Remote Control LCD Screen Button Presser

Background

I was recording my lectures for the Technical Entrepreneurship Capstone (TE Capstone) Course at Lehigh University using the Panopto Software.

The problem was that I could only either record the presenter or the audience; there was no easy way to switch between the video feeds. I thought switching to the students would make the viewing experience more personal, especially for the Active-Collaborative Learning (ACL) portions of the course.

I rigged up this quick and dirty device that would allow me to easily change the feeds while still lecturing and walking through the hall using a remote control.

It is built from parts I got on Amazon. I have placed affiliate links below to the parts used in the project.

The ability to change video ended up helping me to write my paper on student engagement during large lectures: More info here

YouTube Video

Pictures of the Device

All of the parts are hot glued together including the tips. The wires are simply held together using wire nuts. I used a Panavise (linked below) to hold and position the presser with a little bit of tape on the base to hold it to the podium.

You can space the solenoids as you need and even add multiple rows.

Amazon Links to Parts Used

Please use the links below to access the parts on Amazon (or to buy similar or unrelated items). They are affiliate links so I get a small cut to support these projects but you pay the same price! Thanks!

(click image for to go directly to Amazon)

Presser tips