A Firgelli TV-Lift system is one of the most convenient and versatile automation units for your home. All TVL systems come with a full kit with a AC/DC power supply and integrated control box (plus controllers) all included. In this article, we will walk through the setup and installation of your TVL-180 System - for our setup article for the TVL-170 Rear-Mount TV Lift, please click here.
While the TVL-180 system is designed and outfitted to mount your rear-mounted TVs; it’s robust column-lift style design allows it to be used for a variety of projects and oriented upwards or suspended from above.
Let’s define some terminology: Stroke, Pocket and some of the unit component parts.
- The Stroke is the distance the column will move.
- The Pocket is the space the retracted actuator occupies. On TVLs, the TV moves fully in and out of the “pocket”, where it is stowed and hidden from view. You can also consider this “dead space” near the actuator that must be left unobstructed to allow the system full motion.
- The Column is the actuator itself, or the 'lifting column'; the foot is at the base, extending forwards, and the column telescopes upwards to produce vertical motion.
- TV Mounting Wedge - The triangular bracket attached to the Top of your TVL column has mounting holes on the wide side; the TV Mounting Bracket Assembly attaches to these holes.
- TV Mounting Bracket Assembly - This consists of a square bracket that mounts to the TV Mounting Wedge (on the column). The Vertical Mounting Bars connect to the mounting holes on the back of your TV, then hang on the square bracket and are tightened from below.
Now that the appropriate lift has been selected; determine your required stroke length. The vertical dimension of your TV is the minimum stroke requirement to have your TV fully emerge from the pocket.
Next; you need to know if your TV should be mounted above, below, or flush with the top of the Actuator Column. This will depend on how you’re using the TV lift - if your cabinet uses a hinged-lid and the TVL roller bearing, the TV should be slightly below flush; if the lid is fixed to the column (moving with) the TV, you may have more pocket space to work with. In the photo above, the TV Mounting Bracket Assembly is mounted above flush - with this arrangement, there should be no lid or other obstruction through the motion.
In the graphic below, the TV is larger than the lift itself - for an application such as this, you will need to mount the TV as low as possible, while still clearing the full motion. Should you want a fixed-lid, you can add an bracket-extender to the top of the column to create clearance for your TV (top of column up to the green or orange line in photo).
Remember that there are 2 possible adjustments for your up/down TV placement - you can mount the vertical bars higher or lower on the TV, and you can mount the TV Mounting Bracket (square bracket above) higher or lower on the lifting column. The vertical TV Mounting Bars will always connect to the same point on the TV Mounting Bracket.
Once we have our measurements logged, the TV Mounting Bracket Assembled and placed properly, we can plug everything in! The DIN Pin and Tamaya Connectors should all be connected according to the instruction manual; then we’re ready to plug in the AC power cord. Your wireless remote should be paired with the Control box. If it does not already interface, you can pair the remote by holding the “STUDY” button on the wired hand controller, and, while holding, press and hold the up and down buttons on your wireless remote. When all 3 buttons have been pressed simultaneously, the LED indicator on the wired hand controller will turn off, and the wireless remote will move the lift.
Your lift is now complete and functional. The last few steps are very simple adjustments for your preferences or requirements. The lift comes with programmable stroke-limits; these are easily set by moving your TVL to close to the furthest location you’ll want the TV to reach; then hold the “RESET” and the direction button for 3 seconds. While holding, nothing will happen, after the time elapses, the indicator light will turn on and the lift will move slowly in the direction you are pressing. Release both buttons to stop the lift - the current position is now the limit of motion for the unit. This process can be repeated to re-adjust the limits.
Lastly, the System Reset Procedure; should your lift stop working for any reason, the first step of troubleshooting is Resetting the System.
To Reset, press and hold the “RESET” button on the Wired Hand Controller. After a few moments, the Indicator Light on the Controller will begin flashing steadily - all other functions of the lift have now been disabled until the Reset procedure is over. When the light is flashing, release the “RESET” button, then press and hold it again. This time, the lift will begin retracting towards the base of the unit. The column will retract all the way, pause for a moment, then extend about 7mm. Hold the button until all motions stop. When the lift has ‘popped’ back up to the minimum height, your indicator light should turn off. The lift has been reset and normal functions should resume. Resetting your system does not reset the programmed limit switches.
You have now assembled, connected, adjusted and programmed your TVL-180. You're all set, and the last step is to enjoy!
[Video coming soon]
