How to Turn Your Smartphone into a Projector
With so many DIY tutorials on the net about how to turn your smartphone into a projector, I decided to try out one on my own. However, I spiced up the whole process by adding a few of my own materials which also increased the cost of the total project but it was well worth it in the end.
* This is a guest post by Sadia Suhail
Your probably wondering what are the materials needed to turn your smartphone into a projector? Well, the materials so you can have an awesome smartphone turned DIY projector include:
- 2 boxes, preferably with one larger than the other
- A good quality magnifying glass
- A stand, you can make one yourself
- A pair of scissorsBlack duct tapePencil
- Black paint/ spray
How to Turn Your Smartphone into a Projector
While many tutorials show the use of a single box, I changed this and used two instead with one box just a bit smaller than the other one so that one could fit into another.
While originally one would require a shoe box for this purpose, there are some issues with focus and distance while using them, especially minimum distance. Again, using a shoe box would mean dismembering the phone you earlier installed in it to find the perfect focus.
The Method which I used
The first and foremost thing you should do is to mark the diameter of one of the boxes with a pencil. If the magnifying glass has a handle, as the majority of them do, then it is best to have it removed.
You then have to ensure that the magnifying glass is equal in length with the box. After taking care of that step, you must cut through the box with exact precision and it should be even enough for the magnifying glass to fit in perfectly and not hang out loosely.
After cutting the box, you can make it easier for the magnifying glass to be fixed in it by putting some duct tape over it, as duct tape has a stretching property which manipulates the sticking power.
Also, make sure that the magnifying glass is held securely in the boxes with all loopholes for light to escape through sealed properly.
Make a stand
Now that you know how to turn your smartphone into a projector, where do you plan to put your DIY projector? On a stand obviously, therefore, if you don’t have one, you can make one out of a paper clip or look up other interesting DIY stands on the internet.
Time to flip your screen
You will notice that the image displayed on your screen appears as if it has been turned upside down, well the reason for this is that when light goes through a lens, the image that shows up appears to be upside down.
There is a solution to this problem though, you can always manipulate the phone’s flipping abilities from the setting menu. For the iPhone, you may use the Assistive touch capability while Android users can download the Ultimate Rotation Control app.
If all these still don’t seem to work, then doing the yoga head pose won’t hurt much (tongue in cheek).
Finding the perfect focus
Now that we have succeeded at creating a simple DIY projector, we have to find focus by ensuring that the wall on which the images are to be projected are clear of any clutter such as frames. Also, if the wall is white the image projected will be clearer.
That’s it! You’ve just turned your smartphone into a projector! Now go enjoy your self-made photo projector. Also, try your hand at manipulating the several amazing options that both your iPhone and Android phone can provide.
Guest Post by Sadia Suhail
Sadia Suhail is a serial content marketer, who is passionate about Inbound marketing, SEO, CRO, Email marketing and Ecommerce. She is a writer at Mobiwoz.com
