[niccolo]

I'm baffled that power inlets basically don't seem to exist. I have the impression that it's somewhat common for people to run a non-powered line to their projectors, with a standard (female) outlet on the ceiling wired to a (male) inlet by their equipment rack, which enables putting an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) on/by the equipment rack, to allow the projector sufficient power to do a cooldown cycle in the event of a power outage, and protect the fragile, expensive bulb.

And yet the only power inlets I can find are funky items designed for outdoor environments or otherwise not designed to fit into a standard electrical box (Home Depot) or part of LCD TV power and signal cable kits (Monoprice). Literally, a basic power inlet that fits into a 1-gang or 2-gang standard electrical box doesn't seem to exist, even from specialty producers like Legrand.

Have others had better luck locating such an item? Yes, it's a little bit specialized, but it doesn't seem that specialized.

 

[bud16415]

PowerBridge ~ Hiding Cords Is Easy! Away With Ugly Cables!

Do it yourself! There are many creative ways to hide cords using PowerBridge. Whether it be hiding power cords behind a mounted tv or a fireplace. Easy as pie!

www.powerbridgesolution.com

 

[niccolo]

PowerBridge ~ Hiding Cords Is Easy! Away With Ugly Cables!

Do it yourself! There are many creative ways to hide cords using PowerBridge. Whether it be hiding power cords behind a mounted tv or a fireplace. Easy as pie!

www.powerbridgesolution.com

Yes, that inlet is exactly what I'm looking for. Too bad it's only available with a kit that includes some wire and a dual power outlet (why dual?) for seventy to eighty bucks.

 

[niccolo]

Ooh, this appears to be what I'm looking for: Amazon.com: MIDLITE 4642-W Single Gang Décor Recessed Power Inlet: Home Audio & Theater

 

[sivart321]

I put in exactly what you have linked above.

 

[tcoble33]

I'm baffled that power inlets basically don't seem to exist. I have the impression that it's somewhat common for people to run a non-powered line to their projectors, with a standard (female) outlet on the ceiling wired to a (male) inlet by their equipment rack, which enables putting an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) on/by the equipment rack, to allow the projector sufficient power to do a cooldown cycle in the event of a power outage, and protect the fragile, expensive bulb.

And yet the only power inlets I can find are funky items designed for outdoor environments or otherwise not designed to fit into a standard electrical box (Home Depot) or part of LCD TV power and signal cable kits (Monoprice). Literally, a basic power inlet that fits into a 1-gang or 2-gang standard electrical box doesn't seem to exist, even from specialty producers like Legrand.

Have others had better luck locating such an item? Yes, it's a little bit specialized, but it doesn't seem that specialized.

Is this what you're looking for? I installed one of these just a few weeks ago to give me exactly the setup that you describe. Quick, easy and not too terribly expensive.

Midlite IEC46W6RA Iec Power Inlet With 6" Pigtail And 6Ft-MI

www.alldataresource.com

 

[niccolo]

I put in exactly what you have linked above. View attachment 3044777

Nice. What's going on with the cutouts in that recessed area?

 

[niccolo]

Is this what you're looking for? I installed one of these just a few weeks ago to give me exactly the setup that you describe. Quick, easy and not too terribly expensive.

Midlite IEC46W6RA Iec Power Inlet With 6" Pigtail And 6Ft-MI

www.alldataresource.com

Nice, looks like a slightly different version of the above. Does this install into a standard electrical box?

 

[kcazretsof]

I used this kit.

Monoprice Recessed Pro Power Kit w/Straight Blade Inlet White - Monoprice.com

Use this recessed pro-power kit with straight blade inlet to install power and low voltage cables behind your flat panel TV, your amplifier/home theater receiver, or other audio and vid

www.monoprice.com

 

[bud16415]

Yes, that inlet is exactly what I'm looking for. Too bad it's only available with a kit that includes some wire and a dual power outlet (why dual?) for seventy to eighty bucks.

I thought power bridge also sold the individual parts, I could be wrong.

Yes there are several on Amazon and on line that are like you found.

I took a different approach and built an open top wire raceway around the upper perimeter of my room and it intersects my equipment rack. I run my projector off an extension cord that is in the raceway. It also holds all the speaker runs and also all the HDMI and other video cables I run to the projector. Because it is easily accessible it is to code and when I need to change or upgrade anything it is simple to do.
The idea of running a projector thru a true power conditioner/battery backup is a great idea IMO.

 

[niccolo]

I used this kit.

