CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

[Rattanee]

So I am a certified nut at this point, but I went out to grab a HDfury, and ended up bringing home a Barco Graphics 808s with pretty much pristine tubes (barely visible discolouration on the blue tube only). Iris installed too. Unfortunately I saw how much sharper the tubes are in these then my NECs, and I had no choice... had to bargain for it

I remember seeing adapter plates for fitting HD-144/5 lenses onto these things for superior focus and colour filtering, but I can't seem to locate any more info other then they existed at one point. I'm pretty sure there is more to it then just machining a plate to fit between the HD-145 and the original mounting plate... I think I read that the lens needs to be closer to the tubes? Would anyone happen to have a drawing of these so I can have a set machined for myself?

Also, is the throw distance the same for the HD8 as for the HD145?

[gregstv]

I made my own plates. I will find the info for you. Lens to tube distance is the main focus adjustment. The back knob on the lens.
As long as the adjustment is the same range (tube to lens) as the NEC it will be fine.

[Rattanee]

Thanks, I'd really appreciate it! I love how well focused this beast can get compared to my NEC PG plains, but the colours are just meh with the HD8 lenses... need to fix that asap

[gregstv]

Check out the SEOS thread I started. These things come up pretty good. I have added some mods I have done there as well.
Check the screen shots, they are with HD8 rev B lens.

[Rattanee]

I did, I will definitely check just how effective your mods are Looks pretty straightforward and easy to do. Once I have the plates machined and all of the machine set up, I might give recapping the video chain a go as well... probably going to go all-out and see what the Elna Silmic 2s do to the video chain... should be good

Time for some stupid questions about barcos:
- Does a Barco eat up composite video for sync, or will I need a sync stripper just the same as for the NECs?
- What exactly is the convergence on green module? Does that mean that point/zone convergence correction is allowed on green too?
- How did you route the HDMI cables into the machine for the moome board? I like the idea of adding good HDMI inputs (though I would only use one and use a separate switcher seeing how it will be ceiling mounted), but to be honest the cable routing... well... that ain't very professional... and I refuse to drill holes into the casing (simply because for once I got a PJ that has been taken care of... no nicks or scratches on the casing at all. I only need a remote cover sometime in the future as it doesn't stay locked... )
- How good is the Iris system? By that I mean should I also go for using as minimal adjustments as possible (like with NECs) to prolong projector life, or can they handle it if the Iris uses extensive convergence adjustments?

[gregstv]

What tubes are in it?

[Rattanee]

I -think- they're sony tubes... certainly look like sony tubes... but barco stickers over the original labels so can't make'em out and I've not stripped the chassis apart to gain access and try to peel the stickers back...

[gjaky]

What you want to get rid first hand is the ABL circuit that makes the "candle light flickering" effect on those glorious 120MHz neckboards.

[Rattanee]

Won't that cause the raster to "breathe" with changes of brightness on screen?

I'm also having somewhat of an issue with ceiling mounting... it has the remains of the ceiling mount on the bottom, and no leg holes I can see... Guess I'll have to drill and thread some holes into the plates so I have somewhere to bolt my custom machined mounting bolts...

[gregstv]

[gjaky]

We live in the same country with Rattanee, and an other friend of mine once went to check out that projector which he bought now. After examination he called me if something is wrong with this pj because the brightness varies...

[Rattanee]

I didn't really notice varying brightness myself. When is this supposed to manifest?

[gjaky]

Mostly with dark scenes, the small light sources on the screen seem to glimmering.

[Rattanee]

I will check it out when I have it mounted in the afternoon... There are some things I want to check and try, but first and foremost I want it mounted fon the ceiling

[Rattanee]

Well I now see what you mean! When setting up raster position, brightness is raised by the machine. I could actually see the raster flickering lightly! I'm thinking it's not a 'feature' but a fault in the ABL circuitry... should it indeed be disabled? Wouldn't it just be because of a wonky cap somewhere in the ABL?

So now that I've seen the set inside-out properly, I have to say that I don't know why the NEC is commonly clasified as an 8" set despite even the manual saying it's 7". The tubes in the barco are obviously larger, and definitely sharper. I actually did some minor comparing to the NEC, and I have to say the 9PG does quite an admirable job despite the difference in tubes! When I finally get my hands on a set of binoculars that can focus short distances, I'll re-do CPC on the NEC as I know it can be sharper then it is right now. Still, the Barco definitely wins for focus, but the NEC outodes it in the colour department easily... Watched Terminator and Terminator 2 tonight, and the scenes where Sarah Connor dreams of the playground in T2 have simply stunning colours on the NEC...
The colour filtered HD145 lens set is a must for the Barco... only then will it beat the NEC imo.

I ended up not mounting the Barco yet, as the whole setup is so very different to the NEC... I spent three hours in the menus and still can't wrap my head around it all...

Also...does a manual for the IRIS 2 even exist?

[gregstv]

The adaptor plates are easy if you have access to a machine shop. I will need to remove one of mine and get the measurements for you. I should have a copy of the joust mod instructions somewhere. I just replicated what he did.
Added some pictures of the Joust plates.
The 2 screen shots are with HD8 REVB lens. 1080p@60.
The colour is better with the HD144 but you drop a little brightness. Also your through distance is different with the HD144 lens.

If you can get a set of P16 or PT18 tubes they are sharper.
I don't have the brightness fluctuation that you guys are talking about, but I have lots of mods and have just about recapped the whole projector.

[Rattanee]

Awsome! What I'd really need is how long the nylon spacers are for mounting the lenses to the plates, and how thick the plates are. The rest I can measure and have made.

Do you have a copy of the schematics you could share? Google turned up nothing and I only got the original Installation manual with the machine. I can easily see the flickering being a problem with the ABL (I've had similar problems with Wells-Gardner monitors) but without schematics there's not much to go on...

Does the fact that the HD145 lenses have a smaller diameter have any effect at all? I don't mind a slight loss in light output if I get better focus and better colours in exchange. My room is plenty dark even on a sunny day.

[gregstv]

I used 16mm spacers and 6mm alloy plate.

[gregstv]

I have the DXF file. PM me your email address if you need the file.
I cant attach it.

[gregstv]

SEOS 808s with HD144 lens.