weatherproof a projector?

[esmphoto]

Hey everyone,
with a new holiday lightshow popping up every hour (as others have mentioned recently) I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or experience regarding weatherproofing a projector. I've toyed with the idea several years in a row come Halloween time, and have decided that now may be the time to see what some real pros think as it is the season where this type of installation gets all the buzz.
Edward

---Edit----
I'll start by throwing in what I've tried/considered

TRIED) A big plastic tub,
the kind you get from the hardware store or wallmart/target/etc. with a big hole cut and sealed with plexiglass and louvered slots on the sides where the projectors fans were. Did not like this. the whole thing seemed like the projector was just going to melt it, and it didnt feel waterproof at all.

CONSIDERED) a pelican case,
with a plexiglass window in the front, foam cut to the size of the projector with channels (possibly lined with heat resistant something?) leading from a big powerful intake fan up against a louvered slot on one slide acoss the projectors ventilation system and exterior hotspots and out another fan against a louvered slot on the other side of the box. Also weatherproof, panel mounted AC power input connector, as well as Ethernet (for the vga/dvi extender) and serial for control.

thoughts?
theres also always just propping the projector up in your car, but then that's the size of a car.

 

[ruinexplorer]

There are reasons to have projection enclosures, but mainly it comes to not killing your projector. You can buy off the shelf style like this for permanent installs, which is what I think that you are trying to do. I'm sure that in a few years, there will be more outdoor/weather resistant projectors to out do this one (monitors are already there). In the mean time, here's a few suggestions.

You need to control the temperature inside the enclosure. You may need to have a thermostat connected to your exhaust fan so that you can increase the speed of the fan depending on the temperature inside the enclosure. You will need to be cognisant of the amount of dust that is getting in to your enclosure, so I suggest adding filters to the intake (this will reduce the amount of air flow, so take that into account).

Instead of an expensive Pelican case, what about an ice chest? It will be water resistant and considerably cheaper if you don't like the results. Your weak points will be everywhere that you need to cut for vents and the viewport. Speaking of which, don't forget that the plexi-glass will reduce your lumen output due to reflection, so take that into account for how bright of an image you will end up with.

 

[museav]

Here's another manufactured option, Display Devices - Products - Staging Solutions - Environmental Projector Enclosures. You generally want to completely shield rain and snow, control the temperature and humidity inside the enclosure, provide sufficient ventilation while controlling dust and particulates, minimize the impact on the projected image, provide access for servicing, address power and video/control cable access and other aspects I'm probably overlooking.

The humidity and temperature control are major issues as many DIY environmental enclosures end up with condensation inside the enclosures, in effect creating the very moisture conditions they are trying to avoid.

 

[esmphoto]

tthe few projector enclosures out there seem like they would work, though they must be fairly expensive and are apparently specialty items.

I loved that little weatherproof projector, the ultraprojector, if only it had some sort of input.

the cooler idea is great and i may actually try it, I don't have a need for a weatherproof projector, just curious if anyone else had thought about it. condensation is a good point and thats the issue with something thats open to the elements but needs to not have any environmental fluctuations.

 

[ruinexplorer]

I am pretty sure that the Ultraprojector doesn't have other inputs because that would require another piece of gear to be weatherproof. It is simpler to have the onboard memory and not worry about it.

Obviously, the DIY projector enclosure will not be ideal. You shouldn't consider using it for long term, nor would I put an expensive projector in there (stick with the gaming, low res projector).

 

[museav]

Also note that the Ultraprojector is "weather resistant" and not "weatherproof". That typically means it may be able to be used in areas of high humidity, some extremes of temperature, etc. but does not necessarily mean directly exposed to the elements. If you read the manual that particular product is careful to state that it is not waterproof and identifies a 0-40 degrees Celsius (32-104 degree Fahrenheit) temperature range.

