OK, not really, but as close as I am likely to get to hacking. I found a post online that suggested all CMOS sensors detect infrared light, but that they typically have a glass cover that filters this light out. AND... webcams use CMOS sensors. This piqued my curiosity on two levels. How well does the camera work in the dark and what does my daughter get up to when I put her down for bed.
Tonight I got one of the two answers... The camera works quite well in the dark. My daughter decided to behave completely and lie down and go to sleep. This is the first time in the last seven days.
The camera I hacked was a 1.3mp Creative VF0350. Here's some tips if you decide to take yours apart...
Don't mess with the cord, it isn't required to get the back off. I unscrewed the two small screws on the back of the webcam and when the cover didn't come off so easy, tried to get the cord out of the back figuring that was the issue. It just looks like it is a plug, but it actually has tabs that lock it into place. So if you decide to remove the cord plug from the back, be sure to twist it 90 degrees first. I did not and broke the tabs.
Use a flathead screwdriver to pry the small glass ir filter off.
Throw the filter away immediately. I have no idea where mine is now, but it isn't at my desk and it isn't easily visible on my carpet... Time to bust out the vacuum cleaner before someone gets cut. My big toe'd survive, my sanity if my daughter got it and swallowed would not.
I have the camera working at the moment and I can see my daughter while she sleeps, so I am very happy, but I don't have the project completed. I need to figure out a way to get the camera wireless so I don't have to have 25 feet of USB cable draped through my daugher's room and the living room. And I need to get it to connect to my Windows Home Server so I can serve up sleeping grandchild to the grandparents over the web. But as a proof of concept, I am so Haxorz now!
1 comment:
Handy! Thanks (I've tested that the creative can see IR via the remote control trick, but wanted to make sure there was in fact a glass IR cover as most webcams have them :) ) Remarkably enough I'm using mine for the same reason (kid-cam for myself and the relatives around the country)
suggestion on the usb, you can cheaply find converts that will take usb 1.1 and allow connections via cat5 cables (allowing ~150 feet of cable distance which allows you to get the cable off of the floor. The problem with trying to make a usb webcam wireless is you still need to provide power for it. If you have a spare laptop, you could use that and a program like coffee cup webcam to transfer files to a third party webserver (or a webserver in your house)
I know it's a bit late for your needs, but as this was the first site I found that actually talks about the creative live! cam version vf0350 and IR, maybe my expirement will help others. I'm now in the process of finding some relatively inexpensive IR illumination to provide good images @ night of the sleeping one :)
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