Here are some quick snap shots of the DIY mount I just made, only $20..

Closer

I was going to paint the plumbing parts black but I kind of like the sliver contrast.

very nice!

can you post a 'parts list' and where you picked them up at?

Here is the parts list

Home Depot
(2) 3/4 Floor flange
(1) 3/4 X 10" Black steel pipe
(4) 1/4" X3/4" nut and bolt (machine)
(4) #12 X 3/4 Sheet metal screw (For mounting to ceiling board)
(1) 1/4" plexi glass 8X10 (I had to have the guy there cut this for me)
* What's not pictured is a piece of particle board that mounted to the ceiling studs*

Hardware Store
(4) 1" compression springs
(4) lock washers
(4) Flat washers
(4) M4 X 76mm (3 inches long or so) screws
(8) 4mm wing nut bolts
(8) Finishing washers (great for cradling the springs)
(4) fender washers 3/4"

Very nice! I particularly like the use of compression springs. Thanks for the pics and parts list.

Nice work Monk, you may have just saved me 160.00 for the chief mount.
I'm going to try this tomorrow, I like it much better than the single center screw mounts I've been seeing..
It's great to be creative (I'm not)!
Thanks again.

I made a similar mount but used a threaded rod as the main support. By having the rod go through the perspex I can height adjust the projector by about 40mm. The projector is suspended by screws into the four mounting holes. This allows me to individually adjust the angle of the projector. Overall it makes for a very elegant ceiling mount as basically the projector is hung from a perspex sheet, which is attached to a 12mm threaded rod.Overall cost was about $15US.

Originally posted by jamesdoc
I made a similar mount but used a threaded rod as the main support. By having the rod go through the perspex I can height adjust the projector by about 40mm. The projector is suspended by screws into the four mounting holes. This allows me to individually adjust the angle of the projector. Overall it makes for a very elegant ceiling mount as basically the projector is hung from a perspex sheet, which is attached to a 12mm threaded rod.Overall cost was about $15US.
James, interesting. Can you post some pictures?

Nice mount I like the clearance.
Here's one I just finished.
Chuck

Another view.....

Originally posted by davgiles
cmoore1,

That looks really nice! But how will you adjust the image onscreen? I'm not sure a team of NASA engineers could do the necessary calculations and then build and mount a screen/projector mount combination that wouldn't need at least a little bit of final adjustment in height, pitch, and yaw to line up the picture.

David

Small amounts of keystoning will be visually undetectable (I think I heard up to 3 degrees tilt on the projector). As for the other kind of adjustment (yaw?), you can always mount your screen unevenly to compensate :D

Mike U.

Originally posted by davgiles
cmoore1,

That looks really nice! But how will you adjust the image onscreen? I'm not sure a team of NASA engineers could do the necessary calculations and then build and mount a screen/projector mount combination that wouldn't need at least a little bit of final adjustment in height, pitch, and yaw to line up the picture.

David

In the first pic, the radiused slot to the back of the ceiling plate will take care of yaw. I will adjust the height with the screen, it's a pull down unit.
Should I not be able to get it lined up with those methods PLUS the zoom function, I'll install washers at the appropriate points.
Chuck

Originally posted by davgiles
Yeah that pull down screen should make it easier. I was thinking in terms of a permanently mounted screen.

David

Well any setup will have one of the components yielding to the other. Either the projector will have to be mounted to align with the screen or vice versa. My setup design wants the image as low as possible, so I designed the mount to hold the projector just a couple inches over my head while standing underneath.( I'm the tallest in the house.) The mount is 15 inches of drop, the screen is a 92" wide 4:3 model that will have an extra 17" of material above the masked 16:9 area. The calculations of image offset with the projector upside down is approximately 2.875 inches above lens center. Without going in to all the specifics of the math, it looks like I'll have to roll the screen up somewhere between 2 and 6 inches, accounting for amount drop created by the screen housing itself (which I don't know yet, it hasn't arrived, should be here Mon-Tues:) The bigger issue is the resolution of the ratchet mechanism in the retractor of the screen, if it locks at 2 inch or greater increments then I will most likely have to submit some "engineering changes" to make it line up vertically assuming one of those locked positions doesn't land perfectly in line with the image.
Besides, I'm a machinist, who do you think fixes all the mistakes made by those boys up in the engineering office at NASA?:D

Chuck

Monkey_Man, thanks for showing us your design and giving a parts list. IMO it is the best one I've seen yet.
I noticed you used two wing nuts per screw. I like the one used for fine adjustments on top of the plexi glass but what was your reasoning for the one on the projector? Can a regular hex nut be used instead or do you use that one for adjustments as well or does it make it easier to remove the projector for servicing? Just for clarification does M4 X 35mm screws mean a 4mm threaded screw that is 35mm long? How stiff are the springs you used? TIA

Hiya Cliff..

I'm not Monkey Man, but I built a very similiar project with his idea..
I used standard Hex nuts instead of wing nuts because it made the project that more easier on me.. The nuts don't have to be tight to hold the projector, so spinning a hex nut with your finger will do fine for fine tuning the image level/height..

And yes..
M4 = Metric 4mm Thread(fine)
35mm = 35millimeter long bolt

Heres a link to my similiar mount.. btw, Keep in mind I have a Z1 so plexiglass size will be different for the Panny...

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?threadid=233598

Monkey God/ Breakstuff

can you please lable your diy mount picture with the part list? (for the idiots like me)

Thanks

MS.

Thanks Monkey_Man! Great Job! I'm gonna build one of these for my L300u. I'm going to use a brushed aluminum plate though in place of the plexi glass as I already have a piece I can use in my garage.

Thanks for posting.

Brent

I finally mounted the PJ to the ceiling I need to paint the front of the board, but I was too excited to check out the PJ. The black board connects two ceiling studs. I just mounted the PJ to the part of the board that best fits the throw of the l300u.

I used wing nut on the bottom of the screw because I just wanted a tool free means of unlocking the 4mm bolt from the PJ.

The fine adjustments of this setup is excellent! I was able to adjust the pitch and yawl perfectly with fine incremental movements.

I also used blue jeans cables, my lord these cables are very unruly. My girlfriend was like, "oh my god those cables are huge". Ugly but they work great.

Thanks for the compliments guys :)

Another view

I'm thinking about making your mount... The pipe thing will work great, because I'll have it mounted for just a few months in one room before I move it to another, which will probably require a different hang height.

I'm suprised that you did not run the video wire thru the pipe down the the projector. You could run the power on the outside and provide some shielding effect. That mount looks like it is perfect for this, all you would have to do is cut out the plexiglass where the center of the pipe is, and if you ran the wires above the ceiling you would never see them... Or use wire channels.

The blue jeans cable won't fit though the pipe :( I could cut the outer shielding hose off the cables but that goes beyound the payoff for me. I'm living temperaly in an apartment right now. I would go that rought in the future. Thanks for the suggestion :)

i made my mount and people have complimented me on how clean it looks...thanks monkeyman...

I'm in the process of making mine, however I have found that the M4x35 screws for the projector a bit short. Not enough room to get the spring and wingnuts between the projector and the plexiglass.

Monkey_Man:

Nice Job! My PTL-300U should be delivered today. Because my ceiling is low, I won't need an extension pipe. How would you suggest I change your DIY mount design for a flush mount installation.

Bananas and Peanuts,

Monkeyphant

I'm sorry yellowsubmarine. The length of the 4mm screws should be around 3 inches or 76mm. I apologize for posting the wrong length on the screws. Not sure how that happened. Sorry

Hey all, I really like the mount MM dreamed up. I like the price also. The only thing I need to do now is get off my butt an order one of these pannys. What do you think. Does this sound like a plan or what?

Monkey_Man:
Looking at your picture, I am thinking for a flush mount the way to go would be to use a sheet of wood (maybe pine) instead of the plexiglass and bolt that to the ceiling. To make adjustments, I would use the one set of wing nut bolts attached to the 300U.

Monkeyphant

monkeyphant, sure that would work. I went with plexiglass to match my furniture. I have glass tables and end tables. The plexiglass was a compliment, well in my opinion :) The blue jeans cable on the ceiling tends to remove the class from my living room :) One day I'll have a house that I can make dedicated home theater room.

Monkey_Man:
The plexiglass looks great! After what the 300U cost me, I have just enough money left to build your DIY Mount and a DIY Screen. :D

Monkeyphant

here is my mount with drop ceiling...

here's another view..i plan to replace the black pipe with a white 3/4 inch white pipe

Nice and clean :)

Would 1/8" thickness be to thin???

Would 1/8" thickness be to thin???

1/8" would have too much flex and not have the stability to support a 6 lb projector.. 1/4" is widely available and cost is minimal.. :)

Is this correct?

From top to bottom:

Wing Nut
Fender Washer
Plexiglass
Finishing Washer
Spring
Finishing Washer
Wing Nut
Lock Washer
Flat Washer
Projector

Yes thats right.

You need to put an LED right upto the plexiglass so that it glows. That would give it a great floating effect. Art Decoish ehh?

I Itoo am going to make one of these pj mounts.

Great idea Monkey_Man!


ap0

Yes a green LED at the end of the pipe could light up the plexiglass. You must be a case modder :)

I built a similar one for my HS10 as Monkey_Man did the for L300. My cost was $16.60 :)

Difference was I used a piece of MDF rather than glass/plexiglass/lexan, and painted everything with black spraypaint. Hope to have pictures soon :)

First, thanks Monkey_Man :)

I have a cathedral-style ceiling, so I couldn't use a floor flange to attach to the ceiling. Rather than trying to come up with an angled-flange solution (if even possible), I opted to mount it to the back wall.
I'm starting to think I may have mounted it too close to the back wall, so I may come up with an exhaust deflector of some sort.
I'm planning on running all the cables (power, S-video, component) into the wall directly behind the projector and down the inside of the wall to emerge near the floor, hopefully using some sort of grommet and wall-plate combination to make it look nice.

I used an eyehook in the wall (actually in a stud) along with a turnbuckle attached to picture wire to support the far end of the mount.

Wall mount picture (http://archive2.avsforum.com/avs-vb/attachment.php?s=&postid=2031266&fullpage=1)

Thanks again for the design Monkey_Man,
Ken

Great mount! Thanks! I put this together in a few hours and I don't consider myself to be very handy.

