My Setup - But don't like the wrinkles *Help

[dave724]

Hi Ladies & Gents,

So, this is version 2 of my build. The first one was a monstrosity that took all my DIY skills to get the thing to just stand, so I am not going to even bother to show that... Then for version 2, part 2 of my saga, I bought the Netreturn simulator series (8' Wide x 8'10" Tall x 3' 6" Deep). The smallest of the setups even though, I have a room that is 11 feet wide x 15 deep, and 10 foot ceiling, I didn't want it taking up all the width. The ease of assembly was a refreshing change. I had bought the projector kit, but ended up returning it and just mounting on the ceiling. The company is excellent, and their products are great. I had previously bought the regular pro series net return.

Now my issue is the sagging/wrinkles of the screen as you will note in the picture below. That and the aspect ratio I find a bit annoying now. I have tried several things to fix it but it is not really engineered to be much better. I have spent so much money and time on everything, that I just want the best experience and the immersion factor gets lost with this screen.

So, silly me I didn't come here first to see all the things offered on Par2Pro, like the SQ screen. I called recently and got a nice return call from Par2Pro, but unfortunately wasn't ready to discuss the screen situation, so they were kind enough to send me an email. I figured I would post here and get some more ideas. Anyway, am I right that I can get a much simpler setup with a SQ screen? Like I don't need some big apparatus to hold up the screen and I could basically place it on a wall or just hang it? It will be like a big tv screen that I can hit my shots into? Or am I nuts?

Room dims, 11 feet wide, 15 feet long, 10 foot ceiling. My entire floor is high quality turf.

Thank you very much for you help in advance.

[4evaunderpar]

You could try something like this?

Easy to find at the DIY shop. Those bars with holes in are used for building your own stack of shelves. You could also hang another net in front with lead rope at the bottom for the projector.

[Agolfman]

You could try something like this?

Easy to find at the DIY shop. Those bars with holes in are used for building your own stack of shelves. You could also hang another net in front with lead rope at the bottom for the projector.

This is a very good idea. It's cheap and allows for flexibility in sizing your image. Looks like you could bring you screen forward (if you have the room) about one foot and widen your image to a more effective aspect ratio. You're then at the mercy of your projector's zooming capabilities so, if that works, you'd likely be happier.

Wrinkles are everywhere, it's really about trading off screen tension and ball rebounds to your liking...but I do think you could do better with proper bungees and tautness that wall mounting can deliver.

[fortner28]

There are a few options for DIY to hang a screen. You can make a frame out of conduit and attach the screen to that or you can use punched angle iron. I hung my screen this way and I only get some bunching in the bottom corners because I don't have the bottom tied down to anything. I can't tell how the screen is attached to your frame but it does seem some adjusting could be done to make the screen better unless the screen is bigger than the frame?

[3on3putt]

Yeah basically you just need a little more tension. Have a frame that is slightly larger than the screen and then use ball bungees and tarp clips to hang the screen from the top and both sides so it gives it a little tension. From the photo it looks like you just have way too much slack. For the bottom, let it hang free but use something to weigh it down so that it pulls the screen down.

I'm not sure about the quality of the net return screen and whether or not that has to do with the wrinkles. Even the photos of the screen on their website shows it sagging like crazy. Not sure why they would want to present it that way in their advertising but I'd say that doesn't bode well for making it as smooth as other more traditional screens.

[dave724]

Great, thanks so much guys.

I must clarify I configured the image on the PC with resolution so it could fit the screen size via the projector. I think that costs me some sharpness on the image as well. But I am not worried about that at the moment, I can move the projector around if I really need to...

So, you think I should perhaps scrap the Netreturn and just do a simple screen. I think I want to try it freestanding first before I hang it or fix it to a wall. I know about the unistrut channels and I could use those. You suggest then I build like a baseball pitcher L fence for it to stand?

For instance I have a screen laying around from my first build with following dims...

Screen Size 9'8"W x 8'9"H
Visible Screen 9'4"W x 8'0"H

It has grommets, so can be used/affixed in the style of image you have provided. That is still a pretty square screen size (4:3 aspect ratio). That previous net was from allsports and was configured to have a baffle net behind and not be set extremely taught, so maybe it will not be a long term solution as an SQ screen that can simply be placed on this frame structure just the same.

So I see a frame setup on Par2Pro, https://www.par2pro.com/shop/product...cabos01m3jvea6

That is almost exactly the screen size I have already. What do you think? Should I get the frame and try to place my other screen on it to test? And then if it is either not durable enough I can opt for the SQ screen? I actually have black netting as well I could drape over the frame (not clear if any comes with it) to complete the look.

[chicub15]

Check this out:

https://gunghogolf.com/articles/diy-impact-screen-enclosure

[3on3putt]

Great, thanks so much guys.

I must clarify I configured the image on the PC with resolution so it could fit the screen size via the projector. I think that costs me some sharpness on the image as well. But I am not worried about that at the moment, I can move the projector around if I really need to...

So, you think I should perhaps scrap the Netreturn and just do a simple screen. I think I want to try it freestanding first before I hang it or fix it to a wall. I know about the unistrut channels and I could use those. You suggest then I build like a baseball pitcher L fence for it to stand?

For instance I have a screen laying around from my first build with following dims...

Screen Size 9'8"W x 8'9"H
Visible Screen 9'4"W x 8'0"H

It has grommets, so can be used/affixed in the style of image you have provided. That is still a pretty square screen size (4:3 aspect ratio). That previous net was from allsports and was configured to have a baffle net behind and not be set extremely taught, so maybe it will not be a long term solution as an SQ screen that can simply be placed on this frame structure just the same.

