How to make a projector with your own hands at home: Your own director. DIY projector: various designs for various sources How to make a homemade projector

We continue to look at the most and now we’ll tell you how to make a projector with your own hands at home. You will need such a homemade device to replace your home theater and watch personal photos or even movies on the big screen. Even a child can assemble such a projector from a cardboard box and a magnifying glass, and he will do it in no more than 5 minutes. So, we present to your attention the technology for making a simple projector from improvised means

Step-by-step instruction

To make it clear to you how to make a projector from a box and a phone, let’s look at all the steps step by step with photo examples:

1. We prepare materials and tools for assembly: a shoe box, a 10x magnification lens, a stationery knife, a simple pencil, electrical tape, a paper clip and of course a smartphone.
2. We cut out a window for installing a magnifying glass. The magnifying glass must be installed centrally. To center the lens yourself, we recommend drawing diagonals on the desired side of the box. This way you will know where the center is and then it will be easier to make an even cut. After measuring the diameter of the magnifying glass, use a compass to make a marking along which you can simply and accurately cut the hole.
   
   
   
   
3. We secure the magnifying glass to the box with electrical tape. You can use any other fastener that you have on hand, for example, silicone or a glue gun. You need to try to make the mount strong so that the lens does not come off and break.
   
   
4. We prepare a stand for a smartphone. You can use a regular paper clip, bending it accordingly, or you can make a stand with your own hands from scraps of cardboard. The stand should hold the phone in an almost vertical position.
5. We turn off the lights in the room and test the homemade projector. You need to choose the right distance from the smartphone to the lens in the box. By experimenting with the location of the device, you can choose the most suitable angle at which a clear and bright image is projected.
   
   
6. Download an application to your phone that allows you to flip the image. This is necessary because when projecting a video or picture from a phone, the image is flipped 180 degrees according to the laws of optics. Android users can install Ultimate Rotation Control, and iPhone and iPad owners can use Video Rotate And Flip or something similar. On some phone models, it will be enough to simply turn off “auto-rotate screen” and turn the phone upside down.
   
7. The final touch is to make an input in the box for charging your mobile device so that it does not run out of charge while watching.
   
   

You can clearly see the entire assembly process in the video:

A simple way to make a cheap movie theater

Using these instructions, you can make a projector with your own hands at home. As you can see, there is nothing complicated and there is no need to spend money on purchasing materials, because... box, tape and even a magnifying glass can be found in your own workshop.

What else is important to know

If you want the image on the wall to be brighter and clearer, it is better to use a tablet or laptop rather than a phone. In this case, the magnifying glass should be larger, because The screen size itself is larger. In this case, we use a special type of lens - a rectangular Fresnel lens, since finding a suitable glass lens is not an easy task. You can buy such a lens on the Internet. You can see an example of how to quickly make a projector from a laptop or tablet in the photo below:

Another important point - if a homemade device projects a not very good picture on the wall, and at the same time you have already tried to change the location of the smartphone, then the problem is with the lens. Try wiping it or replacing it with a better one if you previously bought a cheaper option. Increasing the lens size can also improve the picture.

In addition, I would like to draw attention to an important nuance - in order for a homemade home theater to show a clear picture, the brightness on the mobile device must be set to maximum. You can improve the clarity of the projector by painting the inside walls of a cardboard box black, for example, with spray paint or a regular marker, or you can cover the inside with black paper.

The wall on which the slide show or video will be displayed also has its own requirements. It is best to direct the projection onto a special canvas for the projector, but if this is not available, an A1 size Whatman paper, mounted in a frame or simply on the wall with buttons, will do. Here I would like to clarify that you can use such a homemade cinema at home only if the room is dark enough. The light will interrupt the image.

A projection device (in everyday life - a projector) is an optical-mechanical device with the help of which an image from flat illuminated objects is projected onto a screen. Its design depends on the purposes for which the device is intended (viewing regular slides or high-resolution video content) and the image projection technology used. However, the design of the simplest samples is not particularly complex. Therefore, in order to get a kind of home theater, it is quite possible to assemble the projector with your own hands. How to do this is described in the material below.

Operating principle of multimedia projectors

More recently, on the domestic market one could find projectors that use light for projection:

• passing through a transparent object (slides, films) - overhead projectors (diascopes);

• reflected from an opaque object (book page, etc.) - epiprojectors (episcopes);

• passing through constantly moving frames on transparent film - film projectors.

