Watching movies on the big screen is a hobby that many people enjoy. You can make your own home theater projector using a smartphone or tablet, a shoebox, a magnifying glass, and some essential household items and tools. Impress your friends with DIY skills by creating this cheap and easy projector before inviting them to watch movies and eat popcorn.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Preparing the Lens and Case
Step 1. Cut the handle of a magnifying glass with a hand saw
Buy a standard magnifying glass from a department, office supply, or everything store for a dollar. Place the magnifying glass on the edge of a sturdy table, with the handle hanging off the edge. Position a handsaw at the point where the handle meets the glass and apply pressure while moving the saw back and forth over the handle to remove it.
- Alternatively, you can use an old camera lens instead of a magnifying glass. You will not have to remove the handle if you are using a camera lens. Use a lens that you will no longer use in a camera, as you could damage it if you try to remove it from the movie projector later.
- Wear protective glasses and gloves when using the hand saw. Children should ask an adult for help with this part of the project.
Step 2. Reinforce any loose sides of a shoe box using glue
Find an old shoe box of any size. The stronger the box, the better. You need to make sure that the device you are going to use (such as a smartphone or tablet) fits inside the box. If the box is made of thin cardboard and has loose sides, apply multipurpose glue to the flaps and hold them until they stick.
If you can, use a shoe box that is made of sturdy, thick cardboard and doesn't have any loose flaps to reinforce
Step 3. Trace the magnifying glass on the small end of the shoe box
Stand the box upright so that one of the small sides is flat on the table. Place the lens inside the box and trace around it with a pencil, creating a circle in the box.
Step 4. Cut out the hole for the magnifying glass with a utility knife
Use a utility knife to carefully cut along the drawn line, until the lens-size circle is completely out of the box. If you place the box on a surface while cutting the hole, try to use a place that you don't mind damaging in case the cutter slides all the way down.
Try to trim the hole on a workbench or outside, on the floor, to avoid damaging tables or floors with the utility knife
Step 5. Place the lens in the hole and secure it with duct tape or hot glue
Take the lens and place it in the hole so that the part you are looking through is partially inside the case. Place pieces of duct tape around the edge of the lens, where it meets the cardboard, to hold the lens in place. Instead, you can also connect a hot glue gun and apply hot glue to the edge.
For best results, apply tape or glue to the inside and outside edges where the lens meets the cardboard
Step 6. Line the inside of the shoe box with black construction paper
Measure the length and width of the sides, bottom, and top of the shoe box. Using scissors, cut pieces of black construction paper that will fit all of the inside surfaces of the box. Apply multipurpose glue to the edges of the card stock and, one by one, hold them in place inside the box until they stick together.
Lining the inside of the box with black cardboard helps to darken it, and the image from the device will transfer better through the lens when you play the film
Part 2 of 3: Position the device
Step 1. Cut a sturdy foam board into two pieces of 17 × 10 cm (6.5 × 4 inches)
Purchase a thick foam board from a craft store. With the utility knife, cut the cardboard into pieces that fit the smartphone. Make sure to wear protective glasses and gloves when using the utility knife.
The 17 × 10 cm (6.5 × 4 cm) foam board pieces will allow you to make a stand large enough for most smartphones. If you decide to use a tablet instead, you will have to measure the device and make a larger stand for it. Make sure the shoe box is large enough to accommodate a larger tablet if you want to use one
Step 2. Glue the foam board pieces perpendicularly to create a stand for the device
Load a hot glue gun with glue sticks and connect it. Position the pieces so that they form an inverted "T", with the longest edge of the piece standing up and located in the center of the bottom piece. When the glue is hot, apply a line of glue to the bottom edge of the piece that is standing, and press on the bottom piece until it sets.
Apply more glue to both sides of the junction of the two pieces to help the mount stay secure
Step 3. Place two strips of double-sided tape on one side of the foam board piece that is standing up
Using scissors, cut two strips of double-sided tape about 6 inches (15 cm) long. Glue them along the standing piece of the phone holder.
- Peel off the top paper of the masking tape so that there is a glued side to place the phone on.
- To remove any tape residue from the phone case later, wipe it off with a solvent or mild degreaser when you're done viewing the film.
Step 4. Download a movie player application on your device
If you don't already have an app to play movies on your smartphone or tablet, download one by going to the app store and searching for "movie apps." The most popular apps are Netflix, HBO Now, Hulu, IMDb, or Amazon Prime.
You will have to create an account and pay a membership for most movie apps that don't have ads. If you don't mind watching ads during movies, there are other free movie apps as well
Step 5. Increase the brightness of the device to the maximum level
Enter the device settings. In "Screen and brightness" there will be a bar that will allow you to adjust the brightness of the device screen. With your finger, slide the bar to the right, to the highest end, or to 100%.
You need to have the device's screen at the brightest setting possible, as the projector lens will cause the image to darken a bit when projected
Part 3 of 3: Play a Movie
Step 1. Set the device to play through a bluetooth speaker
Buy or borrow a small bluetooth speaker, so that the sound of the movie is not muffled. Turn on the speaker and enter the device settings. Under "bluetooth" click "allow new connections" and look for the speaker's name.
Click "connect device" next to the speaker's name to connect it to the device
Step 2. Place the device and bracket inside the shoebox, opposite the lens
Stick the device to the adhesive tape of the foam board holder. Place the bracket, with the device glued, inside the box and at the back end away from the lens.
Leave the lid off the box until the movie starts
Step 3. Position the shoe box so that the lens is facing a clear white wall
You will need a clear wall to play the film, and it should be painted white or another very light color. Remove any wall decorations that may interfere with the image when you play the movie.
- If you want to watch a movie outside at night, you can also use a wall or garage door as a movie screen, as these are usually solid walls with no windows.
- If you don't want to remove wall decorations or find a clear wall to the outside, you can simply fasten a plain white sheet to an inside wall using thumb tacks or nails.
Step 4. Start playing a video from the movie player application
Choose a movie to play in the app you downloaded. Start the movie and check if the image is sharp or not. If it isn't, pause the movie while you make any necessary adjustments on the projector.
Step 5. Move the bracket closer to the lens, inside the box, as needed
If the image is not clear, bring the bracket and the device closer to the lens inside the projector, until the image is clear. If you zoom in too closely, the image may become blurry again.
Move the bracket and the device back and forth inside the projector case, until you get a sharp image. Leave the bracket where the image is sharpest
Step 6. Zoom the box in or out to adjust the image size
If you want the movie image to appear larger on the wall, move the box back a few inches or centimeters. If the image is too big for the wall, move the projector closer.