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Rockbridge Cinema (AKA Big Frank's Basement Theater) - Page 2

post #31 of 97
9/3/12 at 4:33pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr.Tim View Post

Well, no ductwork is immovable smile.gif True, the ducts in the front are a undertaking to move, but did you consider moving the duct in the rear?
Since this will be above your riser, head height will be important. You could get some elbows and move the duct adjacent to the steel beam, then just build a wider soffit there.
Tim

Very true! In fact that was the original plan. But the contractor had a great idea, since we are using clips and channel on the ceiling, he just replaced that cold air return's round duct with a 2" flat duct and it wont impact the height of the ceiling:


Not the best pic of it, but I think you get the idea.
That pic does show the mass of ducts at the front of the room.

The two windows in the room (which are going to be walled off) were also glass-blocked to avoid any issues once they will be inaccessible from the inside.
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post #32 of 97
9/3/12 at 5:13pm
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So here are some of the pics of the drywall going up...

A couple shots of the wife's craft area:



My workshop:


A view looking into the kids play area. To the left you can see the entrace to the theater foyer.


Shots of the theater foyer where the snack counter and equipment closet will be located.



Here is a close up of the equipment closet:


Note that the theater isnt drywalled yet. We are still trying to finalize where we are going to put the dead vents for air intake and return to the adjacent basement area.
Currently the room is insulated though -- and with the isolation as it stands and the insulation, its already pretty shocking how quiet the room is compared to the rest of the house.
Here you can see the theater with insulation up:

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post #33 of 97
9/3/12 at 5:20pm
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So this weekend I got a chance to finish running wires I needed to run and I put putty pads on the electrical boxes and wall sconce boxes in the theater.



This also brings me current for pretty much the first time since I started this thread!
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post #34 of 97
9/4/12 at 6:12am
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I want to do one air intake and one return to exchange air with the rest of the basement.
Is it possible to build a dead-vent intake into the 12" riser? I could then build the dead-vent return behind the screen wall and not give up any usable theater space. Otherwise I'm going to have to have a 2x2' phone booth in the back right corner of my room (I just don't have the ceiling height for sophets).
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post #35 of 97
9/4/12 at 6:53am
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My wife saw this fun mini-fridge this weekend at BJs. This might look awesome under the snack bar....
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post #36 of 97
9/8/12 at 7:11am
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I just got the Xantech IR distribution system for the theater.
I'm off to HD to pick up some 3-conductor wire....

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post #37 of 97
9/22/12 at 1:17pm
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So They started drywalling last week and got the main part of the basement done.
Here's the drywalling starting to progress in the home theater:

Front of the room:


Here's the back of the room with one layer of drywall.


They then started building the dead vent at the front of the room. this was quite a process...


Here it is most of the way done -- half of the flexible duct and the fan (a Fantech FX6GL) in place.

Edited by fcaico - 9/22/12 at 1:28pm
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post #38 of 97
9/22/12 at 1:23pm
Thread Starter 
Next they got the Second layer of drywall up in the theater, completed the vents and started finishing.
Here is how things look today:

The front of the room:


A close up of the dead vent all finished.


This shot shows the output of that fron dead vent


Here is the back of the room:


And the dead vent in the rear corner bringing air from the basement in.


We ran the fans and found them loud, but muffled quite well by the dead vents. They are still louder than I'd llike during a movie, but this shouldnt be a problem because they are currently running full speed. When we attach the fan speed control and run the fans in low speed, they should be quite quiet. They move a TON of air by the way!
Edited by fcaico - 9/22/12 at 1:30pm
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post #39 of 97
9/22/12 at 1:51pm
Nice update. Some great work going on there.
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post #40 of 97
9/22/12 at 2:00pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Ted, Couldn't have done it without you! I have to say that the way you (and John) worked with my contractor was wonderful. Especially when it came to tricky parts of the soundproofing like the front ceiling and the dead vents.

Its hard to say exactly how much the soundproofing will work yet (as they still have to install the entry door and the electrical panel doors) but I can already tell that the room significantly attenuates household sounds. Its quite peaceful to be in there right now :-)

Your estimation skills on the green glue were dead-nuts on by the way. The used all three pails!
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post #41 of 97
10/3/12 at 2:14pm
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It seems that no one is really reading this thread, but I'm going to try asking my question here anyways:

We are about to start the build of the riser, but I first need help with a question about rope lights:
I'd like to put rope lights under the risers for the step and top decking of my riser like so: (rope lights are blue)



I only want the lights in those spots, not visible from anywhere else if possible. I think it will spoil the effect. How can I do this?