There were also universal models with which it was possible to project images onto the screen from both opaque and transparent objects. They are called epidiaprojectors (epidiascopes). However, with the development of digital technologies, these projectors were replaced by multimedia projection devices that successfully compete in the market with modern Smart TVs in the home theater segment.

A modern multimedia projector is a small set-top box with which you can reproduce images received from various digital devices (camcorder, DVD player, USB drive, etc.) on a large screen. Today, there are two types of multimedia projectors, the operation of which is based on the use of different digital technologies. The image in them is obtained through the light flux:

• reflected through color filters from a matrix of controlled microscopic mirrors - DLP (DMD) technology;
• passing through a transparent matrix of liquid crystal elements - LCD technology.

Structurally, multimedia projectors are quite complex devices in which optical, electronic and mechanical components operate synchronously with high-precision technical parameters.

On a note! Projectors using DLP (DMD) technology provide high-contrast images with optimal color rendition, while LCDs are characterized by high image brightness and color saturation.

How to assemble a projector yourself

It is almost impossible to build a high-quality multimedia projection device at home. At the same time, it is quite possible for a person with basic knowledge in the field of electronics and skills in electrical installation work to assemble a projector of the simplest design with their own hands.

Before you begin assembling your home projector, you must decide exactly how it will be used. For example, if:

• If a projector is used to show cartoons for a child, you can make a simple mini-projector even from a phone;
• If you need to get color effects when listening to music tracks (color music), you will need a homemade laser projector;
• If you want to surprise your loved ones with something unusual, you can make a simple holographic projector yourself.

The simplest projector

The simplest video projector can be made from a smartphone and a lens capable of providing 10x magnification. To do this, you should additionally prepare a box made of hard cardboard, and the tools you will need are:

• stationery knife;
• "Constructor" type pencil with hardness 2M;
• electrical tape, silicone glue or glue gun;
• big paperclip.

Important! When the light flux passes through the lens, the image is flipped 180°. Therefore, you need to download a special application to your mobile device that allows you to flip the image on its screen. For example, for cell phones running Android OS, the Ultimate Rotation Control application is most often installed.

The manufacture of parts and assembly of the projector from the box and magnifying glass is carried out in the following order.

Advice! It is advisable to make a hole on the back wall of the box for connecting cables from the charger and USB adapter, with which you can connect flash memory to the smartphone.

A simple 3D projection device can be made from a mobile phone and a truncated plastic pyramid with the following dimensions:

• base, mm - 60x60;
• small (truncated) square, mm - 10x10;
• height, mm - 45.

The 3D projector is based on the design, the manufacture of which was described above. Now, if you download special holographic video tracks to the memory of your mobile device, install an inverted pyramid in the center of its display and turn on playback of recorded videos, the resulting image can surprise viewers. This is especially true for older people.

Projection apparatus based on a slide device

A high-quality image can be obtained without a magnifying glass. In this case, to create a homemade device you will need a slide projector for slides that are projected from a sheet of white paper measuring 210x297 mm (A4 format). The advantage of this projector is that all optical components are assembled and adjusted at the factory, and the user only has to worry about finding the image source.

The matrix from a 10.1 tablet (217x136 mm) will cope best with broadcasting photo or video content. True, for this it will need to be carefully removed from the case without interfering with the functionality of the gadget. Having installed the matrix in the projector, it is connected to the tablet, which in this case acts as an image source, and the slide projector is turned on. The best image is obtained if use an overhead projector to illuminate the slide(in our case, a matrix). If an overhead projector uses a reflected beam of light to project an image, the quality of the image will be noticeably worse.

You can make a similar projection device based on an overhead projector to view smaller slides. To do this, you will need a matrix from a phone or MP video player, which is placed in the slide window.

Gobo projection

To obtain original moving pictures, an overhead projector instead of a matrix they are equipped with sets of special gobo lenses, which are easy to make with your own hands. In this case, you can use a projector from a filmoscope as a light source. This option (gobo projection) is most often used when conducting various types of presentations.

Note: a gobo lens is a projection filter (stencil, frame) that is installed in front of the light source.

