CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2015 10:51 pm Post subject:

Ooooo all green. Now THAT would be fun at Halloween Very Happy

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

Melifluonze · Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 1:48 pm Post subject:

About this surplus stuff...

The not "new", stacked up on pallets units all seem to have the latest versions and builds (2010+) of the board set, power supplies, etc. You can check that by looking at the lot pictures where you can see the build date on the front label. I've bought a few lots of the double stacked ones, and they are usually damaged (cosmetically, and more) by being mis-handled. I've had bad lenses, crushed plastic pieces, bent VIM connectors, etc. The top metal pieces are usually AFU, and the rear heatsink can be pushed into the projector (bending/crushing all the metal mechanical parts in the rear a little bit, but usually the electronics are fine). Usually not a very pretty picture at all. You can see pics in some of my threads.

The thing is... they work. Even when bashed, crushed, bent, mangled, mishandled, these projectors fire right up! We all have our favorite projector(s), but from what I have read on this board about Barcos, Sonys, etc., the 8500/9500 projectors are an amazingly robust tanks with a truly modular design in all ways. Basically a perfect compromise of performance, modularity/serviceability, and robustness, as compared to all of the others I've looked at/read about. There is no cheap crap in these projectors at all. You can have these things come in from being stored outside under a tarp or whatever for years, and turn them on after 20 years and they work. That's amazing.

So, what is good about the banged up stuff you can get on these surplus pallets?

- all new parts on all the boards (caps are good, latest firmware and features, latest designs, Ultra board sets, made in 2008 on). Some may argue that the latest firmware isn't as good as the older stuff, but that's probably debatable. Also, I've read conflicting reports on the newer designed neck boards, VIMs and stuff that say that maybe they're not as good or capable due to the new transistors/designs... Sure are a whole bunch of threads about them and what you can change and upgrade... and that's part of the cool factor!

- Sometimes you get new tubes, and the latest projectors will have LUGs in them (from what I've seen)

- You get the latest 6 pole magnets and new magnetics

- You get the latest stainless steel screws, new versions of the bellows, new C elements and clean chambers for rebuilds

- Everything in these projectors (with a few exceptions...) is nice and new and clean

An entire new board set, or 2008/2010 Ultra base chassis, latest revisions, if you will, with new HVPS/LVPS/FCM/CLM/HDM/VIM, etc, for a fairly reasonable price is actually tough to find (but Curt sells an 8510 with wasted tubes, with the Ultra boards, etc. in them for what... $600 now?). Add this stuff up separately (as historically listed in the Buy/Sell section) and buying a complete chassis like this to upgrade your old one is a bargoon...

HVPS - $100 - $150
LVPS - $20 - $50
Neck Boards for LUG/LCP - $100 - $200 for a set
Ultra HDM - 100+
Later CLM - $150+
A tube set of NEW LCPs, $1,200, or $550 each for the Green, and forget the blue
Re-capping these boards or doing any other kind of updating (not talking about MP Mods)... $$

Curt, Tom, and others are a good bargain because there's someone standing behind the parts/product, but if you're going to take a chance on surplus stuff, buying it directly is a good alternative to ebay. I've gotten new tubes in a few batches as well. Overall, I'd say it's a success story if you know what to expect, let things go if they exceed YOUR pricepoint and you can deal with a potential load of trash... I'd see ebay (unless it's Curt or someone you know) as someone selling the left-overs after culling their surplus purchase, or dumping their old boards/worn out stuff...

You get a couple of these chassis, and you take your good tubes (MP boards) and covers out of/off of your current projector, and put them into the "new" chassis. Bingo, you've got a late model Ultra! Can't be any easier, or cheaper, than that.

I think CRTs a dying/dead market though, so don't do it to re-sell... you need a reputation to pull anything out of it now, I think. I'm just a CRT nut, and digital projectors are, quite frankly, boring to me. My theater will ALWAYS be primarily CRT, until I just can't make them run anymore, or I'm out of time. The picture in my theater is "average" compared to many of you, and it is FAR BETTER than any theater I've been to lately. And I think I have enough parts/projectors now to keep my theater running. Very Happy

- M

Melifluonze · Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 1:56 pm Post subject:

By the way, the HUD units are weird little 8500 machines... AC tubes.

