Considering building a projector lift from scratch...

dasherdiablo1

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I have started a home cinema build thread but I have decided I would like to put in a projector lift. I fancy doing this DIY from scratch.

I need to do some beam work to make it for but that should only take a day.

My ceiling void is 175mm and I need a 300 drop so it will have to be a scissor lift. I would like it to be automated; I have had a cunning idea to achieve flexibility of adjustment - I could use a motor from an electric screen as you can set the top and bottom rise and drop settings very easily. I think I will need to come up with either a wire on a spindle system or a screw thread turn system.

Any advice welcome!
 
I'm not sure a screen motor would be strong enough, it's only the microswitches that give the adjustment, so these wouldn't be too hard to utilise in a DIY solution (I'm sure you could buy them on eBay or similar) if you could find a motor/actuator that would be strong enough.

I've an interest in this myself as although I've built a neat 'floating shelf' for my X35 ideally I'd like a lift for it to make it totally concealed when not in use. The prices of the larger commercially available ones put me off though, so I'm considering trying to make something myself. Though my installation date won't be a while as part of the cost will be removing existing laminate floor from the room above and re-carpeting so I can gain access.

I'm sure there was a thread somewhere that someone had done this, but can't find it myself right now.

In a slightly less 'from scratch' idea I was wondering if I could use the same lift I bought for my TV and modify it so that it is shorter, but the travel could then only be slightly less than the void space depth.

This is the lift I bought for my TV (which I've slightly modified anyway, just to reduce the travel as it is lowered (the top item TS460).

MTS Distribution Ltd t/a AscendingVision TV Lift Mechanisms - Electrical

I'd then put a couple of ordinary drawer slides on the opposite side to steady the lift, but again it depends on being able to find/modify ones to the right length so they fit in the void space. I don't know if I'd need the longer travel that a scissor action would provide as I have a ceiling light not too far ahead of my projector. If not then I think modifying the TV lift could work quite well for my needs.

If I find the other thread I'll post back, good luck with the project. :)
 
I may even be able to adapt a window opener/closer to achieve the job. I have found one of these for circa £150 and come in a variety of stroke lengths and will lift up to 65 kilos so more than up to the job.
 

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I found some linear actuators on eBay and Amazon, but this was when I was looking at alternatives to the TV lift. Maybe I'll have to revisit that idea.
 
I've also found that you can get electric car jacks from around £50 - these have a spindle screw so could be very easy to convert for a scissor loft. 12v supply so I'm guessing a laptop transformer could be adapted to turn 230v ac to 12v dc. Several options available without too much time spent. I've also come up with a very simple scissor action that could be made very quickly.
 
Sounds good, not sure how much current a car lift would take, though if it has the much lighter load of a projector, maybe your laptop PSU idea might work.

I found the thread I was thinking of here:

DIYish Projector Lift | AVForums
 

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