Cardboard Box Projector

For a project I'm working on, I created a projector using my phone, a cardboard box, and a magnifying glass. I wanted to trace an image onto a larger canvas.
Granted, it's not the best projector in the world and I would have been better served to print out a bunch of letter size sheets and tape them together instead of tracing with this projector. Still, it's a fun, cheap, and quick project.

The cardboard box projector.

Get a box and magnifying glass.

 I picked up a 3" magnifying glass.

 Paint the inside of the box black to reduce reflection inside.

 The magnifying glass is attached with tape. A block of wood is used to keep the phone upright inside the box. Transfer the digital file onto your phone.

You need a dark room for the best image- completely dark. Even turning the brightness on your phone all the way up, a phone doesn't really project enough light. The projected image is a bit fuzzy, but it's a three dollar lens. Be sure to turn off your phone's screensaver.

 High contrast images are the ones that show up best. A photograph would just look muddy.