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Half way through sim build - ready for help!

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  • Half way through sim build - ready for help!

    First off, this website has been a treasure trove of information. Definitely would not have gotten this far without it! But now I'm at a crossroads and figured I'd be that guy that posts and asks for some help and feedback! I've attached a few pics of my room and progress so far. I'm sure I'll have more questions as I move forward, and I'm definitely open to feedback and recommendations.

    My ceiling is about 8'-6" so I'm a little limited height wise, but I can easily swing most irons with no problem. I've swung the driver a dozen times and haven't hit the ceiling, but mentally I think I'm changing my swing to avoid it. Time will tell. Room is 15'-6" wide x about 16' deep to the support post in the middle of the room. Bar and cabinets is going in the back of the room at a later date...

    I have a Skytrak in the box, waiting for me to finish this room...
    I've already installed a Par2Pro Stealth screen. It's 12' wide with a little over 8' of useable height. Love it.
    I've installed some 1/2" thick EVA Foam padding and the FTD Putting Elite turf. Still need to find some shallow cups to install that I can aim at!
    Projector can be mounted ideally about 6' to 9' from the screen - I'm planning on getting a CCE mat and locating where I'm hitting about 8' from the screen.

    Projector - I really want 4k for the price point I'm at (ironically $4k), but I think "Enhanced 4K" will work. I'd like to be able to watch movies with the family with the same projector. I know the impact screen is not ideal for movies, but whatever. I think I'm ready to pull the trigger on an Epson L1100U with the short throw #1 lens. I've done more research on projectors than I care to admit. You know when you do so much research you talk yourself out of everything? That's about where I'm at... I've seen a couple builds on here from guys with the Epson L1300UNL, but it's a little more expensive and I think the 6000 lumens of the L1100U is more than sufficient for my room. Guys with the Epson 1300UNL projector - any feedback, any regrets? Am I making the right decision here?

    As soon as I pull the trigger on the projector, I need to get something on the ceiling in front of the screen. I've hit a few lob wedges from about 8' away and the ball's coming off the screen and hitting the ceiling. I knew this would happen but didn't know for sure where it would hit. I'm thinking about attaching some 2"-3" foam to a 4' x 6' sheet of plywood, covering with some black fabric and attaching to the ceiling in front of the projector... anyone done something like that?

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  • #2
    Audio General (AGI) had returned or refurbished epson L1100 and L1300 for less than half of their new price.

    I think the L1300UNL is bright and performs well in a room with ambient light. Love the throw ratio on my lens as it places the glass 9'8" to the 172" wide screen. No HDR for movies. But, a youtube video with the 6 and 3 year old isn't critical viewing. The image brightness appears similar to the monitors, which I have turned down a little.

    You may also look at a BenQ LK953ST. 5000 lumens, dlp, laser, also with a good throw ratio to avoid golfer shadows.

    I suggest another roll down screen mounted on the ceiling directly behind your sportscreen. That way you can have your good screen for movies and then your screen with some ball marks.

    Whatever lumens or brand you decide to go with, make sure you can control the light. The image will be washed out with very little sunlight in the room.

    With low ceilings, I would put a fabric baffle about a foot away from your screen. Pad the ceiling between the baffle and above the roller screen. It will trap 6i-9i (it depends on your hitting distance) so they don't come off the screen, run up and hit the ceiling, then back at you. Pad the ceiling toward you as needed. I think netting or anything suspended from you ceiling may interfere with the top of the projected image or contact the club on follow through.
    Last edited by Will; 05-15-2020, 11:05 AM.
    Uneekor QED / The Golf Club 2019
    Epson L1300UNL (8000 Lumen Laser 2160P) ELPLU03 Lens (0.69 Throw Ratio)
    Dell P4317Q (2160P) x2
    PC (Watercooled 2080 TI / 11700k / 16GB)
    Par2Pro Stealth Screens

    Comment


    • Justin
      Justin commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks Will. I actually got the idea of the Epson projector from one of your posts! I reached out to Audio General and they sent me a quote for a refurbished L1100, short throw lens, and the Chief mount - about $4,200 all in. The only other projector I considered at this price point was that BenQ. It's really the only other projector in this price range that checks all the boxes. My only reservation is all the reviews I've seen about DLP projectors and the Rainbow Effect. Otherwise, I think I'd probably lean towards the "new" projector that has some more updated specs, like HDR. I wish I could see these things in action to be able to make a better informed decision... but you know, pandemics and stuff. LOL

      I like the idea of a fabric baffle about a foot away from the screen. I've seen that in some other builds. It looks good and helps to cover the view of top of the screen. I'll probably go that route...