One thing I'd recommend - use longer M4 bolts, I'd recommend 50mm or 60mm length if you can find them.

I found 80mm M4 screws at Ace Hardware. These came in handy as the 6-foot black pipe I used (vaulted ceiling) was about an inch and a half too short. So after adjusting properly, I had to remove the springs and finishing washers since they were no longer under any compression and thus not serving a purpose anymore. If I notice my top wing nuts drifting out of adjustment for some reason, I might try to find 2-inch compression springs to match my longer bolt length. But I've been just fine so far without them.

And another "Thanks" from me, Monkey_Man. This is a great mount. Attractive, easily adjustable, and CHEAP! Also adaptable to higher or lower ceilings by picking a different length pipe!

Can someone help me out. I cannot find any 50mm,60mm or 80mm M4 bolts. I currently have it very snug on some threaded rod. PM me if you can help me with purchasing some bolts...

I cannot find any 50mm,60mm or 80mm M4 bolts

Try a local automotive parts store... I found mine at a local NAPA dealer..

Silly question I know.. But how is the pipe connected to the flanges on this mount ??.. Does the pipe have a thread on either end ?

Cheers

Fletch

Originally posted by fletch123
Silly question I know.. But how is the pipe connected to the flanges on this mount ??.. Does the pipe have a thread on either end ?

Cheers

Fletch yep, threads on both ends. flanges screw onto it.

Anyone have any idea to move the projector left to right???? EX: Some kind of track...

I know this isn't what you're looking for, but I just put a longish piece of wood (my "track") on the ceiling and drilled pilot holes for the floor flange in 3 or 4 locations left to right. Then I experimented and settled on the best alignment. It would look better if I filled the unused holes and painted the wood to match my ceiling, but you get the idea.

See this thread

X-Y Adustable version of Monkey Man's Mount (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=244138)

Built this mount for my HS-10 and it works great. The wing nuts and springs are a great idea since mine really needed a fair amount of adjusting to properly line up with the screen.

My cost was about $25, mainly because I had to buy a sheet of plexiglass that was 24" X 36" (cost for the plexiglass sheet was around $11).

For my HS-10 mount, I only used 8" X 8" plexiglass. I think I've got enough plexiglass left over for at least 4 more mounts for the HS-10. It's a real pain in the butt to cut that stuff.

MM,

I also copied your mount to a T and it works like a charm. I love my new L300u and several friends who have seen my setup were blown away by the PQ.

The plexiglass gives it a really slick look and is actually easy to cut with a circular saw or table saw.

Thanks for posting the pictures and parts list. Home Depot was out of half of the stuff as usuall, but Sears Hardware had the rest. Anything longer than 60mm in an M4 screw is hard to find from what I saw.

Happy viewing
-Smiley

I also copied most of the suggestions, the places I deviated were instead of using a floor plate for steel pipe I went to the electrical conduit section and used a conduit plate (they have a nicer finish but are aluminum & rectangular) the top one i actually put above the board so it wasn't even seen. Did this by routing out a piece of 3/4" plywood so it fit fairly tight and had to drill a fairly large hole for the lip of the flange to fit through. I also used 1 1/2 inch pipe and routed my cables through that. The only problem here is when you initially mount it, you either have to put the screws on last or as you rotate the mount onto the threaded pipe, you have to make sure you can rotate your cables or they will get twisted. Also as I tightened the screws down against the plexi glass I cracked the glass around the screw heads. Had to cut another piece and place small spacer washers because of a small recessed gap on the conduit plate (these are completely invisible). Also did not use any springs they aren't necessary if you use 3 nuts on each screw.
Will try to take a picture but some of it you won't be able to see because it is already mounted and I'm not taking it down unless I have to. But the big thing is I highly recommend the conduit plate for a little nicer looking mount and the cost is close. I think I only have about $22 into mine.

Nice mount! Looks familiar, I made one like this back in May. That plexiglass is a nice touch.

Original Post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=1083880#post1083880)


Bobby T.

Some pics of my HT (http://home.houston.rr.com/chingadera/houstonhouse/HT/)

Originally posted by Monkey_Man
Here are some quick snap shots of the DIY mount I just made, only $20.

Monkey_Man, I think it is time to vacuum. :D

Yes, yes, yes, I know :)

Just as an FYI I cut the tops off my bolts to allow the pj to come down by simply removing the 3 wing nuts. That also allowed me to get the spring assemblies put together before mounting the pj.

Great tip!

Can you experts help me build one for mounting as close to the cieling as possible and still be able to adjust. I am forced to install it on a boxed in center beam in my basement which id only 81 inche high. I am trying to keep the screen as high I can from the floor.

hello monkeyphant,

In one of the earlier posts you were building a flush mount for l300u any thoughts.

Man, the area I live in SUCKS! I've called just about every place I could think of trying to find some M4 x 70 or M4 x 80 bolts and no one has any. I've even been asking for some M4 "All Thread" rod so I can cut my own lengths. I've called Auto Parts stores, hardware stores, Home Depot, been to Lowe's twice, our local Ace Hardware, a place called "Fastenall" (which you would think for sure would have something!).

Would anyone be willing to purchase 4 M4 x 70 or 80 bolts and send them to me? I would be more than happy to pay you for them plus your time and effort via Paypal.

This is SO frustrating!

I had to use 50mm bolts. Short but they work well enough.

"I am forced to install it on a boxed in center beam in my basement "

I had a similar situation. My basement has a boxed in beam running straight accross with a metal beam and two air ducts. Fortuantely I was able to get the pipe for the DIY mount right inbetween the two air ducts. I have the pipe coming through a hole cut in the 'box'. My PJ itself sits only about 2 inches max from the bottom of the 'box'.

I'd be curious to know what you do about the height. My PJ is now low enough that it has already taken a smack from someone's head walking by. I'd be interested to know if anyone in a similar sitaution has built a cage or thought up some clever way to protect it from tall people.

I can't even find any 50mm long! The longest bolts that I could find anywhere (Lowe's) were 40mm. That's barely long enough to go through the plexi and then into the projector with little or no adjustment left.

I would love for someone to help me out with this. I was really hoping to get the mount built by this weekend so I can begin building the frame for my new Celtic Cloth screen. I need the projector up so I can figure out how big of a screen I can make.

Eric,

Since I am in the same boat as you can you give me some details on how you installed your mount. The Center Beam Box in my basement is 81 inches from the floor.

Eric:

My wife ordered a silk Ficus tree that we use to hide the wiring and also to make it difficult for someone to walk into either the projector or the wiring that is dropped down. Think of the plant as a stationary H back (blocking back).

I was trying to decide how to hide the wires I'm gonna have.. I didn't think of a tree or something.. that's a great idea :)

Hey MonkeyMan..

You sure created quite a thread here!
Should make this a sticky!

Well, I decided to re-engineer MonkeyMan's mount a bit to work around the fact that I can't find M4 bolts long enough. I'll try and post some pictures this weekend of it, if possible.

Kudos to MonkeyMan for coming up with this. When I got mine finished last night, my wife said that "it actually looks professionally done."

Did anyone using monkey_man's mount have a problem with the fan making a bad noise. I'm having this problem, but I don't know if it has something to do with the screws or not. On another thread I started, someone thought that it might.

Were there any thoughts on this?

Originally posted by bugman72
Man, the area I live in SUCKS! I've called just about every place I could think of trying to find some M4 x 70 or M4 x 80 bolts and no one has any. I've even been asking for some M4 "All Thread" rod so I can cut my own lengths. I've called Auto Parts stores, hardware stores, Home Depot, been to Lowe's twice, our local Ace Hardware, a place called "Fastenall" (which you would think for sure would have something!).



i have had the same experience here. I found one place, but they only sell in bulk (only >100). i am looking for M5's (for my hs10)

McMaster Carr has M4 up to 60 mm, box of 50 for ~$10. They also have 1 meter lengths of M4 threaded rod for $2.

Here's a couple of pics of my version of MonkeyMan's mount. My local Lowe's didn't carry any 1/4 plexi, so I went with 0.10" thick lexan. Since I had so much trouble in finding the M4x80mm bolts, I went a different route and think it turned out just fine.

Pardon the mess...I'm in the process of building the new HT.

Closeup of the mount

Mount attached to ceiling. Post will be hidden inside soffit, once built.

How far are you all screwing the M4 bolts into the projector? I have a L300u.

I'm using M4x30mm bolts. I'm screwing in only about 0.2" into the projector because of how I have everything set up. I wanted to make sure that I didn't screw my projector up the way too many people have by threading the bolts in too far and shorting out the PS.

Has shorting out of the L300u by screwing in the bolt been a problem? That could explain what happened to my projector.

eeehh, only screw the bolts about a half inch or less into the PJ.

Any Canadians in the Toronto area know where I can find M4 bolts long enough?

Going the Bugman route. Should work out ok. I'll be sure to screw the M4's into the projector only about 1/4 of an inch. I notice that the screw holes only go another 1/8 of an inch before contacting internals! Yikes.

cpc: Have you tried Canadian Tire?

I've got 50MM M5 screws there for my HS10 mount, I recalled they had all the sizes..

I like to use 2" wide schedule 80 PVC (Flanges, nipples (12" and 4" with an union) for my DIY mount . I have a X1 which is about 7 lbs. I like to have all my cables (min. of 7 RG6 cables) run inside this pipe/nipple and the union will provide the rotational adjustment. No painting since its all black. Would schedule 80 be strong enough for about 12 lbs of weight? Does this make sense?

bump. Anyone??

Has anybody in Australia built a mount like this?

I cannot find a source for the threaded flanges.

Any help appreciated.

David

miketc,

I did my own variation of the MonkeyMan mount with some differences:

I used a dual-plate design because I could'nt find metric screws long enough, and the second plate utilized SAE hardware, available anywhere in the US. I also used PVC schedule 40 1 1/2" pipe to minimize weight.
The internal diameter is a little less than 1 1/2", so, although not evident in my photos, I had to trim down the plastic shell of the DVI connector to squeeze it through the pipe! Since the photos in the below thread, I have run ALL cables to the projector through the pipe: ie: composite,s-video,component,VGA and DVI and the power cord. It was a SNUG fit let me tell you!! So 2" pipe may be better. The pipe is only about 7" long so, it plenty strong, IMHO.
A quick flat black textured spray paint over everything sweetens the look.
I think it turned out well.

