Chief is now shipping the new suspended ceiling projector system designed to cut install time by one-third.

The new design incorporates an improved suspended ceiling plate, column system, mount and universal interface. The process began when Chief engineers went into the field to observe and interview installers about current systems and how they can be improved.

“We uncovered a ton of things we would not have been able to uncover without being on site,” said Luke Westin, Product Manager.

Problems included inconsistent ceiling grid systems, cable management, adjustment and cumbersome installation processes.

“A big thing we saw is projectors are often installed twice,” Westin said. “People align the ceiling plate, hook up the projector to find the best location, and then take it apart again to cut a hole in the ceiling tile. We worked to eliminate the need for that.”

For speed and accuracy of adjustment, a new mount was created that builds upon the breakthrough successes of the RPA and RPM, Chief’s award-winning projector mounts. The RPT mount’s absolute image control adds Tool-Free Microzone™ adjustment with a positive drive system to keep adjustments in place – no need for set screws.

All the adjustment capabilities drastically reduce the need for digital adjustments in the projector, which can negatively affect image quality.

“With this system, installers should be able to put in three projectors in the time it used to take to install two,” said Harlow Frogness, Sr. Mechanical Designer.

Features of the Suspended Ceiling Projector System include:

• System comes out of box in the order needed with mount and column preassembled
• Adjustable ceiling plate allows placement above or below tile and accommodates inconsistent T-grids
• Detachable electric plate for pre-wiring
• Tool-Free Microzone adjustment
• Centris Technology enables effortless fingertip positioning with new tool-free lock down
• Adjustable 0-12” (0-305 mm) column with separate inlay channels for high and low voltage cables
• Improved universal interface for easier lock/unlock at projector connection
• Quick-disconnect from interface to projector and interface to mount for easy access while maintaining registration
• Single SKU ordering and less packaging to recycle

“With the adjustable 12-inch column, this should work for 90 percent of suspended ceiling installations,” said Westin.

Introduced at InfoComm 2015, the SYSAU has received lots of positive response, Westin added. “With no need to specify several column sizes, there’s time saved for planning and time saved for installation.”

The Suspended Ceiling Projector System is available now in black and white finishes. Additional versions that include storage and power will be available in February.