CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

**Curt Palme**

OK guys, I need something designed, or at least located.

Those here that have swapped tubes into a G90 LC housing know that there are TINY spacers that lift the face of the tube off the metal housing. Unlike Barco that has large plastic spacers in each corner. Sony has a teeeeny metal spacer, shaped sort of like a mushroom (without a rounded top) at the 12, 3, 6 and 9 oclock positions.

Craig has lost those spacers, and this morning one flicked off the silicone around it, and flew somewhere on the floor of my shop. I heard it, I can't find it. Mad

Without 5 spacers, the housing is completely useless.

Anyone want me to post a pix so you can source them? I know Craig and I would gladly pay for a bunch of them. Smile

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

i know the answer but want to ask you, Do you know what the MArquee uses as spacers?

Athanasios

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 7:44 pm Post subject:

THe 8" use a piece of plastic trim around the tube, but I don't think the 9" tubes use anything. It's been a couple of years since re and re-ing a Marquee housing.

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

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 7:57 pm Post subject:

I seriously don't think it's worth making them. We have a local place called Pacific Fasteners here that seem to get their hands on almost anything. I'm wondering if a tiny washer placed between the tube and the housing would suffice? My guess is that the spacer is used to give the tube a bit of 'flex' as it heats and cools down.

You'd think that the silicone itself would have enough 'give' to compensate for that, as the tube doesn't really rest completely on the metal, but I don't want to risk $1000 new tubes to find out...

MikeEby · Joined: 24 Jun 2007 Posts: 5237 Location: Osceola, Indiana

Can it be all plastic? I have access to a 3D printer.

Mike

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

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 8:04 pm Post subject:

Right, that makes sense...

Still, you'd think a washer in each corner made of stainless steel so it won't corrode with the glycol would work? Or, washers where the little spacers are now?

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

zaphod · Joined: 16 Jun 2006 Posts: 2002 Location: Cloverdale

in the hardware section of home depot they have a few rotating storage racks wtih lots and lots of small drawers with even smaller bits in them. some of those small bits are very VERY thin washers.

jeffslife · Joined: 17 Apr 2010 Posts: 4190 Location: ohio usa

If its made of metal, I can make it. Its just a matter of cost. If its a part than can be modified from another part that would generally lessen the cost. I can make a washer one thousandth of an inch. ( .001) thick, no problem.

CIR Engineering · Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:12 am Post subject:

Curt, I'm sorry I shorted you a spaced a few weeks back... but that check that you put in the mail still isn't here... Wink

Seriously though, if you need a couple spacers just let me know. I realized I have a lot of them, and a lot of G90 housings that I really don't need.

I'll mail you a few spacers if you need them.

craigr

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:30 am Post subject:

No, no worries Craig, I managed to lose two of the damn things here today as well. One popped out of the new silicone as I was laying down the silicone. Also, I can't find the three that were in the housing you sent back, I'll bet I threw them out... Sad

Check is here, in the mail on Monday as soon as I head back down to Wa. state. Didn't go down this week at all.

CIR Engineering · Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 3:09 am Post subject:

Well, I'm glad I didn't go ahead and put a fourth spacer in the box for you than Smile

The three I sent back to you were in an orage prescription bottle.

BTW that was the first G90 spacer I ever lost!

When you apply the new silicone, I find the best thing to do is to use a flat cutoff on the silicone tube and to press the silicone straight down as you apply. If you use a traditional pulling motion as you apply the silicone it often pulls the spacers out.

craigr

hal · Joined: 28 Nov 2012 Posts: 100

Curt, a suggestion. Go to your local Canadian tire or NAPA and look at a feeler gauge set. They range from .001" upwards. You can also order replacement feeler blades. My point is they are usually made out of high grade steel or stainless. You can cut the blades with sharp scissors.

Ile · Posted: Tue Jan 29, 2013 8:59 am Post subject:

I have used about 2 mm x 2 mm peaces cutted from about 1 mm plastic sheet and I glue those to tubes corners before glueing tube to hardware.

Thinner shims makes it hard to cut hardware out, like Marquee.

One purpose for those shims is getting even Sheimpflug for tubes, more important in LC tubes without adjustment.
For example Barco used different thickness for bottom and top in 1200/1209 tubes to get 10.5 degree projection angle compensated. I took this even further and calculated needed thickness to each corner to take care of also horizontal Sheimpflug adjustment in red and blue.

digitalayon · Joined: 02 Mar 2009 Posts: 921

**Curt Palme** · Posted: Fri Mar 01, 2013 8:51 pm Post subject:

So, I found the solution. For me at least.

LAPTOP SCREWS!

Was looking for something suitable on the bench for spacers, and it turns out that 4mm laptop screws give virtually the same spacing. The flat Philips head tops seat the tube perfectly, and the width of said screws drop right into the hole in the housing.