Spaceman Theater build - Page 35

Thanks, GWCR. After changing the dirty filter in the adjacent game room and switching to less restrictive filters, I have something I can live with. You can still hear the faint rumble of the air handler and some air moving through the filter, but mostly from the seat that is directly under the return. Not ideal, but I don't sit there so I'm not up to ripping apart the soffit. Add it to the list of "What I'd do differently next time".

Well, it was time to say goodbye to the temporary light switch dangling off the wall.

I had it temporarily hooked up to the side can lights about a month ago (as shown above) but it's been running the black lights in the ceiling ever since the stars went in. Hauling the work light in and out of the room when I needed light was getting old so I finally broke down and installed all of the Insteon gear.

My plan calls for a single 8-button keypad on the face of the column. It will sit flush with the face of the fabric panel that covers the column, just like all of the duplex receptacles found throughout the room. The keypad will communicate with 2 switches and 2 dimmers that will be hidden inside the column, behind the fabric panel. It will also communicate with an Insteon dimming outlet behind the screen to control the speaker accent lights.

First order of business was to add some framing inside the column to hold the electrical boxes. The single black box on top will hold the 8-button keypad. The 4 blue boxes below will hold 2 switches and 2 dimmers. All boxes are adjustable, but only the keypad box will be brought forward to sit flush with the face of the fabric panel.


Pulled all of the wires into the boxes


Got them all labeled


Installed the keypad, dimmers and switches-see 1st post of thread for links to specific models. The keypad unit by itself works as a dimmer directly controlling one of the lighting zones. In this case, the upper left button on the keypad (main on/off switch) controls the recessed lighting in the side soffits. The other buttons will be linked to the dimmers and switches below. From left to right, they control:
1. Black lights in coffers, to charge the star ceiling (switch)
2. Recessed lights over screen (dimmer)
3. Step lights (switch)
4. Recessed lights in rear soffit (dimmer)


I still need to link the keypad to each of the switches and dimmers, but everything is working. Taking photos with a 1000W halogen work light didn't always yield the best results, so I wanted to snap a few more with actual room lighting.

Soffit lights with black lights on (charging stars)


Soffit lights with black lights off (stars charged)


Misc. shots








The eyeball trim over the screen needs some adjustment, but you get the idea.




Speaker lights behind screen










There was an earlier request to show the space between rows as well as the space behind the back row. I'll try to take some measurements later to go along with the photos.


Front and back row fully reclined


Subwoofer behind back row

Once I build the mini-riser to go under the back row, I will be able to slide the entire back row 4" or 5" closer to the back wall, giving me a little more separation between rows. Until then, I have the back row pushed a little forward so the backs of the seats don't hit the subwoofer when fully reclined. This seems to be ok when "normal" folks are in the back row, but I'm 6'-5", so for now I can't fully recline without my feet hitting the heads of people who are fully reclined in the front row.
Edited by Spaceman - 1/7/13 at 11:07am

The 2 dimmers and 2 switches didn't have to be in adjustable boxes since they will sit pretty much where they are, behind the panel that will cover the column. They could have gone in a 4-gang box or two 2-gang boxes, but after reading about how hot the Insteon stuff gets, I got nervous and decided to put each unit in it's own box so everything can breathe a little easier. I also hate working with 12 ga wire and thought I might have trouble stuffing everything in. Perhaps that part would have been easier. I didn't really compare the two options from a wiring standpoint. I was more worried about the heat.

Since those 4 units will be hidden behind the fabric panel, I'm not really concerned about 4 individual face plates vs. a nicer 4-gang configuration. You'll only see the 8-button keypad once the column panel is up.

The velvet I ordered for my screen wall panels came folded up in a small box instead of on a nice roll. I know others have used the same velvet from SyFabrics and I was wondering how you removed the creases. I've read that ironing velvet can be tricky. Since I have 7 yards to deal with, I'm wondering if it would be best to bring it to a dry cleaner that can steam press it and give it back to me on a roll.

Thanks for the compliments, fellas. Going from a single halogen work light to multiple zones of lighting was as big a transformation as seeing drywall or carpet in the room for the first time. Minor tweaks in just one zone create a totally different mood in the room. I'm having fun playing with brightness levels, ramp rates and different scene combinations.

Thanks, David.

Yeah, I'm going to have to live with the lighting for a bit to see how many scenes I actually need. How many are you using and how are they configured?

Unless I upgrade to the Insteon software module, I'm limited to a 9 second max ramp rate. The HouseLinc software would give me ramp rates as long as 8 minutes.

I really like the 8 button keypad. I don't think I need all 8 buttons, but it gives me room for expansion. I'm a little disappointed the buttons on the brown and black keypads don't have backlighting like the white keypad. It's difficult to find the right button in the dark. Using the 6-button keypad will be a little easier since the main on/off buttons are larger than the other 4. Mine are all the same size so I need to feel around a bit. For $75, Smarthome should have figured out how to provide backlighting on the darker keys. The lighting is there. It's just the lettering on the key isn't transluscent, so no light shines through.

My wife got home from work and reminded me we had a little hand-held steamer. I've already steamed all 7 yards and have everything rolled up on my handy, dandy fabric dispenser. The online directions for steaming velvet worked fine.

1. Place towels down on flat surface. This will help cushion the velvet and prevent it from crushing.
2. Place fabric over towels, velvet side down.
3. Steam through the backing using very little pressure.

Hope to be wrapping screen wall panels in the morning.
Edited by Spaceman - 1/8/13 at 7:02am

All the keypads have the light behind the buttons, including the black keypad. The problem with the black and brown units is that the plastic is too dark to let the light shine through. There is a faint glow in the cracks between each button, so you can sort of stumble your way to find the button you want if you look closely, but it's certainly not ideal. I knew this going in so I guess I can't complain too much. It was more important for me to have a color-coordinated switch.

On the brown keypad, the text is recessed slightly on the face of each button and painted with a slightly lighter brown. No light comes through the text. The black is the same way. On your white keypad, does the entire button glow or is it opaque with light coming just through the text?

Will you be using the Insteon remote to control yours? I couldn't find a way to control their products with a universal remote. If there is way, let me know.

Well, I had planned on running to HD tomorrow to grab the last few sheets of plywood needed to build the remaining fabric frames. That was until a pesky little engine fire started under the hood of my Sequoia. I believe it was the Vehicle Skid Control/ABS computer, but I haven't been able to track down a diagram of the engine compartment to see exactly what was smoldering. The dash pretty much lit up like a Christmas tree (VSC light, ABS light, brake light) before the brake pedal decided to go all the way to the floor by itself while in traffic. The wife & kids were following behind me in our other car so I wasn't stranded for too long, but the kids got pretty upset when the fire dept showed up and had to get the hose out. Damage seems to be limited to a small corner of the engine compartment, but I'll know more in the daylight.

I think there might be a recall on the VSC computer, so maybe Toyota will foot the bill. The truck is 10 years old, so I think my warranty is up. If Toyota doesn't step up and I'm on my own, is there any chance my insurance will cover it (or some of it) since it involved a fire, or is this just a really expensive out-of-pocket repair bill? I'll know more tomorrow when the repair place calls me but I wanted to do some research tonight.
Edited by Spaceman - 1/9/13 at 8:39pm