    • abirdie4me
      abirdie4me commented
      Editing a comment
      You may have seen my solution on my blog here, but I put plywood on the ceiling 40” out from the screen and just covered it with thin acoustical tiles. It might be a bit loud when balls hit it, but the ceiling is protected and the balls will just fall straight down and shouldn’t be any danger. I considered all sorts of baffles and padding options, but in the end decided I wanted a cleaner look and don’t think there is much need for crazy amounts of ceiling protection. My old setup had no protection at all for over 4 years and after 10,000 shots I only had 1 small boo-boo in the drywall ceiling. I guess it depends on your game and the skills of those who will be playing on your SIM.

    • Dax
      Dax commented
      Editing a comment
      I would not get to caught up on HDR with a projector, as they just don’t put out the level of brightness required for 10+ nor Dolby vision. Also a very dark room will also be key for a projector and HDR. I am pretty impressed with my Epson that I just installed in my theatre room, but it is pretty dark in there.

  • #3
    Your room is looking great!

    I stole Will's idea and bought the Epson L1300UNL from Audio General. I got a refurbished one, and since it is now discontinued it was about $2700. With the short-throw lens and tax, I think I paid about $5200. No regrets, I love it so far! You are correct in that you can step down to the L1100 and probably never notice the difference as long as you have good blackout coverage for those windows in your room. That would get you close to your price point. The lack of HDR is the only negative, but I think the picture quality looks great and the screen is always going to limit your ability to have a pristine image anyway.

    Warning, those Epson projectors weigh about 42 pounds and will require at least 2 people to install and a sturdy mount. I bought the mount at the link below and am super happy with the results, especially for the price.

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    Last edited by abirdie4me; 05-15-2020, 04:56 PM.

    Comment


    • Justin
      Justin commented
      Editing a comment
      Too funny. The two guys I've been following the most is you and Will. Ironic that the two of you would be the first to comment! Your room is looking great too! Most of my build inspiration has come from you guys.
      Have you watched any videos/movies on your Epson yet? Would you recommend for that application?

    • abirdie4me
      abirdie4me commented
      Editing a comment
      My kids and I did a marathon Disney movie session last night, it looks really great. I’ve also watched a few Netflix shows, the 4K image helps more than I imagined on such a large screen. The image will probably degrade over time as I start hitting balls into the screen, but that’s due to the screen and not the projector. Another thing to note about this projector is the 16:10 aspect ratio. For my screen size, that is perfect. I get black bars above and below when watching movies (16:9), but that doesn’t bother me. The extra vertical real estate for the golf Sim really looks great in my opinion.
      Last edited by abirdie4me; 05-15-2020, 06:33 PM.

  • #4
    Great space, i love it.

    Comment


    • Justin
      Justin commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks! This used to be the kids play room in our basement. When I finished the basement 10 years ago, I had planned to eventually convert it to a bar/pool table area, already has some rough in plumbing for a wet bar. Basically an adult play room, LOL. Kids are growing up and it’s time to get some use out of this space. Decided to do a simulator instead of the pool table. I go to the driving range quite frequently and knew I’d probably grow bored with the pool table.

  • #5
    Looking good, well done. You will really enjoy your efforts once your sim is completed. Another option for the ceiling, padded panels. I sourced mine at vantpanels.com. Easy to install, work and look good.
    Attached Files

    Comment


    • Justin
      Justin commented
      Editing a comment
      Thanks for the link JK! Those panels are pretty much what I was wanting to build. I ended up just ordering them from Vantpanels yesterday. There was a 20% digital coupon so I got 6 panels for $300. That should be perfect to go about a foot away from the screen and positioned between the overhead lights. I'm sure I would have spent over $100 on materials alone if I tried to build them myself.

