Alternative mounting of the AE100

[Hex]

It seems like everyone is using the four m4 screw threads for the mounting of this projector, now bare with me as I try to explain my plan!

I'm gona be attempting to construct a mount from, how best to decribe this, the top of a tripod!?

you know the bit that moves on all planes and tilts etc!? I'm off to look at a very solid one of these things (no tripod on the bottom) and plan to use this to screw into the large center screw thread on the bottom of the projector.

this will then be attached by a threaded bar to a joist etc securing it to the celing (for asthetics the threaded bar will be run through some pipeing)

this will then allow me to adjust the projector on every plane to ensure it is straight and true etc! and will also allow for easy access to the filter!

ok now at this point some of you may be thinking but if the screw thread slips snaps breaks etc its all gona come crashing down! well the size of the large screw thread looks to my engineering eye like it has the same loading support as the 4 smaller m4 threads. However I then though of putting a few chains to the m4 threads attached to the joist in a different spot as a sort of security/confidence aid!

I think the final ffect should look good, and if/when I do this I of course will post pics etc!

any commenets? suggestions etc?

Hex

 

[RichardH]

NOOOOOOOOOOO!
Apparently the tripod bush is only glued in, and is therefore only designed for the PJ being up the right way, not ceiling mounted. I would NOT DO THIS if I were you!!

 

[Hex]

how are the other bushes inserted??

 

[RichardH]

Lawks knows, but I know TimH has warned people of doing this in the past, hence my post. The M4s may well be threaded in to the base itself with an external thread. Don't fancy taking mine to bits to find out, to be honest!

 

[Hex]

looking at the thread from the bottom like it dont seem to be as well in as the others?

hmm oh well loooks like my plan to be different could well have just vanished!

bugger

 

[snelly]

Hmmm,

assuming that the threaded insert(s) are not resting against anything inside the casing (this is quite a big assumption but I'll have a look tonight) then the load on the joint will be the same whether it is upside down or not. Of course if it fails upside down I guess the consequences are more serious.

As for thread strength...I think that Metric M type threads are designed so that once a certain number (three ?) turns of thread are engaged the mechanical joint has the same tensile strength as the solid part of the bolt (I'll look this up) and also work out roughly what the theoretical load at fail would be. I expect it will be quite high as the cost of larger threads is low -perhaps a safety factor of 5 or higher

I like the tripod idea. Why not attach the tripod to a plate and then attach this in turn to the 4 M4 threads?

Tim

 

[alf]

I have mounted my Panny just as described: I had a tripod head (ball-type) made of metal which I didn't need. To this I attached a metal plate which from side looks like this: ] . I fastened the top of it to the ceiling, and the tripod mount with Panny was mounted to the bottom. As extra security I also attached a chain from Panny to the metal plate, and also attached a small metal plate from one mounting holes to the tripod mount.

I didn't buy anything as I had all these parts before, but the total cost would have been less than 35 euro. Works fine and is quite a rugged enough construction.

 

[richard plumb]

didn't someone post pictures a while ago of their AE100 hanging from a wire on their ceiling after the tripod mount came out?

DANGER will robinson DANGER!

 

[alf]

Mine has been in the ceiling for 2 1/2 months and hasn't fallen down yet. Can't see how it could. I pulled at the tripod mount before I mounted the projector to the ceiling, and it was quite sturdy. Maybe some projectors are bad in this respect, but try yourself, don't take it for granted what somebody says.

My projector has been als o otherwise quite flawless: no discolouring, no dead pixels, nothing.