An overhead projector projects enlarged images of transparencies onto a screen. It consists of a lamp, lens, and mirror that reflects the image on the transparency up towards the screen. The presenter can see the transparency and the audience sees the enlarged projected image. Overhead projectors were commonly used in classrooms but have declined in use due to the rise of digital projection technologies like PowerPoint that allow for more interactive presentations.

2. DEFINITION
a projector having a flat, transparent top on which a
sheetlike transparency is placed, and an overhead
mirror that reflects the image on the transparency to a
screen
A projector capable of projecting enlarged images of
written or pictorial material onto a screen or wall from
a transparency placed horizontally below the projector
and lighted from underneath.

3. MECHANISM
 An overhead projector typically consists of a large box
containing a very bright lamp and a fan to cool it. On top of
the box is a large fresnel lens that collimates the light. Above
the box, typically on a long arm, is a mirror and lens that
focusses and redirects the light forward instead of up.
 Transparencies are placed on top of the lens for display. The
light from the lamp travels through the transparency and into
the mirror where it is shone forward onto a screen for display.
The mirror allows both the presenter and the audience to see
the image at the same time, the presenter looking down at the
transparency as if writing, the audience looking forward at
the screen. The height of the mirror can be adjusted, to both
focus the image and to make the image larger or smaller
depending on how close the projector is to the screen.

4. FOCAL-LENGTH ADJUSTMENT
Better-quality overhead projectors offer an adjustment
wheel or screw on the body of the projector, to move
the lamp towards or away from the fresnel lens. When
the mirror above the lens is moved too high or too low,
it moves out of the best focal distance for an evenly
white image, resulting in a projected image with either
blue or brown color fringing around the outside edge
of the screen. Turning the adjustment wheel moves the
lamp to correct the focal distance and restores the all-
white projected image.

5. ILLUMINATION
The lamp technology of an overhead projector is typically
very simple compared to a modern LCD or DLP video
projector. Most overheads use an extremely high-power
halogen lamp that may consume up to 750 watts yet
produces a fairly dim, yellowed image. A high-flow
blower is required to keep the bulb from melting itself
due to the heat output. Further, the intense heat usually
causes the halogen lamp to fail quickly, often lasting less
than 100 hours before failing and requiring replacement.
A modern LCD or DLP uses an arc lamp which has a
higher luminous efficacy and lasts for thousands of
hours. A negative to LCD/DLP technology is the warm
up time required for arc lamps.

6. HOW TO USE
 Situate the overhead projector on a low table that is 2 to 3
feet off the floor. Make sure the overhead projector is
plugged into a reliable power source.
 Place an overhead transparency on top of the flat glass
surface of the projector. Transparencies can be written on
directly with a wet erase overhead pen. Alternatively, a
transparency can be fed into a laser printer, and
information from programs such as spreadsheets and
databases can be directly printed on the transparency.

7.  Turn on the overhead projector. Most machines have a large, circular
button on the front for this purpose, but on/off switch locations can
vary.
 Angle the mirror at the top of the projection arm until the image is
properly aligned onto a blank wall or drop-down projection screen
Move the table holding the overhead projector forward or backward (if
necessary) until the projection image approximates the size of the
projection screen or blank wall space.
 Turn the circular knob at the top of the projector arm until the
projected image comes into focus.
 Press the on/off button again when finished with your presentation.
Allow the overhead projector to completely cool down before using it
again.

8.  Older overhead projectors used a tubular quartz lamp body
containing the filament only, which mounted above a bowl-
shaped polished reflector. However because the lamp was
suspended above and outside the reflector, a large amount of
light was cast to the sides inside the projector body that was
wasted and required a very large lamp for sufficient screen
illumination. More recent projectors use an integrated lamp
and conical reflector assembly that allows the lamp to be
located deep within the reflector so that more light is
focused towards the fresnel lens, allowing for a lower-power
lamp.
 The most recent innovation for overhead projectors with
integrated lamps/reflectors is the quick-swap dual-lamp
control, allowing two lamps to be installed in the projector in
movable sockets. If one lamp fails during a presentation, the
presenter can merely move a lever to slide the spare into
position and continue with the presentation, without
needing to open the projection unit or waiting for the failed
bulb to cool before replacing it.

9. Guidelines and Tips
Practice giving your presentation using your visual aids to check
out how well they project. This is a good time to also check for
spelling errors. Have a friend sit and watch your presentation
and make notes on any problems or needed improvements
with your visual aids. Practice using your overhead
transparencies so you will be comfortable with handling them
correctly.
Stand off to one side of the overhead projector while you face
the audience - Too many people stand between the overhead
projector and the screen causing a shadow of the presenter's
body. Standing to one side will allow the audience to see you
as the presenter and will prevent you from blocking their view
of your visual aid.

