Cheap DIY babycam with night vision
Overview
When I did this project in 2012 babycams cost from NOK 2000 and up, so I decided to see if I could build one using a Raspberry Pi, an IR light and a very cheap webcam.
This will of course only be a level 0 night vision (active).
Parts
- IR LEDs with a 12V PSU.
- Raspberry Pi with a 5V PSU.
- Webcam. I don’t have a link to it, but pretty much any webcam will do.
Hardware setup
I set up a test and was disappointed that the IR setup hardly gave any visible picture at all, so I threw it in the trash. Then I rememberd that all digital cameras have an IR filter to sharpen daylight pictures. To remove it I did this:
- Unscrew any lense or cover.
- Look for a small, slightly colored piece of glass covering the CMOS chip, and remove it by force.
- Reassemble.
Now the IR seemed to light up objects several meters away. As IR light can hurt eyes, I have the light pointed towards the ceiling, so only reflected light is ever hitting people.
Software
- Installed raspbian.
- Installed motion.
- Webcam is now available to local network for PCs (browser, VLC) and phones (VLC, video streaming apps).
Result