Oh, and by the way, as you can see in the first photo, I cut a notch in the plates to facilitate filter removal!

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=258655&highlight=MidLife

MidLife, some questions:
1. Is your flange PVC?
2. I'm planning to use schedule 80 PVC nipples with threads, it'll be a bit thicker and no glue. A schedule 80 union will also be used for rotational adjustment. What do you think of material choices? Is this strong enough for 18" drop?
3. Did you use primer before painting? What shine level does the texture paint come in (flat, stain, gloss...)?

Thanks in advance!!

I used metal floor flanges and PVC to pipe thread adapters. It's pretty short drop, and in fact, I had to shorten it, since it was at 6'2" from floor!!
I couldn't stand it any longer, so I made a new drop pipe, shorter, about 5" long. A short pipe like this is plenty strong for my environment, but, a 18" drop in a traffic area, I would definately go with a metal pipe. Strong and no adapters to fiddle with. I originally got a metal pipe nipple, and two metal floor flanges and it exceeded the weight of the projector, and I thought, this is overkill! The dinky screws that hold the projector are pretty small anyhow.
But someone brought up a good point regarding "pillow fights" and such.
If I had it to do over again, I would use metal pipe. Both materials are about the same price. No primer needed on clean PVC, but, the metal pipe is oily, so a cleaner is definately needed.
If the projector mount is in view of the audience, go with flat black paint. Mine sits overhead of the viewing position, so, I used a shiny black to lessen the tendancy for dust and fingerprinting and such that happens with the flat black.

Forgive my ignorance about hardware.

1. What are the purpose of the springs?

2. So with this mount, I'm able to adjust the projector vertically by adjusting the height of the M4 screws between the plexiglass and projector, correct? And I'm able to adjust the projector horizontally by turning the part where the pipe is attached to the flange, correct?

Thanks.

Okay, someone has answered the second question via PM.

What are the purpose of the springs? Is it just to make adjustments easier?

Yes, very much so.

I already have 3/16" plexiglass at home. Do you guys think this is thick enough? Or should I double up to create 6/16"?

I couldn't find 1" compression springs. Would 1 1/2" do?

I also couldn't find fender washers. The guy at Ace Hardware didn't even know what they were. Is there another name for it?

BookerT, I used 3/16" plexi and did indeed double it up just to be on the safe side. So, if you look at the pictures that I posted earlier, what I have is two levels of double-thickness 3/16" plexi. It flexes just a tad bit, but that's it.

As for the compression springs, it really just depends upon how strong the compression is and how long of a bolt you plan on utilizing. If the compression isn't out of control hard, then you shouldn't have a problem.

I can't think of another name off the top of my head for fender washers. It might help to describe what they look like to the sales person at Ace (or find someone who seems to know what they are talking about). Fender washers are different from regular washers in that instead of having a fairly decent size hole with a minimal width between the bolt hole and the outer diameter, they have a relatively small hole in comparison to the overall diameter of the washer. So, with say a 1/2" regular washer, you would have a 1/2" hole and something like a 3/4" or 1" outside diameter. A 1/2" fender washer will have a 1/2" bolt hole with something like a 2 1/2" or 3" outside diameter.

Hope this helps. If you have a Lowe's or a Home Depot, that may be your best bet. Otherwise stop by your local auto parts store. Chances are good that they will have them.

Given the risks of shorting, the hassle of finding the right parts, and the simple fact that these DIY mounts don't look as good or adjust as easily as a commercial mount (sorry guys, it's true) - is it really worth saving $150? I mean, come on, between your projector (~$1700), receiver, video source, speakers and sub, and interconnects we've all got at least $3000 in our systems. Is a 5% savings worth this? That being said, I have cheaped out on a Parkland DIY screen, but I view the $500 savings as significant.

Honestly, the risks associated with shorting out the projector are minuscule as long as you take heed to the warnings and posts that have been put on this thread and all over the forum. As for the DIY mounts not looking as good as the commercial units, that in my opinion is in the eye of the beholder. To me, my mount that I pieced together for less than $30 is considerably more attractive than any commercial units that I have seen. Plus, the added satisfaction of telling visitors that I constructed it myself and the considerable savings that I was then able to pass along to something more worthy of spending a higher dollar amount on is immeasurable. And I would tend to disagree somewhat when you say that the DIY mounts aren't as easy to adjust. I have four independent bolts at all axies of the projector, thus allowing me to dial in just about any adjustment I need. All I would then need to do in order to make it fully adjustable is to place the mounting post on a track, thus allowing me to move it both forwards and backwards and side to side.

I see your point, but same argument could very easily be started regarding your use of a Parkland screen. Is the $500 savings significant enough to sacrifice a potential gain in picture quality, contrast, saturation, etc. by going with a premade screen from Stewart or others? I think so, but then again, I built my own mount.

Everything's always subject to an individual's personal tastes and whether they feel it is worth spending the extra time on something to build it yourself.

I just don't want this to discourage anyone from trying to build this on their own. It's pretty easy, takes very little time, and costs virtually nothing. If you build it and you don't like it, I don't think that it would be very hard to turn around and sell it to someone else for the money you have into it.

Originally posted by jimvander9
Given the risks of shorting, the hassle of finding the right parts, and the simple fact that these DIY mounts don't look as good or adjust as easily as a commercial mount (sorry guys, it's true) - is it really worth saving $150? I mean, come on, between your projector (~$1700), receiver, video source, speakers and sub, and interconnects we've all got at least $3000 in our systems. Is a 5% savings worth this? That being said, I have cheaped out on a Parkland DIY screen, but I view the $500 savings as significant.

Savings is saving. These guys are being creative and I think its great If you want to spend $150 for a mount go right ahead. The mounts these guys are coming up with also look great. I was gona buy a mount but after I saw this thread I decided im going to make one instead because it will be fun and there is a certain amount pride in doing things yourself.

I was able to add 12 DVDs to my collection by the savings on my mount!
:D
Anyway, just how much adjustments are really made once you have it ceiling mounted? It's like Ron Popiel says: "set it and forget it"!:)

I have yet to have a guest ever mention my mount, let alone even notice it.

Does it really look that bad?

Originally posted by jimvander9
Given the risks of shorting, the hassle of finding the right parts, and the simple fact that these DIY mounts don't look as good or adjust as easily as a commercial mount (sorry guys, it's true) - is it really worth saving $150? I mean, come on, between your projector (~$1700), receiver, video source, speakers and sub, and interconnects we've all got at least $3000 in our systems. Is a 5% savings worth this? That being said, I have cheaped out on a Parkland DIY screen, but I view the $500 savings as significant.

I see your point however after I bought my PJ I was broke on fun budget. Also I get satisfaction of building my own hardware i.e. stereo stand saved $500, DIY screen saved another $500, and PJ mount saved $120. I'm looking at the whole picture. That's $1200 in DIY.
I'm not justifying my mount but it's extremely adjustable, easy to modify, and in my opinion is better looking. All well it's nice we are able to voice our opinions :)

Monkey Man,

Thanks for saving me $160+ so I have more money to spend elsewhere in my HT. I built a DIY mount inspired by your original design, I got to said it looks a lot better than the In-Focus mount and extension which are going for about $186 plus shipping. I must be a idiot if I could short my projector out. No such luck and this thing is working beautifully. Just can't see spending 23% of the projector cost on a ceiling mount if I don't have to. I just don't have the means as others on this forum.

BTW, I bought my screen. Just can't figure out how to do a pull down that is nicer than Stewart or Da-Lite. The savings from the ceiling mount got me half of the screen.

Anyway thanks again.

I can't get any pictures up for a while, but here's how we did our L300U DIY mount. We cut a piece of plexiglass to fit the bottom of the projector, but extended it out over the sides by a few inches (could have used some plywood or something too, no real reason for the plexiglass - just what my construction guy felt like using). We mounted 2 square blocks of wood onto the ceiling. Then we just screwed the plexiglass into the wood on the ceiling. Since the plexiglass extended a couple inches to each side, it less us screw upwards without worrying about clearance above the projector. So the projector hangs down about 6 inches from the ceiling (the depth of the 2 wood plates). We covered the edges of the wood plates with molding and painted it black (or whatever choice of coloring). It actually looks really nice. Its a good, easy solution for someone that has very little ceiling clearance to deal with (only got 7' ceilings so didn't need it to hang down very far). I'll post some pics when I can as my explanation might not have made a lot of sense - computers are currently disconnected due to the ongoing construction down there.

Some more questions I have:

1. How should I center the pipe on flang on the plexiglass, with respect to the entire plexiglass or the 4 machine screws?

2. I don't think I'll be using the compression springs as I can't find the right size and the finishing washers. So without the compression spring, is this correct for what goes on the machine screw in order from top to bottom: wing nut, flat washer, plexiglass, flat washer, hex nut, middle of machine screw, hex nut, flat washer, projector. Is that right? I bought some lock washers, will I still need them without the springs, and if so, where would they go?

3. I'm having trouble detecting the ceiling joists with the stud detector I bought, a Zircon Pro SL that scans 1 and 1/2" thick. It seems to be detecting a joist almost everywhere on the ceiling, and I'm having a hard to knowing where a joist is. Any tips? I'm tried it on a wall and it works fine.

Thank you.

Here is my rendition of this design. I used 1/4 inch MDF for the mounting plates and some 3/4 inch rounds left over from a speaker building project. The mounting plates are both 8x10 inches which allows enough room around the edge to remove the filter.

By using two plates I was able to get away with using 1/2 inch M4 screws which also eliminates the problem of getting the mounting screws too deep into the body of the projector. The longer screws are 3" #8s countersunk up from under the plate mounted to the projector and locked down on top with nuts.

I've modified the ceiling attachment since this photo was taken. Now I am using carriage bolts through over-sized holes to allow a bit of rotational adjustment.

Now I just have to tear it all down and paint it.

All the other DIY mounts look great! Thanks for the inspiration.

do i need to ground the projector when using this kind of mount system?