10. Do not face the "projected" image on the screen -
Face your audience and not the screen. Many
presenters face the screen and end up talking to the
screen.
Cover the transparency when you are done using it-
with an opaque piece of cardboard (I usually mount a
solid sheet of paper on one of my transparency
frames). You may also turn off the projector
completely, but beware, this can cause the projector
bulb to burn out sooner.
Bring a spare bulb!-Nothing is more unsettling than to
have your overhead projector bulb burn out during
your presentation. Bring spare bulbs and a glove to
change the bulb. The old bulb will be HOT! Make
sure you know how to change the bulb. CAUTION:
Remember HOT glass looks the same as cold glass!

11. Place the overhead to your RIGHT if you are right
handed and to your LEFT if you are left handed-
This will make it easier for you to face your audience
and write if you need to. In either case, you want to
stand in the center of the speaking area and face the
audience when you speak.
Place your overhead projector on a table low enough
so it does not block you or the screen. Have a small
table next to the overhead so you can stack your
overheads before and after you use them.
Place your screen on a diagonal instead of directly
behind you-this will assure that you do not block
the view for your audience. Also, have the top of the
screen tilted forward towards the overhead projector
(if possible) to prevent the "keystone" effect (This is
where the top of the image is larger than the
bottom).

12. Tape the power chord to the floor-to protect you or
someone else from tripping. As the presenter,
tripping over the chord and falling, although
humorous, is one large gesture you would prefer to
avoid.
Store your overhead transparencies in a sturdy box
or container so they will stay clean and protected
for the next time you need them. Label the box and
include a "clean" copy of your handouts in the box.
This will make it easier for you the next time you give
your award winning presentation again.

13. USES IN EDUCATION
The overhead projector facilitates an easy low-cost
interactive environment for educators. Teaching
materials can be pre-printed on plastic sheets, upon
which the educator can directly write using a non-
permanent, washable color marking pen. This saves
time, since the transparency can be pre-printed and
used repetitively, rather than having materials written
manually before each class.

14.  The overhead is typically placed at a comfortable writing
height for the educator and allows the educator to face the
class, facilitating better communication between the
students and teacher. The enlarging features of the
projector allow the educator to write in a comfortable small
script in a natural writing position rather than writing in an
overly large script on a blackboard and having to constantly
hold his arm out in midair to write on the blackboard.
 When the transparency sheet is full of written or drawn
material, it can simply be replaced with a new, fresh sheet
with more pre-printed material, again saving class time vs a
blackboard that would need to be erased and teaching
materials rewritten by the educator. Following the class
period, the transparencies are easily restored to their
original unused state by washing off with soap and water.

15. DECLINE IN USE
Overhead projectors were once a common fixture in most
classrooms and business conference rooms, but today are
slowly being replaced by document cameras, dedicated
computer projection systems and interactive whiteboards.
Such systems allow users to make animated, interactive
presentations with movement and video, typically using
software like Microsoft PowerPoint.
The primary reason for this gradual replacement is the deeply
ingrained use of computing technology in modern society
and the inability of overheads to easily support the features
that modern users demand. While an overhead can display
static images fairly well, it performs poorly at displaying
moving images. The LCD video display panels that were
once used have fallen out of favor due to the limited
resolution available and relatively dim, fuzzy image
produced by the overhead.

16.  The standards of users have also increased, so that a
dim, fuzzy overhead projection that is too bright in the
center and too dim around the edges is no longer
acceptable. The optical focus, linearity, brightness and
clarity of an overhead generally cannot match that of a
video projector primarily due to the plastic fresnel
lens, which can only approximate what would
normally be an extremely large and heavy glass lens.
 Video projectors utilize extremely small picture
generation mechanisms, allowing for precision optics
that far exceed the plastic fresnel lens' optical
performance. They also include additional optics that
eliminate the hotspot in the center of the screen
directly above the light source, so that the brightness is
uniform everywhere on the projection screen.

17. Critics feel that there are some downsides as these
technologies are more prone to failure and have a
much steeper learning curve for the user than a
standard overhead projector. While a computer
projection system eliminates the need to create hard
copy transparencies (which can be quite expensive,
particularly if made in color) of the slide show
presentation, many presenters make both in case the
computer hardware fails. Furthermore, the overhead
projector allows a more direct interaction through live
writing on the transparency.