I once had a job where most of the managers had more than one monitor on their desks. I had never seen this before, but my boss told me that it makes work so much easier being able to extend their range of vision. She reported it was much easier than clicking in and out of windows. Well, now, thanks to Adafruit, you can make your own portable 7″ monitor with a HDMI display backpack and a 3D printed enclosure. It may not be as big as your main monitor, but it sure works well for any number of extra preoccupations you may have (like Twitter or Minecraft), or, like I said, a backup work monitor. And it’s inexpensive: at under $100, how can you go wrong?
In fact, this monitor works well not only as a backup for work projects, but you can connect it to a Raspberry Pi, or use it as a preview monitor on a camera… there are many uses. The project relies on Adafruit’s HDMI 7 ” display backpack which has TFP401 for decoding video, with a satisfactory screen resolution of 800 x 480. (There’s also a touch screen feature available if you use AR1100 USB resistive touch screen driver.) Adafruit’s webpage lists the other parts you need: 2 x SPBD Slide Switch; UBEC DC/DC Step-down; a JST extension; a camcorder battery holder; 1/4 ” to 3/8 ” convert screw adapter for tripod; 1/4 ” mount adapter to video camcorder hot shoe; and a Phillip flathead #4 – 40 x 3/8.
The 3D printed case consists of two 3D printed parts available as STL files here from Adafruit on the Thingiverse website. Both parts can be printed using any filament (ABS or PLA) without support at 10% infill; the printing takes about four and a half hours. These two parts are held together with machine screws. The original solids can be modified in the CAD files if you want to customize this project. Of course, you can also print any color and use other filament types too, like Nylon, copperFill, bambooFill, Semiflex, or PET. The only place where tolerances matter here is for the mounting holes and the port cutouts. Also, you should test fit the parts by placing the top enclosure over the Raspberry Pi and see if the cutouts fit over the USB and ethernet ports. A filing tool can also be used if the cutout turns out not to fit correctly.
For the rest of the project, the assembly instructions are pretty straightforward. You basically make sure everything fits together after you’ve printed your case and assembled all parts, while adjusting to fit any kinks. Voila! You have successfully made your own portable HDMI display monitor in a short amount of time for under $100. How can you beat that, right? Let us know if you take on this project in the 3D Printed HDMI Monitor forum thread on 3DPB.com.
Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter
Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.
You May Also Like
Zeda Opens 3D Printing Facility in Cincinnati to Serve Regulated Industries
Today, California-based Zeda, Inc. announced that it has officially opened the doors to its new 75,000-square-foot advanced manufacturing facility in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company, which rebranded to Zeda from PrinterPrezz...
3D Printing Webinar & Event Roundup: May 21, 2023
There are several conferences and trade shows to tell you about in this week’s roundup, along with a few webinars as well. Materialise will discuss what’s new in Magics, 3D...
3D Printing Webinar & Event Roundup: May 14, 2023
It’s another busy week of webinars and events! The Additive Manufacturing Coalition is having its first Fly-In, and Velo3D is taking its roadshow to the UK, while Creat3D is holding...
Unlocking the Possibilities of 3D Printing with PAEK Polymers
Since the explosion of high-temperature material extrusion 3D printers began taking place, polyaryletherketone (PAEK) has been the polymer family on everyone’s lips. This is thanks in large part to British...
Print Services
Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.