Practical test: LG Largo + celexon Pico Mount
Innovative ceiling mount for an innovative projector – small, elegant, flexible and affordable
A durable, portable and smart projector like the LG Largo (PF1500EU) practically invites you to take it to lots of places: put it down anywhere, plug it in, done! But spontaneous use contrasts with classic home cinema use, where the projector is usually permanently mounted under the ceiling.
LG Largo:
small, portable and almost “too good”
for permanent mounting
Even though it is particularly easy with the LG Largo, not every big-screen fan wants to set up the projector in the living room for every home cinema evening and clear it away again afterwards. A projector permanently installed under the living room ceiling, ready for use whenever needed, seems much more practical. Conversely, though, ceiling mounting is time-consuming and the projector loses its portability, as it cannot be removed again without considerable effort.
Permanent ceiling mounting is particularly popular in the living room,
but inflexible
So do you inevitably have to choose between portable occasional setup and permanent ceiling mounting, with their respective pros and cons? Or is there a solution that combines the “best of both worlds”?
What would be handy is a ceiling mount with a quick-release mechanism that can be detached from the ceiling and the projector in just a few steps when needed, and put back together just as quickly. We researched such a mount – and found one!
We are talking about the “celexon Multicel Pico Projector Mount”, according to the manufacturer the “smallest ceiling mount in the world”. It is actually intended for particularly small pocket and mini projectors.
Its price is particularly small too: you can get it from the leading online projector shops for just €29.99.
The Pico mount
This is a magnetic(!) ceiling mount that allows the projector to be “attached” to the ceiling in a single movement. Only a thin white metal plate is permanently screwed to the ceiling itself, which is almost invisible when not in use. Screws and wall plugs are included.
The actual mounting mechanism is on the projector side and, surprisingly, consists of just two parts: a plastic carrier plate with three fixed neodymium magnets and a tripod screw with a turning handle.
Assembly is just as self-explanatory, so a few pictures are enough as the included instructions: the mount is screwed onto the projector using the tripod screw, and the projector is simply “stuck” to the metal plate fixed to the ceiling – done!
For the particularly anxious (and as a TÜV requirement), a safety strap is also included that catches the projector if it falls. It is hooked into the ceiling mount with a carabiner.
According to the specifications, the maximum permitted load of the celexon Pico Mount is 2 kg, which is not enough for most conventional home cinema projectors. For obvious reasons, this ceiling mount is only suitable for lightweight projectors with a tripod thread. Is the LG Largo really the right candidate?
LG Largo mounting options
Fortunately, the LG Largo is not a conventional projector: according to the manufacturer’s website, the smart little LED projector weighs just 1.5 kg.
As we never trust manufacturer specifications, we weighed the Largo ourselves and were pleasantly surprised: in practice it actually weighs only 1.35 kg, just over half the permitted load of the celexon Pico Mount.
The Largo’s weight does not push the ceiling mount to its limits
Even including the external power supply, the total weight is still well below the load limit of the Pico Mount, so there are no concerns in terms of weight.
Even with its power supply, the Largo is still light enough
That leaves the fixing options: when designing the LG Largo, its engineers took both permanent mounting and portable use equally into account. On its underside are the threaded sockets needed to attach classic ceiling mounts.
Green arrow: tripod thread
For our “quickly reversible” ceiling mounting with the Pico Mount, however, as introduced above, a completely different thread is of interest: at its centre of gravity, the Largo also has the necessary camera thread on its underside, which is actually intended to make it compatible with camera tripods for portable use.
Thanks to the compactness of the LG Largo, this thread is strong enough to bear the projector’s weight and therefore also allows overhead mounting. Even if you turn the tripod and projector upside down and shake them hard, nothing wobbles – the projector holds firm.
Our preliminary tests clearly show that the LG Largo can easily be combined with the celexon Pico Mount. So nothing stands in the way of a practical test of this combination:
LG Largo + Pico Mount in a practical test
First, we look for a suitable place to mount the ceiling plate. We can do without the wall plugs for concrete ceilings; the supplied screws are just as suitable for the wooden ceiling of our test room.
After just three(!) minutes, the mounting plate is firmly screwed to a beam in our ceiling.
