How to make a frame assembly for the Anamorphic Research
Universal Astigmatism Corrector Element for fitment on the HTB-AR
Anamorphic Lens:
Written by Kevin Fong
Supplies needed:
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One (1) sheet of picture/frame mat material (black)
One (1) sheet of foam board (black, 3/16” thick)
Glue (I used a hot glue gun)
Exacto knife
Straight edge
Blue tape (painter’s tape)
The sheets of mat and foam board can be found at a craft store such as Michael’s. The other stuff can be found
at any hardware store, such as Agent Orange (Home Depot).
Foam Board
Side profile of Foam Board
Picture frame mat material
Please note that throughout these instructions I neglected to take/record my measurements. That’s probably
okay, since you’re going to want to cut/fit the frame to your particular lens setup due to different projectors and
placement, etc.
1. Start by measuring the inside dimensions of the opening of your HTB-AR lens housing (the “input” side).
Measure inside width and height (not outside).
2. Transfer these measurements to your mat board and proceed to cut two (2) rectangles of identical size.
3. Transfer the above measurements to your foam board and proceed to cut one (1) rectangle.
4. Place the foam board rectangle (from step 3) into the inside opening of the input side of the HTB-AR lens
assembly. You will note that it is too wide (you want it to be flush to the outer edge of the HTB-AR lens
housing. Make a mental note of how much you need to cut from one side of the rectangle, such that the
board eventually sits flush to the HTB-AR lens housing. Looking in to the HTB-AR lens housing, the left
side of your rectangle should rest against the angled prism. The right side should be tight against the side of
the HTB-AR lens housing.
5. Once you have the foam board fitted nicely, place your lens in front of your projector as you normally
would and turn on your projector. Once lit, make note (or mark) where the projected image hits the board.
This is where you will want to center your cutout for the astigmatism lens.
6. Once you’ve completed step 5, remove the foam board and lay on a flat surface.
7. Place the foam “frame” surround that Anamorphic Research provided with the astigmatism corrector on top
of the foam board, and center the rectangular cutout to the projected area you marked (or made note of) on
the foam board.
8. Use the foam as a template and trace the foam rectangular cutout on to the foam board.
9. Use your Exacto knife and cut out the rectangle from the foam board. You should end up with something
that looks like this:
10. Take your astigmatism corrector and fit it into the foam board cutout. You will probably have to make
some minor adjustments with your knife. If you’re lucky, the corrector element will fit snugly (perfectly)
into the opening. It’s okay if it’s a little too big (1/16” or so).
11. Once you have your cutout perfect, carefully remove the lens and store in a safe place.
12. Using another piece of mat board, cut out a small rectangle that will fit into the cutout of the foam board
piece. Set aside.
13. Set your foam board on top of one of the mat board rectangles, and square up the sides.
14. Using a pencil, trace the cutout onto the mat board. Remove the foam board. You should end up with a
rectangle marked out on the mat board.
15. Now, carefully draw a smaller rectangle inside the marked rectangle. Make it about 1/8” smaller on all
sides. Use your Exacto knife, and cut out the smaller rectangle.
16. Set the mat rectangle from step 15 on top of the remaining, uncut mat board rectangle. Square up the edges.
Using a pencil, trace the cutout onto the uncut mat board rectangle. Using your Exacto knife, cut out the
marked rectangle. You should end up with two identical “frames”.
17. Take one of the rectangles from step 16 and lay it on top of the piece from step 12. Trace the smaller
rectangle onto the piece from step 12, and carefully cut it out. You should end up with a piece that looks
like this:
18. Let’s review all the pieces you’ve cut:
19. Now we can have fun and start putting it together! Take the foam board cutout and lay it on top of one of
the mat board cutouts. Square up the edges, and make sure you’ve got the corrector element cutouts
aligned. It should look like this:
20. Now carefully find your corrector element, and fit it into the center cutout of your assembly. Take the piece
from step 17 and set it on top of the corrector. It is used to fill the difference in thickness from the glass
element and the foam board to keep the element from sitting loosely. It should look like this:
21. Take the last mat board cutout and lay it on top of the assembly. It should look like this:
22. Using the blue tape, gently tape up the left and right sides. You don’t want to permanently seal the corrector
element in yet. It should look like this:
23. Now, fit the assembly into the opening of your HTB-AR lens housing. It should look like this:
24. Fire up your projector, slide the HTB-AR Lens in front and start fiddling around with your focus. Once you
think you’ve got it as good as you can, remove the astigmatism assembly and flip over and try again. Make
a note of the picture quality. Now, using the best side orientation, rotate the astigmatism assembly 90
degrees in one direction and make a note of the quality. When you’ve completed this exercise, you should
be able to identify which configuration gave you the sharpest picture for your setup. Remember that config!
You can mark on the sides of the corrector with a pencil when you change its orientation to keep track of
your progress and orientation.
25. Remove the astigmatism assembly and carefully glue the pieces together to form your final unit. It should
look like this:
Congratulations! You’re done! The assembly should fit nicely into the opening of the HTB-AR lens housing.
You shouldn’t need to tape it in or anything; just let gravity hold it in place, but use your common sense and
intuition… If you think it will fall out, fasten it in with tape, adhesive, what have you… In my case, the vertical
edge of the HTB-AR lens housing fits into the “groove” on the right side of my lens assembly, and the left side
of the assembly rests on the HTB-AR prism. It all fits nice and flush. Here’s a look at it in action (ignore the
blue tape… that’s a “boo boo” on my part).
Enjoy!
Randy,
I completed the setup. All I can say is, "Wow!" I didn't think it would make that much difference, but the clarity on the left
and right edges is noticeable! Great job!
I've attached a write-up for DIY'ers if they want to build a lens assembly like I did. It cost about $15 in material and about
an hour of assembly labor, and 30 minutes of tweaking the orientation of the lens itself.
-Kevin.