Turn Old Pocket TV Into Inspection Camera
Introduction: Turn Old Pocket TV Into Inspection Camera
This is an old pocket tv from the '90s. It's basically useless in its current state since it functions off analog signals that no longer exist. You can pick these up at yard sales or on eBay for almost nothing these days.
Sure you can buy an inspection camera, or you can build your own one of a kind version with a retro vibe.
Step 1: Choose Your Tv
Hit up yard sales, eBay, or marketplace and pick up whatever suits your fancy. You will find they are plentiful and cheap on eBay.
Step 2: Pick Up a Tiny Pinhole Camera
You will need a camera, a very tiny camera, I chose this pinhole camera because just like this tv, it is analog and can be had for just a few bucks.
https://amzn.to/3kGW2e4
However, this camera with IR built in is probably a better option.
https://amzn.to/3kEK5G4
Step 3: Make Your Cable
The problem we are going to face is this old Casio pocket tv used a proprietary plug for video input, you may be able to purchase a video plug like this somewhere, but in this tutorial we are going to make our own. We can accomplish this by using an old RCA video cable, and the jack off a pair of cheap earbuds.
Cut off the connector on one end of your RCA cable, and cut off the jack from the earbuds (leave an inch or two to work with). Inside the RCA cable you will find two wires, one yellow wire and one bare copper wire. Inside the earbud cable, you will find 3 wires, red, white, and a bare copper wire. 30
Solder your connections as seen above.
Step 4: Power Your Camera
Once you’ve made your connections, use heat shrink or electrical tape to cover each connection and ensure there is no contact between them. These tiny cameras operate at 12v and they almost never come with the power supply. I used this universal power supply for this project.
https://amzn.to/2DRLMPn
I plan to use this inspection camera for engines, so it is important for this to be mobile. If I want to take this out into the middle of a field I need to be able to do that. So, I will get my power from this portable power bank, it has a standard 115v house plug and it’s capable of jump-starting a dead battery.
https://amzn.to/2XUNvdW
Alternatively, you could cut off the power connector to the camera and wire it to a small 12v battery like this.
https://amzn.to/3kE3K8Z
Step 5: Mount Your Camera
The final step to making this a cool retro style inspection camera is attaching the camera to the antenna. These pocket tv antennas are perfect for this project since the antenna extends roughly 2 feet. It also has a full range of motion so it allows for perfect 90-degree operation. You can attach the camera various ways to suit your particular needs, just make sure you put a layer of electrical tape on the end so no metal is contacting the PCB board of the tiny camera.
Now throw it in your toolbox or bag, or keep it handy in your workshop! I hope you enjoyed this project as much as I did.
Video Tutorial:
Blog write-up:
https://technichenews.com/2020/08/12/make-an-inspe... 713