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Author Topic: How to build a digital projection housing Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-28-2013 10:28 AM                        Looks like we will be getting digital this year. As we are keeping our 35mm there is no room in the booth for the digital projector. We will be mounting it and its accoutrements in the (unused) balcony. We will tear down our 16mm shack and rebuild a home for the digital projector. I've seen a few variations on this and have heard complaints. Has anyone designed such a structure and could give me some tips for doing it right? We will be going with one of the new "baby" digitals. And ultimately this will be a temporary installation, though it may be there for a few years. We will have to get cool air into it because the balcony gets over 90 degrees when the heat is on. What electric should I plan for? Porthole size? Other wiring considerations? Sound suppression (more for the venting, I imagine than the projector)? Accessibility for service. Anything else?  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 03-28-2013 11:02 AM                     In order of your questions: 1: 1 208/240 v single phase 20 amp circuit AND 1 120v circuit fed from the UPS you'd better be installing for the electronics (The first will vary depending on brand and size of projector, the above presumes a Christie CP2210 or similar) 2: I'd go 12x12 inches 3: Give yourself a 1.5-2" conduit for all the signal and video cabling 4: Sound supression: Sheetrock on the outside and 4" thick fibreglass or duct liner inside, and cover THAT with a single layer of sheetrock, properly taped and painted (black) to seal out the inevitable dust. 4B: Ventilation!! A generous supply of AIR-CONDITIONED supply air AND an exhaust of at least 400cfm for the ENCLOSURE, PLUS the exhaust for the projector. Also have a static intake so that there is positive or neutral pressure in the enclosure. 5: Make sure that all sides and top (if you make it short) can be removed for service. 6: Give us the specific make and model of projector.  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 03-28-2013 11:14 AM                     If your projector contains a modular lamp house (like my Barco DP2K-32B) you'll need to allow sufficient room to not only remove the panels, but to slide the lamp house (or whatever) in/out. Port hole size -- if it's too small, you'll end up having to put the lens right up to the glass. This causes problems if you ever have to remove the lens (to, say, replace a defective lens motor). It also decreases the odds that the port glass will get cleaned.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 03-28-2013 03:42 PM                     How small does this thing actually have to be? - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-28-2013 03:51 PM                        Tony: don't have the specific model yet (still raising funds). Leaning towards Barco DP2k-10Sx Carsten: It doesn't have to be small. It essentially can be as big or small as we want, depending on what makes the most sense as far as cooling and accessibility.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 03-28-2013 04:40 PM                     Then I guess I would build it on a classic 'pedestal' type of table, then build a removable 'hood' - if neccessary to be lifted up from it by wires or chains from the ceiling, if too large/heavy. It's much easier to do the installation and alignment and maintenance if you have free access from all sides. Plus, you can easily add more mass and absorbers to the hood if needed. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Manny Knowles "What are these things and WHY are they BLUE???" Posts: 4247 From: Bloomington, IN, USA Registered: Feb 2002 posted 03-28-2013 07:01 PM                     I'd argue in favor of a proper little room for it -- not just a hood. If you ever need to get up there to service it, you'll want to be air-conditioned too.  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 03-28-2013 09:43 PM                       I built such an enclosure/blimp for a Barco 23B. It went above the control room ceiling in the Planetarium in SF. It has a base on wheels the projector sits on. The front panel has a hole just the size of the lens opening with round foam insulation around the lens. No glass was needed. The rear panel(s) is split into two pieces with an 8 inch hole for the exhaust duct as we used the rear exhaust feature of this projector. We needed the clearance as the 75 Ft. dome directly above would block three of the 14 planetarium projectors. A sound proof box was also built for the Fan Tech fan and this hangs from cables attached from Sprinkler pipes behind the screen. The output of the box uses 25 feet of heavy duty black canvas ducting which acts as a sort of muffler and is run along behind the screen. Back to the enclosure; The front and back were already discussed. The cover is u shaped top and sides and drops over the front and back panels and attaches to the base and front/back panels with 1/4 28 hardware and Tee nuts. There is a small hinged glass door over the control panel on the right front side. The air intake has slots in the base where needed. A few guesses were made here but it worked out well. The cover and the front/back panels were lined with 2 inches of black furnace liner and the whole thing fits together pretty air tight so all the air comes in through the bottom, and exits under suction by the fan Tech box. The result was very good. There is zero machine noise left, only a little air noise coming in and going out. Quite soothing actually. The HD SDI and Ether cables are bundled and run along the length of a stainless steel cable secured to the building on one end and the projector base on the other. (The server is in another remote control room. This is to keep the projector from rolling off the little ceiling and into the audience during an earthquake or some ghastly accident. It was a fun project once finished. I did have the help of a very good cabinet maker. The box was made of braced hardwood, void-free plywood. Although furniture grade it needed to be painted black as the customer wanted it to disappear. Final detail, it had to be stored out of sight still plugged in and ready so it could be deployed in just five minutes. Hope my long explanation will suffice as I have no good pictures as everything is black on black except the screen above.  |  IP: Logged Martin McCaffery Film God Posts: 2481 From: Montgomery, AL Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-29-2013 08:38 AM                        Sam: Did you build the box first, or build it around the projector?  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-29-2013 09:15 AM                     Don't forget, any cover or blimp for the projector doesn't necessarily need to be in one piece. You could build a metal frame around the projector in the shape of a cuboid and have plywood pieces that attach to the frame with coffin locks. When it comes time to service the projector, just take a T-handle hex key, open the coffin locks and remove the sides. Properly designed, you could make one of the sides just the right size and shape so that you only have to remove one panel in order to change the lamp and filters.  |  IP: Logged Sam D. Chavez Film God Posts: 2153 From: Martinez, CA USA Registered: Aug 2003 posted 03-29-2013 09:35 AM                       The box was purpose built for the Barco model mentioned. Randy has the right idea. You could make it from metal but it's much harder to build a one of using metal and it transfers sound much more than wood.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-29-2013 10:23 AM                     Just a metal skeleton. Plywood panels lock onto the metal frame. We make stage boxes like that. We have maintenance weld pieces of angle iron to make the frame of the box in the size we need. Then we cut plywood to fit. Normally, we use metal screws to affix the sides to the frame but our sides are never meant to come off again. Only the lid comes off. Normally, we use heavy duty piano hinges and draw catches but, again, our boxes never need to come apart. Instead, make the skeleton out of heavier angle iron. Instead of draw catches, use coffin locks. Either put them on the back (inside) of the panels or mortise them into the wood. Basically, you're just making a five-sided box with a skeleton and removable panels.  |  IP: Logged Darryl Spicer Film God Posts: 3250 From: Lexington, KY, USA Registered: Dec 2000 posted 03-29-2013 02:02 PM                    Just remember on a Barco (depending on model) you have to have access to both sides of the projector for filter cleaning, coolant changing, light engine access. I would build it big enough to where you can clearly enter the area to have full access to the equipment for maintenance purposes.  |  IP: Logged

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