No

Thanks to this thread and forum....I built my mount for less than $20 with the supplies listed. The only difference I used a 8" long pipe. If you want to see pics go to my website

Does anyone know if this mount will work for the AE500/L500U? I thought I saw somewhere that it should, but now I can't find it. Hopefully someone can shed some light on this subject.

Yes, same mounting screw size, metric M4 and i have read it somewhere, location of the mounting hole are the same as well. By the way, u can't beat this mount and I really like the wing nuts. You can adjust the level back/forth/left/right on the PJ using the wing nuts. If you are wondering about PJ mount level, this is an alternate cheap solution for len shift with at small degree. hope that helps

Originally posted by BookerT
Some more questions I have:

1. How should I center the pipe on flang on the plexiglass, with respect to the entire plexiglass or the 4 machine screws?

2. I don't think I'll be using the compression springs as I can't find the right size and the finishing washers. So without the compression spring, is this correct for what goes on the machine screw in order from top to bottom: wing nut, flat washer, plexiglass, flat washer, hex nut, middle of machine screw, hex nut, flat washer, projector. Is that right? I bought some lock washers, will I still need them without the springs, and if so, where would they go?

3. I'm having trouble detecting the ceiling joists with the stud detector I bought, a Zircon Pro SL that scans 1 and 1/2" thick. It seems to be detecting a joist almost everywhere on the ceiling, and I'm having a hard to knowing where a joist is. Any tips? I'm tried it on a wall and it works fine.

Thank you.

May be way too late, but for #3 I think your problem is that alot of times they attach drywall to ceilings, they will use metal braces going all across the ceiling which will set your stud finder off. Measure every 16" from a wall until you are in the general area, then shove a nail through the "general area" until you hit a stud. cover up any mistakes with joint compound viola

WHAT DOES M4 MEAN? 4mm? aren't there different thread sizes too?

thanks

M4 is a screw size. Go to home depot and look in all those drawers, you will find M# screws.

well unfortunately there is no home depot where i currently reside (philippines), anyone know if "m4" goes by any other monickers?

Ah, sorry Brian. I was thrown by your "Location" field :). I thought if you looked in this thread, there were other descriptions for them.

Originally posted by brianluce
WHAT DOES M4 MEAN? 4mm? aren't there different thread sizes too?

thanks

M4 is a metric machine screw of nominal 4mm dia. some specs here (http://sosnick.uchicago.edu/screw_M4.html) . In the US, metric fasteners are way too expensive.

M4 screws aren't very easy to find -- the longer 2-3" ones anyway. After looking at several Lowes & Home Depot stores, I finally found them at ACE Hardware.

I am building this mount with a 44" drop on a vaulted
ceiling with a 34 degree pitch.

Anybody have a simple
idea on how to attach to the vaulted
ceiling?

Well I, like many have searched far and wide for these darn bolts around home and have come up empty.
However, I have found a solution...Maryland Metrics.
http://mdmetric.com/
I gave them a call and was able to get 75mm long bolts.
They have a minimum order of $10 so I had to order 19, but the ship UPS and they should be here in 2 days.
I forgot to ask if the were all or partial thread though.

Update, those M4X75mm bolts arrived and they were all thread.
They came in 2 days via UPS so now you have a source.

Monkey Man. I recently purchased a Sony HS20 and planned to mount it using a manufactured ceiling mount. For some reason potential vendors showed little interest in providing design/installation info so I decided to try a DIY mount. I found your posting with pictures and parts lists and gave it a go. My Sony is now up and running and I could'nt be happier with the mount, especially it's adjustment features. Thanks for taking the time to furnish your design info and helping out other Home Theater enthusiasts.

RadarRa:
I'm so glad I could help you. Enjoy :)

I just made a projector mount and used two pieces of wood, one to mount the projector to and one to mount to the ceiling. I have four semi-adjustable legs that connect the two (using 3 inch nuts, bolts and washers).

They did have the 4 mm bolts at home depot (up to 70mm long I think). If you can't find them at your store try looking for the drawers of parts as they were all separated into metric drawers at out home depot.


Anway, thanks to everyone that posted here, I think I have a nice working mount and I did not spend more than $10. I had a surround sound speaker mount from Radio Shack before but it was too flimsy and not very adjustable. This new one should work much better.

Thanks for the design, here is my mounted 500!

Wes

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/501/21822pj500z2.jpg

How hard was it for you guys to mount the Panasonic since this mount design does not allow for a horizontal shift?
My screen is set up so how do I go about making sure that the projector fills the screen without the left or right edge being a little off of one side?
Mine is on its way and I am afraid of how difficult getting it up in the right spot is going to be.

here is my 300u mount.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4085369#post4085369

with the above mounts it is tricky to horizontally mount unless the beam is conveniently above the position or you use board above the PJ that connect to the joists that the mount can then be installed to with more flexibility

Darrinh, I thought about this when I first saw MM's impressive mount. I was thinking where the lower flange screws into the first piece of plexiglass, you could drill/router parallel tracks so it could be shifted horizontally, then the screws re-tightened. Just my .02 :)

Lightjug is right. I was going to do that but I didn't have to because I was right on with my placement. However when I moved I couldn't get it right wih my 500u. Since then I bought the z2 and I didn't that feature with the lens shift on the z2.

If you dont mind me asking, why did you move from the 500u to the Z2?
Thanks

Sure read this post.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=399393

Thanks Monkey, Great reading in that post!

Originally posted by Monkey_Man
Lightjug is right. I was going to do that but I didn't have to because I was right on with my placement. However when I moved I couldn't get it right wih my 500u. Since then I bought the z2 and I didn't that feature with the lens shift on the z2.

MM - I am thinking of building this mount with the horizontal shift.... do you have any concerns re: the strength of the plexi with the routed "slits" for the shift?

Thanks

Do you guys need any damping when you use these mounts? How are the springs working for those of you that use them?

Thanks,

I’m wondering if that plexiglass is strong enough to hold my 6.8lb infocus 4805.. anyone?

Yes without a doubt. Just get the 1/4 inch or thicker

I've finally had the time to take some pictures of my monkey_Man style mount for my AE700.

Sorry about the dust on the plexi- too lazy to get a rag for the pics ;).

I made some small but functionally significant modifications to the basic monkey_Man design and parts list.

I used fully threaded M4 x 70mm bolts (screws), to allow greater range of adjustment with the top side wing nuts. With the greater range, you can fine adjust the absolute height as well as the pitch and roll of the projector. Use the pipe flange for yaw.

I also replaced the lower projector-side wing nuts with Nyloc lock nuts. Nyloc nuts have a nylon insert that helps keep the nut in its final position on the bolt. The idea is to measure the depth of the threaded insert on the AE700 with one of the M4 bolts, marking the depth with a Sharpie or other marker or White Out. Remove the bolt from the AE700 after you establish the depth, then install the bolt, spring and washer hardware to the plexi plate per the pictures and guides in this thread.

Install the Nyloc nut to the mark you made- you will need to thread the nut over the mark until flush with the mark on the projector side on the bolt, opposite the head of the bolt. This sets the spring compression. You would then use a standard Philips screwdriver to drive the M4 70mm screws into the projector screw inserts. I find that a stubby ratchet type with removable bits is great for this. You should be able to drive the M4 70mm screw into the projector without affecting the spring compression, due to the lock nut.

Be sure NOT to over-tighten the M4 70mm screws, or you could bottom out the screw in the projector and pull out or loosen the molded in metal insert on the projector, causing damage that might not be covered under warranty. Setting the engagement depth slightly less than the full amount on the M4 screw should make the Nyloc nut bottom on the projector before the screw bottoms out in the insert.

I also went a size or two larger and stiffer on the springs listed early in the thread.

I initially had a hard time finding the metric hardware, but found a good selection at Murray's Ace Hardware at the Livonia/Redford, MI border at Inkster and Plymouth Roads, and Studz Hardware on Telegraph between Michigan and Van Born in Dearborn Heights.

Here is the first pic, front right view.

Please ignore the somewhat messy cabling- I am trying out several new cables and haven't nice-ified the wiring yet. I usually have the wires neatly tucked into black loom.

Closeup of the right rear fastener stack, near the AE700 filter. I laid out the plexi so I can remove the filter without disturbing the projector as mounted. The filter easily clears the plexiglas with no interference.

I used dark smoked plexi. I scored and snapped to cut to size.

I plan to use a mini torch to finish the edges of the plexi.

Closeup of the front-most two fastener stacks and the pipe flange.

From the projector underside ("top" when inverted) in
the attached photo, bottom to top of the stack:

Nyloc nut
finishing washer (concave design "cups", or retains, the spring)
spring
finishing washer
(plexiglass)
flat "fender" washer (fender washers have larger outside diameter (OD) than regular washers)
wingnut

The bolt/screw is a 70mm long fully threaded M4.

Lock washers not used in photo.

Front isometric view.

Closeup of the fastener stack from the left rear of the AE700, edge-on the plexi.

Rear right isometric angle.

Rear right shot with air filter partially removed, demonstrating clearance to plexiglas mount.

You only need less than 1/4" clearance.

Very nice. I'm beginning to think I missed my own pet rock on this mount :) I'm glad so many people liked the mount. The adjustability is second to non.

Originally posted by Monkey_Man
Very nice. I'm beginning to think I missed my own pet rock on this mount :) I'm glad so many people liked the mount. The adjustability is second to non.

You should patent the design, but I want credit for the Nyloc nut and Fully Threaded Fastener mods ;).

I don't know if you'd want to sell them, even as a kit of parts, due to product liability issues- the first time someone's projector falls from the mount and burns their house down or kills/hurts someone, it would RUIN your day ;). You couldn't afford product liability insurance....

That said, I feel this mount is superior in every way to the OEM and Chief mounts I've used in the past, which is just $200 thrown away, as you've got to give them away when you sell the mating projector...

I used 1 1/2" PVC pipe for the mount. Textured flat black spray paint everthing. It allows the VGA and DVI connectors through [with some minor triming on the DVI connector] the mount for a clean look. :)

Midlife: I'd like to know why you used two plates on the projector end of the mount. It doesn't look bad at all, but I couldn't figure out the purpose.


