Installing an IP67 Gobo Projector: A Site-Ready Walkthrough

Survey before you drill

The three survey failures are power, surface and access. No socket within reach, a target surface that is glossy or patterned, and a mounting point that needs scaffolding to reach — any of these turns an one-hour IP67 gobo projector install into a two-visit job. All three are visible in ten minutes on site.

Mounting height and bracket choice

Mounting height is a compromise between throw angle and accessibility. an IP67 gobo projector mounted flat-on to the wall gives the squarest image, but the further off-axis it sits the more keystone distortion you get — the image becomes a trapezoid. Keep the beam as close to perpendicular as the site allows, and prefer a position you can reach with a short ladder rather than a cherry picker.

1. Bracket rated above the fixture weight
2. Stainless fixings for exposed positions
3. Beam as close to perpendicular as the site allows
4. Position reachable without powered access

Aiming, zooming and focusing

Focus on the centre, then check the edges. an IP67 gobo projector focused on a flat wall should read evenly corner to corner; if it does not, the usual cause is an angled mount rather than a bad lens. Once you are happy, lock the focus if the unit allows it, because vibration and thermal cycling will otherwise move it over a season.

1. Confirm the geometry and tighten the bracket
2. Zoom until the image fills the intended area
3. Focus on the centre of the image
4. Check the corners — soft corners mean an angled mount

Power, cable routing and switching

Power is where commercial installs fail inspection. an IP67 gobo projector drawing 50–300 W is not a problem in itself, but a cable run across a public area, a domestic extension lead, or an unswitched spur all are. Plan a fixed supply, use a gland rated to the environment, and route the cable so it is neither a trip hazard nor the first thing a cleaner unplugs.

1. Fixed, switched, protected supply
2. Cable gland rated for the environment, fitted with a drip loop
3. Run out of reach and out of the cleaning route
4. Connection point accessible without dismantling the unit

Test it the way it will be used

Before you leave site, run the unit for an hour and check the housing temperature. Thermal problems on an IP67 gobo projector rarely show up in the first ten minutes, and a unit that cuts out at 90 minutes will be a callback you could have caught on install day.

• Image sharpness at the centre and all four corners
• Contrast against the surface at the working hour
• Full duty cycle run without thermal cut-out
• Housing temperature after an hour at full output

What the site team needs on paper

The handover note should include the artwork file reference and the supplier's reorder code. Custom gobos are the one part of an IP67 gobo projector install that cannot be improvised on site, and re-cutting from the original file is far cheaper than redrawing it.

1. Throw distance and image width as installed
2. Gobo reference and artwork file name
3. Zoom and focus settings
4. Supplier contact for re-cutting artwork