Home theater projector

Quite often, movie lovers are put off by the high prices of the equipment needed to organize a home theater. In this case, you can try to make a good enough projector yourself, using a powerful LED and LCD matrix from a computer monitor or laptop as a basis. This is far from a simple matter and requires engineering knowledge in the field of optical instrumentation. You will have to develop drawings of the necessary parts at home, adjust the optical units, etc.

In addition, you will need a number of components, including:

• Fresnel lens with a focal length of 220 mm;
• Fresnel lens with a focal length of 317 mm;
• lens 80mm/1:4/FR=320;
• intermediate lenses (condenser);
• 2 fans with power and control units;
• LED with a power of at least 100 W with a radiator and driver;
• LCD matrix with a size of at least 15″ and a resolution of at least 1024x768;
• remote monitor control (via Wi-Fi).

You will have to develop drawings of body parts for such a projector yourself and order their production externally or also using your own abilities and skills. Installation of components into the assembled housing must be carried out in accordance with the diagram provided so that the light is distributed evenly across the screen.

Attention! All distances between the optical elements of the projector are determined experimentally.

For people who have sufficient skills, backed by knowledge, and are going to make a projector at home on their own, there are a number of recommendations from craftsmen who have experience in such production.

Numerous Internet community sites display a large number of a wide variety of designs made from scrap materials (which can easily be found in any home) with instructions and reviews from people who have used the advice. Well, everyone determines the feasibility and economic feasibility of such crafts independently, based on their own capabilities and skills.

In conclusion, you should note that a carefully assembled and correctly adjusted projector will allow you to get a fairly high-quality image on a screen located at a distance of 4 meters from the device. In this case, the output frame diagonal will be 100″. This is a completely acceptable solution, if not for watching videos in maximum resolution, then at least for spending time together as a family watching an interesting film.

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Many people are familiar with this product from childhood - a projector through which fairy tales and filmstrips were shown, and adults watched color slides about their vacation. The projector still exists today, but it works on different physical principles and on a different technical basis. The development of microelectronics and computer technology has determined new ways to improve projection equipment. And modern craftsmen have learned to make this miracle of technology with their own hands.

PHOTO: yandex.ru

It turns out that an image can be projected from almost any modern source, and, moreover, in different ways.

How to make a projector out of your phone

Making a simple video projector based on a mobile phone is accessible to almost anyone who knows how to work with their hands at least a little.

Let's look at the stages of work in detail. First, let's prepare the tools. We will need: a shoe box, a sharp knife, glue, a magnifying glass, foam scraps.

And now the stages of work:

1. Place a magnifying glass on the end of the box and outline it.
2. Cut a hole and attach a magnifying glass to it.

PHOTO: youtube.com

PHOTO: youtube.com

PHOTO: youtube.com

Now we mount the magnifying glass into the hole and secure it with tape or glue. You need to install the phone on a holder inside the box. Select the installation location based on the best image.

PHOTO: youtube.com

Laptop based projector

The simplest version of a homemade projector based on a laptop or tablet is made in exactly the same way as one based on a smartphone. The only fundamental difference is that the size of the source screen is three to four times larger (in area), therefore all the dimensions of the new product are increased. A shoebox will no longer work; you need to take a box of a more substantial size. The inside must be painted with matte black paint. The lens diameter should be approximately 100–120 mm, focal length 20–30 mm.

When making such a projector, all the same steps are repeated as when making a projection device based on a smartphone.

There are also more difficult to manufacture options. They require disassembling the old laptop or tablet to remove the screen. It is necessary to assemble a cooling system for the device, also based on parts from old computing devices. A DIYer must have electronics installation skills. Images are captured from a fairly large screen using an optical system based on Fresnel lenses.

PHOTO: youtube.com

DIY slide projector at home

Some people kept the slides as a historical artifact. But I want to watch them, but I don’t have a slide projector. You have to do it yourself.

Making the simplest version of a slide projector is very similar to making a smartphone projector. Only instead of a mobile phone, a frame is installed in the box for transporting positive film or frames with slides. And behind the frame you should install a lamp with a power of about 100 W. To protect the structure from overheating, a small computer fan should be mounted on the back wall of the box.

There is also a fairly simple option for demonstrating old slides using modern technology, which consists of scanning or photographing the positives with a digital camera in macro mode. The results are downloaded to the tablet and displayed using the phone projector described above.

PHOTO: Leonid Shalman

The nuances of making other models of video projectors with your own hands

Homemade video projectors are used not only for group viewing of films, but also for creating various video shows.

