Suggestions for 16' Wide Screen/Enclosure Build

[SunDevil0317]

I'm pretty new to this forum so sorry in advance if this has been asked. If it has and you can direct me to previous posts that will help, I appreciate it!

I'm in the process of starting to build a new home and have a room that will be 17'W x 10'H x 24'D. I am wanting to build an enclosure/screen that is 16'W but I'm worried about it sagging when it spans that distance.

Does anyone have suggestions or a build they did and can share it with me? I'm open to any and all materials that were used since I'm new to this all.

Thanks!

[kalcormier]

https://golfsimulatorforum.com/forum/golf-simulator-forum/simulator-builds/159064-dedicated-sim-room-in-louisiana

See the bottom of the 1st page. I have slotted angle iron across the ceiling and down the sides. No sag. 16 x 9 screen.

[Uk101jkt]

Looks great. What's the gap gap between the outside of the screen and the angle iron? How did you connect the 2?

I have just ordered a 15 x 8.5 Carl's screen and the bungees from Carl's. Now need to build the enclosure. Oh and what do you have above the screen to protect against high hits and how far forward from the screen does that extend?

Thanks.

[kalcormier]

Maybe 6" on each side. Tarp clips and bungee cords. You can make some baffles out of carpet runner or you can do netting or even plywood with exercise foam glued to it covered in black carpet. It depends how far back you hit from the screen. The closer you are the higher the launch angle you need to get above the screen. I would say around 3 or 4 feet if you hit from 8 to 10 feet.

[mthunt]

Mine is 16 feet wide. No sag. Lots of bungee cords across the top.

[wbond]

At that room width, I would consider skipping the enclosure and just mount the screen to the side walls and ceiling and do something for the ceiling/side wall protection.

[Wizard of Coz]

I did 14ft wide the emt and the tension from the bungies definitely made it sag. I ended up attaching it midway to the ceiling for support to eliminate that problem.

[Gman17]

As mentioned above, you could use angle iron, or attach a 2 X 4 x 16' to the joists in your ceiling. After getting your screen, measure your grommet locations and screw in eye bolts into the lumber that match your measurements. The bungees will hang it nicely.

[SunDevil0317]

Thanks for the suggestions! After looking into it more, I think the angle iron might be my best bet with the room size, and then I'll just mount carpet tiles on plywood for ceiling/walls.

[SunDevil0317]

Mine is 16 feet wide. No sag. Lots of bungee cords across the top.

I can pretty much build this room from scratch since we're building the home. I know you did the carpet tiles along the walls/ceiling. How far out did you go on sides and ceiling? Any suggestions with lighting? Where do you suggest placing the lights in the room near the sim?

[mthunt]

I can pretty much build this room from scratch since we're building the home. I know you did the carpet tiles along the walls/ceiling. How far out did you go on sides and ceiling? Any suggestions with lighting? Where do you suggest placing the lights in the room near the sim?

I went 7 feet from the screen for carpet and I have 3 pot lights above the mat and 3 more in the back of the room all on dimmers.

[SunDevil0317]

We're getting further along in our building plans and the room that will be dedicated to the simulator will be 18.5' Wide and 22' Long with 10' Ceilings. The plan is to start out with an entry-level system like a Skytrak and eventually go with a GC Quad or Hawk in a few years. I'll probably mount the screen using angle iron like was suggested above, and either use carpet tiles on the wall/ceiling or acoustic foam.

So I have a couple more questions:

How do you recommend setting up the lighting in this room? I know I asked this above, but wondering how many you think would be good for my size room? Would you have recessed lighting directly over the hitting area, or would I want something else over the hitting area? I'm imagining I would have rows of lights extending the length of the room, and have them on separate dimmers to help with lighting. How far off the screen would you have lighting start? Thoughts?

How many outlets do you think should be installed on the ceiling? Planning to use an Optoma GT1080HDR Short Throw projector which will need to be mounted about 8-9' to fit a screen that's 16' to 18' Wide, but not sure if it would be good to have more assuming I went with a GC Hawk in future years.

Thanks for the help!

[Dax]

Why not get one more put in for where the Hawk might go provided it is not too far from the one for your projector (I assume it is just a normal plug, but you should confirm this). I would also suggest having conduit put in the right places so that you can run all your wires and cables as well.

[SunDevil0317]

Why not get one more put in for where the Hawk might go provided it is not too far from the one for your projector (I assume it is just a normal plug, but you should confirm this). I would also suggest having conduit put in the right places so that you can run all your wires and cables as well.

Thanks, that’s what I was thinking for the Hawk. Good idea with the conduit.