How would I make a motorized projector screen for my house?

Maheriano · 07-17-2009, 10:41 PM

I see them online for $700 and the manual ones for $250. Is there any way to take a manual screen and make it respond to a remote control or computer output? Or better yet, a light switch? I've got my house wired up for X10 but don't want to dish out that kind of cash for a screen for my projector. Any ideas?

trader007 · 07-17-2009, 11:10 PM

i thought the same thing, they get too much for electric screens. im actually making my screen entirely, using 1" gas pipe inside 3" pvc plumbing tube, the gas pip will extend past the tube just enough to hang hooks there, and ill just roll the pvc tube up myself.

i too have thought about motorizing it... attatch an a/c motor, a simple infrared switch could control a relay to have the motor spin up or down. have limit switches on the bars, so when they meet when its rolled up, the motor loses power. fishing string can be tied between the bars to roll down with the screen, and when the string gets taught it pulls the limit switch, shutting off power when the screen is all the way down.

its a very simple setup, but it would work well.

Maheriano · 07-17-2009, 11:52 PM

Now that's what I'm talking about. Any more information or diagrams for something like that? Part sourcing?

trader007 · 07-18-2009, 12:00 AM

i was hoping someone else could help with that haha. i could make it work, but as for picking out the right parts i would only have a general idea.

i think this motor would work, and be top quality, but $35 still seems too high to me for what we want. http://www.mouser.com/Search/Refine....=motor&FS=True it says it will pull 5lbs continuous, surely that is plenty i would think..

the limit switches and relays are standard stuff, anything would work. ill look around for better value motors, but like i said that one is a good one

GizmoQ · 07-18-2009, 12:22 AM

I made my own in my house in Vegas, but with a twist. The room was already small for a theatre and I wanted life size TV for the NBA finals. I installed a blackout curtain around the window and floor to ceiling vertical blinds along the wall with the window that had a mirror finish on one side which made the room seem huge when not watching the projector. On the back side, I applied the screen material so once I closed the blackout curtain and flipped the blinds to that side, viola, I had a 12 foot by 10 foot screen.

I also found a How-to on the internet for turning any wall into a projector screen that was helpful in doing my vertical blinds.

trader007 · 07-18-2009, 12:24 AM

here is a thread about a couple diy installs. this sounds like a good idea-

"I built a motorized screen completely from automotive parts and it works awesomely. I got a window motor, a window switch, a 12v power supply and a power window module, and I welded a bolt to the end of my aluminum conduit pole. I then put a nut on the bolt, and made a channel that goes around it and blocked it on both ends.

So all I have to do is push the window switch, and the screen comes down, as it comes down the bolt spins and and the nut moves along the bolt, till it gets to the block at the end of the channel, then it can't go anymore so the window module stops the motor. Then I push the up button, and it goes back up, the nut moves back, and then hits the other block and stops again.

Was very simple to put together and works flawlessly. "

http://www.lumenlab.com/forums/index...opic=8526&st=0

Maheriano · 07-23-2009, 04:44 PM

I just found some 16:10 HDTV motorized screens on www.tigerdirect.ca for about $250 so maybe I'll get one of those instead. That's more my price range.

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