Now we turn to the Largo: in the picture above, you can see the Pico mount next to the matching thread on the underside of the projector. Within a few seconds and without a screwdriver, the mount is firmly attached to the projector. It is enough to tighten the retaining screw by hand; the construction including the Largo passes our subsequent second “shake test” without any problems.
If you do not want to do without the emergency safety strap, place it around the ball joint so that the carabiner points towards the back of the device. The LG Largo is now ready for ceiling mounting.
Fully mounted Largo
Finally, attaching it to the ceiling takes less than ten seconds: the mount is designed so that the magnets grip immediately; you just have to make sure the plates are aligned parallel beforehand. Then hook the carabiner into the eyelet of the mounting plate – done!
In the picture above, you can see the fully mounted LG Largo, held solely by the magnetic force of the celexon Pico Mount. The mount is so low that it is barely visible from below, and the Largo “hangs” elegantly flat under the ceiling – it could hardly be more discreet.
However, you should take the position close to the ceiling into account when positioning the screen in order to avoid excessive keystone correction. For older flats with particularly high ceilings, the Pico Mount is certainly not the first choice.
Parallel-aligned projection
Final alignment with the screen is ensured by the ball joint. To do this, simply turn the Largo in the desired direction while pressing it against the mounting plate. The ball joint offers enough friction to hold the Largo in position permanently. The tilt range is large enough in all directions to compensate for angles easily.
Steep tilts are also possible, e.g. on sloping ceilings
The question most readers are probably asking themselves right now is: do the three neodymium magnets really hold the projector on the ceiling permanently, without you having to fear a 1.3 kg brick landing on your head? We carried out various tests on this as well:
Even with heavy knocking or shaking, we did not manage to dislodge the LG Largo; it stayed firmly on the ceiling. It can only be separated from the mounting plate with considerable pulling force or by skilfully tilting it sideways. Even after three days, our Largo was still hanging securely on the ceiling without shifting.
We still could not resist the fun of a “drop test”. If you detach the projector from the mount and deliberately let it fall, the safety strap catches it immediately and lets it hang down like a pendulum. As the Largo is an LED projector without a sensitive lamp or colour wheel mechanism, this does not bother it at all and it carries on projecting “cheerfully”.
The LG Largo also cuts a fine figure
as a bungee jumper
„Safety was the top priority in developing the magnetic mount, which is why we worked with the German TÜV on this. The TÜV’s requirements were anything but generous: to obtain a load approval of 2 kg for the mount, the magnets must have three times(!) the load capacity, i.e. actually hold up to 6 kg without problems.
This also applies to the safety strap, which is exposed to much higher forces in a fall. Because of these strict requirements, our designs went through several stages of evolution until we found the optimum solution and obtained TÜV approval with it.
With the Largo’s moderate weight of just 1.3 kg, the Pico Mount copes easily, and thanks to the built-in margin of 4 kg, the magnets still have enough holding force even after years.” says the celexon product manager
So far, our practical test has met all our expectations; the last aspect to examine is quick removal for mobile use.
As expected, this also went smoothly: depending on the ceiling height and your own height, you can reach the Largo directly or via a small stepladder and tilt it firmly to the side to release the magnets from the mounting plate. Then either unhook the carabiner or remove the loop from the ball joint, and the projector is in your hand. Now you just need to loosen the tripod screw and the LG Largo is ready for use elsewhere. The whole procedure takes just a few seconds – it hardly gets any faster.
Conclusion
The low weight and compact dimensions of the LG Largo make it possible: even though the celexon Pico Projector Mount was not originally developed specifically for the new little LG, it is nevertheless made for it. It allows child’s-play, quick ceiling mounting, with the projector mounted and removed in just a few steps. Thanks to a ball joint that rotates in all directions, flexibility does not fall by the wayside.
With the Pico Mount, we managed to combine the best of both big-screen worlds: on the one hand, elegant, permanent ceiling mounting in the room where the Largo / PF1500 is normally used; on the other, quick removal when needed if you want to take the Largo to friends or on holiday on the spur of the moment, or simply use it “away from home”.
It hardly gets more mobile – or cheaper, for that matter, as we currently see no competition at a purchase price of around €30. Our only additional wish: optionally available ceiling plates, so you could equip several rooms at home for ceiling projection (living room, bedroom, hobby room, etc.).
>> Order the celexon Pico LED projector ceiling mount here
Ekki Schmitt Cine4Home
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