We
have all seen the webcam nightvision hacks and other ways to make
nightvision cameras but this will blow you away! This a Super Bright
Nightvision Headset that lets you walk around in total darkness AND
record what you see! My inspiration for this project came from Brad Graham & Kathy McGowan. I
hope you enjoy this Instructable as much as I enjoyed making it!
Step 1:
What You Need... Dig through your closet or ask a friend if they still have a classic full-size VHS camcorder hanging around collecting dust. Or go to garage sale or pawn shop and find one for cheap. All we need is the analog viewfinder
Step 2: You Will Also Need...
1. Twelve 10mm, 200mw triple Infrared LED's. These babies are mean! They each have 3 LED's in them and are very powerful! I got 20 of them on Ebay for $17.
2. A project box/enclosure from Radio Shack or any other larger size project box. This one is 5" X 2 1/2" X 2".
3. A red or any other color LED to be used for a power indicator
4. A shielded, panel mount Phono Jack
5. A SPST switch
6. (1) 470ohm and (2) 10ohm resistors
7. A Super Low Lux Mini B&W spy camera that can be powered by 9 volts 8. 9 Volt batteries
Step 3: Disassemble the Viewfinder Remove the viewfinder from the camcorder. Depending on the camcorder, this may be as easy as unplugging the connector to the camera and removing the viewfinder screws to release the entire unit. Some may be hard-wired inside the camcorder which will require more work. Once removed, take off the plastic housing to reveal the viewfinder components. Identify the ground wire. To identify the power wire, you will have to do some tracing back to a power regulator or diode. You can use an adjustable power supply (recommended) or 9 volt battery to test the viewfinder power line. After identifying the ground and power, the video libe can be located byfeeding a video signal into the other wires.
Step 4: Build the LED array... I used 12 LED's. 6 LED's wired in series to another series of 6 in parallel. Attach the 10ohm resistors to the positive end of the array.