Monoprice Recessed Pro Power Kit w/Straight Blade Inlet White - Monoprice.com

Use this recessed pro-power kit with straight blade inlet to install power and low voltage cables behind your flat panel TV, your amplifier/home theater receiver, or other audio and vid

www.monoprice.com

I considered that, put don't need the signal cable part for this install.

 

[niccolo]

I thought power bridge also sold the individual parts, I could be wrong.

Yes there are several on Amazon and on line that are like you found.

I took a different approach and built an open top wire raceway around the upper perimeter of my room and it intersects my equipment rack. I run my projector off an extension cord that is in the raceway. It also holds all the speaker runs and also all the HDMI and other video cables I run to the projector. Because it is easily accessible it is to code and when I need to change or upgrade anything it is simple to do.
The idea of running a projector thru a true power conditioner/battery backup is a great idea IMO.

That sounds like an interesting solution. To get cables from the raceway down to the speakers, did you go in-wall, on-wall, or just dangling?

 

[bud16415]

That sounds like an interesting solution. To get cables from the raceway down to the speakers, did you go in-wall, on-wall, or just dangling?

I actually did both. The upper speakers the wires go straight to them, and the floor sitting speakers it is easy to fish a wire up and down the stud bay.

I also topped the wires off with some LED rope lights that sit down in the raceway but cast some light up on the flat black ceiling. I don't turn them on a lot and never during a movie but they are really nice when the room is being used as audio only. I also project stars to the ceiling with one of those cheap Christmas star light projectors. I'm all about simple.

 

[tomtastic]

I have mine on a UPS but it's nothing fancy. I have a drop ceiling so I just have a 25ft extension cord up there going to next room where my server rack is and it's hooked up to one of my UPS's there. Good enough.

 

[niccolo]

I have mine on a UPS but it's nothing fancy. I have a drop ceiling so I just have a 25ft extension cord up there going to next room where my server rack is and it's hooked up to one of my UPS's there. Good enough.

I suppose I could be less lazy and run the numbers myself, but what sort of UPS do you find sufficient for a projector? I'm guessing it doesn't need to be very large to allow a couple minute cooldown cycle.

 

[tcoble33]

Nice, looks like a slightly different version of the above. Does this install into a standard electrical box?

Yep, it definitely can. What's nice is that it comes with a male-to-female cable (3', if I remember correctly), which was exactly what I needed to run from the outlet to my UPS.

 

[thelanranger]

I can tell you what I did....
I put a conventional outlet in the ceiling by the projector then ran the romex for that outlet down to another cabinet and hooked it to another outlet with a twistlock connector on it (you could use something else, but I used just a NEMA 20a female twist lock so it was something odd that no one could plug anything into). Next to that outlet is a normal wall outlet. I then made a whip that goes from a male wall outlet to a NEMA 20a male. I plug this whip into a UPS and the UPS into the wall outlet. This then also gives me the ability to plug that outlet into the wall for direct power.

All the parts for this were trivially available at home depot and I don't see any risk of electrical issue from this as the only odd wiring is effectively a 12g romex extension cord in the wall and then a 12g whip with compatible plugs.
No warranties. =P

 

[niccolo]

How noisy are UPSs typically? I thought of them as silent, but it sounds like some can be a tad noisy? I guess they're running fans to cool the batteries? If I have the option of putting the UPS in a neighboring closet, is that worth it? I'm guessing the answer is yes, based on what others have done.

 

[tomtastic]

I suppose I could be less lazy and run the numbers myself, but what sort of UPS do you find sufficient for a projector? I'm guessing it doesn't need to be very large to allow a couple minute cooldown cycle.

Well, I didn't really check. I have two 950w in the bottom of my server rack so I figured that would be plenty. One is solely for a mac pro server and the other runs drive bays, hub, modem and I think I plugged the PJ into the one that just powered the drives and stuff. I think my Benq 1070 is 240 watts. My ups specs say 17.5 mins with 475 watt load. And I'm sure I'm under that with everything hooked up. I've got a small UPS for AVR it's 300 watt runs for 1min, it just has one battery. My little UPS 300 watt, that would be really close. I'd want something in the 5 min. range at least.

Mine don't make any noise until the batteries need replaced and then it's quite irritating when the alarm is going off. Sounds like an angry cricket back there. The fan from my 24 port hub is the only thing I hear.

 

[AV_Integrated]

I use the Midlite inlet in several locations of my home to extend power down to my equipment racks and power conditioners. I do not use a UPS as we have extremely stable power in my home, but I do want to get clean power to everything if I can. The inlets are extremely overpriced, but still the best value I have seen. There is a clear market for someone to make a $10 basic inlet, but the demand may not support that price structure.

Anyway, easy enough to find and buy the Midlite inlet from any number of stores both physical and online.