DIY 110 inch 720p LCD Overhead Projector

This is an lcd overhead projector I built using a small Acer Aspire A150 netbook and a $10 overhead projector from CraigsList. The screen is blackout cloth and black felt for border. Both were obtained from a local JoAnn Fabric store. The wall is 9' x 8' and there is a window behind the screen. Better than curtains for privacy :0)

Since I am not allowed to paint or drill holes in the wall for my screen I simply used some thumb tacks that I got at the local dollar store.

The image is much cleaner and sharper than my webcam can record. The webcam is more than 20' away in the dining room. I know it needs some more work but I just wanted to preview it here for my friends.

I still need to work on color correction settings for the LCD but I just didn't get around to it. The whole system is controlled via Gmote on my Motorola Cliq.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• LCD
• OHP
• Overhead Projector
• 720p
• Big screen
• DIY

[ornumdivad]

i did this myself a few months ago with a 15" lcd, it works well. I swapped my 400w halogen for 150w metal halide, its about the same brightness and lasts for thousands of hours more.

I am going to strip my OHP soon and use all its parts in a diy enclosure with a 400w metal halide that i've just aquired, looking forward to finishing it :)

[ThetaGen]

@ornumdivad I've been looking for a way to convert these OHPs to metal halide. It's a shame that halogen uses so much power with little brightness. Did you get your 150w MH setup from a local hardware store or did you have to special order it? There isn't much in the way of MH parts at Homeless Despot...

[ThetaGen]

I've also thought about converting this to a painted silver screen.  I need to figure out a way to do a non invasive install on a board against the wall so my landlord doesn't have a cow.

[friendsofthepenan]

@TheTurbinator They said blackout cloth not black cloth. This is, typically, thick cloth which lets almost zero light through and is usually white. I'm sure anyone with the intelligence to make this projector setup would also know not to project it onto a black surface.

[TheTurbinator]

You should be using silver for the "screen", not a black cloth. If there is a single most un-efficient surface that you could pick for reflecting light..... it would be black cloth.

[GrimlyKK]

Have a dig in avsforums for Black Widow paint mix - the results are astonishing.