Projectors for Golf Simulators 101

[Maverick]

Im planning on seting up part of my barn with the protee system (10x14 screen). I have plenty of room but because it doubles as a half court basketball area my actual enclosure can only be 16w x 15 d. And I will probably have the last 16w x 5d be removable. Which means ill need a short throw. Ive been looking at the optoma gt1080 and the throw is 6-7 ft which means it will be in between the putting sensor and base sensor and near the placement of an h-cam. Is this acceptable and would this setup affect accuracy? I realize ill prob need to build a housing to protect the projector.

There should be some adjustments in the zoom. You might be able to mount it between the H-cam and the main sensor light. Check the specs.

[drewpac]

There's no manual zoom but I could adjust how far away from the screen I am hitting from. I wanted to make sure the the projector light crossing so closely to the overhead lights wouldn't affect the picture on the screen or affect the putting sensor's/h-cam's ability to pick up the ball.

[Maverick]

it won't. you'll be fine.

[DougieMn]

Wow, just starting thinking of a projector for my build and after reading posts realize my head is spinning. So many numbers and measurements, so little grey matter for this subject. Great source if information on this site for my build and can't wait for it to be done but am being somewhat methodical so as to not make any huge purchasing mistakes.

Building size is 18x24 with cathedral ceiling. Where do I begin?

[Maverick]

Have you read thru this whole thread? Then tell us what you want to do and what simulator you're going to use.

[DougieMn]

Actually did read through the whole thread and realized there is more to a projector than meets the eye. I have the SkyTrak in possession but if it turns out to be a flop I'll jump to either the FS or GC2.

Using the system in conjunction with taking videos and lessons from a coach, primarily as a home driving range. Looking forward to a Sim when it becomes an option for the SkyTrak but is not THE primary use......YET, lol.

The wall where I will be hitting into it 18' wide(24' deep) and building has a catherdral ceiling. Space doesn't seem to be an issue. I would like a hitting screen that is top notch as far as video quality, ie not swinging around violently after ball hits it, would be great to be able to use for TV viewing as well in the future. Not sure what would be the best way to mount it. I will have to come up with some sort of ingenious way of mounting projector above with the catherdral ceiling. I don't want shadows to be an issue as well. Did I cover all the necessaries?

[mthunt]

Actually did read through the whole thread and realized there is more to a projector than meets the eye. I have the SkyTrak in possession but if it turns out to be a flop I'll jump to either the FS or GC2.

Using the system in conjunction with taking videos and lessons from a coach, primarily as a home driving range. Looking forward to a Sim when it becomes an option for the SkyTrak but is not THE primary use......YET, lol.

The wall where I will be hitting into it 18' wide(24' deep) and building has a catherdral ceiling. Space doesn't seem to be an issue. I would like a hitting screen that is top notch as far as video quality, ie not swinging around violently after ball hits it, would be great to be able to use for TV viewing as well in the future. Not sure what would be the best way to mount it. I will have to come up with some sort of ingenious way of mounting projector above with the catherdral ceiling. I don't want shadows to be an issue as well. Did I cover all the necessaries?

You need one of these:
http://www.btechavmounts.com/product...products/bt883

And look here to pick the projector. In a room that big, anything will work.
http://www.projectorcentral.com/

I believe that site has a tool to calculate image size.

This place has screens everyone likes. I have the HQ2

http://www.par2pro.com/

[DougieMn]

Thanks MTHunt! Hope to start ordering stuff this week.

What is the typical mounting height for a projector? My ceiling will be an 8/12 pitch cathedral so to mount something at the peek and have a drop I'm thinking it will need to be about 6-10'drop if the projector is in the range of 6-8 from ground? Obviously it needs to be mounted out of the way of the club swing path so would a short throw be a safer bet being ahead of the swing in addition to getting away from shadows? I've found that when using lofted clubs the closer to the screen the better(safer)

[mthunt]

Thanks MTHunt! Hope to start ordering stuff this week.

What is the typical mounting height for a projector? My ceiling will be an 8/12 pitch cathedral so to mount something at the peek and have a drop I'm thinking it will need to be about 6-10'drop if the projector is in the range of 6-8 from ground? Obviously it needs to be mounted out of the way of the club swing path so would a short throw be a safer bet being ahead of the swing in addition to getting away from shadows? I've found that when using lofted clubs the closer to the screen the better(safer)

If you have the projector that low you'll cast shadows on the screen. I'd say 10 feet high

[DougieMn]

Really! Thanks!

[theLONO]

I just ordered this well mentioned Optima HD25-LV and a new 10'x15' screen from Cory. I'll be upgrading from my 10'x10' and 4:3 1024x768 Epson MG-850HD projector. It was a great set up and I needed 4:3 at the time I built my sim room but now going to widen the room to accommodate wide screen. I can't wait!
Btw, I will have a 10'x10' HQ impact screen and said projector (400 hrs on bulb) for sale if anyone's interested, PM me.

[Bubba22]

Place the specs here in the classified section. http://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/...olf-simulators

[theLONO]

Place the specs here in the classified section. http://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/...olf-simulators

Will do. Thank Bubba.

[DougieMn]

When wiring the projector VGA vs. HDMI I assume the HDMI will be considerably more, correct? Is it worth the extra cost?

When looking at my build I'm thinking the cord will be in the range of 20-40 feet since I have a high vaulted ceiling and a moderate run once I get back down the ceiling and down the wall.

[Craig118]

Go HDMI You can get a cord that length for cheap on Amazon. This one is 22 bucks. Aurum Ultra Series - High Speed HDMI Cable with Ethernet (40 feet) - Supports 3D and Audio Return Channel - Full HD

[goatbarn]

Use Monoprice.com for all cables. It's amazing!