How often have you tried to show someone something on your computer or smartphone only to realize that you don’t have a projector handy? Want to know how to project laptop screen to wall without projector?
If you want to share your presentation or document with other people, then you’ll need to get rid of those annoying wires and cables.
Luckily, there are some ways to protect your laptop screen onto a wall using nothing more than a phone charger. You are having a party but the power went out.
Making An Easy DIY Projector
Projectors have been widely adopted by people who want to watch movies on a large scale. Most require connecting them with external speakers for audio output.
Home theater projectors have been gradually replacing TV sets for years now. However, buying a high-quality one can be quite expensive. Hence, doing a self-built projector may be the best option.
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Tools & Materials
You must first gather all the necessary equipment before beginning the process of how to connect a laptop screen to a TV using an HDMI cable. Here are the items needed for your DIY project.
These are all common household goods. If some materials are unavailable, you can substitute some of them with any material at home that will do similar work.
This will allow you to make a DIY laptop or a cardboard phone projector. Once everything is ready, you can begin working on your project.
Don’t worry because you don’t need to be a creative person. All you need to do is follow the cost-effective way how to project a computer monitor onto a wall without using a projector.
Your decisions will just be required when choosing a new material for the list above.
Step 1: Check The Size of The Box And Mirror
First, decide on the size of the box that you want to create. Make sure it’s big enough for your laptop or mobile device and has a magnifying lens. You’ll need a light source to illuminate the inside of the box so that you can see what you’re doing.
Make sure you use the correct projection settings. You should ideally use a large enough projection surface so that you can get the best possible image quality. A larger projection surface also means that you can project onto a wall instead of just a flat surface.
Put the camera in the middle of the narrower side of the box and draw the outline using a pencil. To get a brighter and better picture, you need to use a light source that provides more light rays.
Step 2: Dim The Interior
Using the precise blade, cut open the outer package starting from one corner. This is best accomplished along the side of the package rather than damaging the package itself.
Cover the inside of the container with thick dark paper or dark matt paper. Make certain to cover the entire surface area of the paper. Use adhesive tape to secure the paper in place.
To achieve the desired effect, the black paper will block the interior wall of the box so that they don’t reflect any of the lights inside. This will then create an even darker environment for the projector to project its images onto the screen.
You could also use black spray paints. Simply coat the inside of the box with black spray paints and allow it to dry. Make sure that all adjacent surfaces are coated with black spray paints.
Step 3: Add The Lens
Cut the cardboard so that the holes for the lenses match up perfectly. Then, insert the lenses into the holes.
Step 4: Make A Hole For The Phone
For this part, you will use two boxes, one that has an adjustable focus and another that works with the first one. You will then make them both so they complement each other.
Cut out a piece of cardboard that fits inside the more giant cardboard. Then cut out one edge of the smaller cardboard so that it matches the size of your mobile phone display.
Also, be careful not to use any shiny materials when cutting out the cardboard.
Step 5: Adjust The Other Parts
After finishing the project, you can now adjust its finer details. If you’re using a shoebox the best thing to do is to cut out some parts of the box so it won’t cover any part of the magnification glass.
Step 6: Set Up The Laptop or Phone
When everything is ready, put the laptop into the case. Watch a movie and see the screen size increase until it reaches the maximum size. However, the image will appear upside down without changing any setting.
To create this right, search for an audio recorder on your computer. Open a new project, then name this project. Import the audio file and select it from the Project Library.
Press on Ctrl+R to rotate the screen until the image is upside down. Save this project. Next, the next image that will appear on your computer screen will be upside down, but it will be the right way up when projected onto the screen.
You can simply search for “screen resolution” and press “ENTRY”. If you use a mobile device, turn off the automatic orientation feature and place the device upside down. This will give the same result as if you were working on a laptop.
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Adjusting The Focus
Now test your screen. Play a video and see if the picture is clear enough. If the picture is blurry, move the laptop closer to the screen. Move it until you get the best possible picture.
To get a louder volume, you may want to put the speakers inside a box so they don’t interfere with each other. You could also use a VGA cable to connect them together.
Check if an RCA or HDMI cord is available before buying one. To learn more about VGAs, check out our dedicated page for VGA maximum resolutions here.
Using Flashlight As Projector
We’ve found another fun way to project an LCD screen onto a large surface without a projector. It involves using a Fresnel lens and a light source.
With the help of the aforementioned tool, use the flashlight to project an image onto the wall. Adjust the focus until the image looks good.
With these DIY projectors, there’s no longer any reason for you to choose between buying projectors or not. You can enjoy watching movies at home or at parties without worrying about whether they’ll be good enough.
These DIY projectors will also be able to display images outdoors, but they won’t look nearly as good as commercial projectors.
Conclusion
Watching movies even without the aid of a movie theater is possible. We’ve compiled the best ways to project a laptop onto a surface without a projection system.
You can do it yourself by using a box, a mirror, and your laptop or smartphone. This will create an enlarged image just like what your home cinema setup does.
FAQs
Q 1. What are the other alternatives for a projector?
A. If you don’t want to buy a projector, there are other ways to create an enlarged image on the wall. For example, you could create a DIY projector using a DIY projector box with the help of a flashlight. Or you could also create an enlarged image using a Fresnel (lenticular) sheet.
Q 2. What programs can I use to set up my phone as a projector?
A. You can install apps that let you project from your smartphone onto any surface using an HDMI cable. Here are some examples of these apps: MultiPresenter, Clickshare, Epson projector, and Panasonic wireless projector.