  • #6
    We have an Optoma Darby 1080, its OK but looking for feedback on an upgraded projector 4k -5k lumens and with to 16:10. Unfortunately we need a short throat ~.5 Love to hear feedback on your Epson.

    Comment


    • airbaker
      airbaker commented
      Editing a comment
      Interested in the response to this as I'm in the same boat. Just installed my Optoma GT1080HDR and I'm not impressed...

    • Justin
      Justin commented
      Editing a comment
      I just posted a few pics to the thread. I'm very happy I pulled the trigger on the Epson. I was in the same boat, wanted 5k lumens, short throw, 16:10, and ability to watch some 4k content. Even though the Epson is "Enhanced 4k", it still looks beautiful. My screen is about 8' tall x 12' wide, I wanted as many pixels up there as possible. This is the first projector I've ever owned and I'm just blown away by the image quality on a screen this size. I have an LG 65" OLED, and although the Epson just doesn't compare to the black levels of OLED, the colors and contrast exceeded my expectations. I have the ELPLU03S Short Zoom Lens #1 - which will position the lens at 8' from the screen. You can get a short lens that I think gets you the same size image from about 5'-6' away.

  • #7
    Well, I pulled the trigger on the refurbished Epson L1100 with the short throw lens this past weekend. Lens arrived yesterday, projector and mount scheduled for delivery today! Will post some pics as soon as it's up and running.

    Comment


    • JKCapeCod
      JKCapeCod commented
      Editing a comment
      Justin, let me know your thoughts on the performance of the L1100. I need ~ .5 throw ratio. Where did you purchase it?

    • Justin
      Justin commented
      Editing a comment
      JKCapeCod - I bought the projector from Audio General out of PA. Same place the other guys on this thread bought theirs.
      I'm extremely happy with the purchase. I've posted some pics in this thread with some additional comments.

  • #8
    I considered vant panels (or making my own custom sized), so I’ll be curious to see your results.

    Comment


    • Justin
      Justin commented
      Editing a comment
      Still waiting for the Vant Panels. They said shipping within 24-48 hours, but then yesterday (3 days after the order) said they were busy processing orders and it would be another 3-5 days. Just received and email today saying the anticipated delivery date is 5/27. Will post some pics as soon as they're up.

  • #9

    airbaker commented
    Yesterday, 05:45 PM
    Interested in the response to this as I'm in the same boat. Just installed my Optoma GT1080HDR and I'm not impressed...

    Love to hear why you are not impressed with the Optoma Darby 1080 - i am planning my sim and this was on my list. Need Short Throw and 1920 x 1080 in 16:9

    Thanks

    Comment


    • #10
      Very impressed with the Epson! I hooked it up to a 4k Apple TV, watched some Netflix content and used Airplay to screen mirror my phone with the SkyTrak App. Overall extremely pleased with the picture quality and colors. The guys at Audio General nudged me a little towards the 3LCD because of the color quality - really glad they did. Within minutes my wife and kids were in the room with me and "fighting" over Airplay time with their phones, wanting to see some of their videos on the big screen.

      Still need to get it mounted on the ceiling, but I received the wrong mounting bracket! Audio General is looking into it, they think Chief put the wrong plate in the box. Hoping to get it resolved today and get the correct plate shipped overnight so I can get this done over the weekend!

      Comment


      • dudley286
        dudley286 commented
        Editing a comment
        That is a great picture!!!!!

      • Justin
        Justin commented
        Editing a comment
        Quick update... I actually had the right mounting bracket the whole time. I went back and forth with Audio General for a couple days, only to find out it doesn't pay to follow directions. The mounting plate has an arrow on it that the directions say is supposed to face the lens, but when it's positioned that way the mounting holes don't line up. I can't believe I didn't notice with the plate turned around the other way that the holes line up, but I swear I was just following directions! LOL!!!
        Anyway, projector is mounted on the ceiling.
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