[lovingdvd]

The Sharp 10000 is a fantastic projector with a stunning image. There is no perfect pj however and the 10k is no exception. IMO the only downside to the 10k is that its fan is a bit more on the louder side than I like. Still within the tolerable range, but a hush box would make it even more enjoyable to me. A few units also have a problem with a noisy secondary fan, for which a hush box should be a great deal of help.


I am starting this thread to pull together the ideas, thoughts, and plans of fellow AVSers so we can all share in the design of a hush box for the Sharp 10k. Consider it a community project.


The goal of the project is to produce a blueprint/design that others can follow to create their own hush box from a list of parts and dimensions that we put together here.


I have never built a hush box and don't know much about the subject just yet. Its not rocket science but I'm sure that the collective experience of others who have walked this path before can provide a lot of guidance on.


Preliminary design considerations seem to be the overall dimensions, material types, proper ventilation, and accessibility (for example you'd still want to get to the zoom and focus rings without having to take the hush box down.


Off the top of my head I'd like to see a design that could be built with no more than $500 in parts and be generic enough to fit into most people's applications (for example nothing too elaborate like running PVC exhaust pipes, etc).


So folks, who wants to get us started with some ideas on how to best design and build this thing? What dimensions do we use? What fans for intake? How do we keep the intake separate from the exhaust, what materials (MDF?), what pitfalls do we look out for, etc, etc. Let the ideas begin!

 

[paulgas]

here is my idea. www.whisperflow.com

 

[lovingdvd]

That would take all the fun out of it. Plus I want to build it specifically optimized for the Sharp 10k.


I'm going to start with some rough drawings. Let me know if anyone's game.

 

[traveler]

lovingdvd,
Here's my HT room including the hushbox. I know you said no PVC exhaust pipes, but I've got less than $200 into this box including the pipe. The box is roughly 10"high by 20" wide by 24" deep. The sides swing open to allow access to the projector. The entire box is covered with gray felt (inside and out).


Traveler

 

[Huey]

For $500 you won't beat the Whisperflow in aesthetics and design. Most people build their own to save money. If you're gonna spend $10K on a PJ, saving $500 to compromise looks, safety, and efficiency seems unusual.

 

[paulgas]

I agree with Huey. Dave CUSTOMIZES the box for YOUR pj. Mine arrives in a day. I willpost photos of the process.

Paul

 

[lovingdvd]

Thanks for the advise guys. I'm sure his hush boxes are great, but I like the idea of building my own. I think it will be a fun project.


If anyone wants to share ideas and tips/tricks here let me know. I hope to have some time this weekend to make a rough prototype. I'll share what I come up with here.

 

[paulgas]

I hear ya loving, for me since I have nine thumbs (I cut the other one off doing a home project) and I can make more money working the same number of hours it would take me building than it does tohave dave buils it Ima going going gone that way. My only point is that for anyone who doesn't "enjoy the challenge" as you do that there is a good off the shelf solution. Dave is increasing the number of custom options as fast as you can ask. If I value my time at my billing rate it is way cheaper to buy. Also I get to save all the money in ER bills and repair bills fromthe professional who would have had to come to my home to fix allthe damage to it I would have caused.

Paul

 

[Tom Bley]

"For $500 you won't beat the Whisperflow in aesthetics and design."


I never thought the aesthetics were that pleasing. To ultra modern looking for me. $500 is a lot of money and I'm sure I could design one with mdf and some fancy oak veneer to match my theater better. To each their own I guess.

 

[lovingdvd]

So far it looks like I'm the only one on this community project . Well I'll have fun with it and be sure to post.


My current plan is to use MDF for all sides except the front where I'll use fiberglass. And I plan to cut out a hole and have the lens stick through rather than using the special glass that is supposedly optical safe. I'll have to find a rubber gasket to put between the lens and the hole so it is sealed. I could use wood for the front too but that would affect the IR sensor.

 

[mark haflich]

I agree with Paul here and, no, I do not sell that line. But it looks like a very sane way to go. You need time to watch your your HT, work, live, etc. If an etc is building and posting about hush boxes is one of the things, then whatever floats your boat.


Now I do note that this thread and the fan noise thread are entitled OFFICIAL! What endows them with officialdom? I think it would be great to start two other threads and call them UNOFFICIAL At least you then would not have to get an authority (Alan?) to approve their UNOFFICIAL status. To label a thread as OFFICIAL with out the approval of the appropriate official would be an act of anarchy. Maybe all threads are official threads. Without criteria for making a thread OFFICIAL or at least have some official apply an ad hoc label, we will be in a morass.


For example, it might be more appropriate to put the OFFICIAL hush box thread under the forum for HT construction. Of course, one placed elsewhere would naturally have to be an UNOFFICIAL thread. Maybe we should start a poll. Where would you be most likely to post, in an OFFICIAL Thread, or in an UNOFFICIAL THREAD?


It is all too much for my feeble brain. I am gonna let Paul earn the big bucks and relax by building a hush box. Of course then I would need to buy something to hush. My FPJ CRT does have a mod to reduce fan noise (I paid the famous Ken at E-Tech to do it).


So move over Dr Paul, I guess I will have to earn some bucks as a way of relaxing because getting something to put into my yet to be built spare time hush box would be too expensive.

