Safety Question

[David W]

I am starting a build. I intend to build the floor up 2" to match my mat. Because of my building structure, I will need to place my projector on the raised floor. My question is, How do you guys run the cord of the projector? I would prefer not having it run across the floor making it a tripping hazard. I would like to run it through the floor which by code, you can do but only in conduit and building wiring, not a cord. This kind of sucks because you would then need a receptacle in a box for the projector cord to plug into. The receptacle would almost always have to be mounted face up where dust, etc. could get into it.

The problem is that I have been a electrical designer and electrical safety inspector for 46 years and know that if a guy installs something that is not code compliant and it starts a fire, insurance companies will gald walk away from smiling. There are ways to do it but I don't want a surface mounded receptacle. This raised floor will be over the existing concrete floor and I don't want to saw cut it and run conduit to a floor box or tombstone type box.

Just writing this makes me feel like I am backing myself into a corner where a cord running across the floor doesn't seem that bad anymore, lol. There are also low profile cord protectors too which is probably the best and most inexpensive solution. Anyway, just wondering if any of you guys have run into this, and what you have done.

BTW, I have been accused of over thinking things too much... can you believe that?

[Timmy5under]

This may be a stupid question because I haven't had to deal with this type of space issue but do you HAVE to use a floor mounted projector?

[David W]

Yes I do pretty much have to set it on the floor, at least that is what the Carl's Place tech person told me. I have a 30'x56' pole barn that I insulated, and installed a mini split unit for heat and AC, for my shop. I have extra room for a 10'x13' simulator. The building has large roof trusses spaced every 9" except for the first ones in from the end walls and they are each 8' from the inside wall. So the screen has to be one foot from the wall, leaving 7'. Then the projector is nearly another foot leaving 6' to the screen, and the tech person said that was too lose.

A little clarification, my enclosure will be 10'-4" high. The bottom chord of the truss that crosses the enclosure is at 8'-10" from the floor, so it will hang down nearly 18" below the top of the enclosure. I am going to use stage curtains from from Peaks Tarps. I will hang a 1" emt conduit from the bottom of the first truss, to the top of the second truss which will keep a topped ball from hitting the truss closest to the enclosure. The reason it it runs uphill to the second truss, is to give us more headroom at the tee, so taller player wont hit it with their driver. At least my tallest friend won't. I was going to put the piping which supports the curtain material, on top of each truss, but that would leave the 2"x8" bottom chord of the truss still exposed below the part of the curtain that that forms the ceiling. (hard to explain) The curtain starts at the floor on the right side, goes up, over the pipe, then over to the left pipe, then down to the floor forming two walls and the ceiling. I would have to pad the heck out of that 2x8 portion of the truss that sticks down. Hopefully that gives you a better picture of why the projector needs to be on the floor and what I will be doing to extend my enclosure out to the tee, 13 feet from the screen because I am using a Mevo+

BTW, it was not a stupid question at all. Thanks for your response

[Stetson]

Just get a cord cover and see how you like it. Screw down the edges so it isn’t easy to trip on.

https://www.amazon.com/D-Line-CC-1-Protector-Protect-Prevent/dp/B0078NU4C6/ref=asc_df_B0078NU4C6?tag=bngsmtphsnus-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=80195746822994&hvnetw=s&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=m&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583795274024674&psc=1

[Will]

Please don't compromise and put a projector on the floor. Are you designing this space around carl's place enclosure or your place?

Put a perpendicular span joist between truss 1 and 2 and mount a projector above your ball. Your club won't be in that area while swinging. 8'11" is somewhat low for a follow through height. You may want to center the hitting position between the trusses and layout your space from there.

You can't hit a normal shot above 45 degrees, and you would have nearly 60 to the 1st truss toward the screen if you center the ball between trusses. Wrap it with padding if you are really concerned about mishits.

Get a projector with the correct lens for the screen size and distance. Many of the package deals have compromised projector choices limiting your experience.

[David W]

Please don't compromise and put a projector on the floor. Are you designing this space around carl's place enclosure or your place?

Put a perpendicular span joist between truss 1 and 2 and mount a projector above your ball. Your club won't be in that area while swinging. 8'11" is somewhat low for a follow through height. You may want to center the hitting position between the trusses and layout your space from there.

You can't hit a normal shot above 45 degrees, and you would have nearly 60 to the 1st truss toward the screen if you center the ball between trusses. Wrap it with padding if you are really concerned about mishits.

Get a projector with the correct lens for the screen size and distance. Many of the package deals have compromised projector choices limiting your experience.

Thanks for the comment Will. Why is the projector being placed on the floor a problem, or compromise? Just for reference sake, my projector is an Optoma ZH406STX. Haven't opened the box yet and could return if needed.

I am lucky enough to have a friend who is an engineer and can design trusses, of all things. He did a workup and has found a way to raise that portion of the truss to where it would be completely out of the space, but it would cost roughly $600.00 just in material. He said he would work with me and do the work to install it for free. We help each other out, so no big deal there. I am not a tightwad, but I have sold a lot of toys and spent roughly $11 to 12K already and I love my very patient wife, but there are limits. Depending on your response to why and how big of an inconvenience it would be to sit the projector on the ground, I will spend the money and move the truss out of the way. It would make things like the ceiling and side curtains so darn much easier also.

Luckily, with the tee back 13' from the screen, which is recommended by flightscope, it falls 21 inches back past the center between trusses 2 and 3. I am only 5'-6" tall and won't hit the truss in my backswing. There are four tee positions in my mat and anyone too tall may have to hit from one a foot or so towards to the screen.

Thank you again for the information. I only want to do this once.

[Will]

I may have misunderstood the spacing and placement of the trusses relative to the enclosure and ball.

