DIY Smartphone Mirror Pod
We live in a world today where we can take photos anytime we want.But being not in a group picture of your friends is quite dissappointing.,And it can be possible if you bring a mono-pod or tripod along with you.Or ask someone to take the picture for you and your group.,In this project,comes where the same principle was applied and i made it compact,easy to carry and i think this will work on other phones too.A detachable mirror that took selfie or group pictures that brings yourself in along in the group picture.
This instructable will show you how to build this pocket size mirror pod able to capture both landscape and portrait images.
•This project can be also use on Android and other phone models.
This instructable will show you how to build this pocket size mirror pod able to capture both landscape and portrait images.
•This project can be also use on Android and other phone models.
Materials and Tools
•Mirror 20mm x 30mm
•E.V.A foam 80mm x 120mm
•Quick dry epoxy
•Masking tape
•Velcro tape (optional)
Tools:
•Ruler
•45 degree triangle
•Exacto knife
•Pencil
For Glass Cutting:
•Glass Cutter
•kerosene or glass oil
•Metal ruler
•Sandstone
•Meter tape
-or order a premade glass on any Glass Custom Made Shop
Steps on Glass Cutting
•skip this step if you already have the mirror.
•you only need 1 piece of 20mm x 30mm mirror for the project.
•mirrors found on crystal disco light ball can be used for this project.
1.Measure 20mm x30mm from a piece of scrap mirror (at least 90mm x 90mm
2.In the image below showing the preparation of 90mmx90mm for easy cutting the desired size of 20mm x 30mm.
3.Make a shallow scoring on mirror using "glass cutter" following the image shown below.
4.After making the shallow scorelines on the mirror.Place it on flat surface along the edge of a table.
5.Snap the mirror by applying a quick force downward(as seen on image)
6.Finish it by sanding the sharp edges of the mirror using sandstone.(be careful mirrors are very sharp).
NOTE:Wear safety glasses when cutting mirrors.
•Glass cutting tutorials:
https://youtu.be/rQaLV35HQEU
•you only need 1 piece of 20mm x 30mm mirror for the project.
•mirrors found on crystal disco light ball can be used for this project.
1.Measure 20mm x30mm from a piece of scrap mirror (at least 90mm x 90mm
2.In the image below showing the preparation of 90mmx90mm for easy cutting the desired size of 20mm x 30mm.
3.Make a shallow scoring on mirror using "glass cutter" following the image shown below.
4.After making the shallow scorelines on the mirror.Place it on flat surface along the edge of a table.
5.Snap the mirror by applying a quick force downward(as seen on image)
6.Finish it by sanding the sharp edges of the mirror using sandstone.(be careful mirrors are very sharp).
NOTE:Wear safety glasses when cutting mirrors.
•Glass cutting tutorials:
https://youtu.be/rQaLV35HQEU
The Mirror Bezel
Steps in Mirror Bezel making:
1.You will need at least 80mm x 120mm foam for the entire mirror housing.
2.Cut 25mm x 45mm foam as mirror bezel.One end should be cut 45 degree slice(see image below)
3.Place your precut 20mm x 30mm mirror as template guide on top of 25mmx45mm foam.Mark the foam using mirror as your template guide.
4.Cut the template markings on foam using your exacto knife.
5.Fit your mirror on bezel you just made,if it fits correctly.,Place it on flat surface and glue all the edges of mirror on foam bezel.And cover the backside of the mirror using your excess cut from the bezel you just made.(as seen on image).
6.Use the mirror in bezel as template guide for preparation of its body.Important to put masking tape on the mirror to cover it.,to avoid accidental spillage of epoxy on mirror while building the entire bezel body.
7.Make sure to position the mirror in bezel at 45degrees on its body(as seen on image).
8.Preparation and measurement of the left,right panels and base are showned on image below.
9.Adding velcro tape is an option to add stability on mirror and securely attach mirror on your smartphone case.
10.Adding heel is a must for stability.
