Fellow DIYers,

It's about time I added some adjustability to my current PJ. I've seen a lot of good designs in everyone's PLOGs. What I hope to do is gather some of the most adjustable designs here and build on them.

My first task is to add full adjustability to the bulb mount. I love the simplicity of FLY CRJ's #2 PJ bulb mount.

Courtesy FLY CRJ #2 PJ PLOG

But it seems to lack front to back adjustability. I've been running it over through my head and am having trouble coming up with a similar design that has up/down, left/right, and front/back movement.

Any thoughts?

forward and backwards is more important then up down. if you can measure you dont need up down at all.

One may be more important than the other, but I hold in my hands the SD4000 and the T15. The arcs are NOT centered equally in ANY direction--even up/down. Yes, the range of motion for up/down doesn't need to be huge, but it should be slightly adjustable. Besides, the conflict I envision is when you try to add forward/backward and left/right adjustability. The up/down is where the actual base is mounted, which seems to have no relation to the others.

EDIT: I think I may have just come up with a relatively simple, completely adjustable bulb mount. We'll have to see if I can carry through on the creation of it, though.

heres how I do it in mine. these are keyhole slots routed in the sides, they do not go all the way thru and allow for lots of adjustability forward and back.

I came up with the idea of using velcro as a adjustbale mechanism for the bulb. I have not tried it yet. I may have to build a light box for the bulb so it wont melt the velcro. Build a light box, slap some velcro to the sides of it, then attach the other end of the velcro to the insides of my enclosure and there you have it ladies and gentlemen, Adjustability!

All you would have to do with this design is put the mogul on a piece of similar track , the same as the track that moves up and down. Then have the front/back track mounted on the up/down track. It would look like a cross, or the letter t . Then the track with the mogul base could move up/down AND you could move the mogul base forwards/backwards on it's track.

Then do the same for the reflector. You would have infinite adjustability.

my setup is almost identical to tescorps, just a little more elegent, with one wingnut on the outside of the box. same routed channel though.

jonjandran's onto my design.

After I get the necessary bolts and wingnuts at the store tomorrow, I'll post some pics.

Adjustability is limited with this setup, Click to view attachment
It only allows you to move the bulb up or down, or forwards and backwards. You would have to get the bulb lined up on either the x or y axis exactly. Anyone know of any other solutions? Diff mechanisms no how to adjust both.

I don't think you're understanding it correctly. Imagine you're looking straight down at the assembly, and the vertical plane is on one side pointing straight up at you. The bolt isn't stationary; it slides along the forward/back track, and the left/right track slides with it. A wing nut will tighten the tracks together at the point you want them.

Just wait until tomorrow when I get mine bolted in. If all goes according to plan, it'll be a really simple and effective way to complete bulb adjustability.

P.S. The bolt doesn't go down into the box. It points up through both tracks, with the wingnut on top. I'll have to route out room for the bolt head to travel below the forward/back track.

for tescorp

i dont know how to attach image in PM

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scrap box


Thats my adjustment pretty much in a nutshell, its very handy. I have the exact same thing for the reflecter on the other side. If you cant figure out how its made ill take better photos sometime later. I dont have a PLOG, and probably never will. 17" projecter poplar build. Curvy shape

Grrr...

The new bulb's arc is closer to the tip. With the mogul base resting on one side of the box, the arc is just centered. So I'll need to route out a large area of one side of my box. The problem is I don't know how to do that, and I only have a drill, dremel, and hand saw.

Any ideas for routing a large area out of MDF?

I'd like to see one mounted vertically, I just wonder would this be better since we notch our reflectors to fit the Ushios then the reflector would be reflecting light the length of the panel since it is longer. Wondering.
sim

I believe dremel makes an attachment to use it as a router. although the dremel is a great tool a plunge router or a trim router would do a better job as they are more heavy duty than a dremel.

Good news. Routing out the side wasn't necessary. With the left/right track all the way to the right, the new bulb arc is perfectly centered.

I wasn't able to use wing nuts for the mogul because of the limited space back there (pic 1). Also, I had to route out a track for the main bolt head to travel inside (pic 2). Here are some pics of my fully adjustable bulb mount.

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Not bad for using only a handsaw and a drill.

ive done much worse lol

Reflector mount complete!

This one is also adjustable with a wing nut. It only allows for forward/back movement, as the reflector should always be centered horizontally and vertically.

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No, it's not the prettiest, but I did what I could... and it's darn functional! Hope you guys like it!

does the reflecter actually help

mine does nothing at all

It changes things a little. In my experiences, it does make it a tad brighter, but it seems to make the light more concentrated in the center. Hopefully I'll be able to find the sweet spot now that it's moveable.

Also, I cut further into the reflector track and added spacers to the bolt so that the reflector can move as far forward as the bulb. I've literally got like 5" of leeway. Hehe.

Lol, I've had the cross slot lamp mount from the get go.

back

Nice work for a hand saw and a drill! have you made any tests with the new setup? any screen shots?

I'm not sure if you were talking to me but if you were.

I did have a circular saw but no table saw. Building my projector was a nightmare without one!

Made those slots with a drill and a jigsaw. Very easy.

And if you were talking to me, I've still got some more work to do before trying it out. Still to come: front fresnel rack (like so many before me), sandwiched heat shield and rear fres, some touch up paint, and all of the wiring that I ripped out.

lol. Next time say who your talking to before the whole forum answers.

That was one of the reasons I made the Lightgate like I did. Its adjustable inside up/down side/side and then the entire gate can move for the forwards and backwards motion. Keeps the bulb in synch with the reflector without having to constantly readjust.

Front fresnel rack done. Whoever came up with this first was using his head.

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Question regarding shielding:
Would it be all right to use wood spacers to raise the shielding off of the MDF? I don't want to use metal spacers because the heat could easily transfer through, and plastic spacers might not stand up to the heat.

Also, the wood spacers I'm making up are 1/4" thick. Would that be enough space between the shielding and the box?