[aprather]

I just ordered my Panasonic L300U and was wondering how many people have theirs ceiling mounted?


Is it a neccessity for best picture quailty? Or is it just to get it and the cables out of the way?


I change up the room that the projector is going to every now and then and a mount is pretty permanent.


Also, I dont want to have to pay $150 for a mount.


Im just wondering what everyone else does and the related quality.


Thanks

 

[cburbs]

Most people do a DIY mount....lots of info out there....with parts listing also.

 

[Ron-P]

I had my 200u table mounted for several months. A couple weekends ago I ceiling mounted it. No change in PQ, but getting that thing up and out of the way is 100% improvement, plus I got my middle seat in the front row back. I spent $12 on my ceiling mount.


Here's a pic of the mount. Made from MDF, 1.5" pipe and two floor flanges.

http://home.earthlink.net/~peregrine...es/200side.jpg


Peace Out~

 

[protagonist]

The mount is mostly for convenience. If you've got the projector sitting on a table somewhere, nobody wants to be tripping over cables or walking through the projector's beam trying to get to their seats. Mounting it overhead also keeps it from being bumped around. Or worse yet, somebody laying a coat over your projector while it's running and you're not in the room. Fire bad!


Also, ceiling mounting allows you to get the exact height you want for your screen mounting. This means no keystone adjustments and a better image than you might get from setting the pj on your coffee table.


Nobody wants to pay $150 for a mount, but commercial mounts are usually very stable and they allow you to adjust the orientation of your pj very easily. If you're willing to sacrifice the convenience and get your hands a little dirty, you can build a perfectly servicible mount yourself. Do a search for DIY mounts and you'll find tons.

 

[Xcited1]

the problem I have found with DIY mounts is finding something with tilit and pan. I love the look of the mount pictured in this thread, but how do you fine tune tilt and pan?


Has anyone tried using the adjustable base plate for a computer monitor?

 

[Xcited1]

Im going to give the computer monitor mount a go.

 

[Xcited1]

did you find the tilt to be accurate enough?


I can only afforf around 6 inches for my mount. Im trying to source a computer monitor swivel base, not easy.

 

[BMAG]

Quote:

Originally posted by Xcited1 did you find the tilt to be accurate enough? I can only afford around 6 inches for my mount. Im trying to source a computer monitor swivel base, not easy.

If you live or work near any universities or large offices it should be easy to find a discarded CRT monitor to scavenge a swivel base.

 

[Xcited1]

I got one, its fantastic, its going to work better than anything else I could find, i cant believe it has been in front of my nose the whole time.


Keep in mind, this method might only be any good if you require a short mount. My roof height is 7 foot, so the 4 inches the swivel base provides is fantastic. Now on to the construction.

 

[simmike]

You don't have to get a fancy expensive mounting bracket to get the projector up and out of the way.


I put my projector on the top shelf of a bookcase and it works fine. Since it is upside down, I did have to gerry-rig some supports so it is about one inch above the shelf, allowing for plenty of air flow. The support brackets, actually hard drive rails, are arranged so that the projector always sits in the same position, so I don't have to fiddle adjusting the projector everytime I put it back on the shelf.


What I like about this setup was that it was cheap, and, just as important, it is very easy for me to take it off the shelf and bring on the road.

 

[bm1703]

I am trying to build the same mount as Ron for mine but I am can not find the screws needed to mount the projector. They are M4's right? Were do you find them that long? The longest I can find are 36mm.

 

[miketc]

I found M4, 70mm at ACE hardware in Southern NJ. They also have wing nuts and compression springs to make a "Monkeyman" DIY mount. Try to see if there is one near you. They claim they have 6,000 stores in the US.


M4 screws are fine treaded which make very accurate adjustment on the screen. I also cut the head off the mounting screws for easy mounting and removal of the X1. I need to take some pictures for illustration.


FYI, I went with a 2" thin wall electrical metal conduit which provides more than adequate strength yet much lighter than plumbing pipes. 2" was more than enough to run 10 coax and 2 cat 5 thru them while leaving enough room for future cables/connectors if required. Of course there are other sizes which are lighter than their plumbing counterpart.


Good luck.