My 17' x 8' Home Cinema Room Project

Do you have aircon elsewhere in the house 'cos that seems like overkill for such a small space :)

In such as small place it's surely even more reason for a/c.

Projector/Onkyo 905/3-4 people watching/other electrical equipment/no windows or other ventilation/summer weather.

All good reasons to have a/c in any room let alone a small room which will get hot and sticky pretty fast especially in the summer don't you think.

Thanks Keith, you answered that one for me!

What you said is exactly why I went for AC, also the fact that the radiator that used to be in the room never worked properly (The fault wasn't with the radiator as I checked it and flushed it out, it was something to do with the supply or the fact that the system probably had too many rads on it anyway).

The AC unit I have bought and fitted also provides heat and I'm more than happy with it for the very reasonable £400 that it cost me. :smashin:

Maybe it is overkill, but then again so is my 8' wide screen, Monolith sub and beefy Onkyo amp, together with an over the top amount of lights, speakers etc, but what the hell, it's exciting for me and I can't wait to get the room finished :D

I might not have the best sized room, certainly haven't got the best gear or knowledge to set it up properly, but friends are always taking the P about "Phil's Climate Controlled Multiplex" as they jokingly refer to it, and I love it really :smashin:
 
Looks like everthing is coming along nicely there Phil !

As regards your lighting, there are a number of options you could choose depending on how flexible you wanted it to be.

The lights can be run from a plug no problem, there are only 2 issues in that you need to make sure of, the plug should have a 3 or 5 amp fuse in it instead of 13 (lighting circuits run on a 5 or 6 amp circuit depending on how old your electrics are !) The plug could be wired to a 20amp lighting junction box and from this you could feed several lighting circuits (obviously the load (wattage) needs to be known so you dont overload the circuit but as they are leds the wattage should be pretty low).

This would of course mean that one plug would turn on all the lights - or you could run 2 independent circuits, each from its own plug/junction box arrangement and then have these plugs into a spreader/extension cable with remote control timers on them. This way you could use a remote to turn on each of them separately.

The other option (which would be my preferred way) is to connect them into your existing lighting circuit (if you can access the junction boxes/ceiling rose wiring etc), this would mean you could control the main lights/other lights from the varilight dimmer - again they would be all on the same switch or you could add another light switch and create another lighting section on the existing lighting circuit.

Or a final option, run them from a fused spur of your ring main. If you have a plug socket nearby you can run a spur cable off it to a fused connection unit fitted with a 3/5 amp fuse and then a cable from this to your lights - this would mean the lights would be controlled by a manual switch though.

As regards the spotlights through carpet - the issue is always heat ! Leds dont give out anywhere near as much heat as halogens but the manufacturers still advise to not have them near too much insulation or boxed in too much. The toggle springs will keep them pretty flush even if they are going through carpet and then wood - bit of 'adjustment' may be needed on the spring toggles to get a tighter flush fit.

Hope this helps.

Shady

Thanks for the comments Shady :smashin:

Thanks for your very detailed response to my lighting questions too.
I think I'm going to go with your suggestion of running 2 circuits from each plug. This will mean I'll have 2 sets of LED ropelights off one plug, 2 sets of LED spots off another, the riser LED's off another, finally the Exit sign off the fourth. These will then plug into the 4 way remote controlled extension socket. :thumbsup:

I did actually wire in a fused spur for the riser lights, but I think I'll change it for a socket because as you said, that would be a "manual" switch which is just not on :laugh:

I'm going to run the two sets of "main" lights off the 2 gang Varilight RC dimmer.

So, now I know what I need to do, I just need to get on with doing it! I'm off work tomorrow so plan to get quite a bit done then. I'll post some pictures of my progress.

Thanks again for your help.
 
A couple of photos showing how it looks from the outside. As I explained, using the black painted hardboard and leaving the vertical blinds in place makes it very reflective and difficult to see in, which obviously you can't anyway!


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for carpet I would go for Dark BLue, for the fabric go for Black Velvet from whayleys from yorkshire. Deluxe matt black is fine (looks more dark grey against velvet, so will give a nice colour range. For acoustic form/panels go for Auralex, Dolphin Music is the main dealer in the uk, they also sell on ebay. you will possibly need some bass traps for the BK Sub in that room lol.

good luck

Baz
 
B****y hell Baz,
Did you have to go and say blue! Just spent half the day deciding which dark red carpet sample looked the best, lol :suicide:

Wanted to add a bit of colour but thought it might be a bit much going blue as the ropelight and riser lights are blue. The red we're going for is quite dark though, more of a burgundy, so I'm hoping it'll look ok. I'm probably going to coordinate it with matching wall panels and possibly cushions too.

I did look into bass traps but I don't think I can fit any in as they go in the corners don't they? I have a door in the one rear corner and a sofa in the other. Can I just use two bass traps, one in each front corner behind the floorstanders?
 
The other option (which would be my preferred way) is to connect them into your existing lighting circuit (if you can access the junction boxes/ceiling rose wiring etc), this would mean you could control the main lights/other lights from the varilight dimmer - again they would be all on the same switch or you could add another light switch and create another lighting section on the existing lighting circuit.

I am not sure LED lights are dimmable, so probably having them on the Valight switches might not be an option. Also, remember to check the max load the varilight switches can take. The ones I use are 250w per gang.
 
It depends on your make of led downlights, the Philips Zadora led downlights that I have are dimmable and I will have them running off a Lutron dimmer.

