DIY Projector- Beginner Edition 101

Thanks to technological advancements, humans are now welcome to a plethora of different platforms and devices to choose from. That being said, despite the obvious devices such as desktops, laptops, and tablets being prevalent, it is still our phones that we first reach out to. Given the ease at which one can handle mobile devices, their instantaneous approach is undoubtedly highly sought after.

You don’t have to boot up your device, wait for the internet to get connected, and all that jazz. But the downside to the swiftness with which we can operate our cell phones is the size of the screen. All you need is some time, a little bit of craft-coordination capable hands, if not, then a little patience, and we can create your very own DIY projector home.

As easy as it is to get to our movie, the size of the screen is a real limitation. Having a projector with you at all times or the patience to connect one every time is also a severe drawback to viewing something on your phone.

Fortunately, you can cast your mobile screen onto the wall directly in lieu of different ways without having to connect a projector. While offices and educational institutes need a projector, the same doesn’t apply when you are home and wish to watch your series on a bigger screen. Or just study better when the content is put up in a bigger frame; we’ve got the solution for you.

Materials Required

• Shoebox
• Small and big binder clips
• Glue stick/ Hot glue
• X-acto knife
• Magnifying lens
• Pencil
• Black paper/ black paint
• Black tape
• Mobile phone

These are simple, everyday materials, half of which you could probably dig around from your house or, at the very least, procure from a visit to your nearest store. 

Now, get your hands steady, and let’s get down to business. 

There are specific requirements for each material so that you can get the maximum out of your project.

All of the supplies mentioned above are crucial for building a homemade projector that will reflect your smartphone’s screen on the wall.

How and Why the Materials Help

Three of the materials—a shoe box, a magnifying glass, and a pencil—will be your starting point. You should purchase a black shoebox. Don’t fidget if you can’t get your hands on one because you can easily turn it black. We’ll tell you that as we go.

Your magnifying glass needs to be in functioning order. The majority of professionals highly recommend the United Scientific LCV108 Double Convex Lens since it works like a telescope and lets you view anything.

Use the magnifying lens to perform. The handle of the magnifying glass should be moved.

Alternatively, use a hand hacksaw to cut the magnifying glass. You now possess the sole magnifying glass.

Now examine the shoebox with that magnifying glass. Also, use a pencil or pen. To trace the magnifying glass’s perimeter.

For cutting, you’ll need an X-acto knife. You should handle this sharp thing with caution since, as you are aware, it is one. Kids shouldn’t be allowed to play near it.

You will be making some markings with your pencil, so it needs to be bold and crisp. Purchase a pencil that will leave clear lines.

Use black tape to connect some of these components when building your projector. Additionally, you’ll require it to cover some of the opened box’s edges. Black tape is required since other colors distort the quality of the image you will receive.

If the interior of your shoebox is not black, you will need to cover it with black construction paper. To do this, apply a glue stick to the black paper shortly before inserting it into the shoebox. If you don’t have black paper, you can also paint the inside of the box with black paint as a substitute.

The materials list included a mobile phone because that is where you will be displaying the projected image. Your current cell phone is sufficient. 

For simple navigation, your mobile phone must be in a standing position. Binder clips will be necessary to secure it in place while you do this.

Now, that we have listed out why every item is needed to make this work, let’s move on to the steps.

Step One

Trace the area around the box’s magnifying lens.

First, take your magnifying glass’ handle off. To remove the handle, simply unscrew it.

Step Two

Then, turn the shoe box over so that the small side is on the table and place the lens on the opposite side. After that, take out your pencil and draw a circle around the box’s lens’s outer corners. Make the marking obvious because this will be the basis for your future choices.

Step Three

Remove the Traced Edges. Pick up your knife and carefully cut out the designated portion after tracing the lens’ edges on the box. You must do this task accurately. A clean sweep of a cut is your best friend here.

Step Four

Black tape the edges to seal them in. To prevent any light from entering the box, you must tape over the edges of the hole you made with black tape. The neater you get this part done, the clearer your image will be. Remember all the physics lab classes we were forced to endure during middle school, doesn’t this feel similar to that?

Step 5

Line the interior of the box with black paper. Get your black paper and cut it into the necessary proportions to fit within the box, making sure to cover every crevice. Before putting the black paper on the box, use the glue stick to make it adhere to the interior of the box.

Get some black paint if you can’t get your hands on some black paper (a poster color will do). Paint the interior of the box with black paint, making sure to cover every corner completely.

Step Six

Put your phone at the very end of the box. And be careful, now. You must support your phone on a stand. You can then see and modify the phone as necessary. You should place the smaller binder clip in the middle of the larger one as you have two binder clips—one little and one large.

Place your phone in position and lift one of the binder clips once you’ve secured the two together.

Now that you’ve finished building the projector, we can get to the part you must have been looking forward to—putting pictures on the wall.

Step 7

Project Pictures from Your Phone on the Wall. And cross your fingers, just for a good measure. 

The screen of your phone needs to be adjusted first. You must go to the phone’s settings, general, accessibility, select assistive touch, and then device if you’re using an iPhone. After that, customize the interface to your preferences.

To help you position your screen on an Android phone, you’ll need to download a rotating software from the “Play Store.” If your phone can rotate, on the other hand, you’re good to go.

All that’s left to do is focus your thoughts on the wall after this. You may do this by moving your phone around until you locate the perfect location for your photographs to be positioned precisely and in the way you need.

Once you’ve completed all of them, you can start streaming movies and television shows directly from your phone to a wall or white sheet of paper. You may make your own projector screen on the wall with fantastic projector screen paint.

Hacks we Picked up During our Trial and Errors

If your projected image is of poor quality, then it is due to image noise, which is caused by light reflection into the box. For this reason, you need to cover the box’s interior with black paint or paper.

You’ll also notice that the sound is poor once you start projecting from your phone onto the wall. Utilizing an external speaker will fix this. You should choose a speaker that needs wifi connectivity. To enjoy clear sound while viewing your favorite movies and TV shows, simply pair the speaker with your phone using Bluetooth.

Conclusion

So that’s how you can use a wall to project your smartphone’s screen without a projector. by following these easy instructions. The DIY smartphone projector is something you can create on your own at home.

To get a projector today, you don’t need to shell out a lot of cash. One is simple to make at home for yourself. Everything you need to do this is at your disposal, and the few things that are not are inexpensive. You could get a projector for little to no money.

Good luck, guys!

Frequently Asked Questions