How do i mount my projector if i have a drop ceiling

Chickabiddy , Monday, 23rd of August 2010 01:02:53 AM

Use the same method that supports ur drop ceiling.

Chickabiddy

Registered User

The ceiling tiles are held in place on runners & tracks, which are

Joined: Friday, 21st of May 2010, 20:45:36

supported by the ceiling above. Since this ceiling is normally helping to

Posts: 1265

support ur drop ceiling AND the floor above it; it can easily hold the

Viewed 1775 times

weight of ur projector.

The problem is the attachment. If you can drill into the true ceiling
then you can attach ur projector supports to it. However, if we are
dealing with a steel beam then you need some other route.

The drop ceiling isn't strong enough to hold ur weight, but it is pretty
strong. You can use cables tied to 4 supports to suspend ur projector.
Provided we aren't talking about a massive one that weighs over 30 pounds.
To be safe you should measure the weight of the projector on a bathroom
scale or look at the box to see what its weight is. Add 1 to 2 pounds for
the weight of ur extra support equipment & a bit of a safety margin. If ur
projector is a massive one then you can use additional supports to hold it
in place.

Take down & roof tile & stick you head up in the area to find out how the
drop ceiling is supported. Then determine what you are going to use to
hold the projector in place. You will also need to determine where you
are going to put the cables for it.

I suggest that you run the projector is cord to an extension cord that you
just lay on top of the drop ceiling. You then run the extension cord to a
spot over a wall plug. Cut a small hole in that ceiling tile & run the
cord down from there, you will probably want to attach it to the wall.
Since the hole is going to be only a few inches on each side you can cut
ur hole in the middle on one end piece of the ceiling tile. The rest of
the tile will be supported by the track. This will allow you to drop that
extension cord as close to the wall as you want. You can do the same with
the video cables that you are using to feed ur equipment. These RCA cords
can be found at Radio Shack. You will probably only find them in 6’-0”
lengths so you will need to get extension RCA cords that have female jacks
on each end. They exist, but they may be hard to find.

You can buy a metal strap that has regular holes just like those that
support the ceiling tile track system. If you can screw into the real
ceiling then you can drop four of them & attach them to ur projector. In
this case you can put all of the weight on the projector itself without
pulling it out of the ceiling.

I suspect that you have a steel beam with spray on insulation as ur real
ceiling though, & you can’t drill through that with wood working
equipment. In that case you will want to suspend the projector with
cable. Measure the distance from four straps to the exact center of the
ceiling tile. Add the measurements up & add 15% (at least 2’-0”) to
allow for ur knots. You will need to build a support for the projector
itself. You can use similar metal straps that support the ceiling tiles
track system. Take a strap & attach it to the projector. You will
probably want to mount two straps on each side, so you won’t have to
drill any holes into the front. Or you can use one strap on each side, &
two straps on the rear. Take off the case before you drill into it so you
won’t hurt anything inside. Lay the strap against the case, line up a
hole in the strap, & drill through that hole in the strap. You will need
four metal screws to screw into ur holes. You will want small short ones
so they won’t interfere with the internal operations of the projector.
You may also want to use a washer to make sure the screw can hold the
strap, without slipping through the hole, or select a strap with smaller
holes.

While the case is off you will use it to cut its outline into & through
the drop ceiling tile. You want to cut as close to the case as you can to
make a firm fit. You can make a duct tape rib around the edge of the box
to attach it to the ceiling tile. The adhesion properties of the duct
tape are too weak to entrust ur projector to them, but the strength of the
tape itself is strong enough. Use small screws drilled into the tape to
attack it to the projector case & the ceiling tile. This won’t be
strong enough to hold the projector’s weight, but it will prevent the
projector from moving & shaking, around in its position.

Reattach the projector case. Cut the cable to the size you measured plus
a few inches to allowing for ur knots. Tie the cables to the projector
case as tight as you can. Steel cables would be too tough to cut & tie,
but you can use thick speaker wire. These cables can support a lot of
weight since they are made out of long, woven copper threads. These
threads run the length of the cable so you will be using one long strand
of cables (this is how the Golden Gate Bridge is suspended).

You could use a second person to help you for the next step; holding the
projector while you attach it in place. Your second person (on a separate
ladder) holds the projector’s weight as you put it & the ceiling tile
back into place. Then run cable from the projector to each ceiling tile
support strap. Tie the cable into knots. Make sure they are tight; use a
pair of pliers to help you. These cables have to support the weight so
they need to be taunt when the ceiling tile is placed back into its track.

Now you have the projector suspended from the ceiling. If this is too
difficult for you to attempt then talk with a home repair expert or hire
an electrician to put it in place for you. You can find all the parts you
need at a home store like Home Depot or Lowes. If you hire another person
to do ur job then, first, price the parts needed for the job at Home Depot
& use that to determine if an estimate is fair or not. Once you count the
contractor’s labor cost then ur estimate should be fairly close to the
actual price. If it isn’t then you need to find out what their plan is.
Since you know the weight of the projector you will be able to make sure
this estimate doesn’t include a trapeze, or a structure strong enough to
support one.

Unless you are a good do-it-yourselfer you may want to hire an expert to
help you. You can search ur area phone book for a licensed electrician.
Their price won’t be cheap, but they will make sure that once the job is
done then it will never have to be done again. They can also be held
liable by a court if they damage anything in the process. A licensed
electrician can splice cords together, even RCA cords, to make sure that
they are long enough to reach ur equipment & that all of ur equipment
follows the Local Building Code. The electrician will probably want to
wire the equipment into ur circuit box, but it will be cheaper to just use
extension cords. You can also put (and should put) a surge protector in
the electric line. Your projector is probably as expensive as a home
computer & is just as susceptible to electrical overload.
It is standard practice in the construction industry to have the
contractors bid for the work & give it to that contractor that gives you
the lowest bid. You can draw a simple ceiling plan & place ur equipment
on it. Then make an appointment to see the electrical contractor & bring
that paper & all the stats for ur equipment to him. If you don’t do
this then you will have to make an appointment for the contractor to come
to ur house & give you an estimate, which will cost you money. If you
visit the electrician yourself then you don’t waste all day waiting for
him to come to you & you don’t pay for his time & trouble to come to
you. He may want to still charge you, since it takes some time to figure
out what plan he wants to use & what material & equipment will be
required. Coming to the electrician to get ur estimate will seem a little
weird, but you will probably save 75% on an estimate if he had to come to
ur place.

If you go for a professional then contact me again & I can help you with
the plan; before I was disabled I was a professional draftsman.

Top

drop ceiling forum

How do i mount my projector if i have a drop ceiling

Who is online