Introduction: Raspberry Pi - Wireless Projector

Have you ever wanted to walk around the room with your laptop, not tethered to a projector, and still project?

This Instructable will show you how to make a Raspberry Pi powered Wireless Projector.

What You Need:

  • Raspberry Pi Model B or B+ (I used a B)
    • USB Keyboard & Mouse (Wired or Wireless)
    • Ethernet Cable -OR- WiFi Dongle (I used an Ethernet cable)
    • SD Card
    • HDMI Cable - You may only have a VGA port on your projector, in this case you will need a HDMI to VGA adapter instead.
  • Projector
  • Internet Connection
  • Laptop or Desktop Computer (Your presentation source)

Optional-

  • USB Hub

For this project my Raspberry Pi is loaded with the default Raspbian image. You can use NOOBS to install it. You can download NOOBS here.

Step 1: Installing the Software

To prepare your Pi, you need to automatically boot into the desktop and install the VNC Viewer.

Autobooting into the desktop:

In a terminal type:

sudo raspi-config 

Use the arrow keys on your keyboard to navigate.

Use the down arrow to select Enable Boot to Desktop/Scratch

Press Enter

Choose the second option to boot into the desktop.

Use the left and right arrow keys to select

then select Ok

Then press enter to reboot.

Installing the VNC Viewer

For this tutorial I am using VNC to view your computers screen.

In a terminal type:

sudo apt-get update

then

sudo apt-get install xtightvncviewer

press y to say "Yes i understand this will use space on my pi" then enter to confirm.

Installing the VNC Server on your PC:

I am using TightVNC for this tutorial. You can download TightVNC at http://www.tightvnc.com/download.php

Follow the installation instructions to install TightVNC.

Install the IP address scanner:

Go to http://www.advanced-ip-scanner.com/ and download Advanced IP Scanner. This software will scan your network for IP addresses. This tool is useful for VNC and SSH.

a. Select your language

b. Select the "Install" Option

c. Accept the license agreement, and click install.

d. Advanced IP Scanner is installing.

Step 2: Connecting to Your Computer

1. On your computer open Advanced IP Scanner

Start > All Programs > Advanced IP Scanner v2 > Advanced IP Scanner

2. Click the "Scan" button and wait for the scan to be finished. Look for your computer name, and then you will see your IP address.

3.On your Raspberry Pi, open a terminal and enter the command:

xtightvncviewer<br>

A dialog box will appear and ask you for your computers IP address. Enter it now. Then enter your VNC password. (It is the same one you used to setup your VNC software)

4. A window will appear showing your computers screen! Anything you do on your computer will show on your projector.

Step 3: Further Thoughts

1. VNC does not support audio, so you would have to use some form of wireless audio like a Bluetooth speaker.

2. Your computer and pi must be connected to the same network for this to work.

3. Your entire computer screen may not fit on your projector screen. To fix this, change your resolution to 800x600 for the VNC session.

4. You could also hide the desktop icons and the task bar, add some cool
wallpaper and auto start the xtightvncviewer software with some sort of a script. This way, it is almost completely automated.

5. I am entering this Instructable in the FormLabs contest. Please vote for me. If I win the grand prize of a 3D printer I will use it to make cool models of things, and help my family. When something breaks, I always say... "If only I had a 3D printer. I could fix that." Also, I can make more cool Instructables showing you how to do awesome thongs with a 3D printer. Another thing I would like to do with this project is print some sort of an enclosure to keep the pi, projector and keyboard in one place and as one unit. (The mouse would be separate, with a cool clip on holder for portability)

Thank you for checking out my Instructable!

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