What would be wrong with mounting the projector on or near the truss between the ball and the screen? You could build a box, similar to the floor box, or shelf if it actually needed protection.

How tall and wide do you expect the image to be? (What did they say the mounting distance would be? 7' away from screen? )

Every system has compromises but here are a few issues you might discover.

1. How do you intend to putt when you place the projector box on the floor in front of your hitting area?

I don't have a radar based flightscope product, but putting is one of the more enjoyable parts of my golf sim experience. Putt speed and direction can be practiced and I can't imagine placing a protective shell/hump 4 feet in front of my ball. Use the 12' from the hitting area to the screen to watch your real putt speed and line. You can get a good feel for longer putts based on that initial deceleration and launch monitor numbers. I hit shots from a fiberbuilt mat as well. Tee for driver, bristles for fairway/rough/sand, and flat stance surface to putt.

I found this site while looking up info for you. It says to keep it clear and level in front of the mevo+ . https://mygolfsimulator.com/mevo-plus-putting

2. Walking surface trip hazard: You will be walking toward the screen to retrieve balls and step around the lump every time. A ceiling mount let's you set and forget. A young salesmen may overlook the risk of a fall and an older gentleman knows that a season of golf might be taken away.

3. If you ever change launch monitors or upgrade to a brighter 4k projector, you would not want to be constrained by a particular projector that fits in a floor box at a fixed distance. You also may find that you would rather not deal with a radar based flightscope and give a camera based system, like uneekor, or another new technology a try.

4. You have indicated that fixing the truss will allow you to make less complicated and more linear ceiling and side containment.

5. That projector does not appear to have horizontal/vertical lens shift or zoom. It's not a bad choice and is decently bright for a DLP 1080p projector. But, high speed cameras may not work with a DLP projector if you install swing cameras. No need to worry if you don't intend on watching yourself in slow-mo.
................
Someone else may need to chime in on the floor based projector experience, especially concerning the mevo+. I am sure you will have a great setup, but I agree that this should be layed out with full knowledge and without regrets.

[David W]

I may have misunderstood the spacing and placement of the trusses relative to the enclosure and ball.

What would be wrong with mounting the projector on or near the truss between the ball and the screen? You could build a box, similar to the floor box, or shelf if it actually needed protection.

How tall and wide do you expect the image to be? (What did they say the mounting distance would be? 7' away from screen? )

Every system has compromises but here are a few issues you might discover.

1. How do you intend to putt when you place the projector box on the floor in front of your hitting area?

I don't have a radar based flightscope product, but putting is one of the more enjoyable parts of my golf sim experience. Putt speed and direction can be practiced and I can't imagine placing a protective shell/hump 4 feet in front of my ball. Use the 12' from the hitting area to the screen to watch your real putt speed and line. You can get a good feel for longer putts based on that initial deceleration and launch monitor numbers. I hit shots from a fiberbuilt mat as well. Tee for driver, bristles for fairway/rough/sand, and flat stance surface to putt.

I found this site while looking up info for you. It says to keep it clear and level in front of the mevo+ . https://mygolfsimulator.com/mevo-plus-putting

2. Walking surface trip hazard: You will be walking toward the screen to retrieve balls and step around the lump every time. A ceiling mount let's you set and forget. A young salesmen may overlook the risk of a fall and an older gentleman knows that a season of golf might be taken away.

3. If you ever change launch monitors or upgrade to a brighter 4k projector, you would not want to be constrained by a particular projector that fits in a floor box at a fixed distance. You also may find that you would rather not deal with a radar based flightscope and give a camera based system, like uneekor, or another new technology a try.

4. You have indicated that fixing the truss will allow you to make less complicated and more linear ceiling and side containment.

5. That projector does not appear to have horizontal/vertical lens shift or zoom. It's not a bad choice and is decently bright for a DLP 1080p projector. But, high speed cameras may not work with a DLP projector if you install swing cameras. No need to worry if you don't intend on watching yourself in slow-mo
................
Someone else may need to chime in on the floor based projector experience, especially concerning the mevo+. I am sure you will have a great setup, but I agree that this should be layed out with full knowledge and without regrets.

Will, I love and appreciate that you are spending all of this time to help me. You have me scratching my noodle now! In regard to your first question, I spoke to another tech guy who said the projector needs to be at least 8'-3" from the screen. The first truss will be 7' from the screen, so I would need to mount the projector behind the truss like you described, (between the first and second truss). So I first visualized mounting a couple 2x8's between the trusses maybe 18" apart, give or take. Then putting a block of 2x12 across them, flat ways, to screw a projector mount so that I could hang it and make it independent of any protection I would build around it. As opposed to on a shelf with in the box, allowing vibration/shock when the box takes a hit.

Then I thought, that won't work because I want the ceiling material to be on top of the truss and below the first truss. That is easy enough to fix by putting the 2x8 supports standing up on top of the bottom chord of the trusses. Or maybe even put some blocking on top of the truss and then have the 2x8' standing on top of the blocks giving me a few inches of clear space between them and my ceiling.

There are a few other details to work out, like padding the box etc, but I can see it working and being a heck of a lot better. Thank you again!!!

[LastChance56]

I too was going to place a short throw projector on the floor. My ceiling is over 14’ high in my shop. Not being able to putt, running electrical and future upgrades was the ultimate reason I did not do. To solve my problem I upgraded to the LK936ST which has excellent lens shift for verticals and horizontal. This will allow me to build a horizontal hangar off of right wall using emt pipe and maker pipe fittings (maker pipe.com). Since my maker pipe computer station will be below this, also shortened the run of cables. Have your engineer friend see if that be option for you too.

I will post pics of my build as soon as I finish.