The overall monkeyman design: Could you really patent the assembly of a handful of industry standard piping and hardware? The funny thing is that this is nothing new. I've used the same "technology" to hang speakers 10 years ago.



Bobby

I used two plates because I couldn't find metric screws long enough.
I used SAE hardware for the adjustments which are made from the top plate. I used 1/4" masonite [peg-board without holes.] and painted black.
I didn't use springs, didn't feel the need to. Once set, projector usually doesn't ever need to move again.
Same concept, different design.
I can also remove the projector without disturbing the alignment. Just back off the top nuts. :)

Originally posted by Bobby_M

The overall monkeyman design: Could you really patent the assembly of a handful of industry standard piping and hardware? The funny thing is that this is nothing new. I've used the same "technology" to hang speakers 10 years ago.

Bobby

All patented manufactured things could be considered just "a handful of industry standard" parts and materials ;). It's the combination, configuration and final function that matters.

While I was kind of kidding re: patenting, it's not so far fetched, considering the HUGE abuses of the patent system going on now among big IP holders and the software industry (can you say "one-click" patent? ;) ).

I was about to purchase a mount for my Mitsubishi HC3, but after reading your thread I decided to build my own. A friend needed a mount for his projector also, so we built two today. It looks great and saved me a lot of money. It came together very easily. Great Idea

-Dan

you guys that have used this mount on their AE700's, how happy are you with that?

Should be the same results. This mount will work with any PJ under 10 pounds.

excellent... I will tackle it this or next weekend in preporation for my new house

Hey folks. I have a Monkeyman mount (pretty much) and I am probably going to take down the plexi in favor of plywood. I have 2 pieces of the .10 plexi and my Z3 is making them bend right now.

I'm also considering buying a laptop and placing it on top of the mounted plywood and getting wireless keyboard and mouse. Has anyone tried using the top of the mount for an intermittent shelf? I figure it would save me about $200 in cables if it could work.

Any thoughts on the feasability of this plan? It's about an 8 lb laptop.

You should be using no less then 1/4" think plexi-glass. I'm sure your shelf idea will work just fine. Just depends on how you build it.

They didn't have the 1/4" at any of the hardware stores in my area in the size I need and they wouldn't cut it either so I was stuck.

I think all I need to do for the shelf is cut the plywood a little bigger (say 17X17"). My concern is if the weight will cause the whole thing to tilt slightly, causing the image to skew.

Also - props for the design. The mount is great and the wife likes it also.

Bringing this one back up to thank Monkey and all others who have shared their MM mounts and deviations.

All of the materials ran me $25.23 at Home Depot (they didn't have anything longer than M4 30's so I'm constructing the two-board design others have done).

Again...thanks!

I’m wondering if that plexiglass is strong enough to hold my 6.8lb infocus 4805.. anyone?

I had built something similar for my X1 it it works great. Must admit I used regular nuts for minor height and level adjustment, I make go back and use wing nuts instead. Tho the regular nuts are not that hard to deal with.

The key with the plexiglass is to get a good sharp utility knife and "score" it as deeply as possible. The stuff comes in a big sheet (more then you will need) so if you screw up, no big deal. But I clamped a heavy metel ruler to the plexiglass then cut with the knife along the ruler and repeated about a dozen or so times. Then put the cut just barely overhanging a sturdy table and did a quick push down "snap" on the over hung part of the plexiglass. Worked great!

You also want to be carefull when you drill thru the stuff. I started with the smallest drill bit I had and then one size at a time stepped up to the final size. Once when I tried to go to the size I needed directly it "cracked" the stuff.

Just go slow and purposeful and you will be fine. And like I say the sheet from Home Depot could probably make four of them, so if you screw up, not a big deal.

This thing looks great and seems like I can handle the construction of this mount.

Howerever I have a problem. I live in an apartment complex. The guy who lives above me probably has safety boots on when he walks around the house as it causes anything mounted on my roof to kind of shake. Is there a way to remedy that. :( I have an infocus X1 PJ

This thing looks great and seems like I can handle the construction of this mount.

Howerever I have a problem. I live in an apartment complex. The guy who lives above me probably has safety boots on when he walks around the house as it causes anything mounted on my roof to kind of shake. Is there a way to remedy that. :( I have an infocus X1 PJ

You need rubber/foam isolation. There are commercial vibration isolators out there like
http://store.yahoo.com/archery-experts/412inis.html

(search google/froogle for more).

but all you need to do is sandwich rubber/foam between the fasteners and/ or plate. The stiffness/softness of the foam/rubber will depend on the frequency of the vibration. You'll need to experiment, or google for vibration isolation guidelines.

I would mash a piece of thick foam between the ceiling and a top mount plate, which would act as an isolated ceiling surface for the pipe to mount to. The fasteners passing through the plate and isolation material to the ceiling would need rubber/foam under their bolt heads, like thick soft rubber grommets, similar to engine mounts on car engines, connecting the shaking engine to the car frame. The idea is to avoid any hard contact path back to the ceiling, similar to an electrical conduction path , except that vibration can be conducted through any hard material, electrically conductive or not.

Or mount to a wall or floor with suitable adapting hardware or support structure.

Based on several recent private emails to me, I updated my above posts with pictures to include the fastener stack parts list, which shows changes to monkey_man's original fastener stack. The remaining parts list is the same as monkey's.

This thing looks great and seems like I can handle the construction of this mount.

Howerever I have a problem. I live in an apartment complex. The guy who lives above me probably has safety boots on when he walks around the house as it causes anything mounted on my roof to kind of shake. Is there a way to remedy that. :( I have an infocus X1 PJ

Here is a simple isolation design off the top of my head. The best I could draw in MS Paint in the last 5 minutes ;).

The top plate could just rest on the isolation material. Experiment with foam, rubber or insulation material. The M4 threaded rod or fasteners don't *have* to go through the isolation material- they could be outside the perimeter.

You could also replace the isolation material with springs piloted over the M4 rod or fasteners between the top and bottom plate. These springs would be in compression. You would need to experiment to find the right size/stiffness of spring, though I'd think you'd need something with viscous dampening similar to a car shock absorber to dampen induced vibration.

Another spring variation could be substituting springs for the rods/fasteners connecting the bottom plate to the ceiling in the attached diagram, i.e. springs or rod-like vibration isolators only, no rigid connection from the bottom plate to the ceiling. The springs would be in tension.

Another option would be to use the basic pipe flange design, and put isolation material between the ceiling and ceiling end pipe flange, and between the single projector plate of the original design and the projector end pipe flange. You'd need to use longer flange bolts with rubber grommets, of course.

M4 threaded rod in several foot lengths can be found at:

Metro Bolt and Fastener Corporation
19339 Glenmore
Redford, MI 48240
313-538-4800

Nice work RGB!!!! Great to see this mount is still alive and well!!!

Updated last few posts with M4 threaded rod source and other suggestions for isolation.

you guys that have used this mount on their AE700's, how happy are you with that?

Very. :D.

BTW, I got the smoked color plexi from a co-worker. I also got some clear plexi from another co-worker! Both for free.

Ask co-workers and friends if they have scrap plexi in their basements or garages- you'd be amazed how common free leftovers are.

I made a flush mount (I only have an 8' ceiling), I also wanted something that is fairly easy to remove for presentations.

I used toggles (four of them) to hold up the brackets.

I can adjust the height and angles by using combinations of screw lenghts and nuts. It works out very well, my wife did not want anything hanging from the ceiling.

Added more isolation design suggestions in post above with diagram.

I made a flush mount (I only have an 8' ceiling), I also wanted something that is fairly easy to remove for presentations.

I used toggles (four of them) to hold up the brackets.

I can adjust the height and angles by using combinations of screw lenghts and nuts. It works out very well, my wife did not want anything hanging from the ceiling.

Wow! That looks VERY nice!! Can you provide more information? How does it handle airflow? It looks pretty tight to the ceiling.

- Vikas

^^^I have very good air circulation in the room. I have a large 5 blade fan that pulls air downward which helps circulate the cool air from two vents in the room. My only problem will be dust (I tiled my entire house), so regular maint. will be needed.

OK, I'm gonna scout around tomorrow for those darn M4 screws. Can I get away with 60mm length, not that I know I can find them but I have a better shot at that than 76mm? Also, the compression springs are 1inch in length? Everything else, Lowes seem to have in stock. Any tips to get it close mounted to the ceiling? I have 7 foot ceilings.

I used a combination of using a speaker mount from radio shack and the monkey man mount.
I followed the directions and list to a T, except for the M4's. I went with the 60mm and there was(is) no problems.
BTW, I have a low ceiling also. I have been using this mount since this thread started, and I have been Very satisfied with it.

I'm pretty sure I used 60's on mine and they worked fine. FYI, everything I found was at a Tru Value hardware store - Lowes and Home Depot just didn't have the metric sizes.

-Mike

Here is my dry run :)

Monkeyman mount with, I made a second mount to run the cables. Only 1 more coat of mud, texture and paint.

I've got a Panasonic AE700. One question, anyone worried about the heat and the plexiglass?

First pic is from the side, second is from the back.

What type of pipe are you using and what is the ceiling cover plate? Looks nice.

Tkhanks

What type of pipe are you using and what is the ceiling cover plate? Looks nice.

Tkhanks

If you are asking me I'm using a 3/4" floor flange and pipe for the mount and 1.5" floor flange and pipe for the wire run. It needed to be big enough for the HDMI and VGA cables. I think I'm going to use wood trim around the top. Just cut a circle out drill a hole so the pipe fits and router the edge. If I can find a small plastic or metal ring I might use that to hide the floor flange.

Also insted of getting an 8" pipe for the drop I used a 6". I wanted to cover the threaded parts so I picked up 2 connectors, threaded on the outside and about 2" long. I connected those to the floor flange, next I found some covers 2" long threaded on the inside only. This way you can't see the pipe thread on the outside, and it also added the step on the top and bottom.

So far the best I can come up with is 50mm bolts from Sears Hardware. Will these work? Autoparts store had nothing.

