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Phone Mount Setup Guide

Supported: iPhones (Mac), Android (Mac & Windows)

We support iPhones when running Rollsight on a Mac, and Android phones on both Mac and Windows. This guide covers mounting and configuring your phone as the dice camera.

Prerequisites

  • Smartphone with working camera (iPhone, Android, etc.)
  • Phone mount or stand (adjustable arm recommended)
  • Dice tray or rolling surface
  • Rollsight software installed on your computer
  • USB cable or wireless connection method (depending on setup)

Step 1: Choose Your Mount

You'll need a way to position your phone above your dice tray. Options include:

Adjustable Arm Stand

Best option - provides flexibility in positioning and angle. Can be clamped to desk or use weighted base.

Tripod with Phone Mount

Stable and adjustable. Good for permanent setups or when you need extra height.

Desk Stand

Simple and affordable. Works well if your desk height allows proper viewing angle.

DIY Solutions

Get creative! Books, boxes, or custom mounts can work if they provide stable positioning.

Step 2: Position Your Phone

  1. Mount your phone in the stand/clamp
  2. Position it directly above your dice tray
  3. Angle the phone so the camera looks straight down at the tray
  4. Ensure the entire dice tray is visible in the camera view
  5. Leave 6-12 inches between phone and tray for best results
Tip: Use your phone's camera app to preview the view before connecting to Rollsight. Make sure dice will be clearly visible when rolled.

Tray not attached to the mount? If your tray sits separately from the phone stand, a little double-sided tape (or similar) under the tray can hold it in position so you don't have to constantly re-adjust it.

Tray surface (important for Rollsight): Rollsight works best with a black or dark tray. It's trained and tuned for dark backgrounds; light or colored trays can cause missed dice or false positives. If Rollsight struggles on your current tray, line it with black self-adhesive felt cut to size—e.g. Caydo black self-adhesive felt sheets (Amazon). This often fixes recognition issues.

Dice readability: Clear or translucent dice are harder to read; dice similar in color to the tray (e.g. dark on black) are also tougher. Dice with unusual fonts, symbols, or non-standard pips are fine once you train them—Rollsight learns from your examples.

Step 3: Connect Phone to Computer

Option A: USB Connection (Recommended)

  1. Connect phone to computer via USB cable
  2. Enable "File Transfer" or "MTP" mode on phone (not just charging)
  3. On iPhone: Trust the computer if prompted
  4. On Android: Enable USB debugging if needed
  5. Phone should appear as a camera device in your system

Option B: Wireless Connection

Some apps allow using your phone camera wirelessly:

  • DroidCam (Android) - Free app that creates virtual webcam
  • EpocCam (iOS) - Paid app with virtual webcam support
  • iVCam (iOS/Android) - Virtual webcam over WiFi/USB

Install the app, connect to your computer, and the phone will appear as a webcam device.

Step 4: Configure in Rollsight

  1. Launch Rollsight software
  2. Go to Settings → Camera
  3. Select your phone camera from the camera list
  4. You should see the camera feed in the vision pane
  5. Adjust camera settings if needed (zoom, focus, etc.)
Success: When the camera feed appears and shows your dice tray clearly, you're ready to proceed!

Step 5: Calibration

Rollsight includes several calibration options to get the best recognition from your phone camera:

Capture area mask

In Settings → Camera you can set the capture area mask—the region of the image Rollsight uses for dice recognition. This lets you match different phone resolutions and dice tray shapes (rectangular, round, etc.) and ignore the rest of the frame. Very helpful when the camera sees more than just the tray.

Other calibration options

  • Background calibration: Settings → Calibrate Background for optimal recognition
  • Rotation: Adjust in Camera menu if dice appear tilted
  • Zoom: Use digital zoom if available to frame the tray
  • Lighting Boost / Camera Normalization: Enable in Settings if the image is too dark or you want more consistent results
  • Focus: Lock focus on your phone if supported (tap to focus in camera app)

Step 6: Streaming Setup (Optional)

Your phone camera can also be used for streaming:

  1. If using USB connection, phone appears as camera in streaming software
  2. If using wireless app (DroidCam, EpocCam), it creates a virtual webcam
  3. Add as Video Capture Device in OBS, Streamlabs, etc.
  4. Position and resize in your streaming scene

See our streaming guides for more details.

Tips for Best Results

  • Keep phone charged: Camera use drains battery quickly
  • Stable connection: Use USB cable for most reliable connection
  • Good lighting: Phone cameras work best with adequate light
  • Clean lens: Wipe camera lens before use
  • Lock screen: Prevent phone from sleeping during use
  • Close other apps: Free up resources for camera

Troubleshooting

Phone not detected as camera

  • Check USB connection and cable
  • Enable file transfer mode (not just charging)
  • Try different USB port
  • Install phone drivers if needed
  • Consider using wireless camera app (DroidCam, EpocCam)

Poor image quality

  • Clean camera lens
  • Improve lighting over dice tray
  • Adjust phone position and angle
  • Use phone's camera app to check quality first
  • Close other apps to free up resources

Connection drops

  • Use high-quality USB cable
  • Try different USB port
  • Keep phone plugged in to maintain connection
  • For wireless: ensure strong WiFi connection

Next Steps

  • Train your dice using Training mode
  • Set up VTT integration
  • Configure streaming if desired
  • Start rolling!