Motorized Flat panel lifts

[tiralie]

A client has asked me to build a wall/cabinet with a motorized Flat panel lift. I prefer the Accuride lift to the hafele  is just ok. Neither of these pivots, which may be a requirement.
Anyone installed or used these units and have any recommendations?
Thanks.
Tim

 

[Rollin22Petes]

I have installed quiet a few tv lifts over the years the price on some of them can quite crazy. Installed one a few years ago that was 7k [eek] just for the lift but it was the bees knees worked like a collapsible bottle jack very smooth and quite. I think auton motorized systems has some that swivel might give them a look. I would definitely stay away from all of the really cheaper ones they are very clunky in there operation and some are quite loud witch your customer may complain about. Good luck with the project hope all turns out well.

 

[tiralie]

Rollin22Petes: Thanks! That helped.
I visited the Auton site and read some press (CEPro) and found some other vendors.
Apparently there are 17 manufacturers of TV lifts. The top three as rated by CE Pro (custom electronics professionals - who knew?) are Auton, Chief, and Inca.
Until I was directed to Auton, I had no idea these other manufacturers even existed.

Tim

 

[Rollin22Petes]

Great I'm glad I could help. I would love to see pics when get it completed. 

 

[tiralie]

Great I'm glad I could help. I would love to see pics when get it completed.

Gotta sell it first [big grin]. But if I do, I will post.
Tim

 

[land_kel]

Tom

I used one for a 60" LED TV on my outside covered deck. It us built into a 25' long cabinet.

I used the Whisper-Ride 700 that I purchased from Lee Valley and it works great..

 

[land_kel]

I meant Tim.. Damn auto correct.

 

[tiralie]

I used one for a 60" LED TV on my outside covered deck. It us built into a 25' long cabinet.

I used the Whisper-Ride 700 that I purchased from Lee Valley and it works great..

Good to know. How long have you had it and do you find it quiet?
Tim

 

[land_kel]

Tim

As its outside, noise is not an issue, but it is quiet anyways. Not the speediest lift, but it does have that "wow" factor as it opens the lid and starts its lift.

I'm happy with it..got it on one of the free shipping offers LV has so it was not too bad at the end of the day cost wise.

 

[land_kel]

Tim

Sorry forgot to mention, I've had it for about a year. It says outside year round, temp range +40 to -40 ( has not been -40 for a few years) but it was +43 for a bout a week in August.

As its in a cabinet, with heat generated from the other electronic gear I have not had a concern with the cold and TV. (Yet!)

Whisper-Ride has a video on their site.

D

 

[Fesnewb]

I know this is a significant bump but I felt I should make a point I happened to make on another forum a day or so ago on the subject.

It was actually a thread where someone was asking about advice he had received to rip out some drywall to affix a plywood piece to his metal studs so that he could securely mount his tilt and swivel Flat Panel TV mount to the wall.

A big 50" Flat Panel. Weighing a massive........12kg  [big grin]

I made the point that received wisdom on flat panel wall mounting is hopelessly out of date even if only 3 or 4 years old. Up to quite recently Plasmas were the flat panel kings. Big 5" thick 50" glass fronted screens that weighed 50kg. 3-4" thick 42 inchers that weighed 40kg etc. Back then, if you wanted a plasma any thinner or lighter meant buying the uber expensive flagship model.

In the last few years things have changed to the point that Panasonic the Plasma leaders shut down production and don't even make plasmas any more. LED/OLED LCD's are now the Flat panels of choice. These things, even the base models are now mere centimeters thick and weigh a fraction of what the plasmas used to back in the day.

What does this mean? It means that all the old mounting advice still parrotted today is out of date. The guy in that other thread can likely mount his 12kg 50" Flat panel and mount to his studs with 2x 2" screws  [big grin] Exaggerating a little but you get my point.

I also explained in that thread about how I was keeping this in mind for a project that I have on the back burner. ie. Some beds with 40" flat panels mounted inside the footboard that rise out of the footboard on TV lifts. You've been able to buy something like that for years but you'd be talkin 5 grand + 1. because the 5" thick flat panels of the day required a separate substantial piece of furniture to house them at the end of the bed and 2. You needed a $1,500 linear actuator TV lift like that linked in the OP here to lift the 150LB TV!!!

Just googled a random 2015 Samsung 50" LED/OLED Tv......2" thick and 28LB !! 40" was 1.9" thick and 17LB

It doesn't take a $1,500 TV lift to lift a modern Flat Panel.

I'd wager that when I get around to building the footboards with TV lifts, the Wood, the material to make a scissors lift mechanism and small motor and arduino controller or somesuch capable of lifting a mere 17LB would all come to less than $300.

So what I would say is don't be automatically clicking the BUY button on even the $500 TV lift systems never mind the $1,500 dollar ones before you do some more research.

 

[tiralie]

Thanks [member=21004]Fesnewb[/member], makes sense that the specs are out of date and some lifts are "over engineered". Makes it more difficult to descern what the best solution is unless you have had experience with all the units. Removing one of these units from a finished cabinet because it was not functioning properly would be a pain.

I lost the bid.
Tim

 

[Fesnewb]

Sorry when I said 'You' at the end I didn't mean you the OP Tim, I meant You in general. ie. Anyone that comes across the thread when researching TV Lifts in the future. I knew the ship had sailed for anyone posting in the thread originally back in November.

Despite advising doing research, I myself haven't yet 'done the research' either I'm a humble shopkeep and neither a carpenter, cabinet maker or engineer. I still don't even own any tools Festool or otherwise yet!! Its something I want to get into as a hobby and money saver as soon as my work hours and finances allow.

However, despite not having done any in depth research nor posted questions on the appropriate special interest forums yet, I'm fairly confident that I'm not far wrong either. One of the reasons is that another project I have in mind in the back of my head was a long sideboard type unit for our livingroom that would have a flat panel sitting on top and house the consumer electronics and speakers inside the sideboard as well as a 120" diagonal 16:9 projection screen that would rise up out of the sideboard in front of the TV for Big screen movie nights with the projector. (ie. big screen and its housing hidden inside of sideboard instead of permanently visible hanging on a wall or inside a wall mounted pelmet.)

I researched the pre-made versions of these electric rise-up screens and it turns out the mechanisms are deceptively simple.Would have to be too bulky and over engineered to lift a 150LB TV back in the day and which is why linear actuators were the better choice but when flat panel TV's are now as light as the 120" Diagonal projector screen material, (10-25LB) I cannot see why the same scissors lift and simple motor principle can't now be applied to TV lifts.

 

[NEW2FES]

I have been researching these lifts and feel they are a huge rip off. There is a co making them for smaller TV's that work on gas cylinders. You simply press down on the cover and the TV rises slowly.

No help to you now but they are supposedly coming out with them for larger models. For a cabinet maker I would be selling them on those revolving one someone on here has posted. The cool factor is there and no electronics to break.

Good luck.