Wall mounting Loewe LCD displays

ianh64

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I recently wall monted my Loewe Xelos SL 32 display. I thought that I would share my experience here incase anyone is thinking of doing the same. I would like to say thanks to the forum members that gave initial assistance.

The reason for wall mounting rather than using the supplied table top mount is:

1. To provide an outlet for hot air from the enclosed TV cabinet below. The media player gets very warm and ambient temperature in the cabinet can reach the high 30 degrees. Due to having a household that contains inquisitve little fingers, having an open cabinet is not an option and due to the depth of the AV boxes, there is no alternative viable suitable position. The fitting of the wall mount is designed to be used as a chiminey to duct the hot away behind the display from the cabinet below.

2. Repositioning the TV cabinet forward beneath to aid cooling and provide access space to the rear of the cabinet units. A new free standing shelf above covers the gap caused by pulling the cabinet forward.

3. I have been unable to source a shorter umbilical chord, so the supplied 3m or so DVI and umbilical chords needs to be coiled up. Repositioning the TV cabinet allows the coiled cable to be moved behind the cabinet rather than inside.

4. Moving the display slight up and back and moving the TV cabinet forward gives a few more months of protection of the LCD panel from little fingers. For this reason, I wish that I had purchased the Spheros over the Xelos.


The wall bracket is the standard Loewe WM51 wall mount suitable for both Spheros and Xelos 32" and 37" units. Sourced from Linn at Harrods for £75 and took about 2 weeks delivery from Loewe in Germany. At the time of writing, the Harrods price was considerably cheaper than the online retaillers. Harrods took the order over the phone and I chose to collect in person, but I believe that they will also deliver at no extra charge. Deciptively large in size, the bracket measures approx 11" tall by 6" wide and is very well made. There is no swivel mechanism but utilises the tilt adjustment already build into the display panel to allow downward and upward tilt. I had not noticed this feature until I fixed it to the wall, so may be usable for the standard table top stand too. It is a friction stop unit, right where the mount attaches to the display but takes a bit of effort to move. The wall mount has 6 mounting points to attach to the wall and suitable screws, washers and plugs are supplied for mounting to solid walls.

As I had stud partition walls, an alternative fixing mechanism was devised. A careful survey of the wall located a veritical stud slightly off center - how lucky could I be? Due to the position of a nearby power socket, mains power was turned off at the socket. This allowed my stud locator to correctly locate the stud edges and allow me to detect the presence of mains cabling. Previously, 'power spill' from the socket was causing the whole wall to be detected as AC 'live'. Reducing the current draw from the socket reduced this allowing me to accurately locate the live cable. Thankfully not close to the working area. the center of the stud was marked along with vertical markings for positioning the display.

A piece of 6x2 was used as batten and secured to the stud using the supplied screws. Only the vertical stud was used as no suitable horizontal noggin was located. The batten was predrilled off center to match the position of the centerline of the stud. The screwholes were also countersunk to give a smooth surface of the batten and provide deeper penetration of the screws into the stud. The batten was initially located horizontally using the marks previously made and vertically using the tv cabinet beneath plus the height of a new shelf. A single pilot hole of slightly smaller diameter than the thread of the screw was made in the plasterboard and stud to prevent unnecessary pressure being required when tightening the screw and thus avoiding splitting the stud within the wall. It also gave some reassurance that I was in a stud rather than free air! The initial screw was tightened but left loose enough to provide some adjustment. The plumb of the batten was checked with a spirit level and a second screw affixed in the same way. Once the plumb was confirmed the final 4 screws were affixed and finally all six tightened. Figure 1. You can also see the new shelf that sits on top of the TV cabinet has been cut to allow air circulation and room for the DVI, unbilical chord and mains cable. Whilst it is not clear from the photo, the batten is actually level with the top of the shelf.

A shelf from the Ikea Billy range was then used to cover the batten. Figure 2. Its height was such that it was not visible over the top of the display and width is greater than the batten allowing room to create vertical ducts to allow hopt air to escape from below the shelf on the TV cabinet. Holes were cut for exit of the DVI/Umbilical chord and segregated mains cable and the wired fed through. The shelf/cover was screwed to the batten using simple chipboard screws since the cover would not be taking any weight on its own.

