CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[CIR Engineering]

So I wasn't sure where to post this, but figured people would see it here. I know there is a lot of interest in electronic masking and the other day I built a system for myself. The building of the project only took the better part of a day. I thought about the project for weeks, but the building went smoothly.

Here are photos of the screen open at 178 and closed at 235. There is also a linked video showing the screen masking motion in real time.





VIDEO Download
http://www.cir-engineering.com/bin/masking/masking.wmv

I got most of the parts from www.av-outlet.com Here is a parts list of what I got from them.

Somfy LT30 IR Round Head 1.25" 12VDC Roller Shade Motor.
Somfy LT30 - IR1 - Single Channel IR Remote Control (Required for programming stops).
Three Rollease RB360 Shade Brackets.
Two Rollease REP03 End Plug for 1.25" Tubes.
AVO 12VD100W - 12VDC 1A White Wall Plug Power Supply.
Rollease SAPE03-RIGHT Pin End Spring Assist - 1.25" - RIGHT.

From HomeDepot I got a couple 2x4's, some aluminum "U" channel, Velcro, pulleys, screws, Gorilla tape, drywall anchors, and other odds and ends.

I went to a metal shop near me and got 1.25" round tubes for the rollers and 0.5"x1" rectangular metal tubes for the masking bars. Please note: You CAN NOT use a ferrous tube for the motor tube. This motor uses magnets to know where it is, and to memorize the stops positions. If you use a steel tube, your motor will not work correctly at all. You must use an aluminum tube for the motor tube.

I went to a craft store and got some black fabric for the masking.

Here are more photos.

Top Right 178




Bottom Right 178


Top Right 235



Bottom Right 235



Top Left 235 (see wound up cables)


Bottom Left 235


Cable to Masking Bar


Stabilizer Pulley


I got many original ideas from this thread on AVS http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1219694.

Here is a quick explanation...

The motor goes inside the roller tube at the top right. The tension spring goes in the roller tube at the bottom right. The top and bottom round tubes are attached with the brackets and plastic bearings from av-outlet to a 2x4.

The fabric is taped to the round tubes with Gorilla tape. The fabric is wrapped twice around the masking bars and is again taped to the bars with Gorilla tape.

The top mask falls by gravity as it unwinds. The bottom mask is pulled up by coated metal cables attached to the bottom masking bar. The cables wind up around the top round tube. The cables are held to the top round tube with hose clamps and are held to the bottom mask bar by wire fasteners (available in the electronic section of HD).

The spring in the bottom right round tube pulls the mask back down when the mask is opened. The motor pulls the top mask up when the mask is opened.

The "U" channel holds the masking bars at the sides. I wrapped the ends of the masking bars with Velcro so there would be a smoother motion of the moving parts.

A 2x4 is anchored into the drywall about 2.5" from the boarder of the screen. These 2x4's hold the roller tubes and all hardware.

I would estimate that the entire project cost around $400.

Questions?

craigr

[dochlywd]

He ain't lyin', man!!! I've seen it in person and it works flawlessly. I was amazed at the increased perceived contrast with masking in place. It really does make a difference and appears to be a pretty simple project.

Great job!

Doc

[stefuel]

What are you using to control it?
I have started a project just like that (or close)
Mine uses rollers and cloth just like yours.
For motors and control I use two HiTec brand (HS-785HB) high torque multi-turn sail winch servos and a Pololu serial servo controller. I've programmed my Crestron system to send the correct code to the Popolu controller to make the servo's stop at the correct position. The speed at whitch the servos turn is also programmable.
One button push on my touch panel sends the screen to a pre-set aspect ratio and it stops exactly where it's supposed to every time.

[Mark_A_W]

[CZ Eddie]

Looks great!

How well do you think that setup would work for a constant-height screen?

[Mark_A_W]

[ecrabb]

Totally awesome, Craig. Beautiful. I so want to do masking... Subs and masking are my two high-priority projects. The subs are easy... The masking... Not so much. Gotta kinda tear my screen wall apart.

Anyway, big kudos - looks perfect... Pretty much exactly what I was going to do, too. I'm glad to see pics and hear how the design works. Thanks for posting!!!

SC

[CZ Eddie]

[Mark_A_W]

Well...constant height doesn't need a moving vertical mask. The height is constant.


You need moving side curtains.


Maybe you could use the same motor setup to drive the pull strings on standard curtains.



But mechanically, this is a totally different situation.

[CZ Eddie]

[Spanky Ham]

CZ,
I think Seymour screens has a link to a good DIY fabric.

[CIR Engineering]

[CIR Engineering]

[CIR Engineering]

[CIR Engineering]

[CIR Engineering]

[CIR Engineering]

This is the spring I used inside the bottom right roller tube.



This is what pulls the mask at the bottom down when I open up the screen to 178. It also keeps the fabric taught when I close the screen to 235.

craigr

[CIR Engineering]

[Spanky Ham]

http://www.syfabrics.com/View.aspx/Plush-Triple-Velvet/Black-Plush-Velvet/681/264

This is the stuff that Seymour recommends. I haven't kept up with this stuff, as I know there are other places to get good fabric. Chris is a good guy (like all people from Iowa ), so I am sure this is one of the best fabrics at a reasonable price.

[CIR Engineering]