What do I tell my builder and electrician? First fix for a golf simulator

In summary

A golf simulator only touches the builder's work at first fix, the leads, conduit and socket boxes that go in before the walls and ceiling are closed, so agree the HDMI route, the sockets and the projector position before the plasterer arrives.

First fix and second fix

First fix is the work done before the walls and ceiling are closed up or plastered: cable runs, conduit, the back boxes for sockets and switches, and any new circuit. It is the only stage where the simulator affects the builder, so it is the one to get right.

Second fix is the work after decoration: socket and switch faceplates, light fittings, and plugging the kit in. Nothing in it goes inside a wall, so boxes such as an HDMI switch can be bought later.

The picture lead

One HDMI lead carries the picture from whatever makes the picture (the Garmin R50, a PC, or a tablet with an adaptor) to the projector. It is not included in our packages or in the launch monitors' boxes, so order one with the kit. Measure the real route, up the wall, along the frame or ceiling and down to the projector, plus a metre at each end. Our rule is a passive lead up to 10m. Over 10m, use an active optical HDMI lead: these work one way round, so mark which end goes to the projector.

Our practice, not a maker's instruction: run every lead in 25mm conduit with a draw string rather than plastering it in, so any lead can be swapped later. HDMI plugs are bulky, so leave room at each end. Run the long leads round the edge of the room, never across the hitting area. See the cabling guide.

Cable by cable, by launch monitor

The launch monitor decides where the sockets and leads go, because it decides whether there is a PC and where the unit sits.

Setup	Unit sits	Inside the walls at first fix
Garmin R50, no PC	About 0.5m to the side of the ball	HDMI from the mat to the projector; socket at the mat; 2.4GHz Wi-Fi tested at the mat
PC with Foresight GC3	Beside the ball	HDMI from the PC to the projector; USB-C or Ethernet from the mat to the PC if wired; socket at the mat, double at the PC
PC with Uneekor EYE MINI	Beside the ball	HDMI from the PC to the projector; CAT6 from the mat straight to the PC, not through a router, so the PC needs a second port or Wi-Fi for the internet; socket at the mat, double at the PC
PC or tablet with Square Golf	Beside the ball	HDMI to the projector; Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to the app; socket at the mat for charging; double at the PC
FlightScope Mevo Gen2	2.4m behind the ball	HDMI to the projector; Wi-Fi to the app; socket 2.4m behind the ball
Full Swing KIT	3.05m behind the ball	HDMI from the PC to the projector; socket 3.05m behind the ball; double at the PC

An R50 room has no PC, so the HDMI starts at the mat. In a PC room only the PC moves: put it beside the bay or at the back of the room and run the HDMI from there. With a radar unit the socket goes behind the hitting position, the PC usually sits behind the radar, and the HDMI to a floor case near the screen is the long run, so measure it before choosing the lead.

The projector run, by mount

Our packages ship the projector in a floor case, so that is the default.

Floor case

The case sits in front of the mat, lens about 2.04m from a 2.3m-high screen (2.48m for SIM 5 and SIM 6). First fix is a socket near the case and the HDMI run round the edge of the room to it. The case has cable ports; nothing is fixed to the room.

Ceiling mount

The one mount choice that must be made at first fix. The builder needs a fixing point that takes the mount and the projector, the HDMI run up the wall and across the ceiling, and power at the mount (a socket in the ceiling void or a fused spur, fitted by the electrician), all before the ceiling is closed.

Enclosure arm

Nothing is fixed to the room: first fix is a socket at the front corner of the bay and a route to it. The arm is made for 0.5 throw-ratio projectors such as the AH500ST. The mounting guide compares the three.

The socket plan

Delete the lines that don't apply.

1. Projector position (floor case, ceiling or arm): the projector, and an HDMI switch if there is one.
2. Hitting position: the launch monitor's adaptor or charger (R50, GC3, EYE MINI, Square).
3. Behind the hitting position: a radar unit, 2.4m back for the Mevo Gen2 or 3.05m for the KIT.
4. PC position: a double socket for the PC and monitor.
5. Speaker position, if there are speakers: powered speakers, a soundbar or a subwoofer.
6. Garage or garden room: a heater or dehumidifier on its own socket. A fan heater is 2-3kW, most of one 13A socket.

Sockets get 30mA RCD protection under BS 7671, the UK wiring regulations (an RCD trips if current leaks to earth). Lighting: dimmable lights over the hitting area on their own switch, kept off the screen, and a fixing point for a simulator light, as in the lighting guide. A garden room usually needs a new circuit from the house, notifiable under Part P in England, so use a registered electrician: see garden-room electrics.

Sound and TV

The BenQ AH500ST in our packages has no ARC and only a mono 3.5mm output, so speakers take their sound before the projector, through an HDMI switch with audio extraction, or from the PC. A TV box or streaming stick uses the projector's second HDMI input. If speakers or a TV box are planned, their leads go in at first fix: stereo RCA or optical to the speaker position, speaker cable from a subwoofer to its satellites, and HDMI from the TV box position to the projector. See the sound and TV guide.

A brief you can forward

Copy this to your builder and electrician with the mount and launch monitor filled in. Every OpenGolfer proposal page carries it filled in for the customer's own kit.

1. The simulator affects first fix only: leads, conduit and socket boxes before the walls and ceiling close.
2. One 25mm conduit with a draw string from the picture source (the mat for an R50, otherwise the PC) to the projector position, round the edge of the room, never across the hitting area.
3. Projector: [floor case in front of the mat / ceiling mount / enclosure arm], with a socket. Ceiling mount: a fixing point and power in the void or a fused spur.
4. Socket at the hitting position for the launch monitor's adaptor or charger.
5. Radar unit only: socket [2.4m / 3.05m] behind the ball.
6. PC room only: double socket at the PC, a conduit from the mat to the PC for a wired link (CAT6 for an EYE MINI), and Ethernet from the house if the Wi-Fi is weak.
7. Speakers or TV box only: stereo RCA or optical to the speaker position, speaker cable sub to satellites, HDMI from the TV box to the projector, a socket at each.
8. Garage or garden room: heater or dehumidifier on its own socket; a certified new circuit by a registered electrician; a data duct with the power cable.
9. All sockets 30mA RCD protected to BS 7671. Dimmable lighting over the hitting area on its own switch, kept off the screen, with a fixing point for a simulator light.