My DIY screen tablet in action

[Tomos17451]

I'm making one out of a bamboo fun ;) so far so good

[guzguz21]

Will it work with a bamboo pen and touch?

[drewid88]

@guzguz21 Yes and no, The pen would work, the touch stuff probably wouldn't , but it would be a very small screen. Similar sized builds have been done though.

[1990banks]

ncie sketch

(wish i wasnt interested in digital art :( considering how expensive the equipement is)

[TimeshipStudio]

Fantastic! Thanks a million for the great tutorial on how to make your own LCD Graphics Tablet, posted on your website. Godspeed!

[D0rki3s]

whats the cost

[salmiak911]

Can I buy it? =) I think that my digital creativity would benefit greatly by having one of thoose!

[pimpfimaik]

Do you use a pressure-pen??

[drewid88]

@pimpfimaik Yep. it uses the original Wacom pen.

[pimpfimaik]

@drewid88 thx ;D

[iirmantass3]

@drewid88 Screen isn't very responsive?

[drewid88]

@iirmantass3 No, it's fine. I just have this habit of practising a stroke before I make it. It's the same as an unmodified Wacom tablet

[chimjw]

Whats the brand for the tablet you are using

[drewid88]

@chimjw It's a Wacom. But it's pretty old and won't work with Vista/win7 because Wacom don't support the drivers any more. (still looking for a work-around for that. People on the forum have used newer Wacoms and one or two have used other brands.

[droid740]

I could not hang with that latency issue you have. I'd go mad.

Clever otherwise.

[drewid88]

@droid740  There isn't really any lag as such. It looks that way in the video because of the way I have the pressure sensitivity set and because of the camera angle.

[droid740]

@drewid88 So the angle accounts for the tip and the stroke offset, sure. I understand, but the latency is clearly there. The stroke is animating half a second after execution....am I wrong? I want to be wrong because i have 2 spare monitors and 2 spare tablets to use...

[drewid88]

@droid740 Really it isn't there.

It's exactly the same as the standard Wacom tablet. I also have a habit of "rehearsing" a stroke before applying any pressure, it just a drawing thing I do. I do the same thing with a pencil on paper. Come and ask on the forums and see what the other guys think about lag.

[DantendoDS]

I kind of wish there was a step by step tutorial... I just went to the site and on the first page it said it wasn't a tutorial....

I don't care I'd pay at least $200 or more for a large screened tablet.. as long as it was not as expensive as the Cintiq but offered pressure and etc.

[drewid88]

Why not go and have a look around the forums. There's lots of pics in the "sucessful builds" section.

[slotho122]

Agreed. Very clever of you.

Maybe you think about selling a few of these.

I know I'd buy one. I just want an affordable monitor I can draw on, if it has minimal sensitivity, I'm barely bothered. I just want the feel of working with my hands.

[KarlyyMiracle]

You're a genius.

[maxkikken]

what software are you using there?

[drewid88]

Photoshop. Can't remember which version, CS2?

[dropletkit]

how much was it?

[drewid88]

Well I recently replaced the fan for a much bigger / quieter one , so it's now up to £100 or so.

[arturocnc]

Hi, it is impressive...

Could you breakdown the budget needed, please?

[positived]

Hey Drew,

Awesome DIY project!!! I've tried finding the forum you speak of on your log and there are no links or menus? Any tips or a direct URL for finding this hidden forum of potential magic?

Cheers,

Steve

[drewid88]

Oh man. it's a long story. there was a link from my homepage which has since gone missing. However I've now stuck the forum address in the info panel.

[positived]

You want to hear something funny? Found it about 10 minutes after I posted this yesterday. :) I obviously wasn't looking hard enough but once I did find it...man...like whoa. Total awesomeness!

Thanks Drew.

[coolhead20]

can you share with me plz?

[positived]

Check his description on the right hand side of the video and click "more info".

Cheers,

Steve

[ALilEmoGirl117]

Wow dude. That is wicked cool. =o

[kuckmadaaa]

where is the music from please???

[drewid88]

the music is "inertia" by bitstream dreams, released under a creative commons license.

I do attribute them at the end of the vid.

[sanjouindacapo]

Can you make an instruction manual on how to make a diy cintiq? I saw all the steps you went through, but they have a lot of trial and error and I would like to see a good set of 'for dummies' instructions so I can build my own and know what I am doing.

[drewid88]

There are some well documented build logs on the forum. That's probably a good place to start.

[CartoonistTheDave]

incredible, !!! Making a "Cintiq" Thats amazing 5/5

[ratulcool1]

how did u make it can u please tell me I wanna build one too, u got any forums or somit that I can look around at? please

[scrag10]

"more info?"