 

[John O'Neal]

lovingdvd,

The neatest projector housing I have ever

seen looks like an oversized-film reel. Here

is a link to the place I saw it:
http://www.howellandassociates.com/P...from=Portfolio

I think the design could be used for a hushbox without to

much problem. What do you think?

john

 

[infrabass]

Hiya Lovingdvd:


I am designing a hush box myself at the moment. I was very much surprised that someone else came up with the idea of eliminating the optical glass. I would suggest getting a McMaster-Carr book or look online. They have every kind of rubber that you can imagine. I am going to use neoprene 3/16" thick. The box itself will be MDF. I have to lower the projector so the box will not go all the way up to the ceiling, but will be suspended on a pipe mount. I can't use venting into the ceiling, so this leaves me with an interesting situation. I will have an inlet at the bottom of the enclosure going from the back to the front. This will feed the front of the machine. I can use some information here, as I haven't been able to locate the direction of the air flow front to back or back to front. Needless to say, whatever the case, the air flow will be fed to the front or the back and on top the air will be exhausted from the back to the front of the box. Now in order to make it extremely quiet, I am going to use 1" thick felt, baffled every 3 inches, top and bottom of the inlet and outlet. This will pretty much make the system silent. I would like to use the Enermax Ultra Cool Case Fan. It is considered to be the quietest of all 8 cm fans. Check Directron.com ( http://www.directron.com/uc001btc.html ) and that is the information on the fan and check the noise comparison under references. It will show all the fans, including some of the ones that other people are using that are actually quite noisy in comparison to this one. What I can do if you'd like is send you detailed information on construction and baffling. Also, the partition in the center that divides the front and the back of the machine is all 1" high-density felt. I can get you information on the manufacturer as well. If any of this sounds interesting, just let me know.

 

[ksoza]

Mark,


Where is this thread entitled "official"?

 

[traveler]

Lovingdvd,

One more thing to consider. If you plan on having any electrical outlets or other devices mounted inside the box I suggest that you make the bottom removable. I got my thermostat today. It installs over an electrical box inside the hush box. If the bottom of my hush box had not been removable I would have destroyed it and my own sanity trying to install the thermostat. As it was, I simply unscrewed the bottom and removed it, then I had easy access to work inside the box. It's true that you should only have to install such things once but you may have to repair or replace something in the future.


For those of you who have ten thumbs (or only nine, like Paul), I agree that you should purchase one yourself. If you like to see the projector, Dave's boxes look really cool. On the other hand, if you don't want the projector to be the center of attention and you actually enjoy making things with your hands, build your own. I spend my days running an IT organization and dealing with cranky customers. When I get home there are two things I like to do. Design things, creating them with my hands and sit in my HT and watch movies.


Tweechiezone (to each his own)


Traveler

 

[mark haflich]

Ksoza. You are correct. There is no OFFICIAL in this thread title. I got mixed up. There is an Official in the Z10000 calibration thread started by lovinghushbox, whoops lovingdvd. I am just poking a little fun, lovingdvd is a good friend of mine and I really have no objection with him putting Official in a thread title. And that's my unofficial for the record opinion, just please don't quote me.

 

[lovingdvd]

Quote:

Originally posted by mark haflich Now I do note that this thread and the fan noise thread are entitled OFFICIAL! What endows them with officialdom? I think it would be great to start two other threads and call them UNOFFICIAL

Yes Mark as you noted there is no "offical" in the title of this thread, nor is there one in the noise thread I started.


I did use "official" for the calibration thread, since, well, there are no other ones so hey why not have an official one


I don't plan to make my hush box too elaborate - at first it may be something rather basic just to get a feel for the difference it can make.

 

[Webwalker]

Paulgas....that has to be one of the ugliest things I've seen! Sure, it may stop the noise, however it's aesthetics are appalling.....unless you live in a futuristic, minimalist home, and even then, it's an ugly mother!

I'd rather cracnk up the movie sounds a little, than plonk my z10000 in a perspex museum case!

Just my 2 cents worth....

 

[paulgas]

Web

Dave has "improved" the look. I agree the web site does not show off his talents the best. My custom enclosure will be MATTE BLACK not clear so, as I mentioned in my post, I will post photos of the evolution of the process as I replace my current set up with the whisper version. According to Dave he can make the boxes in just about any finish you can imagine. The initial whisperflow 1 was a little "stark" in my opinion. His designs have evolved and will continue as the number and type of pj's increase. Do not judge until you talk to him and see the limitless possibilities that he offers. My guess is that with some input from the customer he can craft a look that you will find "pleasing". I have a dedicated room. I do not "look" at the pj. i look at the screen. My desire is to not "hear" the pj. Hence the enclosure. Now as an added bonus he is crafting the box with a matte black finish. he offered to match my existing dark ceiling color as well but thta was more involved than I needed. Given that I do not consider the pj itself hanging from its mount to be all that sexy, i do not consider that the shape will be a little larger and black to be a big loss. YMMV. Now if you are using a nondedicated room then looks may be more critical. I want reasonable look, maximum quiet, maximum ease of use, a proven design, a vendor that appears to have a very strong interest in the product design and my satisfaction. I could not as for more. Now as others haev done, I could design and either build or cause to have built some "other" enclosure. Given that I am fairly sure i will have a different pj in 2 years or so and Ihave no idea whatthe throw will be, size, noise etc this was maximum bang for buck. Enough of my rational. I will post photos as it goes up. Supposed to arrive fed ex today......

Paul

 

[Ingeborgdot]

I have tried many pjs out and of all the pjs the 10k was the quietest. Why would you need a hushbox. Mine is so quiet I don't even know it is there on even the quietest of movies. You must have something wrong with yours lovingdvd. I would get it fixed.