I Created My Own Mobile Cinema

This summer I wanted to do something new. Whilst repairing a DLP projector I realized it would be a waste to only enjoy the powerful projector in the comforts of my own little room. I wanted to create a set-up that was able to be placed anywhere. After some research I found that it would be really hard to fund a project like this with a student loan. Luckily for me Lenovo was willing to sponsor me which made me able to live out a dream. This is how I created my own mobile cinema.

I wanted to have an crisp and bright image so I could use the cinema outside. This meant that I would probably need a better projector than the 3500 ANSI Lumen I was repairing at the time. After some research I decided to get a Acer P7605 projector. This projector is relatively cheap, has 5000 ANSI Lumen, full HD and has a high contrast ratio.

Since the world hasn't got power outlets in every tree I decided to connect the projector to a big battery pack. After some calculation I figured that 4x 12V batteries of 100AH each would do the job. Next to this, to convert the 12v DC to the 230AC the set-up would also need a converter.

Most importantly all of this equipment needed to be transported and protected. The easiest and cheapest thing I could think of was a simple trash can. It has wheels, enough space to house all the materials and it's quite sturdy.

Of course the projector would also need a surface to project upon. It would have been possible to create a foldable screen of my own. But it would have been way heavier and bigger. I found a mobile screen which packs in a nice little flight case and folds out to a 406cm * 254cm screen.

For audio I have two different options. I can use my large speakers to really create a cinema experience or if the location is public and creating noise after dark is prohibited I can switch to an FM-signal.

The FM option make it possible to place the cinema literally anywhere and it is also my favorite.

Shoppinglist

1x high-end projector 2.000
4x 100AH 12V batteries 500
1x Pure sine wave converter 350
1x battery charger 200
1x foldable screen 1.100

Total: 4.150

The setup is actually really simple. I grabbed a set of jump-start cables, cut away parts of the isolation and connected it to the batteries and the power inverter. I used jump-start cables because they can handle the high amperage and are really cheap.

I made some little plateaus for the batteries and projector to stand on and connected a gas cylinder to keep the trash can from closing.

It's as simple as that.

These are few pictures of the first two editions I hosted. Both of them were held around an old church/factory. I'm always looking for new locations or events, so hit me up if you know any. I'm currently based in the Netherlands but I look forward to hosting in different countries.