How to Make a Homemade SMART Board

You can make a $60 substitute for the SMART Board, which costs thousands of dollars, as long as you already have a computer and an electronic computer projector. This substitute is not perfect, but it is easy enough to do with a program written by Johnny Lee and released on YouTube and later presented at the TED conference. This activity is written to work with PCs with the Windows operating system.

Things You'll Need

• Wii remote
• Batteries
• Bluetooth dongle
• Internet access
• PC (running Windows)
• Small pen flashlight with single LED bulb protruding out the tip
• De-soldering bulb and soldering iron
• Large wall
• Infrared bulb from the tip of an old remote control

Instructions

1. Add batteries to your infrared Wii remote, called a Wiimote, so it is ready to use. Turn on the Wiimote by pressing and holding down the power button until the blue lights turn on to test the batteries. Turn off the Wiimote.

2. Buy a Bluetooth dongle if your computer does not come Bluetooth enabled. Follow the instructions that come with the dongle to install the software onto your computer. To find a dongle with a Wiimote-compatible driver, go to Wiimoteproject.com and see what the latest updates indicate for compatibility (see Resources section).

3. Download the software on Johnny Lee's website (see Resources section). Install the software on your computer.

4. Build a pen for the board. Start with a small pen flashlight that has a single LED bulb protruding out of the tip. Open the flashlight and pull out the original LED bulb. This may require you to de-solder the leads to the LED bulb by heating the solder and using a de-soldering bulb to suck up the melted solder. Solder an infrared bulb from the tip of an old remote control into the location where the LED was located. Put the flashlight back together.

5. Get a projector and turn it on with the computer screen projected onto a solid surface, like a wall. Turn on the software from Johnny Lee and the Wiimote. Place the Wiimote so that it can sense the entire screen but so that it doesn't get obstructed by you as you use the pen you made. Calibrate the Wiimote to the screen by touching the flashlight to the dots on the corners that will appear on the screen and flashing the infrared light on at these locations.

Tips & Warnings

• You can alter the switch on the flashlight so it is a momentary switch that is only on when you touch the button. Do not block the view of the screen from the Wiimote.

• Make sure your computer meets the specifications on Johnny Lee's website before doing any of these steps. Do not do this where outside interference can disrupt the signal (like near a sunny window).

References

• Johnny Lee's TED Conference Talk
• Johnny Lee's Website
• IR Pen Used With Wiimote

Resources

• Whiteboard Driver
• Compatibility of Dongles