[greendevil98]

can't you just by a old 15 LCD flat monitor and a touch screen kit?

[MrDomin0]

The purpose of using a wacom tablet is to retain the benefit of having the tilt sensing and pressure sensitivity. Touch screens really have neither of those, plus they are not the most accurate things in the world. They're really not suitable for drawing.

[somebodytookmyname2]

@MrDomin0 there's a normal wacom under there, hence the pressure sensitivity you can see in some of the strokes. Obviously it's no cintiq and the color won't be perfectly accurate as a result (a lot of what you're paying for is a good monitor) but damn it's cheap!

[MrDomin0]

@somebodytookmyname2 This is way old, but yeah I saw that you had used a tablet =]. I was replying to greendevil98, the guy that posted right before me. He was asking if you could just buy a touch screen kit, which isn't going to have the benefits of a wacom tablet.

[DanielSDZ]

hey, whatsup. Im considering making this thing now. ive looked through the pages of bongofish and i wanna make 2 nd sell 1 :P but one question. i have NO idea if this is one of those tablets that u need a projector or sumin for. is it? I HOPE NOT!!

[MATTY0991]

i am using a bamboo fun :P (which is great..but,this is...so much better :(

Im jealous lol)

[djnjoy]

Man, thats just sooooo great!!!

***thinks about transforming his Intuos3 into something similar. It's A5 though.***

[BethBofas]

OMG how did you make that and was it low costing?

[drewid88]

There's a build log on bongofish (dot) co (dot)uk and a link to the forums as well.

It cost £90, plus a fair amount of time. I was lucky with that though. There's a number of people who have built them now.

[BethBofas]

thanks is it hard to make or fairly simple?

[drewid88]

It really is best to have a look at the forums and look through some of the build logs. It's not difficult as such, but you do have to be careful with your monitor. A number of people break the first one, they are very fragile when opened.

There's no real electronics knowledge needed, just a bit of common sense.

[BethBofas]

sorry to keep bothering you but do you already need a laptop motiter or anything, not included in the £90? because i have been wanting one for age and i almoust saved up for one but i am sooo glad that i found this vid because otherwise i would have bought one for £2000 it is soo ridiculous!! thanks xx

[drewid88]

The monitor I used is a Dell 1503fp from ebay. Laptop monitors are possible but cost more because you also need a signal board to drive the screen. I was lucky in that I got the ud1212 Wacom free. Like I said lots of people break a monitor in the process, but it's all part of learning :)

[BethBofas]

ok thanks !

[xx00doom00xx]

I have a graphire 6x8 blue tooth tablet will it be sufficient for the project?

[drewid88]

I think a couple of people have used graphires. Come on over to the forum and ask about it.

[sirharrybriggs]

$400 for a DYI 17" instead of $1000 for a real 12"?

Is it worth it? How does it compare to the real thing? Does anybody know?

It looks laggy, but that's probably due to the angle and whatnot.

[drewid88]

I've not used the real thing so I can't compare, but one of the guys on the forum has I think. As for being laggy, it's not too bad, but some people have used intuos 3 tablets for their builds so they should be as fast as a cintiq. The glass in front of the LCD is thicker on a cintiq so the parallax is slightly worse.

[kamikrazi123]

You've mended my shattered dreams of getting a cintiq! Only doubt i have about your DIY is not being able to finish the project (or if i screw some hardware up and have to replace it). I'm not one of those "inventor-DIY" types who can modify anything at command =(

GJ and thanks for your creation

[drewid88]

thw wacoms seem very robust, but everyone doing a build seems to sacrifice a monitor to the gods of DIY silicon. They can be fragile inside. Have a look through the forum and see what you think.

[nicoscar]

I read the building guide on your site. Past through the photos I should say... You bought a damaged monitor (defective backlight) but what did you use to fix it and get the picture to light up? Did you buy a new backlight or did you use modded tube lights of your own? I didn't get that 100% so please, enlighten me :-) ... Tnx, Nico (Athens, Greece).

[drewid88]

If I remember rightly I had a spare light tube from another monitor.

[mobasta123]

totally punk rock.. !

why did i buy a used one. now i'll have to build one like yours and sell it. shit.-

[Didanix]

Dude, you rock. I got interested in your DIY cintiq through Hack a Day, and now I'm wondering which wacom you actually got? Need to get a cheap tablet, the flat screen is the easy part. And again, nice job. :)

[drewid88]

Thanks...

The wacom is a ud1212 but various builds have been done with different Wacoms It's all on the website. Have a look at the forum, There's a bunch of builds finished and in progress.

[holyfire001202]

wats DIY stand for? ne1 no?

