DIY Projector on the Cheap

DIY Projector on the Cheap
Although it's not my original idea (far from it), I finally decided to tear apart my LCD monitor and give this one a go. I had to innovate a few parts, so I hope my solutions help anyone out who's attempting this awesome project. This is my first instructable, be gentle :)
 
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Step 1Materials and Initial Disassembly

Materials and Initial Disassembly
Materials:

LCD Monitor, any old one will do, the backlighting is going to be ripped out anyway. In my case, 14" was perfect, larger would have gone outside the border of the overhead's window.

Overhead projector, like from school. I'm no expert at these, and living in Taiwan, it was nearly impossible to find, but I know there are loads on ebay for cheap.

Document protector, used for housing the power and settings strip of the monitor.

Cork. Self explanatory.

First, get the LCD glass out of the monitor by carefully unscrewing, dismembering and prying. Be careful around the wires and you should be fine. One handy thing is that on mine, the display cable was detachable from the motherboard, so that made it easier. It's helpful to have a second pair of hands for this, in my case, I used my girlfriend's.
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114 comments
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Apr 8, 2010. 10:25 AMgetsdhc says:
Woow mac donalds sponsor him! ;)
Oct 4, 2011. 4:32 PMtten eyck says:
Does that not cause massive overheating?
Oct 4, 2011. 4:21 PMtten eyck says:
That thin layer of cork is enough distance between the screen and the projector to prevent overheating? Is your LCD screen still working/in good shape? Most of the other instructables demand building a frame and inserting fans to cool the screen. If cork is sufficient -- that would be so easy and awesome!!
Dec 10, 2010. 10:16 AMslimguy379 says:
how do u guys hoo up things such as a game cube to a RCA monitor? i did this same thing. only thing now is i can only hook up my computer/laptop. no game systems
Jun 12, 2011. 8:05 PMkmaes says:
you use an emulator on your computer and use a controller hooked up...
May 27, 2011. 7:31 PMdelaneypratt says:
Won't the picture be reversed?
Mar 5, 2011. 2:55 AMbijikenyot says:
yeah, i hate original LCD projector, because they're keep broke lamp inside if get shut off quickly
,and the price for the lamp is minimum $2000
Jun 25, 2009. 9:17 PMst00pit says:
hey, built one of these following your's (total hassle with the monitor i chose lol thin plastic ribbon cables that are all just ALMOST long enough to be out of the way) anyways, was wondering if just cutting a square in like a thick black beach towel and draping over/taping it on the rising lens would work all the same as the bellow? not too great with those instructions
Dec 4, 2010. 5:58 AMuberdum05 says:
Use cardboard formed around it in a 4-sided pyramid shape :)
Oct 31, 2010. 6:01 PMRuneshai says:
Just tackled this project this weekend and it worked great. I definitely recommend the screen-size=OHP screen size. Ours doesn't and it's a tad annoying, but as long as we can adjust the size of whatever's playing we're good. Overall, 100 bucks for a permanent projector and an extra monitor (lucked out, got 2 for $50), we're very happy :D.
Oct 31, 2010. 3:10 AMsquiggy2 says:
hey sandworm,
awesome work!
I've taken some pointers, and made my own.
Did you have a problem with the LCD being too big for the projector? - I can't project about 10% of the screen - which is where the start bar is on one side, and the quicklaunch bar on the other side is. how did you fix this?
Cheers
Aug 31, 2007. 4:24 PMUtahtabby says:
****Dumb Question Alert**** Could you just lay your laptop open as wide as possible on the overhead projector's base with the keyboard-half sticking off on a box for support, (maybe propped on an upside-down beanbag-filled lap-writing desk so the LCD screen would lay flat) and use that set-up to play DVDs or show Documents, power points, etc on the wall screen? Using cork spacers or something in-between the projector's base and the laptop to allow for cooling... Be gentle with your answers; I am not trained in electronics. I was just curious.
Oct 27, 2010. 11:43 PMsquiggy2 says:
I saw a guy who took of the back of his laptop screen, and removed the backlight and stuff, and permanently attached it to the overhead. Fine if you have an old laptop that you no longer use, but it destoys the portable-ness of the laptop, and it's a lot more work than using and LCD monitor
Jun 29, 2010. 3:04 PMmad magoo says:
You couldn't do it with any laptop I've ever seen; the opaque casing of the laptop would block the light that needs to go through the LCD screen in order to project an image. However, if you are okay with possibly destroying your laptop, you could remove the back casing, backlight, and other electronics that would block the light and replace the casing with acrylic or something similiar. Then you could just lay the laptop screen on an overhead.
