I live to modify and improve electronics. Especially audio. Come up with original designes, etc.
I had a 32 inch RCA TV, I had picked from a lot. I took it apart and modified that. Had it for two years, and I thought I had it good. I did not want video. Music first, as it should be. Something that reaches the human side a little more clearly.. music. Television was delegated to being something along the lines of playing with yourself in public. Childhood problems and mental disorder, is the feeling I got everytime I turned it on. (I still do, I refuse to watch TV. Movies? that's a different thing)
I had never really touched video before, but I had (have) VAST experience with audio.
So, I ran into a friend, at my work place. For about the fifth time we spoke on the same subject. He had been bugging me for nearly a year on this. "come on over and see me about those projectors", he said. "If you don't take a look at them, they're going in the garbage, as the wife says they have to go, when we move".
So, I finally go to his place, but stop in at the bank machine, and get $400 out. You never know, I thought. I had thought all along, that they were ex-goverment 40" mitsubishi (cable input only)40" RPTV's that had sat in a government lobby for 10 years with the same thing displayed on them. I had visions of severe crap when I finally got to see them. Zero expectations.
I get there, and he has, sitting on it's side, beside his couch, where it has bee sitting on a stack of papers.. for almost a year!, a Electrohome ECP 3000 (which I had never heard of!) in MINT shape. I took a flashlight with me, in case it WAS a front projector, and checked the tubes for burns. Zero burn. I looked on the chassis and found fans. I looked for dirt in the fans, as to get an indication of useage. Zero dirt in the fans. Not the SLIGHTEST sign of dust. Very low hour count.
I began to get all shakey.. I knew it was worth quite a bit..(at the time, ECP 3000's still sold for at least $2k, easy), and I am a poor person. So, I told him, "you start". he said, "no, you start". this went back and forth, about 4 times, until, just as an insult..I blurted out "Fifty Bucks!". He says, "for $100, you can have them both!. I look around and. there is another. same shape.
I hurriedly give him the cash.. and we wrestle them into a Honda CRX (tight fit).
I get them home..and find a cable..stole it off of my brother's 21" RGBHV monitor, and they WORK FINE! I had the unt completrely stripped. and was inspecting it very, very closely..within a month or so.
I grinned like an idot for about 4-5 months.
Thus, my new, totally obsessive, EXTRA 'hobby' begins, on it's long....downward....spiral.
So now, everything is maxed out. Custom designed HTPC, Custom interface, Custom re-engineered Marquee 8000, Custom Screen designs, and on, and on. And it shows NO signs of stopping, or slowing down. It's only gonna get worse.
You see, before this, I would look at a video display, realize it wasn't film, and blink at it, and move on. Not film? Don't want it, not good enough.
Now, I am nearly there. I needed my own machines to work on.. and who is going to give someone they don't know, a brand new $30k PJ to strip apart? That's what I needed to get my hands on. Now I have them...and can bend them to my will.
Obsessive about quality? And perfection, and the cutting edge? About 6-9 months ago.. I had 19 different screen designs, and 14 CRT projectors in the house! What do you think?
Damn the torpedoes......
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goosystems.com
Ken Hotte
[email protected]
[email protected]
[This message has been edited by KBK (edited 08-13-2001).]
