CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

I'm kind of in the middle.

My PJ needs work and I know how to make it better. I'll do that when I refurb it, and believe me, it DOES need it. I have slow glycol
leaks in both the blue and the green tubes and cloudy glycol in there as well. It's gotten to the point that halos are visible around every
bright object on the screen if the background is dark enough, and the edges are turning green when they should be white or blue.

Once it's done and set up again, I'll get back into my usual mode which is to turn it on, let it warm up, check the convergence to be
sure it hasn't drifted (and on this machine, it doesn't) and then simply watch movies straight through.

I'm not the sort who'd rather look at test patterns. That's important to getting everything into top shape so movies look their best,
and watching movies is the whole point of the exercise.

I also simply love the process of developing some new improvement, testing it, and finding out that it really works. I see virtue in the
process of discovery and experimentation. I enjoy it a great deal, almost as much as I enjoy watching a good movie.

BTW, this particular thread is all about performance modifications. If that's not what you're into, then I respectfully suggest that maybe
this isn't a thread you should be participating in.

If you just want to watch a movie and don't care for the technical side of it, digitals are the way to go. But I like to tweak and tune and
get better performance out of anything I lay my hands on. It's due to my fundamentally exploratory and technical nature.

I will always be found unscrewing the inscrutable. Very Happy

CJ

Sparky015 · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 12:50 pm Post subject:

Well said, CJ! Thumbs Up

I don't look at test patterns all day, and when I said my pj has been down for a year, I didn't mention that my theatre is still under construction and other house projects have taken presedence, so I haven't been working on the pj a year straight, it's when I have time, because frankly, I do have time until it's time to put it up on the ceiling!

At the end of the day, movies are what brought me to this hobby, so soon that's all I will be doing, not modding my pj. I just want to while it's in my shop and everything is accessible. Why wouldn't anyone? I've seen more high-end parts for sale lately at cheap prices, then I ever have.

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

Sparky015 · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 1:24 pm Post subject:

Mac,
I'm an EE. I'm not doing anything that I haven't analyzed first. Any noise mods I've done, I've done with a scope and calculations. I have not blindly taken others values and used them for my own. You really should know your subject before making acusations.

Quite frankly, this thread is for those trying to improve thier focus. If you don't agree, don't post in this thread.

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

Sparky015 · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 1:54 pm Post subject:

Mac, I have chosen not to post my personal mods. When it comes to noise, I think every chassis is different (I saw a difference between my current pj and my previous Marquee 8000 as a data point), so I don't believe in posting values and instructions. I have other reasons as well, including getting into these types of arguements! It's not why I come to this forum. I understand Mac, this is your territory. Rolling Eyes

You can choose to disagree. I see a marked improvement with the Barco 909 focus coils with my new LPB tubes.

Can we get away from personal attacks on me and back to focus now?

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

Anyway, I don't HAVE to have the best picture in order to enjoy watching a movie.

Last night I watched the new Blu-Ray edition of Monsters Inc. Even though the screen's getting green around the edges and I couldn't
get my Moome DVI input card to sync up at 1080p and had to settle for 1080i, and even though the geometry's a bit off, I still
enjoyed it. Still a good picture.

My first PJ was a Sony VPH-722Q1 that I got for all of 50 dollars. I ran it on the same screen I'm using now, at a screen width of 8 feet.
It's an all analog chassis and only does NTSC, not even accepting a line doubler. I enjoyed that.

Then I got a Marquee 8000...and of course that was an improvement. Then I got another late model 8000 and totally converted it
over to a 9500LC. At that time I'd already done the Frankenyoke I experiments and had great success with them. Incidentally,
I do have at least one set of yokes which are suitable for that application, available for anyone who lacks electronic astig but would
like a sharper picture.

After all these mods, including Mike Parker second generation neck and 03P VIM mods, I think you could say I have a pretty good machine.

But if all that exploded today and all I had left was to re-hang that Sony VPH-722 tomorrow or have no HT, I'd set up the Sony
and enjoy watching some movies. It really did have a nice picture and it had enough vertical size adjustment range that I could
switch between 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios in a few seconds.

I like a better picture but it's not critical to me. What is important to me is that whatever I have running at the moment is at least
reasonably well set up. Convergence in particular is not something I'll let slide. A general bow in the picture or geometry that's
a little off, I can ignore. But I can't ignore bad convergence. I'll stop the movie and readjust that!

Making things better is fun...but I don't have to do it in order to enjoy the movie.

CJ

macgyver655 · Joined: 22 Aug 2007 Posts: 8508

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 4:13 pm Post subject:

Hi my name's Jeremy and I watch an Ampro 4000 without perfect settings. Smile

EDIT: except the convergence. That I will tweak Laughing

Sparky015 · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 5:10 pm Post subject:

Well said CJ, and I agree with you Mac. I'm not a tweeker. Tweeking only is too much like my day job. I love movies, which is what got me to this forum and to a CRT pj. I'm just enjoying converting a stock 8500 to a nice high-end 9500LC while I work on the house and my theatre is not finished. I'm also taking advantage on some nice parts being available that haven't been in the past, because once the pj goes up on the ceiling, it will probably be there for many years, hopefully until the tubes are shot and it's time to update or change technologies.

I think we are all in agreement. I'm probably not wording my posts correctly, or leaving out key detail, which is why I feel like I'm being mis-interpreted. The downside to a forum I guess!

Sparky015 · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 5:24 pm Post subject:

Now with all of that said, the reason I am in this thread and working on 909 focus coils in a Marquee is because I put nice LPB tubes in my machine. In order to take full advantage of their resolution capabilities, you need more than stock Marquee focus. I've been wanting to do a frankenyoke/Barcenstein yoke for some time, but haven't been able to get focus yokes until now.

My machine conversion is now done, and now just needs a good setup. Once my theatre is done, that will happen and I will be enjoying movies.

Nashou66 · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 16171 Location: West Seneca NY

Ditto, I watched Push last night on my unmodded marquee's and not so perfect Blend. Loved the movie and always enjoy it when i do watch them. Right now i watch about two movies a week.

I just got into the whole electronic refurbishing thing due to this site and Mostly MP and others here. Because of the way i learned from others here and doing lots of research myself it made me realize i love learning as many technical things possible about everything. Mac ,MP, Boilernmaker, and especially TSE have made that learning experience more interesting and attainable. I feel now there is nothing I can not learn and do, just don't be afraid to make mistakes and realize there is always some one here who will help you out, even if they have to Razz you a bit before they do Wink

Athanasios

stefuel · Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 6:13 pm Post subject:

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

Just remember, there are no perfect Frankenyokes unless they have been optimized for coil value and magnetic field strength. Only then will they give optimal focus at or near a focus value of 50. And only if they give optimal focus in this range will they give the tightest
possible beam spot profile and maintain it at highest contrast levels.

I'm working on getting my magcharger done and I have a coil winder coming and will be able to deploy optimized Frankenyokes in
the very near future.

When that time comes, and I'm ready, I will ask for a FEW volunteers to get their focus yokes optimized FOR FREE. You simply test
them and report back on their performance.

The first person who submits one set of each known type of K-D yokes will get the free evaluation and upgrade for that type, and
the work will be documented for the project. (You only need to submit one set...say type 2211. Someone else can submit 22-22s,
and someone else, 2302s, and someone else, G90s, etc.)

But not yet...you've got to wait until I'm ready. I'll start a new topic for that purpose at that time.

CJ