Apr 28, 2009. 1:31 PMbwpatton1 says:
Well, that would be wonderful if it would, but It wont. The light needs to pass through the screen, then through a lense to blow it up (make it larger).
Apr 28, 2009. 1:31 PMbwpatton1 says:
Srry Didnt see the answers below.
Dec 30, 2008. 5:38 PMDYLEGO says:
you would have to remove the back casing from the laptop. the lcd screen is really clear, but you have to remove the backlight and other materials. its best to use a old computer monitor screen.
May 27, 2008. 12:41 PMbullzebub says:
but all those things is possible to remove with a steady hand and some elbow grease :-)
Mar 4, 2010. 11:28 AMjoniwilhelm says:
 can you use a "box" computer monitor for this one?
Oct 27, 2010. 11:41 PMsquiggy2 says:
No it wouldn't because you need to shine light THROUGH the monitor, which is what happens with an LCD anyway, just with a much dimmer light than a projector. A CRT, or 'Box monitor' projects the image from the back of the box to the glass pannel at the front.
Apr 3, 2010. 11:33 AMWhales says:
 okay, so to make this "cheap" projector i have to buy an expensive one? kinda defeats the point of it in the first place. unless you're talking about a different projector than i'm thinking.
Oct 27, 2010. 11:33 PMsquiggy2 says:
The projector you need to get (I stole one from school) is an overhead transperancy projector - one of those ones that are a big box of light with a mirror on top and you print on a piece of perspex then place that on top and can write on it with whiteboard markers.
they're a fraction of the price (if they cost anything at all) of a data projector which plugs into a computer and can project moving images
Jul 2, 2010. 10:02 PMdowngrade says:
If you followed the project you would see they made a video projector with an overhead (or "transparency") projector.
Jun 29, 2010. 2:59 PMmad magoo says:
I looked on ebay, and if you do it right this whole project could run you under 150 USD. Old (but good--there is really no design variation between old and new basic overhead projectors) overhead projectors can be found on Ebay for around 50 USD, sometimes less. LCD monitors are generally around 80-100 USD. That's cheaper than replacement light bulbs for some commercial projectors.
Aug 30, 2010. 8:13 PMcody777 says:
i got my over head for free i just went to a school and asked if they had an extra they gave me a pile of parts and i just had to assemble it
Oct 27, 2010. 11:35 PMsquiggy2 says:
same here. I even got a fully assembled one :P
and I got an LCD monitor from the IT department because the backlight didn't work - perfect!
= one data projector ASOLUTELY free
Jun 13, 2010. 11:47 PMthorn11166 says:
about how big does the screen get?
Oct 27, 2010. 6:07 PMsquiggy2 says:
According to photonics, the image can be as large as you want it.
The further you move the projector away from the wall, the larger the image will be. So if you have a really long room, you canmake the image huge!
The only limitation is the power of the light in the projector compared to the ambient light.
Therefore, the darker the room, the further back you can move the projector and the larger the image you can have.
With a pitch black room, the image can be pretty darn big.
May 25, 2010. 5:17 AMbennyj92 says:
Whales, the overhead projector is like a big box, that shines light upwards, through a transparency, which can be written on. Then the light is reflected forwards and focused by a lens, and projected onto a wall/screen.
The difference is that it has no screen, and has no input for a video device (or any capability of such.)
They are pretty much old technology, i just finished High School and they dont use them anymore, but they did when I was in primary school!
they should be pretty cheap nowadays!
Apr 23, 2010. 8:37 AMGizmotech says:
LOL, I remember my DIY build from ages ago. Wasn't economical due to having going through 3 LCD screens. The heat inside these are so intense and cooling as to be very good. However, too many cooling fans leaks out too much light. It's just cheaper to repair or mod a used commercial projector. Bulbs are available these days so you don't have to buy the whole lamp. LumenArc holds a lot of projector surplus which maybe useful commercial projector owners and compact DIY projector builders. The've recently launched their forums and I think the people new to this project should open a thread in their forums and share your experiences. It's all fun. I've still got my 250W NDL HQI-TS lamp and ballast kit growing dust.
Feb 7, 2010. 10:48 AMtokooloshe says:
 Would it be possible to add energy saving light bulbs inside the overhead to reduce power consumption and heat?
Jun 19, 2009. 12:34 PMDerin says:
STAR TREK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111
Dec 7, 2009. 7:18 PMTyMan210 says:
 TNG?
Nov 16, 2009. 1:04 AMalbro says:
its a nice work! the bellow idea was nice and unique.
Albro -india keep going
Apr 17, 2009. 10:50 AMbass8casey says:
cool, what age are u??
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Author:sandworm