How to hide wires going to a wall mounted TV

My wife has wanted me to hide the wires going to the TV for some time now. This is what I started with, a TV with lots of wires going to it.

This is my secret weapon, electrical pass through boxes.  These and a hand held hole saw did the trick.

I ran into problems right from the start, electrical wires that were in the way.  They had to be moved to the right slightly.  They also made cutting the hole a bit tricky.

Then there was a second problem, there is a 2x4 going cross wise in the wall.  I cut it off on the right side and then cut off the nails.

Last was to hide the cable and internet cables behind the baseboard.  I cut a grove in the sheet rock and a grove in the baseboard.

Time to patch up the hole where I had cut through the cross wise 2x4.  A piece of thin plywood like luan works for the backing.

This is the almost finished product.  Now to repaint the wall....

Alternate power supply for Dell 2300MP Projector

After some experimenting I have come up with an alternate power supply for the Dell 2300MP Projectors.  At first I bought some that did not work then I found out that with a slight modification this CT-300 power supply works.

This is my collection of dead Dell power supplies.

This is a size comparison. The new power supply is a little bigger but the projector has plenty of room for the power supply.  Note that the cable to the motherboard is backwards and that there are 2 extra pins towards the 110 volt connector end of the power supply.

The new power supply will not turn the projectors bulb on.  It needs a modification to supply 5 volts to the extra pin that is not ground via a 1 K resistor as seen in this picture.

Comparing LED Projectors part 4 Pyle PRJD907

I recently received a shipment of LED Projectors, they are 2000 lumen Pyle PRJD907's.  They were all sold "as-is" broken but they were easy to fix.  One had a bad soldering connection in the power supply.  They all had loose power supplies, the mounting needs to be improved.  I glued the power supplies to the light cover at the end closest to the heat sink.

This picture shows what is inside the projector.  At the back is the LED heat sink with cooling fan.  In the middle is the LCD screen.  At the front is the projection lens.

This is what the projector guts looks like when it is running.

Here is the video on YouTube.  I hope to compare several 2000 lumen projectors at a time in the near future.  I have also ordered a light meter so I can find out what the actual lumens is for each projector.



I have managed to find a place where I can compare multiple projectors.  Here are a couple of videos showing 3 projectors at a time.




Here is a quick summary of my findings;
Epson EMP-S1    Rated: 1200 lumens     Tested: 460 Lux
Pyle PRJD907     Rated: 2000 lumens     Tested: 230 Lux
No Name CL312 Rated 2000 lumens      Tested: 100 Lux (Note: damaged LCD)
Pyle PRJG65       Rated: 150 lumens       Tested: 30 Lux
Erisan                  Rated: 1200 Lumens    Tested: 40 Lux
Crenova XPE460 Rated: 1200 Lumens   Tested: 60 Lux

The Crenova XPE460 is the best under $100 projector in my opinion.  They have replaced it with a newer model the XPE480.

Comparing LED Projectors Part 3 CL312 vs Crenova

Over the weekend my first 2000 lumen LED projector arrived.  It needed minor repairs, it had been dropped and the power supply and one lens were loose.  This projector can be used with the lights on but it is no way near as bright as the 2300 lumen Dell 2300MP projector.

Here it is with the room lights on.

Here it is with the lights off and the Crenova 1000 lumen projector is on the left side for comparison.

This is what the insides look like, notice the big fan cooled heat sink on the LED light source in the back.

Here is a picture of the CL312 projector running with the cover off.  The LED is blindingly bright!

Here is the video on YouTube. 

Using the DIY CNC to try to cut a logo into plastic.

Last night I tried to cut a company logo into plastic.  I had to code the logo first the fire up the Dremel.  Cutting plastic is not like cutting wood.  The plastic built up on the bit and caused some uneven edges.  This is what the finished produce looked like.

This is what it looked like with themarker after two successful passes.

Here is the video on YouTube.

Here is an improved version of cutting plastic.  The cutting is improved by using a bit that sends the chips flying so they do not get glued back in.  Professional versions also have a vacuum surrounding the bit to suck up the chips and keep the bit cool.

Comparing LED Projectors part 2 Crenova vs Erisan

I now have two of the 1000 lumen LED projectors to compare.  In the last post I compared the Crenova to a 1500 lumen Light Bulb type Epson projector.  Now it is next to a Erisan LED projector.  These projectors are sold under a number of different names and you have to go by the picture not by the "brand" name.

This is the back view of the projectors.

 This is the front view.

This is what it looks like on a white wall.  The Crenova is on the left.

Here is the video of those two projectors.


Soon I will be comparing 2000 Lumen LED projectors to see how they perform.