Homemade Document Camera

Need a document camera for online meetings but don't have the money or the technological skills to set one up? All you really need is some cardboard, some glue, a cutting utensil, and a little bit of time.

-Cardboard

-Hot glue gun

-Hot glue sticks

-Sharp object for cutting (preferably a box cutter or a pocket knife)

-Popsicle sticks

-Ruler or tape measure

-Pencil or pen

-Laptop

1: Measure your computer to figure out how big your top and back piece need to be. Remember to leave some space for the webcam so it isn't blocked by cardboard. This means making the top piece about an inch to an inch and a half shorter.

2: Cut out your top and back piece.

3: Glue them together to form an upside down L like structure.

4: Build 2 support beams that are the same height as the back piece but only about an inch and a quarter in length. Make sure each support beam is the width of 2 pieces of cardboard for extra stability.

5: Cut 3-5 slits into the support beams on each one about the size of a popsicle stick for adjustability with zooming in and out. Do this with your cutting utensil, but be careful not to cut the beam in half.

6: Glue the support beams to the bottom of the top piece, making sure to put them a little farther foward to help better hold up the structure, and keep both beams about a little further than the length of a piece of paper away from each other..

7: Create 2 smaller pieces the length of the support beams, but keep the width at only 1 piece of cardboard, and the height should be the same.

8: Cut 2 knife holes (again, the size of popsicle sticks) each in the smaller support pieces.

9: Cut 2 very small pieces about 1/3 of the size of the "smaller" support pieces, and glue it towards the bottom of them.

10: Cut out piece of cardboard about the size of a piece of paper.

11:Glue the paper sized piece to the very small pieces. Make sure to glue it about 2/3 of the way away from you on the piece.

12: Insert the popsicle sticks into the slits and adjust the zoom to your liking.

13: Put your computer over the entire structure and you're done! The back frame should be touching the keyboard and the top frame should be touching the screen, but not the webcam.

1: Place laptop on top of structure and centralize the webcam on your document.

2: Place document on paper shaped piece.

3: Present.

Side Notes:

-Laptop itself can be used in the upright position like laptops usually do and can also be used downward facing the document

-Easily portable