If you are asking me I'm using a 3/4" floor flange and pipe for the mount and 1.5" floor flange and pipe for the wire run. It needed to be big enough for the HDMI and VGA cables. I think I'm going to use wood trim around the top. Just cut a circle out drill a hole so the pipe fits and router the edge. If I can find a small plastic or metal ring I might use that to hide the floor flange.

Also insted of getting an 8" pipe for the drop I used a 6". I wanted to cover the threaded parts so I picked up 2 connectors, threaded on the outside and about 2" long. I connected those to the floor flange, next I found some covers 2" long threaded on the inside only. This way you can't see the pipe thread on the outside, and it also added the step on the top and bottom.

At Home Depot they sell plastic and plaster molded ceiling medallions for above light fixtures and/or ceiling fans. I looked into them once and they are cheap - like $8 and nice because some of them have scroll work on them. You just paint them like regular trim work. Also, you could use the snap ring insert for ceiling lights (cans). The halogen ones get pretty small. Not sure if you could find the small ones in HD though. I really like the way yours turned out. That's the way I'm going to do mine I think... Looks REAL professional!

finally got the room far enough along to mount the projector. Thanks Monkyman for the great design. I replaced the plexi-glass with a 1/8" stainless steal sheet. It works pretty good but it does bow a little when you tighten the wingnuts too far. I'm going to try a 1/4" sheet of Aluminum as it will be more rigid.

http://free-gear.com/colors/pjmount.jpg

I used the design to mount my 4805.
There is a photo in my gallery.

Great design. Thanks for posting it.

Finally got my 4805 in and am using MonkeyMan's mount!

Lowes had 50mm M4 bolts, but I found a local hardware store that had 70mm.

In place of the plexi I am using a thick plastic cutting board ala Wally World! Hey it chops, dices, slices AND plays great movies!

Thank's for all the DIY help! Will post pix as soon as the mount is complete.

Hey am_pcguy,

Your installation looks great! Is that ABS pipe, or steel pipe or what? Is there any reason you went with different sizes for the two drops??

Finally, can you describe the pieces you used for the mount? I see it from top to bottom as:
1) Flange (inside thread; female?)
2) Short adaptor (outside thread; male)
3) Short adaptor (inside thread; female)
4) pipe drop (outside thread/male on ends)
5) Short adaptor (inside thread; female)
6) Short adaptor (outside thread; male)
7) Flange (inside thread; female?)


Is that right?

What did you use for the flange cover? It looks really nice. Thanks for posting it!

Hey am_pcguy,

Your installation looks great! Is that ABS pipe, or steel pipe or what? Is there any reason you went with different sizes for the two drops??

Steel pipe, primed and painted flat black. I used 2 sizes because I didn't need 1 1/4" for the Projector but that is the smallest I could get a VGA, component, and HDMI cable through.


Finally, can you describe the pieces you used for the mount? I see it from top to bottom as:
1) Flange (inside thread; female?)
2) Short adaptor (outside thread; male)
3) Short adaptor (inside thread; female)
4) pipe drop (outside thread/male on ends)
5) Short adaptor (inside thread; female)
6) Short adaptor (outside thread; male)
7) Flange (inside thread; female?)


Is that right?

That is exactly right. I could not find a pipe longer than 6" at my local Home depot. I saw the short male (outside thread) and the short female (inside thread) put them together, it looked nice, hid the pipe threads, and got me to the length I wanted. It cost about $5 for the extra parts, so I have maybe $30 into the mount.


What did you use for the flange cover? It looks really nice. Thanks for posting it!
They are blank light fixture covers. They would be used to cover an open light fixture box. I used a dremel cutting tool to cut the center out, and they covered the flange nicely. Thanks for the compliment.

I used PVC pipe and fed all cables through.

painted with "textured flat black"


I wish I painted the screws. ;)

MidLife,

So are those steel flanges with PVC Pipe then? Can you describe your parts, as I can't seem to find flanges in either ABS or PVC.

I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to route cables through the pipe, but I'd like to have the details of your parts just in case I can.

Thanks!

steel flanges for 1 1/2" pipe, I think.
The PVC is 1 1/2" regular schedule 40 painted.
They make fittings with the same thread as the steel flanges.
I checked and partly assembled in the store just to be sure.
I used 1 1/2" pipe primarily for the DVI connector. I had to shave a little off the conector to get it to go through.
It been up about two years now.

Thansk, MidLife. I only looked at my local Ace Hardware for parts, so I'll expand my search to the big box stores.

Hi -- I'm going to build this mount in the next couple days.

I was wondering if anyone who has made the basic Monkey Man version could tell me the height from the ceiling to the projector, and what length of pipe was used? I know the screw adjustments give a range of height adjustments, but I kind of need to get in the ballpark to pick a pipe length.

Thanks.

The length of the pipe depends on how high your ceiling is, how high your screen is, and what the vertical offset of your projector is. Obviously, with those three variables unknown, you'll have to figure that one out on your own. The cool thing with the Depots and Lowes is that you can buy one of each size and just return the ones you don't use. You could also try my height adjustable version if you have an attic or drop ceiling:

www.pbase.com/mustang100/mount

Bobby

Thanks Bobby. What I meant was, I know how far from the ceiling I want the projector -- the same height it's sitting at now on a makeshift shelf. If I know how far from the ceiling a mount puts the projector with a given pipe length, I can figure out the pipe length needed for my setup. But since I'm sure I'll end up going to Home Depot numerous times anyway, your suggestion to just return what I don't use will work fine.

Updated post

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5217354#post5217354

to explain finishing and fender washer details.

you guys are great for taking time to share I did mine in about 2 hours time today..so far so good...need to put in some longer springs(really not necessary)check the link in my sig for pics

finally got the room far enough along to mount the projector. Thanks Monkyman for the great design. I replaced the plexi-glass with a 1/8" stainless steal sheet. It works pretty good but it does bow a little when you tighten the wingnuts too far. I'm going to try a 1/4" sheet of Aluminum as it will be more rigid.

http://free-gear.com/colors/pjmount.jpg

You have a pm.

I updated my AE700 monkeyman projector mount posted earlier in this thread to MidLife's design, using 1.5" dia galvanized pipe and matching flanges for cable pass through capability.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=5217354#post5217354

While the updated 1.5" ID flanges have a much larger OD than my original iteration shown in the link above, there is more than enough room inside the AE700 bolt pattern to fit the larger flange. The larger flange required (4) new 5/16 holes to be drilled in the plexiglas, as well as a hole cut out of the plexiglas coincident with the flange centerline to allow the connectors and cables to pass through.

I used the original small flange holes to insert a hacksaw blade, then manually cut out a 1.5" square opening by cutting to each of the holes.

The larger flanges use 5/16 x 1" bolts on the plexiglas end, and 5/16 x 1.5" lag bolts on the ceiling side. I removed the original plywood homebrew scissor lift shown in the earlier photos, so the upper flange is mated to a plywood plate that spans two joists above the drop ceiling in the basement.

My updated mount is compatible with an AE900, which uses the same bolt pattern and fastener diameter/thread, though I will continue to use my AE700.

I plan to post updated pics in a week or two.

Very nice! way to go!

Very nice! way to go!

Monkey Man,

What are your thoughts on the two plexiglass plate idea instead of one? It sounds like extra work but may be worthwhile since one can take the PJ down without having to remove the ceiling mount portion. I can't wait to try out my new Z4 so hopefully I can get this thing built tomorrow in short order; assuming all the pieces can be found easily.

Greg

I know some people had nice success with the two plate system. I say go for it and report back!

I know some people had nice success with the two plate system. I say go for it and report back!

I just got back from Home Depot and got everything but the plexiglass. I'll have to get that tomorrow. I should have everything finished tomorrow afternoon including the mounting of my Gray Wolf screen. I'll post back when all is done.

Greg

I just got back from Home Depot and got everything but the plexiglass.

Greg

Where did you end up getting the plexi? I have not been to HD, but lowes has .08 thickness and that will not be nearly strong enough. The .22 thickness is about $30 IIRC.

Dave

There really is no strict rule that you have to use plexiglass. Any rigid material should be fine.

1/2" plywood, MDF, etc.
1/8" aluminum or steel plate sheet.
1/4" Acrylic, Polycarbonate, PVC sheet.

If you really want clear, check out Freckleface.com

Acrylic is plenty strong, but if you want bulletproof (literally), go for polycarbonate (lexan).

Bobby

Where did you end up getting the plexi? I have not been to HD, but lowes has .08 thickness and that will not be nearly strong enough. The .22 thickness is about $30 IIRC.

Dave

Dave,

Search an ebay search for 12" x 12" lexan. I found a supplier that sent me two pieces of 3/8" lexan for $25 or whatever it was. It was a little more or a little less than that but it is pre-cut to the dimensions I need.

I bought 1/4" stuff at Lowes and there display made it appear easy to score and then break the material. Yeah right. Maybe with 1/8" lexan but not the 1/4". I bought their little utility knife and tried to score the lexan to 1/3 it's thickness per there recommedation and after 10 minutes of attempting to get the blade in the exact same place I had enough. I put a towel over the lexan and snapped it in two. Surprisingly, it bent over 45 degrees before breaking. Well naturally it didn't break in a perfectly straight line so I had to do it again. I still didn't get it right. But between the two breaks I had two pieces that would work well enough so I began the process of marking holes and began to drill. Make sure you get a drill bit designed for plastic or it will splinter. I used an ordinary wood drill bit and a few chunks broke off as the bit punched through.

To top it off, my Z4 is heavy enough the the 1/4" Lowes lexan I used still flexes with holes drilled ten inches apart. WIth the 3/8" stuff that is on the way, I'll drill holes 8 inches apart and coupled with the increased thickness, I should get no more sagging.

I would have used a wood product, but all the panel type of material I sampled was too flexible for my tastes. If someone can recommend a wood or composite material please do so. Drilling through lexan is not as fool-proof as wood is.

So if you need lexan, do yourself a favor and buy it precut from that guy at ebay. The two 12" x 12" pieces 3/8" thick should be perfect.

Greg

Keep in mind that Lexan (polycarbonate) is a more flexible variety of clear plastic than Acrylic is. They'll claim lexan is so many times stronger, but it really means it can take more impact before shattering because it is more flexible (think of a baseball hitting it as a window replacement for glass). My particular mount uses 1/4" acrylic and it doesn't flex at all.

