Film Viewer V0

I have been interested in the physical qualities of films for a while. Seeing some old 35mm negatives in the corner of my room, I wanted to explore making a projector-like machine. To start off, I created a film viewer that rotates a 35mm film strip on a spool and shines light from the middle. My original concept of the device looked something like the sketch on the right.

My first step was to prototype the enclosure using cardboard. With a template for the laser cutter, I was able to quickly test out my plans and make any adjustments necessary, such as the height of the component attached to the servo motor.

I used the 3D printer to print a model of a 35mm film spool with sprocket holes that can hold and move film strips. Then, using the adjusted template, I cut out my panels using the laser cutter—top and bottom panels from acrylic and the main panel from wood.

Once I had my components ready, it was time for me to breadboard and code on the Arduino. I soldered wires to switches and LEDs so that they could reach the breadboard from the enclosure’s panel. Then, I used the drill press, drill, and dremel to securely mount the switch, button, and potentiometer to the main panel. One of the biggest challenges when putting all of the parts together was to keep the wires organized and prevent them from snapping.

And here’s the final product! Check out the video below to see it in action.