The rope light I got is not cuttable, but that doesn't even matter: My steps are only 2' wide and I dont think there are rope lights out there that can be cut to lengths that short.
Supposedly Im not supposed to run rope lights in-wall (and I assume that also means in-riser) so I dont think I can just drill a hole in the riser and run the rope light from the bottom step to the top deck...

How can I do this so that it looks good?
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post #42 of 97
10/3/12 at 2:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by fcaico View Post

We are about to start the build of the riser, but I first need help with a question about rope lights:
I'd like to put rope lights under the risers for the step and top decking of my riser like so: (rope lights are blue)

I only want the lights in those spots, not visible from anywhere else if possible. I think it will spoil the effect. How can I do this?
The rope light I got is not cuttable, but that doesn't even matter: My steps are only 2' wide and I dont think there are rope lights out there that can be cut to lengths that short.
Supposedly Im not supposed to run rope lights in-wall (and I assume that also means in-riser) so I dont think I can just drill a hole in the riser and run the rope light from the bottom step to the top deck...
How can I do this so that it looks good?
Looking good so far. I am not a rope light expert by any stretch, but have you looked at LED lights? Those come in some pretty short legths at the big box stores, and can be cut to length. That may be an option for you.
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post #43 of 97
10/3/12 at 3:08pm
As GWCR said, look at LED strip lights. The strips can be cut every few inches so that you can get the right length for your steps. Then the different sections can be wired together. This way no lights are actually in the riser, just wires to connect the different strands. If you get RGB ones then they can change color which is pretty cool.
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post #44 of 97
10/3/12 at 9:03pm
Thread Starter 
Thats a good option, I'll look into it ASAP! Thanks!
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post #45 of 97
10/3/12 at 9:50pm
Because I seem to be posting this information quite often lately, here is a list of what you would need to purchase to do color changing LEDs controlled by a remote.

RGB LED strips (30/meter):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5M-30Leds-M-RGB-5050-Waterproof-SMD-LED-Lights-Flexible-Strip-/160688397549?pt=US_Car_Lighting&hash=item2569c65ced

I had to buy two strips for a total of 10 meters. They can be cut every few inches.

A remote and controller:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/44-Key-IR-Remote-Control-Controller-For-5050-RGB-LED-Light-Strip-two-outputs-/160774070507?pt=US_Lighting_Parts_and_Accessories&hash=item256ee1a0eb

I like this one since it has two outputs which can make installing multiple strands easier if you need to.

A power supply:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LCD-AC-Power-Supply-Adapter-DC-12-Volt-6-Amp-12V-6A-/280869637229?pt=Laptop_Adapters_Chargers&hash=item4165228c6d

Each 5 meter length requires 3 amps of current. Since I ended up using about 8 meters, I bought a 6 amp power supply like the one that I linked to.

It may help with your research.
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post #46 of 97
10/4/12 at 6:21am
aaustin,

This is a question I should really know the answer to by now, but sadly I'll have to ask. Can you control the LED's you've linked to with a Grafik Eye, or can they only be operated with the remote?
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post #47 of 97
10/4/12 at 6:54am
Hmmmmm.......

I'll be honest and say that I'm not 100% sure on the answer to that since I've never owned a Grafik Eye. I'd think that you'd be able to turn them on and off from a switched outlet to the setting that they were previously on. I assume that they'ed have to be at least a certain load though. I don't remember the minimum on a Grafik Eye. If I remember correctly, Andreasmerger had plans to do something like this, though I don't rember if it was with a Grafik Eye or not.

I do not believe there is anyway to change and control the color option without the included remote that comes with the controller. The controller has an ir receiver on it so the remote communicates directly with it.

You may be able to program a Harmony remote to takes its place though which could allow some scene control using Harmony macros. I personally haven't tried it.

I'm pretty sure the limitation has to do with the controller, not the lights. Perhaps there is a more advanced controller that can be used that would allow control directly by a Grafik Eye. That would be a question for Mario I think. I'm pretty sure he implemented his step lights in with his automation.
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post #48 of 97
10/4/12 at 6:58am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by aaustin View Post

Because I seem to be posting this information quite often lately, here is a list of what you would need to purchase to do color changing LEDs controlled by a remote

...

