Digital RapidRun Installation

The RapidRun Digital Runner Cable can be installed in new construction and pre-existing homes. We used our mock up wall with an active (hot) 115-volt outlet in the same stud bay for the purpose of illustration and testing. We also pulled the Digital Runner Cable through an interior wall with R-12 insulation for the purpose of installation evaluation. Many times in retro construction installations, the installer has to drill through 2x4 and 2x6 framing top plates to fish wire runs up through attics and crawl spaces. We found that the RapidRun Digital Runner Cable would easily fit through a 3/4-inch wood boring drill bit hole. Impact Acoustics has improved the pull cap installed on the Runner Cable making it bullet shaped. The new shape makes it less prone to snag on insulation or other obstructions hidden in the stud bay. The fact that the cable will fit through a 3/4–inch hole is nice because the installer may need to drill more holes in the same stud bay to accommodate additional wire runs. Drilling too many or too large a hole in one stud bay may violate building codes or weaken structural framing. Check with your building and inspection office.

If you have conduit installed in the stud bay, the RapidRun Digital Runner Cable will pull very easily through 3/4 - inch conduit with sweeps up to 90 degrees. Once the connector is through the conduit, there will be enough room for additional wires inside the conduit.

Pulling Cables

Pulling cables in mock walls can’t really give us an idea of how well a cable will pull though a loaded wall with insulation and other obstructions behind the sheetrock or wall surface. With this in mind, I decided to pull the wire through a loaded wall from the attic to simulate a flat panel or ceiling mounted projector pre-wire installation. First, drilling a 3/4 -inch hole in the framing top wall plate, I fished my glow rod through the hole down the wall and out of the low voltage box. Then, I connected the glow rod directly to the split ring on the RapidRun Digital bullet cap and pulled the wire through the wall. Even though the Runner cable is relatively thick it pulled through the framing and insulation very easily and exited the low voltage box without so much as a scratch.

In new construction homes, installers have the ability to route pre-wiring away from electrical Romex and we encourage as much distance between electrical circuits and pre-wire runs as possible. The use of Romex staples is a convenient way to route low voltage pre-wiring on the opposite side of the stud bay. If you decide to use Romex staples to secure wire runs, nail them into the framing so they just hold the cable; the staple should not make contact with the wire and the wire should slide freely in the staple. In retro installations (existing homes), installers often need to route their wire runs in the same stud bays where the electrical circuit is installed and the cable may have to be in close proximity to the electrical circuit wiring. With this scenario in mind, we really wanted to test the limits of the RapidRun Digital Runner cables shielding capabilities. We wrapped the Digital Runner Cable around the “hot” 115-volt Romex and connected a desk top PC to the electrical outlet for evaluation. Obviously it would be impossible to install the cable like this in an enclosed wall and the worst case would be that the cable would run in parallel to the Romex but we wanted to see what would happen anyway.

Ceiling Mounted Projection Systems

Ceiling mounted front projection systems require a little more attention and planning because an electrical circuit and outlet needs to be installed in close proximity to the projector's ceiling mounted location. Another important step is to box in the ceiling framing to provide a secure surface in which to anchor the projector’s mount. As seen in the picture, we have planned for dual projector locations, one short throw and one long throw. 2x4 studs are cut to the width of the ceiling framing or roof trusses and then installed horizontally. 115-volt electrical circuits are installed on one side of the box framing and low voltage boxes are installed on the other side to separate the wire runs. The RapidRun Digital Cable System would be perfect for this type of installation because the installer could pre-wire the runner cable to the low voltage box and wait for room completion.

After the room is complete and the projector is ready to be installed, the installer may choose the termination type. The use of the HDMI wall plate with a short HDMI cable would be easy to conceal and look ascetically pleasing. This is where it would have been nice to have options on the wall plate color.