After building my LumenLab Projector I decided to add a little something extra special to the mix...
What Theatre is complete without a 126" electric screen? So here is the start of my project to build a electric screen.
Here is the 12v windshield wiper motor that is going to power the screen. Attached to the motor is a mount made of 2 angle brackets and a 1" copper pipe drilled out and mounted to the drive shaft.
side profile: T-nuts attach the bracket to the wood housing with 1/4- 20 bolts.
I found this nice diagram which was very useful for wiring the motor up. You want to use the low speed connection and the ground. High speed draws too much power and the motor doesn't run. Besides, a slower screen is more dramatic.
Pictured below are the basic parts to the motor control assembly. project box, 12v 3A power supply, and a DPDT switch. All from MPJA
Box: $2.00
Switch: $1.50
Power supply: $12.00
This is the roll of Flock tape. I have to find out where I got this stuff. It is going to be the side borders on my screen. This material is a black crushed velvet 3" wide and has a self adhesive backing. It was actually pretty easy to work with.
Switch wiring diagram
Here is the control box all finished and mounted up. In the future I would like to wire up an RF remote to control both the screen and projector. Hit one button and the screen would come down and the projector would turn on.
Here is the velcro I used to mount the screen to the copper. Cost about $14 bucks for a roll.
This is a Toggler wall mount that I used to hang the whole project on the wall. Only 2 of these babies were need to mount this whole thing on the wall. You drill two 1" holes and slide it in. It kinda works like a zip tie. Then you have a connection in the wall for a 1/4- 20 bolt. Cost about $1.00
This is the pivot mount on the opposite side from the motor. I removed the extra wood block there and mounted the angle iron on the side wall there. The angle iron helps keep the bolt from cutting into the wood.
Another angle
Here is the bare bones mounted on the wall. You can see a bit of the projected image on the wall as well. I didn't have the board go all the way across to save weight. It was basically unnecessary to have that. The 1" copper mast has a strip of velcro running all the way across to be able to mount the screen on. Be VERY sure that everything is perfectly square and level.
Here you can see the velcro on the screen and the copper pipe.
Here is the screen all mounted up. I still have some adjustments to make, but overall it looks amazing. The screen is Lumen lab Blackout cloth.
You can see a few waves in the screen but nothing noticeable when watching a film. I may put a heavier weight in the bottom to help remove the wrinkles. I can also adjust the velcro on the pipe to try and remove wrinkles as well.
Nemo, with a bunch of lights on. Bright screen! Thanks you Rose (my girlfriends step mom) for helping me sew this beautiful screen. If I would have tried to do itr on my own I would have my hand attached to my face now. Thanks again Rose.
Screen rolled up
Xbox Fight Night Round 2
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Fifth Element
Costs:
Screen material: $35.00 Lumenlab
Black Material: $25.00 fabric shop
Flock Tape: Free Donation
Motor: $19.00 MPJA
DPDT Switch: $2.00 MPJA
Wood: $12.00 Menards
Copper pipe: $10.00 Home Depo
Copper fittings: $2.00 Home Depo
Conduit weight: $4.00 Home Depo
Wiring: Free My Garage
Velcro: $14.00 Fastenal
Hardware: $3.00 Fastenal
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TOTAL: $126.00
Final Thoughts:
All in all the screen looks amazing. You just have to be very sure everything is level and straight. I recently bought an Samsung HDTV tuner and the picture is amazing to say the least. The Superbowl should be a blast on here. $126 green backs isn't a bad deal for a 126" screen. Thats only a dollar an 1" In the future when I have a place without 20 foot hight ceilings I will actually mount this up in the ceiling.