DIY laser projector

A homemade laser projector is created to demonstrate a simple laser show at home. The subject of the action is Lissajous figures projected onto a light wall. The image is obtained after repeated reflection of the laser pointer beam from several rotating mirrors. In this case, the mirrors are installed at an angle of 2-5º to the axis of rotation, and the axes are located at an angle to one another.

The mirrors themselves, 30 mm in diameter, are cut out of an old CD and fixed with glue to the axle of an electric motor from children's toys.

PHOTO: youtube.com

It is enough to prepare two rotating mirrors and install them at an angle of approximately 100º on the board. You need to mount two variable resistors nearby, connect the power supply for the motors and solder the circuit. A laser pointer is mounted on the same board, aimed at one of the mirrors.

PHOTO: youtube.com

Resistors adjust the rotation speed of the mirrors.

DIY gobo projector

A gobo projector is a modern lighting technology for displaying advertising. Its advantages over conventional advertising are that it allows you to display a bright, very large image on any surface. The placement location does not require any approval, since the picture can be turned off at any time. The image can be projected onto any wall of suitable dimensions.

A gobo projector is a DIY project, but its components are difficult to make at home. At best, you can assemble it from branded components.

PHOTO: youtube.com

PHOTO: youtube.com

PHOTO: youtube.com

The main parts of a gobo projector are: a metal body, preferably stainless steel; a high-quality projection lens, preferably equipped with a zoom system; automated system for installing and switching the displayed slides; light source consuming about 50 W; fan for cooling.

The optical unit of the gobo projector is replaceable, which allows you to work at different distances from the wall and with different image sizes.

DIY holographic projector

Such a device is created extremely simply.

Illustration	Description of action
PHOTO: youtube.com	From the CD box, cut four trapezoids with bases 30 mm, 60 mm and height 35 mm. Glue them together into a truncated pyramid
PHOTO: youtube.com

The development is completely mine, but remains to be perfected and not yet serially produced. I will be glad if the most active brainiacs take advantage of the idea.

The plan was to make a model of an inexpensive projector for stores. We don’t often post them, so this article is one of them. It should project logos and store names in the evening and at night.

Research

The first thing I did was disassemble the existing magnifying glass. There were 2 lenses. I wanted to make a very inexpensive but good projector.

I cut out the rims for the lenses and began to empirically select light sources and distances.

Different lamps gave results, but I realized that for a good and bright image from our homemade photo projector we need a spherical reflector. It will serve as a lens, giving us the opportunity to further simplify the design and increase efficiency.

The lamps are sold with a maximum power of 75 W and one costs only $1.

The brightness has increased significantly. One 16mm lens + stained glass film:

Building a test instance

and at my request they made me this test case from a 2-inch water pipe:

The notches on the body served as grooves and markings for screwing in self-tapping screws.

Matrix was made of ordinary transparent plastic on the same homemade CNC machine. Temperature measurements showed that the lamp body in some places heats up to 220 degrees Celsius in a couple of minutes! No plastic will last long here, but it will do for further tests.

I found a textolite rod on the market. It also had to be sharpened a little and recesses made for the lens.

Video of milling and sampling on a CNC machine:

It’s a pity I pressed hard and the lens broke off a little later.

Second sample projector

This time the projector had threads and a longer housing to hide the lamp.

Crosses (although this is not according to the rules) indicate holes.

Optics

I replaced the lens with a larger one. The magnifying glass was 10x50 mm. The pipe is also slightly larger. The brightness increased further.

For all Chinese magnifying glasses, the magnification does not seem to coincide at all with what is written, and different manufacturers with the same magnification and diameter have different magnification results. This made it a little difficult to select the optimal case sizes.

Matrix

I decided to make the matrix for this projector like this:

1. Laser print the design onto transparent vinyl film

2. Remove the heat-resistant glass from the lamps

3. Assemble the sandwich using superglue

I don’t know how long this option will last. During the short tests, everything went smoothly, but I probably still need to learn a lot about how to do without film.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Projector assembly

After installing the matrix, screw in the lens and adjust the focus of the picture.

Make a screen/film/projector with your own hands from scrap materials? Easily! Today we will present another homemade product. Whether it is original or not will be determined by you, the readers of the site.

Some may say that it is not worth wasting time; the market for real such equipment is full of any products. They are of the highest quality, capable of depicting your trip to the exotic on the wall, illustrating enlarged slides and frames of developed film.

