Non Profit DIY: Teleprompter

Jerry Markham and Tom Stagg designed and built a homemade teleprompter for the American Cancer Society High Plains video production unit. Says Tom Stagg “We set out to build a teleprompter for under $100, and came in well under budget.”

TOOLS
Tools used were A table saw, router, screwdriver, drill, and sewing machine.
PARTS
Parts were 50/50 beamsplitter glass, wood, screws, hinges, latch,
Velcro strips, canvas.
PROCESS
We used ¼ inch plywood for the base of the chassis, sized to fit our
thinkpad laptop (17”x22”), with 1.5×3/4” strips to support the glass
frame. We use two 1.5” hinges to attach the glass frame, and a swing
hinge with a wingnut to allow variable frame positioning.  We even
used a magnetic latch from the glass door an old stereo rack, and
shock pads on the underside of the glass frame. .We placed rubber feet
on the base, allowing it to be places on a pedestal or shelf for use,
but we wanted the ability to put the whole device on a tripod, so we
routed a channel to fit our tripod using a 2×4. The most technically
difficult part of the process was the routing.  We also routed a 2×4
to receive the tripod foot and hold the camera.  Finally, we painted
it with black spraypaint.  The last step was to create a hood to keep
light off the back side of the glass.  This was made out of medium
weight canvas and Velcro strips, which were sewn to the hood and glued
to the wood.

The unit weighs less than 10 pounds.
We downloaded our software, MirrorScriptPro, at freetelepromptersoftware.com.