 

[DuckJordan]

This sounds like a perfect place to use liquid cooling. It keeps a seal so no humidity issues. Keeps it cool and then all your needing to help protect is a pump and heatsink.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[museav]

Something like this, FR12 RLS, is also an interesting option. It allows the video processing and light engine to be located up to 30m or roughly 100' from the 'projector' and optics.

 

[Kingcaffeine]

I vote for the cooler. A sawzall, a decent muffin fan (maybe from a rack somewhere), a 12v power supply, a small thermostat, some silicone, you're good to go. It sounds like a 2 hour project for under $50.

 

[museav]

I vote for the cooler. A sawzall, a decent muffin fan (maybe from a rack somewhere), a 12v power supply, a small thermostat, some silicone, you're good to go. It sounds like a 2 hour project for under $50.

How are you going to provide sufficient ventilation and not effectively negate any insulating properties of the cooler? It seems that if you cut a large enough projection port, intake and exhaust into the cooler then the cooler would seem to provide minimal environmental separation other than maybe keeping direct rain off the projector. I'd also be curious to see how a typical cooler, which seem to all have plastic interiors these days, fares after a few days of hot projector exhaust blowing right on the interior surface from a few inches away.

The commercial environmental enclosures seem to have a few basics in common:

• Rust resistant enclosure to prevent direct environmental exposure.
• Optical glass projection port.
• Intake and exhaust located and shielded to minimize moisture entry.
• Intake filter(s).
• Ventilation fan(s).
• Heater.
• Controller with sensors to control heater and fans operation.
• Appropriate power, video and control connectivity.
• Projector service access.

Some go on to add cooling, pre-filtering, etc. I think the controller is perhaps the most critical aspect to address as it determines, based on temperatures and perhaps humidity, and in some cases whether the projector is running or not, how the fans and heater elements operate in order to maintain a desirable temperature and humidity for the projector.

 

[Kingcaffeine]

I think "halloween time" is the key phrase here. Also the 3 choice axiom- time, expense, quality.....choose 2. Two fans, a thermostat, a hole with a piece of decent glass, some silicone, maybe a piece of sheet metal for the bottom on top of some OC fiber,....just thoughts for a 1 or 2 day shot with a home theater PJ. But it sounds like a 'Make Magazine' feature to me!

If I were mapping a building with 8 Barcos and a server it'd be a different story all together....

 

[museav]

I think "halloween time" is the key phrase here. Also the 3 choice axiom- time, expense, quality.....choose 2. Two fans, a thermostat, a hole with a piece of decent glass, some silicone, maybe a piece of sheet metal for the bottom on top of some OC fiber,....just thoughts for a 1 or 2 day shot with a home theater PJ.

I agree that whether this is for your personal use for one night or for use in a commercial haunted house type application or some other commercial/professional application could be a huge difference, however I also think it is necessary to err on the safe side unless it is defined otherwise.

It does help if you are building the enclosure for a particular projector since you can locate everything based on that specific model. I would consider some sort of hood or drip edge over any vents. And careful consideration of where the thermostat is located or perhaps more than one thermostat as the temperature at the intake and exhaust could differ significantly. I'm also not sure about the power, I see either having to figure out how to get an extension cord out of the enclosure and keep the connection inside dry or having to build the connection into the enclosure, which seems to potentially create some approval and liability factors.

I like what one person suggested elsewhere with creating a ducted intake and exhaust and using some form of an air-to-air heat exchanger to help temper the intake air and exhaust temperatures.

 

[DuckJordan]

It seems my comment got lost in the mass, Again could use a cooler, with a liquid cool system (used in many high end PC's) keep the entire thing sealed except for the projector lens (which could be sealed tight as well with silicone and plexi) and then no longer do you need to worry about heat exchange or humidity on the projector, and they even make weather proof heat exchangers for the liquid cool systems.

Fairly Inexpensive, fairly quick, and decent quality, now who said you can't have all three!

 

[museav]

It seems my comment got lost in the mass, Again could use a cooler, with a liquid cool system (used in many high end PC's) keep the entire thing sealed except for the projector lens (which could be sealed tight as well with silicone and plexi) and then no longer do you need to worry about heat exchange or humidity on the projector, and they even make weather proof heat exchangers for the liquid cool systems.