1.You will need at least 80mm x 120mm foam for the entire mirror housing.
2.Cut 25mm x 45mm foam as mirror bezel.One end should be cut 45 degree slice(see image below)
3.Place your precut 20mm x 30mm mirror as template guide on top of 25mmx45mm foam.Mark the foam using mirror as your template guide.
4.Cut the template markings on foam using your exacto knife.
5.Fit your mirror on bezel you just made,if it fits correctly.,Place it on flat surface and glue all the edges of mirror on foam bezel.And cover the backside of the mirror using your excess cut from the bezel you just made.(as seen on image).
6.Use the mirror in bezel as template guide for preparation of its body.Important to put masking tape on the mirror to cover it.,to avoid accidental spillage of epoxy on mirror while building the entire bezel body.
7.Make sure to position the mirror in bezel at 45degrees on its body(as seen on image).
8.Preparation and measurement of the left,right panels and base are showned on image below.
9.Adding velcro tape is an option to add stability on mirror and securely attach mirror on your smartphone case.
10.Adding heel is a must for stability.
Camera App
The Camera App:
1.You can use the default camera app of your smartphone as long it has a "timer feature".(sample shot is shown below),had glare issue on top and bottom of the image captured.,this issues can be resolved in two ways.
A.Just crop the image capture and rotate it.
B.Or by adding few millimeters on your mirror.I tested mirror size of 25mm x 35mm resolved the issue.
2.Or use the "CaseCam" the app designed and calibrated for this accesory.
3.Other App with timer are available for free like"Camera Awesome" and many more.
NOTE: I think this project will work on Android devices too using the default camera.
App links:
•Casecam
https://itunes.apple.com/ph/app/casecam/id982537044?mt=8
•Camera Awesome
https://itunes.apple.com/ph/app/camera-awesome/id420744028?mt=8
•Apology for Android users because i dont have android phone yet.,you can suggest a suitable app for this type of project by leaving it in a comment sections.And I would highly appreciate it if you do.
1.You can use the default camera app of your smartphone as long it has a "timer feature".(sample shot is shown below),had glare issue on top and bottom of the image captured.,this issues can be resolved in two ways.
A.Just crop the image capture and rotate it.
B.Or by adding few millimeters on your mirror.I tested mirror size of 25mm x 35mm resolved the issue.
2.Or use the "CaseCam" the app designed and calibrated for this accesory.
3.Other App with timer are available for free like"Camera Awesome" and many more.
NOTE: I think this project will work on Android devices too using the default camera.
App links:
•Casecam
https://itunes.apple.com/ph/app/casecam/id982537044?mt=8
•Camera Awesome
https://itunes.apple.com/ph/app/camera-awesome/id420744028?mt=8
•Apology for Android users because i dont have android phone yet.,you can suggest a suitable app for this type of project by leaving it in a comment sections.And I would highly appreciate it if you do.
Using the App
How to use the Camera App
Since this project uses the principles in Mirror.,the subject you are focusing and capturing is "Inverted" always.
To fix this-simply Rotate your captured image using your default camera app or use your favorite image processing app.
Note:
•The casecam app
•Calibrated and designed for Mirror capturing
-notice the black side on left and right in Portrait mode.
•Change orientation easily by tapping it's logo on the app itself.
•Syncing feature-view what your smartphone view on other sync devices.
•has no feature of correcting the orientation of the subject you are capturing.But the end result is satisfying once you rotated it.
•no prebuilt image processing feature
•Image shown here are casecam app in Portrait and Landscape mode in 24ft distance.
•Sorry if i don't took my selfie for sample images shown here.
Since this project uses the principles in Mirror.,the subject you are focusing and capturing is "Inverted" always.
To fix this-simply Rotate your captured image using your default camera app or use your favorite image processing app.
Note:
•The casecam app
•Calibrated and designed for Mirror capturing
-notice the black side on left and right in Portrait mode.
•Change orientation easily by tapping it's logo on the app itself.
