DIY Smartphone Camera stand from Cardboard

Ever tried making a smartphone stand from cardboard? Well, last weekend I did just that and came up with this DIY cardboard stand. If you are looking for ideas for a smartphone stand for taking photos or videos, this might the one for you. Before starting, credit and thanks to Lorenz Holder for the original idea. Mine is a modified version with some changes here and there.

Instructions

1. Download the templates in PDF file format. Side A. Side B. Supports.
2. Prepare materials and tools. 
3. a) Card stock paper ( 775gsm/1.2mm thick ), or thicker(1.2mm) cardboard boxes. It's better to use card stock paper because it is easier to work with. b) Blade cutter, scissors, glue, some A4 papers and a printer.
4. Open the PDF files in Adobe Reader or any compatible software.
5. Print two copies of the 'supports'. Print one each of Side A and B, print two copies if you need a sturdier stand.
6. Paste the printed A4 papers onto the card stock paper( or cardboard) with glue. You can trim the A4 paper before pasting them. Then let the glue to dry.
7. Cutout the supports and Side A/B parts.
8. Insert 'supports' parts into Side A/B slots. You can easily see how it's done from the photos provided below.

Goodluck with the DIY and feel free to ask me any questions by clicking the comment link below this post.

Cutouts ready to be assembled.

Two 'support' pieces together and slot in.

Redmi Note 4 - Improve Battery standby consumption

The Redmi Note 4 - Mediatek version is not known for good battery backup despite it's 4100mAh battery. The Mediatek x20 SoC can never beat the Snapdragon 625 SoC in power efficiency. But what we can do is try to conserve battery using some tweaks and settings.

Android Marshmallow introduced a great feature called Doze. Below is a brief description of Doze ( taken from https://developer.android.com).

Doze reduces battery consumption by deferring background CPU and network activity for apps when the device is unused for long periods of time. If a user leaves a device unplugged and stationary for a period of time, with the screen off, the device enters Doze mode. In Doze mode, the system attempts to conserve battery by restricting apps' access to network and CPU-intensive services. It also prevents apps from accessing the network and defers their jobs, syncs, and standard alarms. Periodically, the system exits Doze for a brief time to let apps complete their deferred activities. During this maintenance window, the system runs all pending syncs, jobs, and alarms, and lets apps access the network.

The problem with Doze is it could take 30 minutes or more for it to activate; even longer if you keep moving your phone around without even using it.

The solution is forcing Doze to activate as soon as the screen is turned off. We can do this by installing this wonderful app from Google Play store, called Naptime. But you would need a rooted phone as well. Just install the app and enable it. Voila! Now you have great battery standby time.

You can whitelist apps like Whatsapp, so that messages come through without delay. Goto Settings>Battery>Manage apps battery usage>Choose apps. Choose Whatsapp, and select 'No restrictions'.

Screenshots of battery statistics

Flash Fastboot ROMs in Redmi Note 4 Mediatek

There is a high chance you may have stumbled upon this thread http://en.miui.com/thread-371349-1-1.html on the MIUI forums when you were looking for guide to flash ROMs in fastboot mode.

If you are flashing the more recent ROMs, it will give you an error. The solution to that is don't press the volume down button. Just connect the cable to the phone after you press Download. I'm not sure why Xiaomi developers made that change. But it does make it easier to just plug the cable in without having to press the volume down button.