Is it safe to point projector down 50 degrees?

smoothman3390

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Hi all. Quick question.

My projector is on top of my wardrobe. So I need to point it down to project properly on my wall otherwise its just gonna project on the ceiling which I don't want. Is it safe to point the projector facing downwards around 50 degrees?

The back side is therefore upwards.

Does that cause fire risk etc?
 
My projector is on top of my wardrobe. So I need to point it down to project properly on my wall otherwise its just gonna project on the ceiling which I don't want. Is it safe to point the projector facing downwards around 50 degrees?

Projectors should be 90 degree or pointing level to a screen, otherwise the image is going to be very skewed abs only way to fix is using keystone which introduces severe digital distortion .. which ok for work presentations with PowerPoint or spreadsheets but no good for home theatre

50 deg off horizontal also quite severe ! I’d be worried how to secure and indeed skidding down of top of cupboard

What projector is it ? Normally folk have on top of cupboard or on mount ... set projector for ceiling installation which tends to let projector put image in a wall. Most projectors even if leave upright leave enough shift to do what want ... but depends on specific brand and model. Many dlp projectors are quite restrictive abs vertical shift is linked to horizontal shift usually
 
Some projectors have a gravity-controlled cooling device to help to cool the lamp properly in desktop vs ceiling mount setup. That can make a problem with a 50-degree tilting. Always check with the installation of the projectors user manual before use to be on the safe side.
 
Most projectors are designed to be cooled efficiency when mounted horizontal (ceiling or standmounted) as this is how the product has been designed. They are usually designed this way to allow the best cooling airflow to the components, outside of these areas is never advised as you could over heat some components which would ordinary be being cooled thus shortening the lifespan

I think for almost all projectors (unless otherwise specified), vertically mounting is not recommended at all because of this and the airflow issues and if you are in any doubt, contact the manufacturer to see what they have to say and that way, if they say yes in writing, you are covered if something goes wrong

I know the vertical issue can be very damaging as I had a special challenge for a prototype product for the NHS and its designer who required a projector to be mounted in a vertical position and that left only a handful of units available (which is what was used) after extensive research
 
Just flip the projector upside down and invert the image in the settings menu. You won't need to angle the projector down by more than a few degrees and will avoid needing to massively keystone correct the image either :)
 
Bloody good point, no one even thought of that!
 
Wow lol. That is a master comment. Indeed no one thought of that. But if you flip it upside down does that also not cause internal damage because of components being upside down etc. Gravity effect etc etc?
 
Just flip the projector upside down and invert the image in the settings menu. You won't need to angle the projector down by more than a few degrees and will avoid needing to massively keystone correct the image either :)
It's sitting on a wardrobe. If i turn it upside down what could I put it on? Is it OK to just put it upside down on top of the wardrobe lol?
 
Wow lol. That is a master comment. Indeed no one thought of that. But if you flip it upside down does that also not cause internal damage because of components being upside down etc. Gravity effect etc etc?
When you are asking about tilting an unknown general projector, you will get general answers about tilting an unknown projector.

By the way, desktop vs ceiling mount setup has been mentioned earlier here, but the projector will need to have an offset angle to make the difference, not all projectors do.

Do not understand how you can expect to get good and correct answers to what you are wondering here when you do not even care to define which projector model you have?
 
When you are asking about tilting an unknown general projector, you will get general answers about tilting an unknown projector.

By the way, desktop vs ceiling mount setup has been mentioned earlier here, but the projector will need to have an offset angle to make the difference, not all projectors do.

Do not understand how you can expect to get good and correct answers to what you are wondering here when you do not even care to define which projector model you have?
Sorry its an infocus 126. My bad should have said in the original post sorry.

Having known it is an infocus 126. Any thoughts then on turning it upside down? And what can I place it on? I've looked up rubber studs on amazon but they're really not that tall. Can I put it on top of a thick book so that the projector doesn't sit flat on the wardrobe? Is that dangerous in terms of fire risk. I would essentially be putting an upside down projector on top of a book on top of the wardrobe
 
A sheet of thick foam would be a good starting point. Do check that any vents are unblocked.

Projectors are designed to be either table ot ceiling mounted, so the cooling will work either way. Any other mounting angle might cause cooling issues, hence why angling down is not a good idea.

Manual here if it helps with positioning etc. https://www.projectorcentral.com/pdf/projector_manual_7106.pdf
 
The trouble I see with the installation method you describe is that the Infocus 126 (link to (user manual))
1618071107792.png

have a control panel and zoom and focus of the lens at the top, and the body around the lens is higher than the rest of the box.

Placing the projector ceiling inverted and loos on a book?... like that might also put it at the risk of damage if some of the cables are accidenially pulled etc.

In the user manual on page 3 your initial question about tilting is answered with "Place the projector in a horizontal position no greater than 15 degrees off axis."

and

"Use an InFocus approved ceiling mount kit for proper fitting, ventilation and installation. The warranty does not cover any damage caused by use of non-approved ceiling mount kits or by installing in an improper location."

On page 6
1618071525763.png


1618072064266.png

If you look at where the lamp modul is situated directly under the top plate of the projector, i guess position that area directly with no airflow on top of a book or thick foam, might accumulate a lot of heat in that area and I will not recommend that.
 
I doubt heat will be an issue if you sit it on a block of foam. These use forced air cooling for the lamp, so very little convection cooling or radiated heat through the cover.

A ceiling bracket would be the best, but if you are using the remote control, then button access is not an issue.

Good cable management should prevent you pulling the projector off the top of the wardrobe. Run them down the back or something.
 