[drewid88]

Do It Yourself, as opposed to "Go out and buy one or get someone esle to do it"

[holyfire001202]

riiiiiite, that makes sense

[MDHmodder]

You crazy son of a bitch! That's amazing!

when can I get it?

[drewid88]

:) Why not make one yourself?

h t t p :// forum. Bongofish . co . uk

[coolcat822]

thanks! and would a 6-inch by 8-inch screen be big enough? and would any graphic tablet brand work when making a cintiq?

[coolcat822]

whats the size of the screen you are drawing on?

[drewid88]

15" Other people are building them larger. I like the portability of a small one, but I'd love to have a go at one using an old wacom 24x18.

[WickedMuis]

Pretty amazing! Unfortunately I don't have the technical know-how to do such thing :)

[SherminatorNL]

pfff just great!!!! thats alot better then paying 2000+++ for it :P ... i looked on your build log, its basicly not that hard, i think... you just put a

lcd screen above your normal drawing board ??....

I might build one :P... with my dad (he's good with thenical things :P) hoping i can post a video of my future screen someday! :D

[drewid88]

Check out the forums (if you haven't already) linked off the website.

[DanniD]

When I wanted a scrolltablet I thought it whas like this one. So that you see what you draw on your tablet and on your computerscreen I mean. But I got one for my birtday and it whas not what I taught it was :p. Maybe you know what my problem is. My pen doesn't work anymore. The batteries are good, I used a new pen point and installed the cd again but still isn't working :(. I didn't use it that much, maybe 20 times.

[drewid88]

without knowing what sort of tablet I couldn't even guess. If you've got this problem then others probably have as well, have a look for forums where people are discussing it, or the manufacturer might have a tech support forum.

[DanniD]

Trust 1200-V2 Wireless Scroll Tablet (14070) I searched the net for help but I didn't find something to help me. Maybe I must search in English. I know there are pen pressure isseus with this tablet but it's so stupid that I have to buy a whole new tablet. I hope Trust can fix it.

[bila222]

i was surfing the net regarding graphics tablets.. now i'm not doing that anymore b/c of u :) i will surf ur website and that's all ... CONGRATS!!!! that homemade tablet is awesome

[messyhairkris]

Awesome build, man. I have been wandering what it would take to put together a Cintiq of my very own. I draw alot faster than you, so If I can find a way to lose the lag, then I am all over this project. thanks for the inspiration.

Kris Struble

mess

[drewid88]

There are guys on the forum building with new intuos3s.

It might be worth seeing how they do.

[messyhairkris]

I'll check it out. thanks.

Mess

[narutotwenty4seven]

Good job, yo.

x)

I can't draw. No matter what. I even took a class. Didn't work at all, haha!

[drewid88]

Thanks :)

[ilovebugs]

you got a bit problem with the pressure there mate, think i'll go with a cintiq

[drewid88]

Nope, no problem, that's how I like my pressure settings even on a "blind" tablet. Obviously the built in pressure buttons still work as well to I tweak it as I go along depending on brush size.

Feel free to spend your cash how you like though.

[almac4]

Awsome! do you have a forum or blog? Where can I get the plans for this?

[drewid88]

th web address on the end of the vid has a build log, and also a link to the forum. There sre a number of people building similar devices.

[S3LAiiiTRECE]

how much is 80 euros in dollars

[drewid88]

It was GBP so that's about $200. but it really depends on where you get lucky getting parts.

[trimaria]

lol....

[Vertman3000]

Wow, nice drawing too

[drewid88]

Thanks. I appreciate that. Though there's much about my sketching/drawing that needs a lot of work.

[chao53]

ace

[drewid88]

The forum is now up. It's a bit empty right now having only just started. but anyone is welcome to come on over :)

[ballg]

if you let you hand rest on the screen while your drawing, will it mess up the drawing?

[drewid88]

:D No I use quick drying pixels.

[smokin3d]

HAHAHA!!!

[RappingDelight]

I have to say this is one of the best DIY projects I've seen in a long time. I mean yes, building your own projector is great and all those little switches, but ultimately this is the ebst simply for the fact that previous knowledge needs be no more than 0.

I guess if you really do this from scratch your looking more at like 200 pounds, but that's still better than 2000.

[drewid88]

Thanks. Yep I'd never done anything like this before, plus the build is zero electronics, just a couple of cables needed extending.

200 sounds about right. But I reckon with patience and perserverence anyone could probably do it cheaper.  Just keep looking for those bargains.

[RappingDelight]

Well I'm hoping on getting used/slightly damaged parts as cheap as I can, and then I'll probably while assembling based on your experience try to make a guide, but I'm not going to promise anything. I can't explain very well what I do. I haven't read through the whole thing yet, I'm just wondering if my little bit of electronics experience can help me tweak this a little more.