But ideas for homemade projectors are floating around, waiting for craftsmen, and we will show you how to translate them into cardboard, metal and lenses.

We design on the wall

But the spirit of ancient childhood lives in us, which our children and grandchildren should feel. It is for them and with their help that such pleasant crafts are created. We advise you to look at the examples in the photo of a homemade projector.

And now a mini-excursion into history. At the end of the fifties, when television was just emerging in the USSR, simple and inexpensive devices called slide projectors were on sale.

The best of them - FDG-49 - still evokes nostalgia for many, remaining the most expensive on the Internet.

Why the prefix “dia” was not explained then; today a slide projector is referred to as a slide show with captions. “Dia” is translated from Greek as “movement through” or “from beginning to end.”

Below we will suggest that the most advanced home-made people create a semblance of FDG or its improvement in 1970 - already an F-1 filmoscope costing 6 rubles. at that time with its own lighting.

They were intended for displaying, on a fairly large space of white cloth or a whitewashed wall, photographic films for sale with frames of fairy tales, something frozen, like a cartoon, with short explanatory texts.

So, home cinema

A product made from a shoebox, a large diameter lens or magnifying glass, and a smartphone.

Here are the methods for making a projector and the technology of creation:

A hole is cut in one of the smaller parts of the box, strictly in the center and in diameter of the magnifying glass (at least tenfold). The center is determined at the intersection of the lines from the 4 corners.

The lens or magnifier is attached to it with tape, cardboard side covers on the outside, secured with a glue gun, or in another way of your choice.

Inside, closer to the back wall, place the smartphone on a cardboard stand, turn it on at full brightness and adjust the angle so that the pictures from it come out fully and in the highest quality.

You need to have the Video Rotate And Flip app installed on your phone. It is necessary because the picture from the phone from the vertical is 180 degrees. And it needs to be turned over.

The duration of the “session” and powerful lighting will drain the battery, so broadcast with a charger connected to the network and to your mobile phone.

No complicated expenses for a projector, except, perhaps, instead of a magnifying glass and the insufficient focus of a conventional lens, purchase a Fresnel lens. But it has an advantage and a disadvantage: the image is blurred at the edges, but focuses well in the center.

The picture on the screen will be brighter if you choose the right distance from the projector to the screen: the closer, the better.

After the first session, you can immediately improve the projector by changing your smartphone to a tablet, changing the mount. Improved broadcasting will only occur in complete darkness in the apartment. Parents, children, and your guests will be delighted to watch it on the big screen.

Attention to the screen!

This is a very important point about creating a primitive projector and running a slide show. The best reflector of pictures is a special canvas.

But you can attach a Whatman paper measuring 594 x 841 millimeters (A1 format) to anything. It is cheaper than canvas.

Another homemade product

The image translator generally takes five minutes. What you need to make a projector: a battery-powered lamp or flashlight and a magnifying glass for viewing small texts. This is all. The lens is better than the Soviet one and is not very convex.

Hang the screen, as mentioned above, from canvas or whatman paper. Place a stool a couple of meters from the screen.

Place the slides in front of the flashlight; it is advisable that they stand in an inexpensive special stand - it is uncomfortable to hold in your hands. Improve the image quality by moving the stool.

So, let's create something like an F-1 filmoscope

In it you can demonstrate frames from color photographic film, moving from top to bottom with rubber rollers along the edges with a protruding handle from half a spool of thread.

A metal sheet of thin steel is required, since the thing is not done in one session.

Three main parts are cut out of it (see on the website):

Main building. In the horizontal part, place a step-down transformer (12 V) - any small household one - and a switch.

Vertical part. This is a stand on which a box is hung from behind, the front and bottom parts of which are cut off, and the top is hinged on the stand.

In this box, a 12-volt auto lamp with 21 candles is mounted in a socket opposite the frame window (in F-1 there was a six-volt power supply and the transformer was lowered to this level).

Make holes in this cover to allow heat from the lamp to escape, but so that your viewers are not disturbed by random light.

A single-lens tube with a focus of 62.4 mm and a two-lens condenser at the rear of the frame is attached to the front stand. The tube can be installed from a durable cardboard tube with a slot for moving the lens.

The maximum distance to the screen is three meters, the screen is 70x100 mm.