To make this project we need just a few components but more manual work. The electronics list is very small, the rest are just wood parts, glass, glue, ect. See the full part list below with waht I've used. You can always choose a different photo frame, different size, wood, tripod, etc.

We need:

• 1 x LCD + HDMI driver: LINK eBay
• 12V 2A DC adaptor: LINK eBay
• DC to DC connectors: LINK eBay
• 1 x HDMI cable: LINK eBay
• 1 x Ball camera support: LINK eBay
• 1 x Tripod: LINK eBay
• Black material (use Tshirt): LINK eBay
• Plywood: Buy Locally
• Glass (photo frame): LINK eBay (or buy locally)
• Glue: LINK eBay
• Extra wire, solder, soldering-iron, tools, etc

The connections are very simple. Just connect the data strip from the HDMI driver to the LCD. Also connect the 2 cabes with power for the LCD. You can extra add the menu buttons, but we usually won't need that for this project. Then connect the 12V supply to the input and output DC connectors. Make sure you won't connect it with invers poalrity! Add the HDMI cable between the driver and PC.

First we need to mesure the glass taht we will use, because that will give the size of the prompter. I have the glass from a simple photo frame. Just remove the back and get out the glass. In my case the glass is 20 by 30 centimeters. The size of the prompter is given by the size of your camera. I will use this prompter with my second camera which is not that big. Imagine a bigger camera, won’t fit inside, so you will have to make your prompter bigger following the same steps but with bigger measurements.

I've used plywood of 4mm thickness. Since my glass is 20 by 30 cm, I cut the base to the same width as the glass, and that is 30cm. The length is a bit bigger, in this case 22cm so the camera support will fit. For the sides I cut two more pieces of 22cm width and 16cm height. The triangles are equilater with a side of 12 cm. Cut also some small parts for reinforcement. The two triangles with 45 degrees angles will support the glass.

Ok, first, I measure the middle of the base plywood. Close to the edge, first screw in place the camera ball support. For that all we need is a screw on the back. Now with the camera in place, I measure more or less where to place the glass so it will stay at 45 degrees without touching the camera lens. I mark the position on the wood. Then I glue in place two small pieces of wood that will act as stops for the glass. Now I measure where to place the 45 degree triangles on the rectangles 16x22cm sides. I mark that on the plywood and then I glue in place the triangles on the sides. Then, when I will add the slides, they will support the glass at 45 degrees. Then I glue the sides, add glue, place some weights so they will stay fixed and let the glue dry. As you can see below, the small stops won't let the glass pass and the triangles will keep the glass at 45 degrees. Add extra glue and small wood parts for reinforcement.

Now we can remove the glass for a while. I flip the entire support and measure where to place the tripode mount. I screw that part in place, close to the camera, since it will be the part that will weight more. At this point you could go and paint the entire plywood interior part black, so it will reflect less light. You could use spray paint for that so it will be easier. Now you could add back the glass and the camera if you want. Make sure you clean the glass before you place it, so it won’t have fingerprints on it. Ok, now we have to add the electronics.

The screen will go on the front part of the plywood base as you can see below. The HDMI driver, I’ll glue that below the base so we have access to the connecters. First, I fix in place the LCD with just a little bit of hot glue around the frame. Make sure it will have the data connection pins on the outer side of the prompter so we could connect the driver below. Now, connect the LCD to the driver. It has the data strip connector and also a 12V connector for light. When the driver is connected, glue that below the plywood. But, make sure it will have enough space between the driver and the tripod. You don’t want the tripod to touch the driver, so measure that before you fix the driver in place. I also glue the power DC connnector on the back side of the prompter, so I can later connect 12V here. Ok, now we can give the setup a test.
 

Connect the HDMI cable to the driver. Power up the board with the 12V DC transformer. Then connect the HDMI cable to the your PC. Then open your internet explorer and go to zacue.com or any other free prompter website. Paste your text here, select the font size, the speed, background color to black and the mirror settings. Then press prompt and the text will start scrolling. Since we have it mirrored, we will see the text in the right direction on the reflection glass. So, the system works, but we need a black background so we better see the text, but also to protect the camera against unwanted light or reflections. Otherwise, we will see reflections in the camera, and we don’t want that.

Final step is to add the black material. Place that over the glass, and also cut it to s smaller size. I glue it all around and leave a hole in the middle so only the camera lens will pass. In this way we wont see the white color of the camera. Now we can place this on a tripod, connect the HDMI cable and start reading the text while recording at the same time. Of course, you could make yours bigger and a lot more better looking. In my case, I just wanted to work. The looks are not important for me if it dose the job.

So guys, I hope that you like this project. You have the part lsit, the website, the sizes for the wood and all the steps here on my website. If you think my work is helping you, consider supporting me on my PATREON page. Thank you very much. Share and like!