•Syncing feature-view what your smartphone view on other sync devices.
•has no feature of correcting the orientation of the subject you are capturing.But the end result is satisfying once you rotated it.
•no prebuilt image processing feature
•Image shown here are casecam app in Portrait and Landscape mode in 24ft distance.
•Sorry if i don't took my selfie for sample images shown here.
The Result
Image shown here - mirror pod attached on my two different iphone case.
Prototype
Before i proceed to make this project.,i start it by testing my mirrors on cardboard and using different camera apps on it.
Knowledge Base:Glass Cutter
Glass cutter on ebay
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Score-Professional-Handle-Cutter/dp/B000KZR1KM/ref=zg_bs_12896601_10/188-4441440-1040631
A glass cutter is a tool used to make a shallow score in one surface of a piece of glass that is to be broken in two pieces. The scoring makes a split in the surface of the glass which encourages the glass to break along the score. Regular, annealed glass can be broken apart this way but not tempered glass as the latter tends to shatter rather than breaking cleanly into two pieces.
A glass cutter may use a "Diamond tip" to create the split, but more commonly a small cutting wheel made of hardened steel or "Tungsten Carbide" 4–6 mm in diameter with a V-shaped profile called a "hone angle" is used. The greater the hone angle of the wheel, the sharper the angle of the V and the thicker the piece of glass it is designed to cut. The hone angle on most hand-held glass cutters is 120°, though wheels are made as sharp as 154° for cutting glass as thick as 0.5 inches (13 mm).Their main drawback is that wheels with sharper hone angles will become dull more quickly than their more obtuse counterparts. The effective cutting of glass also requires a small amount of oil (kerosene is often used) and some glass cutters contain a reservoir of this oil which both lubricates the wheel and prevents it from becoming too hot: as the wheel scores, friction between it and the glass surface briefly generates intense heat, and oil dissipates this efficiently. When properly lubricated a steel wheel can give a long period of satisfactory service. However, tungsten carbide wheels have been proven to have a significantly longer life than steel wheels and offer greater and more reproducible penetration in scoring as well as easier opening of the scored glass.
http://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Score-Professional-Handle-Cutter/dp/B000KZR1KM/ref=zg_bs_12896601_10/188-4441440-1040631
A glass cutter is a tool used to make a shallow score in one surface of a piece of glass that is to be broken in two pieces. The scoring makes a split in the surface of the glass which encourages the glass to break along the score. Regular, annealed glass can be broken apart this way but not tempered glass as the latter tends to shatter rather than breaking cleanly into two pieces.
A glass cutter may use a "Diamond tip" to create the split, but more commonly a small cutting wheel made of hardened steel or "Tungsten Carbide" 4–6 mm in diameter with a V-shaped profile called a "hone angle" is used. The greater the hone angle of the wheel, the sharper the angle of the V and the thicker the piece of glass it is designed to cut. The hone angle on most hand-held glass cutters is 120°, though wheels are made as sharp as 154° for cutting glass as thick as 0.5 inches (13 mm).Their main drawback is that wheels with sharper hone angles will become dull more quickly than their more obtuse counterparts. The effective cutting of glass also requires a small amount of oil (kerosene is often used) and some glass cutters contain a reservoir of this oil which both lubricates the wheel and prevents it from becoming too hot: as the wheel scores, friction between it and the glass surface briefly generates intense heat, and oil dissipates this efficiently. When properly lubricated a steel wheel can give a long period of satisfactory service. However, tungsten carbide wheels have been proven to have a significantly longer life than steel wheels and offer greater and more reproducible penetration in scoring as well as easier opening of the scored glass.
Final Thoughts
Another project shared here.,The old principle in mirror applied here is promising.And im hoping that someone will develop a project like this that is compatible to all kinds of smartphones.A detachable that fits on any smartphones camera and case.And hoping someone will develop a better app for this type of accesory.,Thank you for reading and hoping you like it.A heart and vote would be highly appreciated.