I thought I'd share my manual lens slide. Most DIY slides I see on the forum use drawer slides. I didn't like this approach because it looked clunky and it didn't have support for the rail once it was fully expanded.

I found this cool product that was almost too perfect for lens slides. It's called a "slide pack" and is manufactured by THK. It's a simple rail and a block on ball bearings that slides across the rail. The block has four M5 threaded holes to make attaching the lens easy. The rail comes in assorted lengths. It is more than strong enough to hold a heavy lens... I think this is rated for 85 pounds. I got:

FBW50110XR+350L RAIL ($32) (the 350mm length is perfect for the UH380)

FBW50110XRUU BLOCK ($35)

http://www.tos-world.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10051&storeId=10001&categoryId=12209&langId=-1&topcategoryId=12201

Bascially, I mounted my UH380 bracket to the block using M5 screws and fender (wide) washers. The holes in the UH380 bracket and threaded holes on block don't line up perfectly. Two of the holes on the bracket lined up with the holes on the block. The other two holes lined up directly outside the bracket but are held in place with the fender washers.

Sorry I don't have more detailed pics but I decided to post after it was all installed and I am too lazy to take it all down and take more pics. But it should be self-explanatory.


http://www.hyunkimdesign.com/images/ht/lens slide 06.jpg

http://www.hyunkimdesign.com/images/ht/lens slide 01.jpg

http://www.hyunkimdesign.com/images/ht/lens slide 02.jpg

http://www.hyunkimdesign.com/images/ht/lens slide 03.jpg

http://www.hyunkimdesign.com/images/ht/lens slide 04.jpg

http://www.hyunkimdesign.com/images/ht/lens slide 05.jpg

Looks great!

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

Very nice clean look.
____
Axel

Don't mean to poo-poo your install but... That slide pack isn't designed for continous lateral loading. Spoke to THK about them myself a few years back. The heaviest duty one is only rated for 87 lbs of static load (vs dynamic/moving). Of course your lens does not weigh that much, but you don't have a very large margin of safety either. Probably be just fine, but I'd check it regularly.

Don't mean to poo-poo your install but... That slide pack isn't designed for continous lateral loading. Spoke to THK about them myself a few years back. The heaviest duty one is only rated for 87 lbs of static load (vs dynamic/moving). Of course your lens does not weigh that much, but you don't have a very large margin of safety either. Probably be just fine, but I'd check it regularly.

I actually bought two KV 1129 center under mount drawer slides, each 35lbs rated. That is on my short DIY list. These are just $4.67/each from Lowes.
I planned on using both of them side-by-side.
I felt that was "over-engineered" but that's ok.
These were designed to be used in horizontal position, not like the drawer slides I've seen others use.
http://www.knapeandvogt.com/1129_Light-Duty_Center_Undermount_Drawer_Slide.html?page=details.75
http://www.knapeandvogt.com/resources/prod/75/50/img_157.jpg
Honestly, with the duty cycle of usage being so low I can't believe any of us will really get into any failure mode for DIY home use.

GetGray, I can respect as commercial seller you have to warranty your items and therefore have good DFMEA/DV test plan and validate your product with certified test lab (or your own in-house method).

Thanks for the compliments folks. It can probably be prettied up a bit by making some sort of case for the rail itself but I was nearing the end of my HT build and am in a rush to finish.

Getgray,
The lens + bracket is 8 pounds so I think there is a little wiggle room with the slide being rated at 87lbs ;). I understand that dynamic load may be a bit different but given that I gently slide it with my hand occasionally versus some kind of motor "slamming" it back and forth, the 85lbs static rating is still sufficient. Besides, drawer slides that most people on this forum use probably have the same level of "risk" and I haven't heard of any lenses dropping on peoples heads... or maybe they just never lived to tell about it.

Now maybe if I were to go into some kind of commercial venture like yourself and manufacture and sell slides using this stuff, I may be a bit more stringent on my criteria, but for a DIYer, it works like a charm. I appreciate your feedback though and will keep an eye on it.

Yep. Again, I didn't mean to dog it. Looks like a clean install. I always prefer linear bearing type "rails" to drawer slides. And I had one of those rails so I know it's pretty stout. Just keep an eye on the truck.

Pocolocco;

If you want/have to remove your PJ, can you do it w/o taking your lens out?

Your mount looks like mine, chief with those 6 thumb screws for quick dis-mount.

The 16.7" under drawer slides I have stroke 12", just enough for my lens to clear my Sony VW60 PJ, but now I'm second thinking that is not req'd. i.e, shorter stroke/length, enough to slide out of light path, is all that's really req'd., and would look cleaner, less mechanical "stuff" up there.

comments?
(advice from GetGray)

The way my mount is setup, I'd have to remove the lens to dismount my pj. Not too big a deal as I just unscrew one of stoppers at one end and slide the lens off. I could always rotate the chief mount 180 degrees and then that way I could keep my lens on when dismounting/mounting the pj.

My rail has a stroke of 8.4" and it has some room to spare. All you need to do is clear the lens, not the entire projector. But the lens shouldn't block any exhaust/intake vents. Not sure how the VW60's vents are setup. I guess you could slide the lens away from the pj, instead of across it.

Pocoloco,

Thanks for posting that find. I'm planning on keeping my 42" plasma for tv viewing and my new screen I'm making for movies. The problem for me is that both occupy the same room and same space mostly.

I noticed on that some of those rail systems look pretty strong and was thinking of mounting them vertically and using it to support my plasma with an small extention arm.

Left a msg with that company as I'm looking at Linear Actuator GL15b or the RSR-W. I would mount this on the wall and use it to raise and lower my plasma from behind my enterainment unit.

Looks like a solid configuration. However, if abused, it may give up - This would apply to any design I suppose. Thanks for the post.

Cnd Joe,

No clue as to how viable those actuators are for moving a plasma up and down. I'd talk directly to the company. Cool idea though.