As I mentioned, Freckleface.com has the absolute lowest price I've found (I've checked about every supplier online due to another project I have going on).

http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/product37.html $6 sheet + $6 shipping.

They also have 3/8" if that would make you feel better, but it'll just be a little harder to cut and drill.

You really only need to use a single plate to make a working mount. I can appreciate the functionality of the second plate but it is just not necessary in practice.

Bobby

Keep in mind that Lexan (polycarbonate) is a more flexible variety of clear plastic than Acrylic is. They'll claim lexan is so many times stronger, but it really means it can take more impact before shattering because it is more flexible (think of a baseball hitting it as a window replacement for glass). My particular mount uses 1/4" acrylic and it doesn't flex at all.

As I mentioned, Freckleface.com has the absolute lowest price I've found (I've checked about every supplier online due to another project I have going on).

http://freckleface.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/product37.html $6 sheet + $6 shipping.

They also have 3/8" if that would make you feel better, but it'll just be a little harder to cut and drill.

You really only need to use a single plate to make a working mount. I can appreciate the functionality of the second plate but it is just not necessary in practice.

Bobby

I'll keef freckleface in mind as my 3/8" lexan has yet to show up . . .

With regard to your last comments I disagree. I much prefer to have the PJ mounted securely to one piece of lexan with four separate screws connecting the two pieces together. I guess it still isn't necessary, but then the PJ isn't a necessity either.

Either way, whatever works for people.

Greg

IMHO the only reason to use a secondary plate securly mounted to the PJ is is your mounting bosses do not bottom out. On my mount, the screws go through a nut, washer, mounting plate then into the PJ into which they are bottomed out. Any levelling adjustments are made simply by spinning the nuts on the top of the mounting plate.

Of course, anyone can do whatever they feel like doing but I just wanted to stress that I achieve exactly the same functionality with less hardware.

Bobby

hi there well im about to start making one of these awsome mounts, but ive got a big problem, my PJ is an Acer P525, and it doesnt have 4 nice threaded holes like all the pjs here do all it seeams to have is 2 holes one bigger than the other and they are very close to each other, ill get a pic of the bottom of the pj ASAP but you can take a look at the mount that is designed for it

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1706387&Tab=1&NoMapp=0

please help me solve this as i really cant afford buying one of these expensive mounts. thanks

hi there well im about to start making one of these awsome mounts, but ive got a big problem, my PJ is an Acer P525, and it doesnt have 4 nice threaded holes like all the pjs here do all it seeams to have is 2 holes one bigger than the other and they are very close to each other, ill get a pic of the bottom of the pj ASAP but you can take a look at the mount that is designed for it

http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1706387&Tab=1&NoMapp=0

please help me solve this as i really cant afford buying one of these expensive mounts. thanks

No big deal- do a 2-plate design.

Just buy the appropriate fasteners for each of the two different holes. They are most likely metric, though they could be english units. Measure the approximate diameters with a ruler, then buy several sizes around this approximate measure- return what you don't use or store them for another project.

Clamp a plate similar to the commercial mount against the projector (without all the extra slots- only the holes you need) with the screws/bolts you buy, then arrange a 4 hole bolt pattern for 4 fasteners to connect to an upper plate, which mounts a flange and pipe.

You could use MDF, plywood, or plexiglas, all covered in this thread.

The benefit of plexiglas is looks, easy to cut and snap by hand without special woodcutting or metal working tools, and easy to transfer the hole pattern from the projector to the plexiglas- just lay the plexi on the projector and mark the holes you see through the plexi.

With MDF or plywood, you could countersink or counterbore the holes for the bolts connecting the upper and lower plates together, allowing clearance for the bolt heads if this is an issue, to keep the plate flush against the projector.

IMHO the only reason to use a secondary plate securly mounted to the PJ is is your mounting bosses do not bottom out.

Bobby

Nyloc nuts shown in my photos earlier in the thread can be positioned to prevent bottoming out in the projector bosses, which I mention in my earlier AE700 mount posts.

Bottoming out and continuing to torque the fasteners in the projector boss could make the molded in metal insert break free.

Okay, first off, thank you to everyone who has posted in this thread - I combined several different ideas to make my own mount, and I couldn't be happier with it.

I used 2" PVC pipe as the riser, and 2" solvent weld shower drains as my "flanges" for mounting to the ceiling and to the projector "plate". The drains I used were $5 each at Lowe's and are similar to the ones found here:

http://www.oatey.com/shower_drains/102.html

I drilled holes through the flange around the drain and after measuring everything out and checking my positioning, simply screwed one end to the ceiling, and the other to an 8" square peice of fiberboard, which had holes drilled for the 4805's three mount points. I screwed the bolts in until they LIGHTLY bottomed out and then adjusted my wingnuts. Total time involved, about 1 hour. Total cost was well under $20.

Thanks again to Monkeyman and everyone else!

one more image.

one more image.

Nice and clean, looks great!

monkey man-- has anyone come up with a telescoping mount-- I need something that I can pull down whe watching my panny 900 and then push back up to ceiling when finished-- any ideas out there??? thx!

you could try one of those legs they use for traillers, they have a crank that you have to turn to make the leg go up and down, they are made to lift thousands of pounds with very litle crank force, therefore you could probably wire it up to some gehto motor contraption and hook that up to an x10 control module so you have control of it wirelessly. if you have a hard time finind an electric motor strong enough, i was thnking of using a chain drive system, just grab a cog off a bike +chain and you can pretty much put any motor on there. if you can hide some of that stuff id say you will have a VERYYYYY sweet looking mount, and thats quite the diy project to flaunt about, "motorized telescoping mount" and wireless at that. hummm i like the sound of that. you might have a hard time finding a trailer leg with more than ~20" of tracel though, not sure, never looked much into it.

monkey man-- has anyone come up with a telescoping mount-- I need something that I can pull down whe watching my panny 900 and then push back up to ceiling when finished-- any ideas out there??? thx!

I have pondered this idea at one time before the days of lens shift. My H78 has vertical lens shift so it didn't need it. One easily way would to be two use two pipes, one that could fit in another and use some kind of set screw with a handel to tighten it.

yea that was my first thought, but what a pain if you have to bring it up and down often, and what a risk IF for some strange reason something happenned while the screw was out. and if your projector is prety close to the ceilling the way mine is, then thats even more of a hassle cause you need a chair or a stepstool to comfortably dot his task. btw for cable management what i would do is wire everything up with the PJ in the "down" position, i would then put it in the "up" position bunble all the cables and tie them together using cable ties, i would then use something like a stretcher to keep all the cable ties. (hard to explain) it would look something like a U with the stretcher acting like a bridge, keeping the cables always nice and tight. when in the down position, the stretcher would just look like another cable but when in the up position it would bring in all the slack to wherever you want it to.

You could try a surplus electric automotive jack or other powered hydraulic cylinder for an adjustable height mount:

http://www.heartlandamerica.com/browse/item.asp?product=roadmaster-push-button-electric-car-jack&PIN=38789&GUID=69C1A30E-AF44-4BFB-A7F9-F664CDB331CE&BC=60006010&DL=SCH13#

http://www.factorysonline.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/SFV/31039/vpid/2137055/vpcsid/0/rid/119567

This one has a wireless remote!
http://store.4siteoutdoors.com/4site-outdoors/misu12voelca.html

monkey man-- has anyone come up with a telescoping mount-- I need something that I can pull down whe watching my panny 900 and then push back up to ceiling when finished-- any ideas out there??? thx!
Here is an idea I was playing with. It uses a hinged arm to raise and lower the projector supported by a tensioned cable at the front. If properly weight balanced it would be very easy to raise and lower it, then secure it on the ceiling with a magnetic clasp of some kind. I even found a tensioned cable assembly.

http://www.armysurpluswarehouse.com/itemDetail.cfm?product=&item=563

I have attatched a crude drawing as well. :)

Better late than never ;).

Here are pics of my AE700 installed using MIdlife's version of monkey_man's famous mount.

Straight on from the front:

Front left view. The pipe is covered with black adhesive backed felt, available at crafts and fabric stores.

Rear left view showing cables exiting pipe through hole in plexi plate. Component cables disconnected temporarily due to Xbox marathon ;).

View looking up from the right, showing cutout in drop ceiling tile, which is the soft yellow insulation-backed type, not the heavier rigid, crumbly type. I split the ceiling tile down the centerline of the pipe, making it easy to remove the tile without having to remove the projector and pipe first. Rather than trying to make a more difficult circular cutout, I used good scissors to cut a simple diamond shaped hole for the pipe.

Closeup of top surface mating flange. Exiting cables visible through smoke-colored plexi.

Closeup of cables exiting from the pipe and hole in the plexi. The plexi cutout is a square. I drilled holes in four corners large enough for a jigsaw blade, then used a cordless orbital variable speed jigsaw to cut slowly from one hole to the next in a straight line.

Another view of the plexi plate underside showing cable exit, from the front:

Hey Guys ,
I did Whoiswes' mount yesterday - very simple. a couple changes though.
I use a metal flange near projector, t-connector to run cables thru, space, then metal flange.
Under $20 - I was able to get some scrap plexi - clear & white - from school. Easy as pie.

I might clean it up for looks now. Kind of like the felt idea, and I have ruled out Whoiswes' mount all together. I just couldn't locat the weld shower drains.

thanks again
T

here is my DIY 700 mount...

http://www.cyberfrogs.net/photo/index.php?directory=/albums/house/mediaroom&image=mediaroom_054.jpg&id=53

http://www.cyberfrogs.net/photo/index.php?directory=/albums/house/mediaroom&image=mediaroom_055.jpg&id=54

here is my DIY 700 mount...

http://www.cyberfrogs.net/photo/index.php?directory=/albums/house/mediaroom&image=mediaroom_054.jpg&id=53

http://www.cyberfrogs.net/photo/index.php?directory=/albums/house/mediaroom&image=mediaroom_055.jpg&id=54
That is a very nice design. Where did you get the parts?

That is a very nice design. Where did you get the parts?

it's sheetmetal, some threaded rod, and misc hardware. I have access to a brake press to form the sheetmetal into the parts that i needed.

Very nice!!!!

