Turning a night vision camera into night vision goggles

Great Scott, a popular electronics channel, shows how to disassemble a common camera with night vision and reuse its parts for making a night vision device.

Cameras capable of recording at night do so by flooding the scene with IR light. Unlike with most cameras, the lens have no IR filter so the returning light can be filmed and represented onscreen with a color that humans can actually see.

Note that the camera is not an IP camera. It has direct video output, which makes it easy to connect to a small screen. This screen is typically used for cars’ rear view cameras. It goes inside a 3D printed headset, similarly to augmented reality goggles.

The result appears to work well in enclosed spaces. If you want to use it outdoors at night, keep in mind that the range is limited by the LEDs: the brighter they are, the farther away you’ll see (and the more power you’ll consume).