How-To: $5 Mobile Phone Projector

The folks at Photojojo just posted a neat low-tech tutorial on how to make a projector for your mobile phone using a shoebox, a paperclip, and a magnifying glass. MacGyver would be proud. They were able to find the magnifying glass at a dollar store for, well, a dollar (so they called it the $1 projector), but let’s just call it $5 before people get up in arms because they can’t find that screaming deal.

Basically, you start by cutting a hole out of one side of the shoebox to match your magnifying glass and taping the glass on the box. Then you make an iPhone holder from a paperclip, flip the screen display on your phone (to account for how images passed through a lens get flipped), position your phone inside the box (playing with placement until you get the clearest image), put the box top back on, turn the room lights down low and the brightness on your phone up high, and revel in your resourcefulness. Doesn’t get more accessible than that!

30 Responses to How-To: $5 Mobile Phone Projector

xxreelovexx on January 31st, 2013 at 2:28 pm said:

I like the idea of this I might have to try this very soon, always wanted a projector phone LOL

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Albert Westra (@rehellio) on January 31st, 2013 at 9:27 pm said:

I am so trying this!!

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gskalra on January 31st, 2013 at 10:10 pm said:

i just tried it, the magnifying glass didn’t work. i think you may need to help specify what type of glass will work.

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- pelrun on January 31st, 2013 at 10:47 pm said:
  
  Actually, any biconvex lens will work – but they haven’t mentioned that the resultant image will be VERY dim, and be dimmer the further you try to throw the image. So you will need a very dark room and a very short throw for this to work acceptably.
  
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rick on February 1st, 2013 at 3:52 am said:

dose not work for me

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- Kara on February 4th, 2013 at 3:42 pm said:
  
  Perhaps you could try upping your dosage?
  
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MetricCook on February 1st, 2013 at 4:08 am said:

The phone needs to be placed upside down, or interverted. Get a free lens from a trashed, back-projected tv, along with the huge Fresnel lens…

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Damion Buchanan on February 1st, 2013 at 10:30 pm said:

Works, just very dim. Cartoons work best. I guess you get what you pay for. 8)

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alarichoratio on February 2nd, 2013 at 11:34 pm said:

what a idea remembering my child hood memories. I had created small one like this

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Tony Barnhill on February 15th, 2013 at 12:38 pm said:

I have an old school overhead projector, I wonder if that can be used somehow?

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FTSandy on February 15th, 2013 at 2:14 pm said:

Problem is, the touch screen doesn’t work anymore. I’ve been touching the wall, and nothing happens. Hahaha

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yapity on February 16th, 2013 at 4:59 pm said:

I can’t seem to get it to focus! any tips?

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- butterfly on March 25th, 2013 at 7:11 am said:
  
  the clearness of the picture relates to how deep the box is and how far you have it from the wall for example i used a lg baby wipes box and a huge magnifying glass to make one of these for my tablet and if i wanted the screen bigger i had to move the box away from the wall, but also move my tablet a bit closer to the lens in the box to make it clearer.
  
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99centurions on February 17th, 2013 at 2:06 pm said:

I got it to work by putting the phone about 4″ away from lens (3.5″ same one in photos, from Dollar Tree) and then backing up about 8″. Result was bright, but very small. At first I couldn’t figure out why I didn’t see anything then I projected it on my white (SHINY) dishwasher with the lights out. bingo! it wasn’t viewable at all with flat white paper, I find the reflecting surface needs to be shiny like real movie theatre screens.

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- 99centurions on February 17th, 2013 at 6:55 pm said:
  
  FAIL. my box was 12.5″ deep, turns out I need it longer, so I cut out the back and at 14″ it was perfect and the box was about 7ft from the wall. Works well. Now need to find (or build) a longer box. (this one is all cut up)
  
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cr0sh on February 19th, 2013 at 5:19 am said:

Kinda funny and sad that a variant of the “100 inch TV plans” could end up on Make…

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Shmerp on April 18th, 2013 at 8:25 am said:

It doesn’t work.. it only shows a white light on the wall. Should I find a new magnifying glass?

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Shmerp's Mom on April 18th, 2013 at 8:26 am said:

Well that sucks for you.

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- Shmerp on April 18th, 2013 at 8:41 am said:
  
  Ma!!
  
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