What to check on the first visit
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 remote control 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. A remote control 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.
- Bracket rated above the fixture weight
- Stainless fixings for exposed positions
- Beam as close to perpendicular as the site allows
- Position reachable without powered access
Aiming, zooming and focusing
Adjust in this order: position, zoom, focus, then rotation. Moving the bracket after you have focused wastes the whole sequence, so get the geometry settled first. On a remote control gobo projector, set the zoom to frame the image on the target surface, then focus at the centre of the image and check the corners — if the corners are softer than the centre, the beam is off-axis.
- Confirm the geometry and tighten the bracket
- Zoom until the image fills the intended area
- Focus on the centre of the image
- Check the corners — soft corners mean an angled mount
The part that fails inspection, not the optics
Route the cable as if somebody will try to unplug it, because somebody will. Use a switched, protected supply, keep the run out of reach where possible, and make sure the connection point is accessible for service without dismantling the remote control gobo projector. If the install is outdoors, the cable entry — not the housing — is the most likely place for water to get in.
Commissioning checks
Before you leave site, run the unit for an hour and check the housing temperature. Thermal problems on a remote control 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 a remote control gobo projector install that cannot be improvised on site, and re-cutting from the original file is far cheaper than redrawing it.
- Throw distance and image width as installed
- Gobo reference and artwork file name
- Zoom and focus settings
- Supplier contact for re-cutting artwork
