[Gator123]

The way my room is setting up, the ideal spot for my new 500U is on a shelf in the back of the room. I already own a 52" x 92" Da-Lite Hi Power screen and the back wall is only 12' 3" from the screen. Based upon the size of my screen and throw distance of the projector, even if I ceiling mounted it, the rear of the unit would still need to be about six inches away from the rear wall, and the projector zoomed all the way out to fill my screen. So, I would just as soon shelf mount it to make wiring easier.


I searched the archives and found two threads saying that if you shelf mounted this projector you needed to make sure the shelf was at least 18" deep to allow 6" for ventilation behind the projector, although it did not sound like either of these people had actually done this and one person said they thought you might need 12" clearance.


So, has anyone shelf mounted their 300 or 500 and have you had any problems with overheating or a shortened bulb life? Also, since heat rises, are there any issues with how close to the ceiling the projector can be mounted to allow adequate ventilation?


The only other option I can think of is that the back wall is really the front wall of a 24" deep closet, so I guess I could possibly cut a hole in the drywall behind the projector and let the projector vent the hot air into the closet. Any thoughts on this option other than a potentially low WAF?



Thanks.

 

[thebum123]

I have almost all the same constraints as you, same room size, screen, and projector. I built a shelf on the wall and hung the projector on the bottom side of it. I have a little over 8 inches clearance and mine is fine. I run it in high fan mode though. Hope this helps you out some.


~Will

 

[Gator123]

Thanks for the reply Will.


Is there a reason you mounted it to the bottom of the shelf as opposed to sitting it upside down on top of the shelf?


Also, now I am thinking about just putting the projector inside the closet and cutting a small hole for the lens in the drywall and either putting in a piece of glass, or just leaving it open and putting some trim around it. I figure that will help reduce the fan noise if I run it in high mode, remove all wiring from the room, and will let me put the lens a little more towards the middle of the 10.7' to 12.9' range indicated by the calculator on the Panasonic web site. The closet is about 2 feet deep and about 5 feet wide, with louvered metal bi-fold doors, so I think it should be OK as far as letting the heat dissapate. But, if I put my reciever, DVD player and cable box in the closet as well, do you think I would need some type of equipment fan in the closet? Any thoughts on this set up or anything I should watch out for with a closet mount?


Thanks,


Craig

 

[thebum123]

I mounted it on the bottom because I wanted a ceiling mount, but my ceiling was too high. So I made a shelf about six feet up and put the pj under it. I would have put it on top if had a place to mount the shelf lower, but there's a couch there . I can't answer your equipment fan question. I have no experience with that. Will your remotes work with your equipment in the closet (Man, that sounds lazy doesn't it)? Good luck on your project!


~Will