Thanks.

[y1ink]

well done very kewl

[Therapix]

Extraordinary!!

80L you say? Much cheaper than 2000!

► ► ► Therapix

► ► ► Creator of the YouTube Video Tutorials

[drewid88]

Yep, GB£83.26 IIRC.

[Headcrabb]

any ideas on how to get a little bit more familiar with this hobby before making something so advanced?

[drewid88]

There was NO electronics involved. (except when I put the fan in, and that was reasonably simple). The monitor and tablet are still seperate items, just housed in the same case. It was more like a case mod than anything else. I don't know what to suggest really.

[Headcrabb]

Im sold, im totally doing this

[rmyc]

dose you write up work for window.. or mac?

[drewid88]

Mine is a windows system, but it should work with either I guess. The tablet was previously used with a Mac, If the monitor will work with a Mac then I suppose ought to work.

[rmyc]

thanks , it's going on a MAC.. i want to get one for my 13 yearold sister, she's awsome at drwaing, but has one of those little cheap drawing boards, i'm thinking something like this will help her persuade her talent

[rmyc]

ghjgh

[drewid88]

Just thinking about it. It was an old Mac this came from, and it used some sort of adaptor. I believe these connectors have changed over the years. Check stuff works with your current system before you start ripping it apart. :)

[IrregularShed]

Excellent work, fella.

[drewid88]

:) thanks.

What next then? :D

[IrregularShed]

A 3D version. =)

[drewid88]

hmmmmmm. Don't know enough about that sort of tech yet.

Something quick and silly I think :)

[Xonegod]

Simply Astonishing, POWER TO ALL DIYs. I have to admit you might be one brillinat man, and not know it, The whole tutorial - my jaw was on the ground.I too will start making my own...But, Instead of acryllic, why not use glass? they make it strong and thin enough. and I have a brand new Intous 9X12 do you think that is easy enough to risk trying your build.? Any tips on screen sizes I should be looking at with a 9X12? ThanX and once again... You are the Man!!! ..X..

[drewid88]

whew - That would void your warrenty for sure. :)

I'd be cautious about using a brand new tablet. I've not looked at the new intuos so I don't know if you could fit the parts inside the case. There's a guy in Australia building one between two sheets of plastic.

Glass might work, but I was wary of that it could be tricky to work with. I'm sure there are plastics around that are better than the acrylic I've used.

9x12 is a 15" screen, same size as mine.

[DemPyros]

read the entire build log.

BRILLIANT!!

Considering going on this escapade myself

[drewid88]

Well. I've had a surprising number of requests to actually build them for people, but there's clearly far too much insulating tape involved to sell them as a commercial appliance, and it's definitely not FCC compliant :).

However I'm investigating the possibility of starting a DIY Forum on my site so people can help each other on the journey to Cintiqville.

[DemPyros]

I agree that selling them probably wouldn't be very profitable, and definitely not as fun.

A lot of people would probably appreciate a forum to help out with building them (i certainly would)

[Xonegod]

Yes, a forum would be prudent. I just hope that Wacom turns a blind eye to this movement you my friend have started. I hope they dont modify their tablets so that Modds and Cintiq-like's builds become difficult to achive. Drewid88 is the man!! CINTIQ WOOT!! ..X..

[PenguinClock]

Absolutely brilliant. I've always wanted one of those Cintiqs, but they are simply too expensive for me to look at for more than 10 seconds before going broke. I might just try this some day!

[LionKimbro]

Why do all pen apps have latency that mouse apps do not?

[drewid88]

The latency isn't as bad as it looks really. Partly it's an illusion due to the camera angle and the 2mm acrylic over the screen.

What latency there is would be due to also having to read and interpret pressure and tilt data. I guess they may be averaging data as well to take account of jitter in the magnetic readings.

That footage was taken with the tablet connected to my 1.8Ghz laptop, on my work machine there is noticably better performance.

[drewid88]

Oh, also, this is an old (serial) tablet, the newer ones are USB. Doing my bit for the recycling movement.

[drewid88]

Haha Thanks for the job offers. :)

I'd have to turn them out a bit quicker to make a job of it.

I was lucky to be able to turn it out for as little as I did. (got the Wacom free, and had some spare lights lying around at work to replace the dodgy one in the monitor.)

Why not check out the build log and have a go yourself?

[cresshead]

brilliant...you could turn this into a business!

...i'd buy a 17" version for £250!

[bluemagictube]

awesome ... well done .... now if i gave you £200 could you build one for me ? or sell me yours ?

[msephton]

DIY power! well done

[drewid88]

Thanks. It was a hoot doing it.