[Hackupy-discuss] simple IR camera / illuminator

[Dana S.]

Tonight I built a really basic IR illuminator and IR sensitive webcam for
night time occupy streaming and image capture.

Parts:

- 10mm IR LEDs, $5.
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=10mm+ir+200mw

- Your old webcam or camera, potentially free!

You can use all kinds of cams, if you don't have one the Sony PS2 Eye-Toy
is easy to mod, decent quality, very cheap has Win/Mac/Linux drivers.
$4-8.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00009YEK0/sr=/qid=/ref=olp_tab_used?condition=used

The basic idea:

1. Connect LEDs in a way that works with your power source. I used 12 LEDs
with a 9V battery because it's what I had handy.

2. Take apart your web cam, remove the IR filter from the lens. If you
want, you can replace it with a filter to block visible light.
(instructions:
http://www.kombitz.com/2011/08/05/how-to-convert-a-ps2-eyetoy-camera-to-an-infrared-camera/).

3. You've got an IR spotlight and IR sensitive camera, explore the dark!
(these LEDs are 850nm so they give off an extremely faint red light when
humans look directly at them)

Here's a small photo, http://i.imgur.com/Pe22Z.jpg, I will try to post 
some larger ones and write up a wiki page in the near future.

- Dana