Video projector safety

[Johnno]

I've just fitted a video projector onto a ceiling pole. The projector hangs underneath a universal carrier plate, held on by two sets of three M4 screws. That's all there is between it and the heads of the people fifteen feet below. I've never seen a safety secondary attached to a projector, and never seen a projector that had anywhere on its casing to which one could be attached.

 

Is the simultaneous failure of three small screws considered too unlikely to occur to require additional protection? The projector has a cooling fan which is potentially a source of vibration that could presumably cause the screws to work loose. I also wonder whether there is a correct torque to which to tighten them. They look as though they are only fastening into metal inserts set in plastic so presumably over tightening could compromise their safety.

 

The projector doesn't strike me as being unsafe, and its installation seems to conform to common practice, but in this day and age it's seems sensible to ask what others think.

[Tomo]

Check with the manufacturer(s)!

 

The manufacturer has a duty to produce equipment that conforms to the relevant safety regulations, and is also the only place that will know the proper torque settings for the screws.

[jayselway]

TBH I hate projectors that don't have a safety bonding point. To get around it, we explain the problem to the client, and fit a security box to the projector, which clamps it securely, and goes directly to the pole, and then as that has a bonding point, we use that :unsure:

 

Problem then, of course, is finding a safety bond, that's tested, that is long enough for some of the poles!

[J Pearce]

A standard steel rigging rope, then use shackles to connect it to the two bonding points.

[david.elsbury]

If the projector has a Kensington hole, you can get laptop lockdowns that attach to these and then you could extend with a steel wire drift and some shackles or something.

[Stuart91]

Here's a fine example of a projector mounting - the primary fixing is done with parcel tape and the mangy clothes rope provides the secondary... :unsure:

 

http://www.greatbigresources.co.uk/email/DodgyProjector.jpg

 

I had a hard time explaining to someone why it wasn't a good idea to have this hanging over his audience's heads...

[David]

I use a Kensington lock,

 

David

[Bryson]

Here's a fine example of a projector mounting - the primary fixing is done with parcel tape and the mangy clothes rope provides the secondary... :blink:

 

 

That is awsomely bad. I'm impressed. :)

[Ynot]

Here's a fine example of a projector mounting - the primary fixing is done with parcel tape and the mangy clothes rope provides the secondary...

Love this pic!!

What was the rope at the front - remote positioning mechanism??

 

:)

[Cougar]

I thought I had seen the worst when I saw a projector gaffa taped to a beam a few years ago. Now I stand corrected that (from the photo at least) looks shocking!!!

[Ike]

I use a Kensington lock,

 

David

My understanding of Kensington locks is that they are designed not to stop equipment being removed but to cause significant damage so as to render it difficult for resale. Certainly the ones I've seen have just been a feature of the plastic case with a small metal plate if you're lucky, not anything I'd want to trust a falling projector to.

[Andrew C]

My understanding of Kensington locks is that they are designed not to stop equipment being removed

Too true! Have a look here, and click Read More. Then try to get your money back on that expensive lock. I didn't believe it until I was faced with one, and a missing key. OK, it took me 5 minutes, but that was a first attempt. Oh, and BTW, the "insurance" you get with the lock is valuless as there is no damage to the lock or the device it is attached to!

[David]

I use a Kensington lock,

 

David

My understanding of Kensington locks is that they are designed not to stop equipment being removed but to cause significant damage so as to render it difficult for resale. Certainly the ones I've seen have just been a feature of the plastic case with a small metal plate if you're lucky, not anything I'd want to trust a falling projector to.

 

With the absents of any other fixing on a plastic case, Its better than nothing. (I did hang a projector from a Kensington lock to to see if it would take the weight. )

 

David

[Cougar]

There is a distinct difference between hanging and dropping. I am not saying that it wont work but it would surprise me if you could get an insurance company or such like to accept it as best practise.

[Pete McCrea]

The Kensington Lock point is not a safety point. I would suggest that the manufacturers have designed the suspension to hold the projector safely with the fixings provided. If they felt a secondary safety point was required then they'd have provided one.

 

If a client really wasn't happy with the solution, then a cage round the projector that was fixed to the pole would possibly be an option.