DIY Smartphone Mirror Pod

Intro: 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.

STEP 1: 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

STEP 2: 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

STEP 3: 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.

STEP 4: 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. 

STEP 5: 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.

STEP 6: The Result

Image shown here - mirror pod attached on my two different iphone case.

STEP 7: Prototype

Before i proceed to make this project.,i start it by testing my mirrors on cardboard and using different camera apps on it.

STEP 8: 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.

STEP 9: 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.

Comments

[CharlesM194]

Hi, the latest Celestron telescopes use a cell phone mounted on a telescope with a 45 degree mirror to tell the user what the scope is aimed at. They call these scopes the Starsense Explorers. I imagine that any planetarium app will work with a 45 degree mirror. The concept behind the novelty that Celestron claims is the use of the mirror, mounted on the telescope in an orientation that allows the user to view the phone screen. If the field of view of the mirror and the the telescope are carefully aligned then the app can tell the person using the scope, what is in the eyepiece. All you would need to add to your mirror is a way to mount the cell phone on a telescope so that it could be fine tuned to match up with the telescope field of view. I am going to give this a try and post a further comment.

[rodski]

@omnivent
Haha!, :-) honestly i seldom took a picture of myself or (selfie).I'm the official photographer in my family.,that's why im always absent in the family photos.I never heard of cambendR before.,not until now!, and i don't have an android device yet to test it.,Though i've tested few of androids before and Lumias too 
(Lumia 624 & 610) (moto razr,samsung 10.4 tablet,htc,lenovo,LG brands and few china knock off brands. 
With regards to your suggestion about prism,maybe i'll try that.,when i have one to play with.
Thank you for the inputs!

[rodski]

for as long as you are willing to carry your 10" tripod or your folded 36" monopod with you!,Devices like these always do the purpose of this project.

[Omnivent]

Only saw this by coincidence, as you didn't use the reply function.

I never drag around a mono- or tripod for my phone, I just grab whatever will hold the phone in an upright position, like a couple of books, stones or what the environment offers with a suitable amount of weight - never had a problem with that :)

[rodski]

I agree with your idea of using things available that surrounds you.,that will also work.,but i think that would take some time & effort in looking for things to hold your phone correctly, before you take the shot.,
And wiping collective dust or any marks on the mirror in this project as you have mentioned is not a big deal.,besides the mirror in this project is as little as my thumbnail.,And rotating the picture wont be a hassle too.,it only takes 2-5 seconds to rotate.,and you may reprocess the picture you shoot if you want in less than a minute.As i always do most of the time before posting it. Anyways,thanks for your time commenting here.

[Omnivent]

Oh come on, admit that you want to make candid photos/video ;P ;)

Well, each to his own :)

A useable app (with real time mirroring) for Android is "cambendR".

Another thing is, that you can use a prism, from e.g. a pair of binoculars, instead of the mirror (there's 4 prisms in a pair of binoculars), that way you just have two smaller "windows" to keep clean (but it doesn't fold away as the mirror of course). It will probably give better photos, as there's no parallax error, like in a regular mirror, where you have reflections from both the mirror and the front of the glass.

Front side mirrors do not have this error, but they're extremely vulnerable and even the softest cloth will scratch them, so if you can get your hands on a prism, do try it on the phone cam. Would be a simple job to make a magnetic mount for quick installation/removal.

[Omnivent]

Hi,

Perhaps there's something that I don't see, but wouldn't a simple device holding the phone in a vertical position be better? No need to mirror your photos back into shape then and no mirror to catch dust and greasy digits either.

What you don't add won't go wrong :)