But yes it can depend on the exact make/model of led downlights you are using.

If the varilight is 250W per gang that should be plenty for the led downlights as they are around 5-10W each depending on which type/output you get.

The ropelight may be a different matter down to how the led rope light is made and relations to Pulse Width Modulation and the dimmer used.

Probably best to run the downlights off the dimmer and ropelight off plugs.

Shady
 
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Had a good day today. Fitted the side lights and the riser LED's.

I ordered this remote control extension socket from TLC and tried it today. It's brilliant, saving me loads of wiring problems.

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A few shots of the work so far:
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Before anyone asks, yes the Exit sign is going above the door!!!

Back to work tomorrow for a rest :boring:
 

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:eek: Car-Garage,Garage-Car, every time.

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Cinema looks like it'll be great though, hope it all comes together!
 
:eek: Car-Garage,Garage-Car, every time.

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Cinema looks like it'll be great though, hope it all comes together!

What do you mean, the car goes in the garage ok. I use a special ramp, drive up fast towards the garage and drive in on 2 wheels after hitting the ramp, no problem :laugh:

Oh, and thanks for the compliment, it's really nice to get some good feedback :)
 
Finally got the "screen" in place. It's an 8'x4' sheet of 12mm thick MDF and it fits perfectly! It was a right bugger to fit though, very heavy. I didn't want to damage it at all as any slight imperfections will probably show up once it's painted.
Any recommendation for painting it, ie. does it need priming first, with what?

I fitted it to a frame that I again filled with slab insulation. I've put screws in right at the edge. I'm going to cover these with thin strips of upvc covered in flok/felt for masking. I may devise something adjustable if I can manage it.

I've just received some samples today from Whaleys, British Felt and a local fabric store. The Devore is incredibly black. It makes all of the others look grey!! I know it's the most expensive but I think I'm going to go for it.

I've also picked up a sample of some burgundy/claret material to match the carpet I've ordered. I'm thinking of using this to cover some panels I'm thinking of making up to absorb some sound. Not 100% sure what I'm doing but might give it a try. I have sent a diagram and form off to Auralex as they provide a room evaluation service. I'll see what they come back with but I'm guessing they'll be quite expensive. Saying that, they do have a burgundy coloured foam so maybe that would look quite good?

I also fiited the ropelights and some of the LED downlights, as can be seen on the photos. I'm going to have to redesign the pelmets slightly to make sure the wiring, LED housings and the ropelight itself is hidden from view, as they are all visible a little at the moment. I've tested it with some strips of 15x15mm planed wood and I'm pleased with how that looks so I'll fit them soon. I'm quite pleased with the pelmets considering they are just pieces of mdf skirting board. The job was also made a hell of a lot easier by the purchase of an electric mitre saw. How I ever managed before I don't know :rolleyes: The best £120 I've spent for a while.

BK Electronics called me today to say my Monolith is ready, so that's being delivered tomorrow :clap:
More reason to get a shift on!

I'm getting quite excited now it's all coming together finally, after lots of planning headaches. I nearly didn't bother with the sidelights on the walls, or the pelmets & ropelights, but so glad I did now.

A few photos:

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Looks like your getting a move on now, keep up the good work.
 
Looking good Phil:thumbsup:
 
Thank you all for the very kind comments :)

Finished the pelmet lighting today and nearly finished running the cables for the mid and rear speakers.

The Monolith arrived today. B****y hell, it's an absolute monster :eek:

I'm really pleased with the finish of it, plain black, but very nice.
 
This is proving to be a GANGSTER little room

(cant think of any other words to describe it)

Those blue lights look top notch, will good knowing you can watch the Kop smash UTD again next year on the projector ;)
 
This is proving to be a GANGSTER little room

(cant think of any other words to describe it)

Those blue lights look top notch, will good knowing you can watch the Kop smash UTD again next year on the projector ;)

:rotfl:

Nice one Austcy, cheers :smashin:

Yes, Sunday was a very good day, but I had to watch it on just 42 inches, pah ;)

I would love to have been there, but this room has taken over my life at the moment. I've been to a few games this season, the Chelsea one at Anfield the highlight, that's when I liked Torres :laugh:

I've just had a quick look at your signature link, very interesting. I'll have a read through it soon, but not now as I've got to get up at 0400 for work in the morning :(

Thanks again for your nice, and funny comments.
Phil
 
Been busy the last few days, although it doesn't look much different on the photos.

I've fitted the PJ brackets to the wall (Argos Microwave brackets), but I was cursing them earlier as I walloped my head on the corner of them, thought I was going to need stitches but just about got away with it :rolleyes:

I've filled all the holes where the cables run, and I've run the cables for the rear/mid speakers. I'm going to have to compromise a bit on the positioning of the rears as the door is in the way one side.

I've ordered some devore black fabric for the walls and ceiling, I've got some plain black fabric for the area below the screen, which will have rockwool inside the frame that you can see on the photo. This is mainly to bring the wall level with the screen with the added benefit of a bit more sound absorption.

I've just received a Harmony 1100 which I need to have a mess around with. Anyone know if it is ok to set this up temporarily in the lounge, to get used to it, then reconfigure it for the cinema room in a few weeks? Is it just a case of putting it back to factory settings or removing and then adding equipment?

Right, better get back to work, got loads of sanding to do :(

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Ropelight/LED wiring:
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