So I see a frame setup on Par2Pro, https://www.par2pro.com/shop/product...cabos01m3jvea6

That is almost exactly the screen size I have already. What do you think? Should I get the frame and try to place my other screen on it to test? And then if it is either not durable enough I can opt for the SQ screen? I actually have black netting as well I could drape over the frame (not clear if any comes with it) to complete the look.

Your screen is a very odd shape. It's actually a vertical rectangle as opposed to a horizontal rectangular. The fact that you had to manipulate the image size as much as you must have to fit this weird shape no doubt cost you a significant amount of image quality. Using the graphics card to set a custom resolution is fine if you are already coming close to filling the screen and just want to stretch things a little to reach the edges of the screen. But when you start manipulating that native resolution too much you'll start to see a very noticeable loss of image quality. And that has no doubt played a role here.

Why do you not want to use the full width of the room? 11 feet is already quite narrow to begin with. Don't you want to try to maximize that? If you used the full 11 feet you could do a screen that is 10 wide and 8 high and cast a 4:3 image that would come pretty close to filling the screen natively. That would protect your image quality.

If that were my space, I would consider mounting angle iron to the wall and using that to attach the screen or building an enclosure that fits just within the wall dimensions and attaching the screen that way.

[dave724]

Thanks 3on3putt... Actually I have 11'10" width in the room, but it narrows in an angle in the last 3 feet of the depth to about 8 feet wide. Nonetheless, I have an AC handler and Water heater in the back and want to be able to move the frame easily for any repair work. The design of the frame sent by chicub is very similiar to one I built in version 1, except it had an additional horizontal beam where the net hung from, the baffle net was on the very back, with a 1 ft separation between net and baffle net. It was just so big, heavy and bulky and the screen tension system took me so much work I didn't want to deal with it any more, so that's when I decided on the net return with my previous experience. I just didn't realize the screen look until I finally got it configured which took a while. So now is when the regret has set in...

I can't tell too much from the design of the par2pro net screen frame if it will need space behind the screen or if the screen is essentially the back. I don't need or want much more than 3 feet depth of the side nets to the back of the frame/screen.

[dave724]

Please note attached dimensions of my room. The red line is where I want the frame screen to sit ideally.

[3on3putt]

If it were me, I would go ahead and use the entire width. If you need to get behind the screen to access the water heater or AC unit, you can very easily do so by simply unclipping the tarp clips from the screen. Do what you need to do and then clip the screen back on.

I have some storage behind my screen. Mostly stuff we only need once a year like Christmas decorations. It takes about 1 minute to unclip the screen from one side and half of the top and about 3 minutes to clip the screen back in place when I'm done. And how often do you anticipate having to go back there? Once a year perhaps if that? I think you're sacrificing a lot for the sake of a space that you only really need access to in very sporadic circumstances.

Or ..... could you flip the setup and hit in the opposite direction? That would leave the water heater wide open.

[dave724]

I see what you mean with the access. So if it is just the screen via clips I have to undue in a section to access that is not a big deal I would agree. I can't have it on the other wall because that is the garage door exit and I can't have that obstructed at all. That and the garage door frame rails get in the way height-wise.

Perhaps, then you suggest I affix it to the ceiling and side walls all around (except the ground), so it would then be framed 11"10' wide on ceiling and then down each side 9"8'. I think with 2 inches off the frame all around that would make the screen 11"6 inches wide by 9"6" inches high. That sound right?

[3on3putt]

I see what you mean with the access. So if it is just the screen via clips I have to undue in a section to access that is not a big deal I would agree. I can't have it on the other wall because that is the garage door exit and I can't have that obstructed at all. That and the garage door frame rails get in the way height-wise.

Perhaps, then you suggest I affix it to the ceiling and side walls all around (except the ground), so it would then be framed 11"10' wide on ceiling and then down each side 9"8'. I think with 2 inches off the frame all around that would make the screen 11"6 inches wide by 9"6" inches high. That sound right?

Yup, that's the direction I would go. I have never used angle iron but I know many people here have used that for their screens. It may depend a little on the location of the studs in your side walls as I'm guessing you would want the angle iron to go into a stud.

My enclosure is 10 feet wide and my screen is 9 feet wide, so I have 6 inches between the side bar of my enclosure and my screen. This is where the ball bungee stretches to give the screen some nice tension. I hung some black fabric on the sides to cover up the bungees for a little cleaner look. You can certainly get away with fewer than 6 inches. Mine is probably a little more on the extreme side in that regard.

If your screen has a sleeve at the bottom you can fill it with something to weight it down. I filled up a metal pipe with sand, sealed off the ends and wrapped it in foam insulation and inserted it into the sleeve. This allows the bottom of the screen to hang free but gives it plenty of weight to pull it downward and create that tension.

[dave724]

Great. Ok, I am going to consult with par2pro now on this then for the screen size. I will need to go in and carefully measure everything again. The side walls are concrete, so no studs there to deal with, but the ceiling will be a little trickier. That screen is going to be enormous! Thanks so much for your input!

[3on3putt]

Don't forget to account for the angle iron itself. Not sure how far that will stick out from the wall but important to factor that into the screen dimensions (total width minus a few inches for the angle iron minus another few inches for bungee tension = screen width).

[Speagle]

Is it okay to fix both sides and the top of the screen and leave the bottom loose or would it be better fixing all 4 sides of the screen. Also, how tight do make the screen? I suppose if it is too tight the balls could fly back at you after you have hit them.

[trhuke]

I use perforated angle iron and tarp clips and just let it hang. Eats the impact, no bounce back and I think letting the screen hang cuts down on screen wear, it kind of absorbs the impact instead of fighting it. The angle iron and tarp clips make it easy to keep it smooth across the top and if you hang it evenly the rest takes care of itself as far a wrinkles go.