Hang projector on drywall ceiling

[Jai]

Not sure if this is the correct group for this. I want to hang a front-end projector over drywall ceiling. I am not sure what is the best way to do this. The projector is 16 lbs. I do not have crawl space above the room so it needs to be done from the room itself. Can just putting 4 screws be safe for this? Thanks Jai

[Joseph Meehan]

I am not sure what a "front-end projector" is but I don't like the idea of hanging anything from drywall over my head, even if it is just 16 lbs. Find a joist and screw it into that.

I am guessing you will also need to supply it with power of some sort and maybe a data feed. It will sure look a lot better if you hid this stuff above the ceiling and not on it. Do you have the skills to do that? If no why not have someone do it right.

[ameijers]

What he said. If you bought it locally, same place probably has mount kits. You want the mount plate to cross 2 joists, if possible. If you have 24" OC trusses or something, you may have to mount a hunk of plywood up there (buried in the drywall if you are fussy), and hang the projector from that. Most installs I have seen also have a safety cable, in case the mount comes undone, like when there is a roomful of kids or football fans jumping up and down. There are also power and data cable runs to deal with, which almost require at least head-sized access to the attic space, at least on one end of cable run, to throw the tennis ball with the string that you snag from the other end.

Seriously, it may be worth paying the local AV company to do the install. They have the tools and the experience. Along with mounting, you also have to calibrate it to get the picture looking right. Unless your projector has built in test patterns, that can be long and frustrating.

aem sends....

[kmy]

Jai wrote: : Not sure if this is the correct group for this. I want to hang a : front-end projector over drywall ceiling. I am not sure what is the : best way to do this. The projector is 16 lbs. I do not have crawl : space above the room so it needs to be done from the room itself. Can : just putting 4 screws be safe for this? : Thanks : Jai

Check out

and the digital projectors forum, there should be some people there that could answer your question. Personally I prefer the older crt projectors. Imagine having a 175 lb projector bolted to your ceiling.

[George E. Cawthon]

[Ron]

I would post the question in this group news:alt.home-theater.misc There is a regular poster there that installs home theater systems for a living.