The rear section of the Loewe wallmount was then centrally fixed to the cover using 6 M8 x 60mm (I think) coachbolts. Figure 3. The bracket is actually quite big at 11" x 6" not that it shows in the picture. The cover and batten was predrilled to confirm correct position with the batten behind. Due to the proximity of the bolts with the edge of the 6x2 batten, it was imperitive that the batten was not allowed to split. The wall mount was checked for plum and correct vertical and horizontal alignment. The sides of the ducting made from offcuts was also screwed into place. This provides two chimineys either side of the batten with which to duct hot air up and behind the display unit. the exit was positioned not to interfere with the vents in the display unit but also not to be visible above the display. Figure 4.

The second half of the wall bracket, which I had previously secured to the back of the display then hooks onto the rear unit. For a Xelos 32" at low level, I could perform this myself, but for heavier or higher mounted units, this would require two or three people. Figure 5. However, fitting the cabling to the display required further assistance. The DVI / umbilical chord and mains cable fit behind the wall bracket and is fiddly to attach to say the least. I would say that it would be nigh on impossible to fit with the display insitue on the mount. Possibly a better option would be to attach the cables to the display before attaching the wall bracket to the display. The two brackets are then secured together using two grub like screws, again, very fiddly to fit but prevents the display from accidentally lifting off the back plate if such a thing was pissible given the weight. Once complete and secure, the display was tilted to suit.

The final result is shown in figure 6. The freestanding TV cabinet is Ikea Benno (I think) with glass doors that I frosted with aerosol glass frosting paint (about £5). Under natural light, the frosting hides the AV equipment behind quite well whilst also allowing IR signals to penetrate. The DVD shelves are also Ikea Benno but the bottom one has been strengthened and deepened to hold the center speaker using an Ikea Jarpen shelf reduced in length but with existing Benno back and partitions. The DVD shelves are secured to the side units nuts and bolts to provide strength and rigity to the whole unit. The new freestanding shelf on top of the TV cabinet is also Ikea Jarpen. The rest of the shelving is Ikea Billy.

I have still to move the TV cabinet forwards to provide space and access to the rest of the cabinet. I am expecting to pull it forward by 2" to 3" providing good air circulation up through the chimney. What is stopping me from doing this is finding suitable grills to vent the front of the TV cabinet to allow cool air to enter from the front below the units and up directly underneath the AV units. The back of the cabinet will also be cut more open than it already is to allow air to freely escape from inside the cabinet. Hopefully by using convection principles, the temperature in the cabinet will drop sufficiently without having to resort to forced air circulation and additional fans.

DISCLAIMER: Please take expert advice before wall mounting any display. The above should not be considered instructions on how to wall mount a unit, each display and location is different requiring its own technique and method. Whilst my unit is still rock solid, I cannot take any responsibility for any damage caused by copying the above technique.

-Ian
 

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A quick update on my chimney design for a wall mount.

The TV cabinet was pulled forward 4" from the wall to allow an air space behind the enclosed cabinet. This also allowed air to escape up the chimney. The Loewe media box was moved to the bottom cabinet and Pace Twin Freeview cabinet and DVD recorder moved to the top shelf. No other cooling was made as I wanted to monitor cabinet temperatures before adding cooling holes in the exterior of the cabinet.

Results prior to the move with a digital thermometer next to the Loewe Media box (top shelf) peaked at 40.2 C. At this point, the TV shuts down. This was after extensive viewing, ie all afternoon and evening. Average viewing temperature was >35C.

After the move the chimney is noticably producing a cool draft. Results after the move with the thermometer next to the media box (bottom shelf) peaked at 26.2 C. That's 14.0 degrees cooler :thumbsup: :thumbsup: With the thermometer on the top shelf next to the Pace Twin and DVD recorder indicate a maximum temperature of 29.2 C. That is still 11 degrees cooler :thumbsup:

On this basis I will add some cooling vents to the back of the top compartment, but with convection cooling alone, no mechanical devices other than built into the equipment, cooling of the enclosed cabinet is more than acceptable. Once the additional vents are placed in the top cabinet, I will see this design as a total success.

-Ian
PS. Design is patent pending but feel free to use the concept/design for your own personal use!
 

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