First - kudos to Monkey Man for coming up with this - and the other guys for their interpretations - Monkey - you could have been on that "American Inventor" show!!

ANyway, I just go a 900, and was going to build this mount this weekend. The adjustability with the nuts / spring combo is great - however - have you guys been able to position the whole assembly square enough to the screen that you havent had to worry about rotation? I would think that this would be one of the toughest adjustments to make - after all, the pitch and yaw are all confirmed by the use of a level.

Anyone have solutions? I was considering routing out short radiused "slip holes" about an inch long each or so in the plexi (where the flange mounts) and use wing nuts there to so that I could roatate the whole lower assembly and tighten into place.

Or am I making a mountain out of a mole hill about the pitfalls of not having a rotational adjustment?

This rig is easy to rotate. Remember, you're using pipe threaded into flanges. There is quite a large range of rotation where the pipe thread is tight enough not to slip on its own, but loose enough to make small adjustments. In other words, you don't need to put another adjustment point on the mount plate, it's built in to the pipe to flange joint.

Bobby.

kcreadhawk, I would agree with Bobby_M the setup is very easy to rotate. I used my screen as a general guide when testing for "square". That worked pretty good.

Ahhh...I had thought about that but figured that the torque in the pipe thread wouldnt allow you to adjust it and "keep it tight" at the same time. Makes perfect sense, though.

Which is good, because I really didnt want to to dig the router out of the depths of hell that is my garage storage area.

Here is my version of the Monkey_Man mount. It is an apartment setup so I was reluctant to put holes in the ceiling, plus the unit is probably 30 years old. I trusted the wall studs more than the ceiling to hold up my projector. The polycarbonate material used was a cutting board from a large retail chain. Someone else in this thread did the same thing and it works quite well. The handle cutout of the board actually gives me access to a screw needed to remove the filter for cleaning. In the photos you can see I used 3 wingnuts per m4 screw. I was going to use the middle set to lock the projector in place once I had it adjusted but I have since removed them. They got in the way more than anything. The only problem with the mount is that it is easily prone to being moved, so it probably wouldn't be great if your wall is subject to lots of vibrations. I haven't had any problems so far.

Here is my version of the Monkey_Man mount. It is an apartment setup so I was reluctant to put holes in the ceiling, plus the unit is probably 30 years old. I trusted the wall studs more than the ceiling to hold up my projector. The polycarbonate material used was a cutting board from a large retail chain. Someone else in this thread did the same thing and it works quite well. The handle cutout of the board actually gives me access to a screw needed to remove the filter for cleaning. In the photos you can see I used 3 wingnuts per m4 screw. I was going to use the middle set to lock the projector in place once I had it adjusted but I have since removed them. They got in the way more than anything. The only problem with the mount is that it is easily prone to being moved, so it probably wouldn't be great if your wall is subject to lots of vibrations. I haven't had any problems so far.

Very nice! When I did my original shopping I had looked at that right angle bracket and pondered how I could use it. I also like how you were able to clean up the wires. It seems to match your apartment.

Imageek2,
I don't mean to poopoo your design, but the obvious flaw is suspension from that single threaded rod. I'm sure you can get the PJ to sway laterally by blowing on it a couple times. You could probably get away with flipping your shelf bracket upside down and mounting your cutting board to it with a much shorter threaded rod or even directly bolting them together. There's nothing inherent about those brackets that make a "right side up".

Bobby

Imageek2,
I don't mean to poopoo your design, but the obvious flaw is suspension from that single threaded rod. I'm sure you can get the PJ to sway laterally by blowing on it a couple times. You could probably get away with flipping your shelf bracket upside down and mounting your cutting board to it with a much shorter threaded rod or even directly bolting them together. There's nothing inherent about those brackets that make a "right side up".

BobbyIt is true that it moves pretty easily, but so far nothing has moved it to my knowledge. It is a challenge to adjust initially I will admit. I did consider hanging the bracket upside down. I even purchased the exact same one months before with that thought, but took it back when it didn't clear that plastic front piece. I needed a bracket long enough to make the throw distance work with my projector and the room. I purchased the projector without considering the throw first...ah well live and learn. :)

I just built this mount yesterday and love it. I'm worried about making a hole for the cables though. I'm using .22 lexan, and it seems like if I made a 1.5" round hole to match the width of my pipe that I'd be compromising the lexan too much. Am I wrong? Is my best option making a much smaller rectangular hole like RGB did? Thanks for the help.

Bump up to keep this active as I've looked at it several times in the last few years but today I'm going to go out and build it! :) Here's hoping it works.

You rock PAP! Drop a picture on your take on this mount :) Over the years I am impressed with all the different designs that I have seen here. Back when I made this mount, it was hard to find a mount under $150. Now PJ mounts are are much cheaper. I wonder if the DIY mounts here helped to reduce the price of the over priced PJ mount market.

I too built this mount for my Mitsubishi HC3000U today. It took some doing sourcing all the parts (HD actually had all the parts (and was significantly cheaper than Lowes), but I had to go to three of them to get all the wingnuts I needed).

My wife wasn't understanding when we were out trying to track down all the parts, but she was very impressed when she saw it assembled.

Thank you Monkey_Man.

Awesome!!!!

Monkey_Man,

Nice mount! I didn't come across this post until after I bought my CMA-345 and RPA-U mount hardware. Question though, I noticed you mounted your pipe flang to what looks like a piece of MDF board which is in turn mounted to the ceiling. What thickness and what type of wood did you use for the board you mounted to the ceiling and what bolts did you use to mount the board to the studs in the ceiling?

I've bought myself a 3/4" MDF board 2 x 4 feet in length, just need to cut it down to size and bolt it up to the ceiling similar to what you've done. Curious if that's what you used or if you went with real wood, it's hard to tell from the pictures...

Much thanks! :)

The board on top is only really necessary if you mount location puts the top flange completely between joists. If you can get two of your flange holes directly under a joist, the top board is optional. Use screws into the joists and drywall anchors/molly bolts for the holes that don't line up on the joist.

I would even go as far as saying you could get away with simply using anchors (molly bolts are my favorite type) for all flange holes as long as your drywall is at least 1/2" thick.

I can't believe they're getting $200+ for a mount.

Bobby

The board on top is only really necessary if you mount location puts the top flange completely between joists. If you can get two of your flange holes directly under a joist, the top board is optional. Use screws into the joists and drywall anchors/molly bolts for the holes that don't line up on the joist.

I would even go as far as saying you could get away with simply using anchors (molly bolts are my favorite type) for all flange holes as long as your drywall is at least 1/2" thick.

I can't believe they're getting $200+ for a mount.

Bobby

Yeah, I know what you mean about the mount costs. :)

My problem is exactly as you describe. My joists run in the wrong direction for me to be able to use them well as mount points, and in order for me to center my FP, the mount point doesn't line up close to the joists, hence the board. So, now that we've covered that topic, what is the best way to mount the CMA-345, or in the case of this example, the flange. Using moly bolts as anchors going thru both the MDF and the drywall ceiling? Or will 1" lag screws into the MDF suffice?

Hey there, take a look at my 1st link on my signature if you already haven't. That board is a standard black shelving board found at home depot. I think its half inch, defiantly not over 3/4. My ceiling has metal floor joists so I used a screw designed for metal. I was praying they weren’t water pipes :) That would have been pretty funny. My lease states that you can’t uses screws on the walls but it didn’t anything about the ceilings, LOL :) Thanks again for the feedback...love it! Post some shots of your creation.

Hey there, take a look at my 1st link on my signature if you already haven't. That board is a standard black shelving board found at home depot. I think its half inch, defiantly not over 3/4. My ceiling has metal floor joists so I used a screw designed for metal. I was praying they weren’t water pipes :) That would have been pretty funny. My lease states that you can’t uses screws on the walls but it didn’t anything about the ceilings, LOL :) Thanks again for the feedback...love it! Post some shots of your creation.

Monkey. Interesting, my recollection of the HD shelving is that it is made of particle board, not near as strong as either wood or MDF. :) If that's the case then I'm confident my 3/4" MDF will more than suffice. I did just learn that apparently I'm better off using sheetmetal screws with MDF than wood screws, interestingly enough. Once I get my install done I'll post up pics! :)

Monkey-
Love the mount! I'm upgrading from my 4805 to the 900. My Peerless mount for the 4805 is such a PITA, I had to come up with something else. So I came across your thread after a quick search. I liked RGB's mods, so I went that direction.
An hour and $18 later:
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b193/Skyman00/mmMount.jpg
Thanks! -j

Nice job Skyman!

Question to all -

I built a mount using this design back when I got my Z-1 projector. It worked great, so when I upgraded to an AE-900 I made a new plexi plate and kept the rest.

The Z-1 had only 3 mounting holes and the 900 has 4. I found the 3-hole setup much easier to adjust when lining up the projector. Has anyone else had this problem? Has anyone tried leaving one off and just using 3 of the 4?

It looks like that's what Imageek2 did, but it's hard to tell for sure from the picture. BTW, I love the cutting board idea...

DE

Do the springs serve any functional purpose in this design?

They do look nice, but I was curious if that is their only purpose here?

I don't think the springs are necessary. They are pushing the PJ away from the plate, but gravity is already doing that. In fact, my design doesn't even use wingnuts as I make slight adjustments simply by unthreading out of the PJ's bosses a little. Of course, you have to be careful that you don't fully unscrew from the PJ.

http://www.pbase.com/mustang100/image/23294336.jpg

Bobby

Skyman,

Good work on the mount. I am considering buying the panny 900 very soon. What size/type screws did you use for mounting the piece to the pj itself? Are they the same as what monkey man used?


Any hely would be awesome.

I have the parts list from monkeymans original design, but with the 900, I want oto make sure I buy the proper stuff.

Thank you,

Brandon

Yes, they are the same screws as Monkey and RGB listed: 4mm x 70mm.
Here's RGB's modded list:
"Nyloc nut
finishing washer (concave design "cups", or retains, the spring)
spring
finishing washer
(plexiglass)
flat "fender" washer (fender washers have larger outside diameter (OD) than regular washers)
wingnut
The bolt/screw is a 70mm long fully threaded M4.
Lock washers not used in photo."
-j