CUT THE CORD...Or AT LEAST STOP TRIPPING OVER IT (PART 2)

So you read Part 1 of this blog and if you are reading Part 2 now, I’m assuming you are ready for a DIY project to make this rear projector set up a reality in your gym!
 
Well, first you’ll need to take a trip to Home Depot/Lowes and get yourself the materials.  Here is what I used:

Screen  

• 1 Frosted Shower Curtain (measuring 72”x72”)
• 1” Diameter PVC Pipe (probably will need to buy 2 10-foot sections and then cut)
• 4 1” PVC End Caps
• Eye Bolts (enough for as many grommets as there are on your curtain)
• Zip Ties
• Duct Tape

 
Brackets

• Flat Aluminum Bar (1/8” diameter thickness works well)
• 2 Nuts (that fit the diameter of the excess of the bolts out the back of the basketball hoop)
• 4 Washers (that fit the diameter of the excess of the bolts out the back of the basketball hoop)

 
Tools

• Drill and Drill Bits
• Hacksaw/Circular Saw/Miter Saw (any of these are fine)
• Saw Horses
• Wrench
• Tape Measure
• Pen/Marker
• Step Stool

 
To Make the Brackets:
Measure out 8 inches of the flat aluminum bar and mark it off.  Make a cut using a hacksaw/circular saw/miter saw on that line.  Do this twice since we will need 2 brackets.  I was lucky enough to have a 16" section laying around that I could just cut in half.

Line to cut the aluminum to size.

Before we do anything else, we need to know the diameter of those exposed bolts coming out from the back of the basketball hoop.  Use a ladder/step stool and a tape measure to measure the diameter of the exposed bolts.  That measurement is the size of the nuts you need to buy. In my situation, the exposed bolts were 5/16” in diameter, so I bought 2 5/16” diameter nuts.
 
Next we need to measure where to drill the hole for where the brackets will slip over top of the exposed bolt on the back of the basketball hoop.  Mark a spot on centered on the flat aluminum bar about 2.5" down from the top.  Repeat this on the other piece of aluminum.

Markings for holes to be drilled.

The hole you drill into your aluminum brackets needs to be a bit bigger than the diameter of the bolts because you want it to slide right through and not catch the threads.  In my situation, I used a 1/2” diameter drill bit to make the hole.  Drill it through the mark you just made on both pieces of aluminum.

Holes drilled into the aluminum for where the excess bolts on the backside of the basketball hoop will pass through.

Now we need to get ready to bend the aluminum into an “L/V” type shape so the top PVC pipe holding the screen can sit right in the crease.  Measure a spot about 1.5” down from the hole and make a line across the aluminum at this spot.  This will be your bend point.
 
Take your 2 pieces of aluminum out to the curb outside your house.  Line up the bend point line with the edge of the curb so that one end of the aluminum is on top of the curb and the far end is sticking out.  Apply pressure with your hands to both sides of the aluminum bar until the end that was sticking out bends into your desired shape.  Repeat this for the other piece of aluminum and you have finished creating your custom brackets!

Bent brackets after applying pressure along the curb.

Securing the Brackets to the Back of the Basketball Hoop:
Set up your ladder underneath of the hoop.  Put a washer on each of the exposed bolts coming from the back of the hoop so the brackets have a flat surface to press up against.
 
Slide each of your brackets on to the exposed bolts.  Slide the brackets down until the are up against the washers.
 
Place the other 2 washers on the bolts as well and slide them down until they are up against the brackets.  You should now have a “bracket sandwich” (Washer-Bracket-Washer).
 
Take the 2 nuts and hand thread them on the exposed bolts.  Use a correct sized wrench to tighten them down in order to secure the brackets in place.  Ensure the brackets are perpendicular before tightening down all the way.

Your brackets are now good to go!

Attached brackets side view.

Attached brackets backside view.

To Make the Screen:
To make the screen, start by cutting the 1” PVC pipe to desired lengths.  These will be for what we attach the frosted shower curtain to at the top and bottom.  Your cuts need to be at least as wide as your shower curtain.  I left a few inches sticking out on either end as well.
 
Once your cuts are made to the PVC, tape the shower curtain to one of the PVC pipes you cut.  Make sure the curtain is centered on the pipe and it is taught.  This will be your guide as to where to drill your holes for the eye bolts to secure to the curtain to the top PVC pipe.  Mark a hole in the center of each grommet hole on the PVC pipe.  Try to make sure your markings are going in a straight line from beginning to the end of the pipe.  Repeat this for all of the grommets. 
 
Remove the shower curtain template and then begin drilling your holes for your eye bolts.  Make sure you are using a proper sized drill bit for the diameter of your eye bolts.

Once all of the holes are drilled, hand screw an eye bolt into a hole until they are snug.
 
Stretch out your frosted shower curtain.  Take the other PVC pipe you cut (the one without the eye bolts) and center it at the bottom of the shower curtain (the non-grommet side).  Roll the bottom of the shower curtain up like a burrito with the PVC inside until you get some overlap.
 
Duct tape the bottom of the shower curtain to itself to create a little sleeve for the bottom piece of PVC to sit in.  This will help to ensure the screen is pretty taught and stretched out for better viewing. 
 
Zip tie the top of the curtain to the PVC pipe with the eye bolts in it by using zip ties to secure the grommets to the eye bolts.  Repeat for all eye bolts.  Cut the ends of the zip ties at desired length.

Place the end caps on the PVC pipes and you are done with the screen build!

Eye Hooks along top pipe with zip ties securing the shower curtain grommets.

Bottom of the screen "burrito roll."

Use a step stool to place your screen on the brackets, set the projector up behind the screen, change its settings to project from the rear and BOOM!  You are ready to rock!

Finished product!