DIY Mobile Device Hood for P3S

[OrlyP]

Just sharing this for anyone who wants to make a cheap hood. From where I live, commercial display hoods are both hard to come by and expensive. So I cut myself one out of clearbook cover. The hood is tailor-fitted for my Sony Xperia Z3 Dual smartphone and I made cutouts so it can be attached onto the P3S remote mobile device mount. Velcro holds the two side flaps together.

It's made out of relatively sturdy but pliable plastic so it can be laid flat or folded to a compact size for storage. I think this is way cleaner and should last longer than cardboard.

 

[ChrisA]

very nice! I believe i'll try that myself, thanks.

 

[phantom_dawg]

Looks good. I bought one that looks similar. It helped a little but it is still hard for me to read the cell phone screen in bright day light. Think I will start flying in early morning or late afternoon and see if that helps.


Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[MapMaker53]

I found two key features in making a DYI hood that work well. (1) The hood needs to sit at less than a 90 degree angle to the screen and (2) the top section of the hood needs to be long enough. That combination insures that the blackened inner surface of the hood is reflected in the screen glass, not a reflection of one's brightly lit face. The result is similar to the way a car's rear view mirror tilts upward to reflect some of the car's ceiling at night and cut down on the intensity of the headlights that are behind you. In this case, having the hood at a less than 90 degree angle to the screen basically puts the screen at a slightly upward tilt -- which is hardly noticeable while flying.

 

[OrlyP]

Thanks @MapMaker53 for the idea. I overlooked that itty bit of detail.

So, I tilted up the base of the hood (and hence, the mobile device) around 25 degrees. Now, looking straight into the display, it reflects none of the surroundings, including my face... or in this case, the camera. I think a clearer analogy here is how looking into the gauge cluster in our car does not reflect our own face. The gauge cluster, other than usually being deep-seated into the dash, is covered by a curved glass or acrylic pane that is set at an angle either pointing up or down. Same principle.

I converted the same hood as above. Let's call this the 'Mark II'. lol

Here it is:

And for the ultimate test to check for reflections; camera flash! I took the following picture with the camera pointed straight into the hood in the same manner how one would view the display. No sign of the flash.

 

[MapMaker53]

Looks great! I like your light-weight material choice. I'm using foam core at the moment, but will try the light-weight plastic in an attempt to avoid some bulkiness. Would you happen to have a link to that plastic product?

Frankly, I think the commercially sold hoods out there have missed the importance of an angled tablet to avoid reflection. Took some experimenting on my part to realize it. And none of the anti-reflection screen protectors I tried ever helped one bit in the sun.

 

[OrlyP]

Looks great! I like your light-weight material choice. I'm using foam core at the moment, but will try the light-weight plastic in an attempt to avoid some bulkiness. Would you happen to have a link to that plastic product?

Frankly, I think the commercially sold hoods out there have missed the importance of an angled tablet to avoid reflection. Took some experimenting on my part to realize it. And none of the anti-reflection screen protectors I tried ever helped one bit in the sun.

Thanks. The material I used is actually from the cover of your typical clearbook, similar to the sample below. Only, what I have on hand is legal-sized (14 inches). That got me the dimensions I need for my 5.5" phone (hood opening is 6" x 4").

I was searching for scraps to use as hood material at home and I even thought of using illustration boards with duct tape. Then I saw the clearbook.

You're correct that it's very light. The finished hood weighs about the same as a single prop, or maybe a prop and a half, tops. I'm hoping that it shouldn't put more strain to the rather flimsy mobile mount that came with the P3S.

 

[MapMaker53]

Thanks. Ironically, I just tossed out a scrap large thin flexible black plastic sheet a few weeks ago while cleaning out a business closet. My scrap-rat switch must have been off.

I think the only thing downside of that material is how it stands up to some wind. Might be light-weight enough to catch wind and act like a sail in your hands. Probably not good with any strong breeze present.

 

[OrlyP]

I guess that's true. Then again, I probably wouldn't be flying under those conditions.

 

[ricklohre]

"Clear book"? What is that?

 

[kndll]

nicely done , better than mine , done mine about two weeks ago using same type of plastic --- a liner out of a bicycle bag