CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

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

Wow that is pretty cool. Where did you find the info to build one? What was your cost per probe?

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

Hope you figure out the VEQ Problem Bob and glad the probe with my Calibration file is working well.

spank i got the info from the HCFR site. i never added up the total cost per probe. i ordered 6 PCB's. i made two and promised one for and AVS member. i still have to build the rest and get more cases. I also had to buy a chipe programer and to get the latest firmware V4 for the chip you need to then use a Mac to instal it as the programer wont work. but you cant load that version till you load the original with the programer . the programer was about 140. Most expensive thing beside the 6 PCB's. I figure maybe about 125-150 per probe with out labor costs? I'll have to break it down some day. What i want is for Spectracal to add it it to its list of probes. i love the new calman 4 and would love to have it compatible there. i want to send one to them but i think if more people ask for it they might listen . i will build one and send it to them with the drivers needed, it be awesome if they add it and I think maybe they might get a few people who have the probe to try calman. They can also build a profile for it against one of their super high end probes and it can be re calibrated by them if needed. another service income they could collect.

Athanasios

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

If I remember during Cedia, then I will talk to them about it. It might be good to get Tom to include it in his software.

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

Brian Hampton · Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 1173

I think I would love to get one of you probes.

I've been using HFCR for years and always thought of making the one of the probes but I'm not the best at fabricating stuff like that.

I was able to make a few gizmo's like a Lirc reciever and something else that I actually can't recall just now but you're way ahead of me if your ordering PCBs and such.

-Brian

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

Ok I have had a couple e-mails about the probes. I have 4 PCB's left one I promised to Newby217. And I think Justgreg might want one so I'll save one for you Greg.

I was asked if i could sell the PCB's and PIC chip with the software on it already. I could do that but the TAOS chips are all but almost impossible to get till they are made. there is a huge backorder on them. Mouser wont get theirs till December. I have enough chips for maybe 10 more probes. Id have to order another set of PCB's. That is the most expensive part besides the programer i had to buy. Also if you do not have a spectro probe to borrow to profile it against it not be worth it as tri stimulus probes drift over time. The nice thing about this probe is it can be calibrated against a spectro anytime with HCFR.

If there is enough interest i'll order more boards and see if i can find some more chips or just make the single chip version . That version needs a different program in the PIC chip so if you ever find another TAOS chip the probe wont work in its current configuration and the PIC chip would have to be reprogramed for the dual sensor layout.

So for now I will build the remaining probes. I have the cases for them on order. that is the hardest part to layout the holes. I need to make a jig.

When all the PCB's i have are built and the profiles created for each one i might order another 6 or 12 boards. I'll be short on the TAOS chips till December or till i find some .

I also want to save one probe to send to Spectracal and see if they can add it to CalMAN. I got no responce from them yet so I'll just send it to them. maybe others here can ask for it to be added?

Athanasios

Newby217 · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Santa Clarita, CA

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

Those charts look really good!!! I'd like you to try to see how each meter in the probe is to the other. In the meter set up you can choose
which sensor is reading.

Athanasios

Newby217 · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Santa Clarita, CA

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

Well, its difficult to answer easily and I also have trouble knowing what to use. For my Theater CRT Front PJ's I used 2.35 Gamma. I also leave Black Compensation off as I can get FFTB. But in doing so I do loose low end shadow detail and this is where the Lumagen Gamma adjustment comes into play. I can boost 10 IRE up a bit that is lowering gamma to about 2.2 there . I can also designate the gamma adjustment to other IRE's lower than 10 for a custom curve from 0-10 if I want to.

But i just boost 10 as I like to save the other points for the Greyscale RGB adjustments.

The best answer i can give is to play around with the different settings, yes it takes time but you learn in the process.

On the speed thing I do remember one sensor doe read faster. I found it equals the D2 speed. what you can do now is profile the D2 toy our HCFR probe if you want.

Athanasios

Newby217 · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Santa Clarita, CA

JustGreg · Joined: 07 Mar 2006 Posts: 3098 Location: Kenosha, WI

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

Nash,
If you got anymore available, then I would be willing to get one. I could pass it on when I am done. I am going to be in SoFL for two to three months, so I want to set up my digital. After that I am not sure what I am doing (well Cedia), but I will probably jump into Chromapure/Calman with either Chroma 5/ i1 Pro.

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

Ok Spank, I'll work on one as soon as I can. Putting together some LC chambers for a local 9500LC Job. But i should be able to squeeze in the Probe this weekend.

I should just order the other 6 PCB boards. If there is more interest after those 6 I'll keep making more as i get more requests, as long as I can get more RGB sensors. And at that point i might just send in the PCB board to the company I get the case from and they will customize the case for the Probe . Not sure how much but they say its cheap even for a one of design.

Athanasios

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

No hurry, as I am not heading down to SoFl for two weeks

Newby217 · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Santa Clarita, CA

Athanasios,

I ran another measurement last night but this was only to compare the two sensors on the probe. The individual sensors are much quicker taking measurments then with both sensors on.

I think one of the sensors is bad. I dont know which. The only adjustment I made was my color prior to the measurements, it was off by about 3 clicks. My tint was fine, didnt change it. The greyscale on the otherhand is different from last weeks calibration. I didnt think that on my TV the color affected the greyscale but I think it does. I really need to experiment on this.

Anyway, attached are the files for the individual sensors as well as the new file with both sensors on. Hope you can help me determine which sensor might be incorrect and which one I should be using.

RayJr · Joined: 30 May 2008 Posts: 28 Location: Palmdale, CA

I have to ask........how do you guys know that the sensors are correct?
Has anyone measured them to say a newly certified i1pro or a better meter (PR655 or CS200) ?
I am just asking....cause at one point when I started calibrating...I thought my i1d2 was correct..till I compared it to a CS200 and found that it was way off.

Just my $.02

RayJr

Newby217 · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Santa Clarita, CA

RayJr · Joined: 30 May 2008 Posts: 28 Location: Palmdale, CA

ok.....now you know that only works for the display that it was profiled to.

Newby217 · Joined: 30 Apr 2008 Posts: 26 Location: Santa Clarita, CA