You are probably right noiseboy72, and with a little common sense checking for heat buildup in the first hours of projector use and non highly flamage items near the lamp housing and wents, it may be safe if done correctly.

Take into account that if a projector lamp explodes it might throw out some very hot fragments from the venting holes, so I guess I will recommend something less flamage than thick foam or books near these areas to be on the safe side.

Projectors optic always "like" to be evenly cooled with no air restriction and heat buildup and hotspots.
Have seen expensive glass optics that crack when unevenly heated in projectors. Maybe not a problem for this model.
These projectors are constructed with all the optical components fixed to the stiff bottom plate where the feat and mounting holes for the ceiling mount are, etc. This not because of the weight of the projector etc but helps to reduce the cold to warm drifting of the projected picture. Using the top enclosure as a base for the projector might lead to picture movement in that heat-up period.

However, I always like to respond in forums like this according to what the projector manufacturer recommends in their user manual. That way it may be a little safer and less is up to the level of practical knowledge about projectors to the ones that ask if something is safe.
 
In 25 years of production touring and AV, I've never had an uncontained lamp failure where bits of glass have left the projector. Lamp housings are designed to contain any hot material - and this would normally only be the electrodes and pressure vessel, so the amount of any ejected material would always be very small and insufficient to start a fire.

If you pull apart the majority of desktop projectors, the chassis is plastic, as is most of the light path. The only areas requiring cooling and some measure of thermal stability are the lamp, condenser lens and optical block. Nothing else is in the focal plane of the lamp source, so doesn't get hot.

No manufacturer is ever going to say "Mount this projector upside down on the top of a wardrobe", but this doesn't make it dangerous or wrong. Some projector brackets are designed to take an inverted projector supported by the casework, not the fixing points, as these are considered to be a failure point and not suited to projectors hung over members of the public. Have a look at the "cages" used in some clubs and for live events etc.

A lump of high density foam can be sculpted with a stanley knife to provide the correct shape to support the projector. this will prevent any movement - and a square of anti-slip matting will prevent any tramping if there's a danger of the projector sliding at all.
 
That is by the way my experience to that no hot lamp fragments escape the projector (only some mercury vapor), but did read in a forum some years ago, think it was an Infocus X3 where some hot fragments did escape and made some burn marks where they landed.
 
All. Thank you so much for your detailed responses. I've really learnt a lot and appreciate your insights.

So here is my setup. I know it's not elegant at all but my main concern is whether there is a fire risk or not.

Have a look at the pictures. You'll notice I only put the book on the edge. That's so that the main body of the projector isn't flat on the book.


Also, my wardrobe is in the corner of the room so it's projecting at the wall kind of diagonally which is messing the keystone even after digitally adjusting it. The book setup though fixes most of it as the projector is tilted.

Can you guys let me know if that looks okay. I played the projector for 4 hours last night and it was fine. Didn't get any wierd noises etc
 

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That should be fine from a heat / safety perspective, but you could perhaps make it a little more elegant!!

Can you put up a shelf or something to give a straight on projection angle? Digital keystone means you are throwing away pixels and image quality by a huge amount.
 
That should be fine from a heat / safety perspective, but you could perhaps make it a little more elegant!!

Can you put up a shelf or something to give a straight on projection angle? Digital keystone means you are throwing away pixels and image quality by a huge amount.
I know sigh. I really need a shelf or something right behind the wall so that it projects as a square. I have a really awkward setup. Old house with the plug socket in the totally wrong place!
 
Extension lead, some self adhesive D channel around the skirting board and door if required and you can safely and attractively have a socket where you like!
 
Is there a reason you're NOT using a ceiling mount?? Most of them are universal and "fits most", and if you're not picky they don't have to cost alotta money.

If for some reason you can't/won't use a ceiling mount, be a little creative an just do some kind of wooden frame that fits the top of the projector, leaving an empty space for the lens and the buttons, and lie the projector on top of the edges of the frame. Now it sits horizontally and you still have a little room for adjusting the angle, if needed.
 
Most projectors are designed to be cooled efficiency when mounted horizontal (ceiling or standmounted) as this is how the product has been designed. They are usually designed this way to allow the best cooling airflow to the components, outside of these areas is never advised as you could over heat some components which would ordinary be being cooled thus shortening the lifespan

I think for almost all projectors (unless otherwise specified), vertically mounting is not recommended at all because of this and the airflow issues and if you are in any doubt, contact the manufacturer to see what they have to say and that way, if they say yes in writing, you are covered if something goes wrong

I know the vertical issue can be very damaging as I had a special challenge for a prototype product for the NHS and its designer who required a projector to be mounted in a vertical position and that left only a handful of units available (which is what was used) after extensive research
Hi Shane. Do you recall which projector you used? I need to project onto the ground from the ceiling as my source is interactive software. I would greatly appreciate any assistance. Thanks, Tina
 
It was business Epson unit and I'm unable to recall the model number for you sadly.

For commercial usage, Panasonic have units which worked with interactive software as I've seen them out and about although I never had any dealing with this kind of product myself

Fujifilm also produce the FP-Z5000 projector which had a versatile lens which could be moved in many directions which sounds like the ideal product for your needs. Sadly I haven't seen a price anywhere for it which might indicate its not available in the UK, but you might be lucky over the water

My suggestion would be to email the above companies directly to see if they can suggest any model numbers which are current as I've mentioned previously, manufacturers could invalidate the warranty if they find out its been used that way as these things have been design a particular way to ensure they receive the correct air flow get the the right places
 

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