Wordsmith Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 Hi Can anyone tell me if projectors for whiteboard installations should always be run off their own dedicated power spur? Is this covered by the British Standards PAS 122:2009? I have just inspected a couple of new installs of short throw projectors and they have been plugged into existing power extension leads. Any views most welcome. Cheers
plexer Posted March 22, 2011 Posted March 22, 2011 If the rest of the electrical installation is up to scratch then not neccessarily allthough it would be good practice to be able to prevent the projectors from being accidentally turned off. Ben 1
Educare_AV Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 I have recently been told by an electrician that ceiling/wall mounted projectors are now classed as fixed appliances and require there own dedicated power supply. Not sure how true this is, I know on all the new build sites I have been working on recently have the projectors running on there own dedicated circuit with a switched fuse spur.
plexer Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 The power cable on a projector is detachable so I don't agree with that. Ben
localzuk Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 The power cable on a projector is detachable so I don't agree with that. Ben Not to mention it is plugged in using a normal plug, so can be plugged in anywhere. And they are regularly taken down for maintenance, and plugged in temporarily on normal sockets. Sticking something in a bracket doesn't make it fixed. Else, all servers, switches, cage mounted computers, rack mount audio equipment etc... would be classed as fixed and it most definitely isn't.
plexer Posted March 23, 2011 Posted March 23, 2011 Indeed sparks after more money by the sounds of it. Ben
alan-d Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 I think the general rule is that the appliance can be isolated from the power supply quickly and easily by either switching off at the socket, unplugging it or switching off at a fused spur. Gone are the days where you have a socket mounted to the ceiling to plug in a projector.
Marc-Engineer Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Just to offer my tuppence worth, Ext leads (HSE) are only to be use as a tempoary connection and NEVER for a permenant connection, also you must make sure that for the health of the projector you must not be able to turn off accedently the projector. A key switch (fish switch) is most often used (and recomended) if you turn off a projector at the wall when the lamp is lit you may damage the lamp or at the very least shorten its life by some amount and can be as much as 50% or even kill the lap altogether (not recomended), or even worse you may damage the ballest unit in your projector ( not common but does hapen. Marc Projector Engineer
Andrew_C Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 I think a spur is reasonable, even if not required for the reasons above. To those who say the projector is portable; do you PAT them? Thought not! To those who say they are part of the fixed installation; are they tested as part of the "Periodic Testing Regime"? Thought not! :rolleyes:
localzuk Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 I think a spur is reasonable, even if not required for the reasons above. To those who say the projector is portable; do you PAT them? Thought not! To those who say they are part of the fixed installation; are they tested as part of the "Periodic Testing Regime"? Thought not! :rolleyes: Yes, all our projectors are PAT tested! Why wouldn't they be? They have plugs.
MbroTech Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Yes, of course they are PAT tested. I don't know how you get away with ignoring them?
Andrew_C Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Every year? Your testing company must love you! My RA says that the taking down, testing, and reinstalling is far more dangerous than leaving them where they are. Further, this is the single thing in a projectors life that might cause damage to its integrity. I DO test before they go up, and if they come down for maintenance. Should they last more than 4 years, then they get a test.
localzuk Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 Every year? Your testing company must love you! My RA says that the taking down, testing, and reinstalling is far more dangerous than leaving them where they are. Further, this is the single thing in a projectors life that might cause damage to its integrity. I DO test before they go up, and if they come down for maintenance. Should they last more than 4 years, then they get a test. What's the difference there? New equipment doesn't need testing yearly. New PCs that we buy have stickers that say 'test after' and a date (i think it is either 3 or 5 years in the future) and 'or after maintenance'. That's standard PAT testing practice is it not?
MbroTech Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 We test ourselves - well Formal Visual Inspection anyway which does need a full look over. Full Inspection and Testing frequencies depend on the equipment, environment and usage - so depends where it is and how it's treated.
plexer Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 We have no choice the LA mandates annual testing and it is paid for out of the annual maintenance fee pot the school pays into. Ben
Andrew_C Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 New equipment doesn't need testing yearly.That is too sweeping a statement. It depends on the item, where it is being used, and by whom. New kit should be tested before being taken into use. A lot of CE (China Export) kit just has stickers put on it and would fail the compliance tests.
MbroTech Posted March 24, 2011 Posted March 24, 2011 We had some really dodgy PSUs from China with the CE mark - they looked lethal - got them swapped out by the manufacturer.
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