Our Master Modder Adds Infrared to His Favorite Disposable Camera

CVS must hate us by now. First we brought you the CVS USB hack. Then we added the third dimension with the CVS 3D hack. And now we bring you night vision.

The basic idea is that infrared light is not visible to the human eye, but every camera has a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) and by default they show infrared light. So camera makers install an infrared filter to block the light. Then if we add several infrared LEDs to the camera, they will act as a flashlight for the camera. So let's jump right into it.

I will assume you have read all of the previous articles and have become familiar with the inner workings of the CVS camera. Open the camera and removing the main board and flip it over.

cvs infrared hack

Look closely at the lens assembly and you will notice that the top can be unscrewed. Using a pair of small pliers, turn it counter-clockwise until it comes completely off.

cvs infrared hack

If you look at the back of the lens you removed, you will notice a small piece of plastic that has a rainbow effect to it. It will fall out if you tap the top of the lens. Don’t worry -- it's not glued in or anything. You now have a camera that can see infrared light, but we don’t have any way to produce IR yet.

cvs infrared hack

You can pick up high-output IR LEDs at the local Radio Shack, part #276-143 for around $2 each. They can use a voltage between 1.2 and 1.6, so if you wire up seven LED’s in series you will get a total voltage of around 9 volts

cvs infrared hack

How do you wire in series? If you take the positive side of the first LED and run it to the negative side of the next LED and so on, you will have a series circuit. If you remember the horrors of Christmas tree lights, then you should get the general idea.

cvs infrared hack

The last few things to do is install a switch, put a battery lead on it, drill out a few holes and glue the LEDs in place. Then close it up and you can now see in the dark.

cvs infrared hack