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[DeamonMachine]

Well, quick history, me and the wifey have found a house we like, working on buying it etc..

So, for my non-stop planning, I have a projector and some movie screen we took from an old movie theater before they tore it down. It's about 15 ft wide by 12ft tall. I plan on trimming it down some to fit in the computer room/movie room of our new house, but that's beside the point.

I would like to make a powered movie screen dropper thing, or reel.

I wanted suggestions on some of the problems i've run into.  What would be a good pipe or thing to roll it up on. I was thinking PVC, or maybe a small steel tube, I'd prefer PVC (cheaper), but I'm not sure it will support the weight well at 8 - 10 feet wide.

The other was the method of rolling. I have a window motor out of a BMW 525i that I took apart (The regulator broke, so i got a free motor). It's definately strong enough to roll up the screen, I'm just trying to think of a good gearing method. The motor looks mostly like a big screw, So a gear at a 90 degree angle to it would work nicely, but should I maybe use more than one gear? or one big gear..

And also how would be the best way to wire it. It ran off of 12v in the car (unknown no amperage) So i was thinking of canabalizing a 12v DC adapter. The power hookup to the motor is only 2 pole coil. Just reverse the polarity to go in the other direction.

Sorry for my unintellagable rant, but any suggestions would be great.

[damaged]

For the pipe, I'd suggest galvanized electrical conduit. It's cheaper and lighter weight than the sh*t you'd find in the plumbing section, but should be more than strong enough for what you want. You can find it at any hardware store.

[divideByZero]

+1 to the conduit, black pipe (gas lines) may be a better solution if weight isnt a concern though, cast iron dosent bend.

the window motor probly draws at least 5a at +12v, so a wall wart would probaly be out of the question.

[KoRn Addict]

For power, get one of those cheapa$$ computer PSUs. You should be able to get enough amperage out of one of their 12v lines.

[blafrisch]

For power, get one of those cheapa$$ computer PSUs. You should be able to get enough amperage out of one of their 12v lines.

I use old AT power supplies for a lot of things, this sounds like yet another valid purpose.  Last time I needed one I went to a mom n pop repair shop and got 2 for $1 a piece.

[urgannagru]

Copper pipe = nearly as cheap as pvc but much stronger
See also:
Metal Curtain Rod
Cheap metal closet rods (8' can be found at Home Depot for like $5-$10, fairly strong. Light and hollow)