American Science & Surplus DIY Smartphone Mount

So, I recently had need of a smartphone camera mount and decided to DIY it from the awesomeness that is American Science & Surplus. A few items later I made this...

cue angelic choir

I will provide a series of images that should cover what was needed and the process of putting it together (it was pretty easy). I would also like to note that there are still a few things that could be done to make it better, but this was sufficient enough for me! If you have ideas or improvements feel free to comment!



Right! On with it then!

Items needed

• Paint EZE Paintcan Holder 

Purchase Paint Can Holder Online

• Foam Pads*

Foam Pads Online Link

* If you're fortunate enough to live near an AS&S the pads can be bought individually. Otherwise they are sold in packs of 10 online.

• Swivel-Head Inspection Mirror

Go Go Gadget Mirror

This concludes the research part. Onwards to the building phase...

Mounting Clamp Side

disassemble mounting clamp assembly

remove bolt

remove collar thing-a-ma-bob from bolt (that brass lookin bit)

reassemble mounting clamp w/o that little brassy guy. This will make it so that it doesn't swivel freely when clamped to something.

 "P" Clamp Side

on the opposite end we have the "P" clamp (tilt your head to the right) or the "d" clamp (tilt left).

disassemble the clamp

remove collar and reassemble. same reason as before

either toss extra collars or save em. up to you!

now place mirror in the "P" clamp like so and then tighten said "P" clamp as shown in image

Stabilizing

Some minor adjusting is needed to add more stability

so grab a wrench and a phillips screwdriver

and tighten that puppy down. don't over do it  though. they're small parts.

after tightening put phone on mirror to see if it holds

the only issue I had was with the antenna section as its easily spins. But is not a big issue unless you need to record stuff horizontally. 

optionally you could drill a small hole all the way through and run a nail or paperclip or something to stop em from spinning. least I think that'll work...

I used my girlfriends hair thingies to hold it on

but you can use whatever you want as long as it works and doesn't damage your phone. Also note that using clamps can damage your phones screen or phone itself. don't use anything that can damage your phone please.

backside of  mini clamps

Smartphone rig fully extended which is pretty far considering!

 Finishing Touches

some final touches. I cut 1 pad in half.

and applied each half to the mounting clamp faces

this will help protect desks or whatever you decide to clamp it too

Final Results

not too shabby!

in action