It looks like the center tube is the one that is burned. The other two tubes (in the one that I got at least) look virgin.

Since the green in the 8500 sets is the first to get fried, snagging an HUD unit for your 8500's could be a bargain too! Especially since the same 2008+ late vintage board set/power system is in this projector as well.

- M

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 1:58 pm Post subject:

Well, not to get into the same old digital vs CRT stuff again, but I can't help but comment how damn sharp the new 4K flatscreens are at Costco. For computer displays, CAD work, yeah, you can't beat it, but for movie/TV viewing? Man, those things look so artificial! My sentiment is with Mel above.. I'd rather watch a drifting Barco stack any day over a digital.

So back on topic, I didn't see the final price of all of those sets, but for me it was wayyy too much at this point. The fact that they were 2010 vintage though did make them tempting. I was on a jobsite all day on Tuesday, and totally forgot they were ending. I wasn't in the bidding competition. Smile

Melifluonze · Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 2:36 pm Post subject:

I got a few of the double stacks for between $200 - $400 each as well, but I did notice that it got close to impossible to buy them because someone else was starting to be ridiculous...

Shipping all 10 projectors from OK city to ROC NY is $1,225 total for pick-up, pack, and ship. That's less than I could possibly fly and drive them back for, by a long shot (not to mention my time).

I'm done now... I have more parts than I'll ever ever ever use... Now it's like bathing in a bath of gold coins... Instead, it's bathing in a bath of 9500LC parts... Hurts and feels good at the same time... Laughing

CIR Engineering · Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 3:48 pm Post subject:

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2015 5:46 pm Post subject:

So I just heard from another customer of mine who also grabbed 2. I think that pretty much accounts for the bulk of these sets that were sold, all into our community. Very Happy

gregstv · Joined: 27 Aug 2007 Posts: 628 Location: Australia

Melifluonze · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 1:14 pm Post subject:

I don't think they're P16's... I think they're the standard tubes installed in the 8500.

I'll see if I can take a look today. I've got one in the garage.

redfox001 · Joined: 16 Mar 2009 Posts: 2251 Location: The Netherlands

Kind of phosphor.

Melifluonze · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 3:55 pm Post subject:

No... I mean 180DMB22 tubes (original 8500 tubes) vs P16XXXXblahblah8somethingsomething tubes...

I think the P16 tubes are the 8" "simulation" tubes, or sharper tubes.

I don't believe the phosphor is different...

So, the point is, I think the green tubes in these HUD projectors are the 8" AC tubes from 8500's, or 180DMB22 tubes...

- M

koldby · Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2015 9:21 pm Post subject:

CasetheCorvetteman · Joined: 09 Nov 2008 Posts: 6319 Location: Australia

gregstv · Joined: 27 Aug 2007 Posts: 628 Location: Australia

paw · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1176 Location: Arvada, CO

HMMM!?!? I wonder if the batteries for the remote are still good? Mr. Green

Congrats!

ecrabb · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 4:30 am Post subject:

paw · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1176 Location: Arvada, CO

Melifluonze · Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:41 am Post subject:

Thanks Paw! Guess you noticed the shrink wrapped batteries! Look like Panasonics to me...

That little pack of batteries is clearly why I bought the projectors... Laughing

- M

mrbiggleswurth · Joined: 09 Apr 2015 Posts: 7

Got mine today, (2) 9500 LC Ultras. They are brand spanking new. One has 94 hours on it, the other has 21. The serial numbers are only 4 units apart. QC stickers have December 23, 2010; power supply covers say December 2010.

HD-10L lenses
Red, Green, and Blue tubes
All clear C-elements. :?

They are absolutely immaculate. They came in their factory boxes. Looking in through the lenses the castings are beautiful dark grey, the glycol is clear, zero bubbles. Being late gen, it's all stainless fasteners on the bellows. The QC tape seals on the top panels and VIMs have never been breached.

I'm into the pair for $3900, including shipping.

Do I suck?

:D