Beginner needs advice on cabling through wall!

[scottere]

I'm taking the HD plunge this month (hopefully) and have decided to upgrade from my old Sony 50" Grand Wega RP set to a Samsung 46" LCD, which I'm planning to wall mount.

I've realised that as I've got a hall cupboard with power behind the wall that the TV will be going on, it'd be silly not to hide my kit away in the cupboard.

I don't think this should be an overly complicated thing to do. I've got a Sky box, Tivo box, and Sony DAVS880 unit.

Where I need a bit of advice is on running cables between the cupboard and the TV. To begin with, a Scart will go from TiVo to the LCD, and a component cable from the Sony DAVS to the TV. The power cable from the TV will be going through as well - assuming there's no safety reason why this shouldn't be done?

What I'm thinking about is the size of hole I'll need to drill to allow me to get these cables through. To take the scart, component and power cables, I guess it'll need to be pretty large. Is there a standard size that people use, and should some kind of lining be placed inside it?

Additionally, I am assuming that it's possible to purchase Scart and (eventually) HDMI cables that have "detachable" terminators, so the cable can be fed through the hole without having to get the whole cable head through? I don't fancy having a hole in my wall big enough to get a complete scart lead through! As none of my existing cables have this feature, can anyone point in the direction of some that do?

Apologies if these questions are a bit noddy - I'm just getting started on this and don't want to go too far wrong!

[Opticon]

I could be wrong here, but i've never seen any AV cables which have the detachable heads you woudl need for this. This leaves you with the options of either a hole big enough to fit the scart through, or getting a normal scart lead, and remove/reattach the head youself, which would more than likely involve some soldering i'm afraid!

The other thing to bear in mind with this, is that all the heat generated by your equipment will be trapped in the cupboard with it! I don't know how hot your stuff runs, but i can't imagine it would do anything any good to be trapped in an unventilated cupboard.

I can't see any safety implications in what you suggest, although i would suggest lining the hole with something smooth, so you don't have your cables resting on a potentially sharp edge.

[scottere]

Thanks for the quick reply.

The cupboard in question is a pretty large walk-in affair, so I don't think there'll be too many problems with overheating. I could certain whack a big fan in there if it's an issue.

I can't believe that no-one makes Scart cables that are easy to feed through small holes! I guess it won't be a problem when the HD gets installed because the HDMI cable looks much smaller.

[Opticon]

Ok, if it's a big enough cupboard, it shouldn't be a problem, but probably best just to keep an eye on it after serious use!

And as i said, i'm not saying they don't exist, it may be worth googling it, but i've certainly never heard of one. HD will solve this problem yes, as the HDMI plug is considerably smaller. I don't know if the TV comes with a detachable power lead either, so the plug is something else to bear in mind with regards to hole size. Although this would be easier to remove and reconnect yourself if neccessary (although i don't know what this would do for any warranty!)

[clockworks]

Most scart cables have removable shrouds (covers). Removing it will reduce the size of the hole required considerably. If you want it even smaller, you can remove the individual connectors from most plugs (a small tang holds the contact into the body). Done with care, you won't need a soldering iron. Just make sure you put all the contacts back in the right holes!

I used a piece of 22mm plastic waste pipe to line a hole through a granite wall. I've got PC VGA, 2x USB, UTP LAN, stereo audio and phone cables going through it no problem.

[craig1912]

I'm thinking of doing a similiar thing. Aswell as getting all the cables through the smaalest possible hole how can you control everything from their remotes?

Cheers

[clockworks]

Originally Posted by craig1912

I'm thinking of doing a similiar thing. Aswell as getting all the cables through the smaalest possible hole how can you control everything from their remotes?

Cheers

You need an IR repeater. This is a small IR receiver that sits near your TV, and is wired to small IR transmitters that you tape onto the front of each device that's hidden from view.

You could just buy a Harmony 895 remote, that comes with an RF/IR repeater. With this setup, you don't need the IR receiver near your TV, or the wires to your devices. The handset talks to the repeater using RF (radio).