Thanks Aaustin! That looks like a great option without breaking the bank. So I would basically end up with 3 separate strands with the power wires being inside the riser? The transformer should probably not be buried in the riser though right?
Can they be dimmed at all? do you have to use the remote control or will a dimmer switch controlling the outlet the LEDs are plugged into do the trick (because thats what I was planning on with the rope light).

Thanks so much for the assistance.
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post #49 of 97
10/4/12 at 7:19am
Yes, you could use three separate strands connected together. You can solder the wire onto the end of the strands.

They can be dimmed, but only with the included remote, not with a standard wall dimmer. I think that you could turn them on and off using a switched outlet and recall the last setting as long as they don't default to a setting when the controller loses power (I can test this and get back to you tomorrow night since I'm not home now), but all of the other features need to be controlled by the remote. Honestly though, the remote is really convenient. It's small so you can almost forget about it, and unless you were going to use something like a Grafik Eye, being able to control everything from your seat is really nice.

The transformer shouldn't be buried. You could probably hide it behind the first row of seats though.
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post #50 of 97
10/4/12 at 7:58am
Thread Starter 
I'm thinking I might order this kit from Amazon... Does this look equivalent to all the stuff you linked above?
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post #51 of 97
10/4/12 at 8:05am
That kit looks fine. The only thing that you'd be missing out on is the ability to connect multiple strands with the two output controller. If you don't need that though then the kit should be perfect.
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post #52 of 97
10/4/12 at 10:35am
Thread Starter 
Since I want to control them as one unit, I wouldnt need the two strand controller would I?
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post #53 of 97
10/4/12 at 11:50am
Yes, you wouldn't need the two output controller if you only plan on using one strand. If you think that you might want to add another run later then it would make that easier, but if that doesn't apply to you then you wouldn't need it.
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post #54 of 97
10/4/12 at 5:38pm
Thread Starter 
So I just got the last of the components for the theater - the projector. A Panasonic AE-8000.

Here's some theater porn for you:

The Riser and Stage should be under construction next week. They painted the walls already - its a very dark blue from Behr called "Soulful Music".
Its really dark. with low/no lighting it should look completely black. The ceilings will be black and the carpet will be a dark color too. It should be a proper bat-cave when its all complete.
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post #55 of 97
10/7/12 at 7:10am
You shouldn't show pictures like that. Now I need to clean up the drool.
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post #56 of 97
10/7/12 at 9:57am
Thread Starter 
Lol.

Just think about how I feel! I have all that awesome equipment and I cant do anythng with it yet! I'm dying to try out the projector but I dont have a single free wall big enough (or white enough) to throw an image onto.
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post #57 of 97
10/7/12 at 11:47am
Two questions. Why Rockbridge? And why not get the new Oppo?
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post #58 of 97
10/7/12 at 3:50pm
Thread Starter 
Well,

!) Rockbridge is the street we live on
2) The new Oppo wasnt announced yet when I ordered my refurb, but I don't at all regret that: The new Oppo does not have any features I want/need and would have cost alot more money. The Old oppo isn't burdened with Cinavia protection which may or may not be imortant to me if I want to stream BD rips from my PC.
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post #59 of 97
10/7/12 at 3:52pm
Thread Starter 
I couldnt wait any longer, I set up the projector and threw an image up on my office wall. The walls have a slightly off white (almost a hint of yellow) color and the room isnt big enough to get a real big image (about 80" wide) but it was still pretty cool.
The Panasonic 8000 is pretty quiet and looks real good. I can't wait to see it on a real screen in my bat-cave of a theater!
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post #60 of 97
10/8/12 at 5:41am
Quote:
Originally Posted by fcaico View Post

Well,
!) Rockbridge is the street we live on
2) The new Oppo wasnt announced yet when I ordered my refurb, but I don't at all regret that: The new Oppo does not have any features I want/need and would have cost alot more money. The Old oppo isn't burdened with Cinavia protection which may or may not be imortant to me if I want to stream BD rips from my PC.

Totally makes sense on the Oppo. I asked the other question as the High School I went to was Rock Bridge, which is named after a state park / natural land mark in the area.
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