check on me old pro reflector and . . . it looks like alligator skin. Can you say craquelure?

What's out there in the way of other reflectors anywho? Looks like it's time to either buy new or do some research and try to revive the memory banks.

What's up with people's pro reflectors? Maybe the one that I got was different somehow, but it's still good, and has seen many heat cycles... (Actually, as I recall, mine is one of the very first run, so maybe it IS different.)

Chinese QC just ain't up to snuff. I'm fairly certain mine went rather quickly since last glance at it maybe - say - 10 hours maximum of use ago it wasn't crackly looking - just kinda dull and "oxidized" a bit. I'll have a stab at a new one or two or three . . . or four . . . and try to keep track of how they hold up. Not sure if Brain will really know about batching or "lots" of these reflectors but I'll check with him in a year or two when the whole micRo/RoGR thing slows down. I do know it's a bitchin' reflector for the money!!! Gotta do some luxie measurements with old vs. new too of course. Check back right here in 3 years for results.

All the wires on the secondary side of the ballast will be charged with about 15,000V before lamp start up. I would keep any other wires at least an inch away.
That voltage will also be across the switch for the second ballast so perhaps a higher voltage switch may be needed. A all plastic one might be safer.

I have have yet to get hit with a start up pulse, must wake you up some..

Thanks AV.


We have a couple of these in the lab:

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I call them cattle prods. What hit me felt and sounded EXACTLY like what this baby does. Endless fun to rouse undergrad and grad students and post-docs during periods of intense focus or finals week drowsiness.

Last night my lamp fired IMMEDIATELY upon energizing. I guess it is just moody.

Upon better inspection of the switch what buzzed me I found there was some bare metal where the heat shrink had pulled back. I think I'll be just fine once I get this thing all properly buttoned up. It's not changed much since a year or two ago when I started to design my "control panel". I guess it'll be another few years until I get my RoGR up and running and then I'll make that panel. I've got wires just laying around and have to search for switches and indicator lights, etc. every time I run the projector.

Hi Durachko,

I had my Pro reflector running in my 400watt setup for about 8months and it still looked great to me, that was until I let it see the power of my new 575watt HMI for a short 3min test fire.
After that test the Pro reflector was peeling like a pasty indoor geek like myself would after a day at the beach.
It was a short test fire and I am not nearly as bright as the 575watt lamp, because as dim as I can be somtimes, I had no fans blowing on the reflector or the Lamp for that test fire.
So I was Just wondering how long you think a new Pro reflector (new one should be here today from LL) will last with active cooling in a 575watt HMI setup ?
Will I need to buy reflectors by the boat load ?

Durachko,
I, like you, have been blessed with a ton of help from Arizonavideo.
Instead of the dual s51 ballast setup, I went with the single 600watt s106 ballast with a lowwer cap replacment. I put a 60uf in place of its stock 64uf cap.
It fired up great for the first test burn, so I hope that trend last for a long time and will be comparing notes with you and your dual setup.

Thanks AZ and Durachko..Brighter Days ahead... LOL

I do not have an answer for you, but can attest that it is not necessarily entirely due to any lack of quality in the pro reflector or the lack of active cooling... the reflector in the dukane OHP with a 575w HMI I bought is bubbling as well. Does not give me much confidence that I can protect the pro reflector with reasonable cooling.

Thats the look I had.
It had a dull circle about the size of a quarter in its center but I had more crackle than you.
That is a dull spot I see in the middle of the reflector ?

I'd hate to have to redesign my light box but it just may come to that. I've no idea how long one may reasonably expect a "perfectly" applied dichroic coating to last but I'd wager it's way less than infinity.

When I finally pull mine I'll post a pic of the thing.

Hey Durachko,
The amazing thing about these 575watt HMI lamps is there so bright I don't even know if you need the coating in the center of the reflector for it to still work well.
It seems as long as you have some coating on the outside diameter of the reflector you'll still get a good image.
I believe AZvideo even put a black spot in the center of his reflector to even out brightness across the screen.

Yes, despite my less-than-pristine pro reflector I'm really getting to finally enjoy my projector as of late. I'm typing this after watching the first part of Disc 4 of Planet Earth. My corners are a bit funky. I really must do some tweaking. (Using the projector while typing this BTW.) I have a few 1080 HD WMV files on my disc I've been checking out and WOW are they sweet. Gotta get some HD stuff to view instead of plain old vanilla DVD's. Off to bed - gotta pick up the wife and son tomorrow. End of holiday bliss. But at least the basement has been fairly thoroughly cleaned and I finally got around to bringing in that pile of firewood from the field and replacing the wheel bearing in the Subaru. Where does the time go? Getting some "white crush" too. Really gotta fix that. <grumble, grumble> When will I ever find the time to work on RoGR?