Fairly Inexpensive, fairly quick, and decent quality, now who said you can't have all three!

While I'm not exactly sure how you would implement the liquid cooling, liquid cooled computers use some form of radiator(s) to dissipate the heat from the coolant and those radiators require airflow to do their job. Whether the projector is air or liquid cooled, there would still be a need for forced air ventilation, the difference is simply whether the air directly cools the components or cools the liquid that cools the components. So unless you located the radiators(s) and any associated fans outside the enclosure and plumbed them into the enclosure, liquid cooling would not allow a sealed system.

FWIW, there already are projectors that use liquid cooling, Panasonic*Projectors*-*Liquid Cooling System. But they still need ventilation and use fans.

 

[DuckJordan]

While I'm not exactly sure how you would implement the liquid cooling, liquid cooled computers use some form of radiator(s) to dissipate the heat from the coolant and those radiators require airflow to do their job. Whether the projector is air or liquid cooled, there would still be a need for forced air ventilation, the difference is simply whether the air directly cools the components or cools the liquid that cools the components. So unless you located the radiators(s) and any associated fans outside the enclosure and plumbed them into the enclosure, liquid cooling would not allow a sealed system.

FWIW, there already are projectors that use liquid cooling, Panasonic*Projectors*-*Liquid Cooling System. But they still need ventilation and use fans.

Thats exactly what i was thinking, mounting the radiator outside of the enclosure. If this is a year round thing only part of the year would you really have to run any of the fans just use the loop leaving the enclosure and going through the radiator to dissipate the heat. you also don't necessarily need fans, you can use a compressor type setup to bring the temp down (think refrigerator) and then you don't even have to worry if its going to get cool enough in the summer.

 

[scabel]

A friend of mine is a in charge of theatrical events for his church, he just bought an outdoor projector enclosure from screen solutions, it is a heated and cooled enclosure that regulates temperature and even reduce the humidity.

It is not as cheap as a plastic tub but it will most likely perform a bit better?

Good luck

 

[ruinexplorer]

scabel, welcome to Control Booth. When you have a chance, let us get to know you by posting an introduction on the New Member Board.

I'm glad to hear someone has first-hand experience with those enclosures (which I also linked up in post #2). If your friend has any advice on this particular enclosure, I'm sure the community would like the opinion.

 

[boarder3]

Lets say i was to use a cooler or build a waterproof box you could put a reptile heater with thermostat on a outdoor timer for when projector is off that will stop condensation. But the hard part is the fan which we could use a computer fan but how do i close the opening on that after projector is off. I use computer boards outdoor all winter for my christmas lights and condensation is the only thing thats kills them. Any ideas let me know.

 

[chausman]

Lets say i was to use a cooler or build a waterproof box you could put a reptile heater with thermostat on a outdoor timer for when projector is off that will stop condensation. But the hard part is the fan which we could use a computer fan but how do i close the opening on that after projector is off. I use computer boards outdoor all winter for my christmas lights and condensation is the only thing thats kills them. Any ideas let me know.

Welcome to CB!

When you have a chance, let us get to know you by posting an introduction on the New Member Board.

You could probably use something like this:

to keep the vent "closed" when the fans weren't running. source.

 

[JulianPorter]

We have used 2 solutions, 1 from tempest (tempest.org - I think) and the most recent that was more affordable from here. We used the Panasonic PT DW830UW WXGA and it worked very well, even in Chicago weather, it has been installed now for 7 months, with no problems.

Cable access is easy and both units come with both cooling and heating so internal condensation is eliminated. Access to the projectors is also easy with the full access being given to the front of the housing. Also remote control (internet needed) can be used to control the internal media player.

With regards your idea of the pelican case, if you put louvers in to the box, you need to make sure the cooling system creates a positive air flow within the box, otherwise dirt and dust will be sucked into the box and will cause problems.

Good luck.

Julian.