A projector screwed directly beneath a high ceiling rarely projects its image at the right height on the screen. The unit then needs to be lowered by a few tens of centimetres, without improvising with a pipe cut on site or leaving cables dangling. This aluminium Chief column adds 30.5 cm between the ceiling plate and the projector mount, at a predetermined length, and routes the cabling inside.
The CMS012 belongs to Chief’s Speed-Connect range, which brings together the brand’s suspension components: ceiling plates, columns and mounts screw into one another using the same standard. This is a fixed column, with no telescopic adjustment. Its length is set at the factory, and that is its advantage: the final height of the unit can be calculated from plans before installation, and two identical installations, in two rooms for example, give exactly the same result.
Aluminium keeps the assembly lightweight, at around 900 g with a diameter of approximately 48 mm, making it easier to handle overhead, on a stepladder, when screwing the column into place. The tube remains sufficiently rigid for suspended use, with a maximum load capacity stated by Chief of 226.8 kg.
Both ends of the column have a 1.5-inch NPT thread (3.81 cm nominal diameter). NPT refers to the tapered thread standard used in the United States: the thread narrows slightly towards the end, so the joint locks as it is screwed together. The column screws into a Chief ceiling plate with the same thread at one end, and into a Chief projector or flat-panel display mount at the other, or into any other accessory using the 1.5-inch NPT standard.
In France, this point deserves particular attention when purchasing parts. Plumbing pipes and fittings sold in Europe use British Standard Pipe (BSP) threads, whose thread angle and pitch differ from NPT: a hardware-store fitting with the same apparent diameter will not screw correctly onto the column and must not be used to extend it. A compatible suspension assembly is built using Speed-Connect components. The supplied hardware pack (screws, washers, nuts and two Allen keys) is used to lock the joints once the orientation has been set, so that vibrations cannot cause the assembly to rotate over time.
The tube is hollow from end to end and has a side outlet near one end. The HDMI cable, power cord and, where applicable, a network or control connection run down from the ceiling inside the column, then emerge through this opening, as close as possible to the projector’s sockets. Nothing hangs alongside the tube, which matters in a living room or home cinema room where the column remains in view.
Larger moulded plugs, such as those on a power cord or an HDMI cable with a bulky connector, are best fed through before final tightening, after first checking that they fit through both the tube and the outlet. An HDMI cable with slim connectors makes this easier.
With a stated capacity of 226.8 kg, the column far exceeds the weight of a domestic projector or a suspended television. This figure describes the strength of the tube alone. The actual permissible load of an installation depends on the weakest link in the chain: the ceiling plate, its anchoring in the building structure and the equipment mount. A plate secured to a concrete slab or a joist supports far more than plasterboard, which must never bear a suspended load on its own. The column is UL certified and TÜV approved, two organisations that check the safety of mounting equipment.
The required length is determined by the position of the lens relative to the screen. Each projector projects its image with a specific vertical offset, stated in its manual: when mounted upside down on the ceiling, it places the image below the lens axis by an amount that is either fixed or adjustable through lens shift, depending on the model. Starting from the height of the top of the screen, work back to the height at which the lens needs to sit, then subtract the thickness of the ceiling plate and mount to obtain the required column length.
If the CMS012’s 30.5 cm is exactly right, the fixed column provides the simplest and most rigid installation. If the calculation produces an intermediate value, or if the projector may be replaced by a model with a different offset, the Speed-Connect range offers other fixed lengths as well as adjustable columns.
No. Cutting it would remove the original NPT thread, and recutting a tapered thread of this diameter requires specialized tools, with uncertain results on a part that supports an overhead load. It is better to choose a different fixed length or an adjustable column from the same range.
No, it is only an intermediate component. You need a ceiling plate that accepts the top of the column and a projector mount that screws onto its underside, both with a 1.5-inch NPT thread. The projector mount also ensures compatibility with the device’s mounting holes.
Yes, with a Chief ceiling mount for flat-panel displays featuring a 1.5-inch NPT fitting. The principle remains the same: ceiling plate, column, then display mount.
On the projector mount. The column offers neither tilt nor fine rotation adjustment: it sets the height. Pitch, roll and rotation, which are used to align the image within the screen frame, are adjusted on the mount before locking the joints with the supplied fasteners.
The mounting plate must be anchored to a load-bearing element: a wooden joist, concrete slab or reinforced metal frame. Plasterboard alone cannot support a suspended load subject to vibrations and handling during adjustments. If in doubt about the ceiling structure, advice from an installer helps avoid unpleasant surprises.
Speed-Connect columns can be extended using the connectors in the Chief range designed for this purpose. For high ceilings, a single column of the appropriate length remains more rigid than an assembly, as each joint introduces the possibility of slight play.
Jeremy
Solid and reassuring product.
Perfectly suited to my video projector.
Comment from 8 August 2023 — Experience from 28 July 2023
Ali
I am very satisfied.
Comment from 22 February 2022 — Experience from 11 February 2022
Bruno
Easy to install and assemble.
Comment from 22 December 2021 — Experience from 12 October 2017
