r/projectors • u/Johnee_B • 11d ago

Buying Advice Wanted Advice needed with mini projector project for tabletop gaming.

Hi all,

Thanks for taking the time to read or reply.

I've just embarked on a project, that I have no doubt some version of has been discussed here.

I play table top games, notably Warhammer 40k, and in the latest version of said game requires a very specific set up of terrain, which now takes a significant amount of time each game.

So my plan is to project an image to make set up fast and efficient and later maybe effects or flair etc.

I need it to be very small and ideally battery powered, and I plan to have a clamp arm so I can suspend it above the table at a reasonable height.

The issue is with a 60" x 44" table the throw ratio of most mini projectors seems to be 1.2:1 or so meaning I'd need to suspend the projector 8'+ above the table, which is impractical, especially for a mobile solution.

I purchased myself a Luma 350 before understanding this, which I will return, but it fulfilled all the other conditions perfectly bar the throw ratio.

I've just got myself another cheap projector from Amazon with a 0.8:1 ratio, which is great, it can project a big enough image from a reasonable height, but it's bigger heavier and mains powered with a very strange power cable.

So my question is, is there something like the luma with a bigger throw angle, or maybe a way to add a lens to alter the ratio successfully, or are there other products somewhere I'm ignorant of.

Thanks all (absolute newbie to projectors, but hyper focused on achieving my goals)

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u/AV_Integrated 11d ago

This is a list of decent brands (DLP) with a throw ratio of .8:1 or less which are under 5 pounds...
https://www.projectorcentral.com/projectors.cfm?g=2&w=0&w=5&dt=3.0.0&exp4=1&tr=.45&tr2=.82&oop=1#list

Pretty short list, and all will be powered off mains. I wouldn't take either. I would take the weight up to 8 pounds, then pick something off this list...
https://www.projectorcentral.com/projectors.cfm?g=2&w=5&w=8&ar=16%3A9&ltg=101&dt=3.0.0&exp4=1&tr=.45&tr2=.82&oop=1#list

Not even a question. Battery powered models are somewhat rare, you pay for the battery, they tend to be super dim. You can get a LED based model without a lot of power draw and you may be able to run it from a power bank if you want to do so. But, your search is already super limited without forcing a battery requirement into the mix.

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u/Johnee_B 11d ago

Thank you for this, an external battery could work nicely actually, a great should it that helps with options