# Need Projector Shelf Construction Advice



## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

I'm building a dedicated theater in my basement. The projector will be mounted on a built-in cantilevered shelf on the rear wall. I am going to frame it to the wall studs, top with 3/4" ply, cover other 4 sides in drywall and trim, and paint to match the walls for a built-in look. I am getting around to framing the shelf now and was wondering what size I should make it to accomodate projector, wiring, future upgrades, etc. I want the shelf to be as small as possible but large enough to do the job. 

To determine minimum width, I looked at the size of my PJ of choice, Panasonic PT-AE4000 (~18" wide x 12" long), and think 22" shelf would be good to allow for some side-to-side adjustment. For depth I looked at the Sony SXRD (at ~18" long, in the longer side of this class of PJ's) as potential future upgrade and figure I should give ~6" minimum to rear for cable bends = 24" long/deep shelf. It may be worth noting that I will have just 2 cables = 1 PJ factory power cable + 1 Blue Jeans Series-1 HDMI (min. bend radius = 4.5") directly from my AVR in he next room. The HDMI is going to be a single run from AVR to PJ with no other interconnects (wall plate is just an opening for the cable to pass through). Now to my questions:


Is 6" enough in rear for the cables? I would like more space but I don't want the shelf to be 3ft deep, either.
Should I provide space to accomodate a UPS to serve the projector? This opens up another topic of discussion entirely (should I put the projector on a UPS?).
Noting that my two projector examples both have center lenses, should I make the shelf wider to accmodate an off-center lensed projector, or would the resulting horizontal shift (if I keep shelf to 22" wide) be too little to worry about? 
Any other considerations WRT shelf size?
Any advice/lessons learned would be appreciated.

Regards,
sga2


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## event horizon (Nov 12, 2009)

Umm, i'm going to stick my neck out a bit here :whistling:

Is there any way you can upload some kind of picture of what you are planning? Only reason i ask is that it sounds like you are going to "box" in the PJ & this might well seriously affect the cooling. These things need a good amount of free space around them to avoid a kind of air "short circuit" so they can keep cool, no point in sucking hot air back into the air inlet :doh:

As for your questions...

1. 6" should be plenty, i'm getting away with far less.
2. I'm assuming you feel the need to run a UPS in case the mains fails & the PJ can't cool the bulb? Don't worry, unless you have regular power cuts the PJ will be just fine. I have accidentally disconnected mine on a few occasions with no melted casing 
3. Most modern PJs have both horizontal & vertical lense shift features. Yes the picture will be at it's best when these are centralised, i wouldn't be fussed about a few inches of lense shift over a distance of say 10ft. So IMO no need to make the shelf excessively wide.
4. Pics please so we know your plans as mentioned prevoiusly :T


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

If you can make the "shelf" out of wire closet shelving that would be best to allow for proper airflow in and around the projector. The output of the projector can output air that is around 40°C (110°F) so do not block this with anything and make sure that the intake is free and clear and does not pull in the hot air that was exhausted out the other side.


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## sga2 (Nov 14, 2009)

It will just be a shelf, no sides projecting above. I'll post a drawing shortly.

I framed it in over the weekend. Final dimension is 22.5" x 22.5" and the shelf will be ~14" below the ceiling. I'm going to locate the return above the projector to help keep that area from getting too warm.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'll post pics of my build soon...

sga2


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## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

The Panny's intake is at the rear and the exhaust at the front (correct me if I am wrong). I doubt your HVAC return will impede air flow to the projector much, but the projector could impede airflow to the HVAC return. It could also increase the amount of dust flowing to the projector.

As long as there is cool air available from the rear and the exhaust flows freely to the front without circulating back immediately (ie: not boxed in) it should be OK. 

Cold air returns should be at the floor level and positioned opposite of the room from the HVAC registers. That ensures proper airflow through the room. In a basement (or really any room) that can help prevent mold from damp air sinking to the basement and not circulating.

If you can't move the return to the floor it would be better to have it in front of the projector a few feet to remove the warm air, if your goal is to aid the projector.


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