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DIY IR (Infrared) Illuminator - Night Viewing With Your Cameraby john.kerr on December 9, 2009

Table of Contents

License:   Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Intro:   DIY IR (Infrared) Illuminator - Night Viewing With Your Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1:   Getting The Parts Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 2:   Installing The First 8 LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

step 3:   Installing The Outer Ring of 16 LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 4:   Installing the 8 Resistors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

step 5:   Finishing Up The Board Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 6:   PCB Design Templates - Extra Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-IR-Infrared-Illuminator-Night-Viewing-With/

License:   Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa)

Intro:  DIY IR (Infrared) Illuminator - Night Viewing With Your CameraOne question we get asked a lot is about building an IR Illuminator. An IR Illuminator allows a camera to see in total darkness. This can be useful for security applicationsor maybe you want to watch the night activities of the local wildlife.

The IR Illuminator is based around our LED SpotLight PCB which holds a total of 24 LEDs on a circular PCB. The board is equipped with 24 special IR LEDs which do allof the work, along with 8 current limiting resistors. This project is very simple to build up, and can be fully assembled by a novice builder in about 30 minutes.

On our website at www.pcboard.ca , we produce a number of unique and exclusive LED products and accessories including solutions for mounting LEDs.

When you build your IR Illuminator, you need to decide what frequency of LEDs to install on the board. There are two common frequencies available, one at 940nm andthe other at 850nm. The most commonly used frequency with black and white CCD cameras is the 940nm model.

850nm LEDs produce a very slight red glow when operating, which is visible to the human eye. 940nm models produce no visible light to the eye.

We carry both frequencies of the IR LEDs, see our LED Page and look for model IC601-02 for 850nm and IC601-03 for the 940nm models.

When complete, the system will produce a circular spotlight on the wall about 10-foot (3 meters) in diameter at a distance of 10-feet (3 meters) which is more than ampleto light up a front door waiting area or a location outside.

Image Notes1. The IR Illuminator with 24 IR LEDs and 8 current limiting resistors.

step 1: Getting The Parts TogetherYour first step is to identify and collect the parts necessary to build the system. We will be using our LED SpotLight PCB, along with 24 of our Ultra-Bright IR LEDs and 8resistors. Shown to the right are all the parts that are required. Once fully assembled, power to the circuit is needed and we have setup this one to run on 12v DC at about160mA (0.160A). To run at other voltages, you must select the correct value of dropping resistor (of which there are eight) - we have even simplified this process with ouronline Dropping Resistor Calculator . For this build, we are using 390ohm one-quarter watt resistors.

Once you have all the parts, the first step is to become familiar with the PCB. It is setup with 24 LEDs in total, 18 around the outside and another 8 on the inside (all theLEDs are labeled D1 to D24). The resistors will go on the board at position R1 to R8 which are located between the inner and outer rows of LEDs. Finally, power isapplied to the board just below D24 where you will see the Positive and Negative solder pads. In the very center of the PCB is a single hole. This hole can be enlarged tobe used for mounting or even further to fit around a camera lens.

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Image Notes1. LED SpotLight PCB2. 24 IR (Infrared LEDs)3. 8 Current Limiting Resistors

step 2: Installing The First 8 LEDsThe simplest way to begin the install is to insert and solder into the board the inner row of LEDs. These are located at D3, D6, D8, D12, D14, D17, D19 and D22. Keep inmind that LEDs are polarity sensitive, so ensure that you line up the flat on the LED with the flat on the solder mask on the board. After you have soldered in the first 8LEDs, trim the leads.

Image Notes1. D3 IR LED2. D6 IR LED3. D8 IR LED4. D12 IR LED5. D14 IR LED6. D17 IR LED7. D19 IR LED8. D22 IR LED

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step 3: Installing The Outer Ring of 16 LEDsNow you should install and solder in the LEDs at D1, D2, D4, D5, D7, D9, D10, D11, D13, D15, D16, D18, D20, D21, D23 and D23. When installing the LEDs, try to keepthem flat against the board.

Image Notes1. D1 IR LED2. D2 IR LED3. D4 IR LED4. D5 IR LED5. D7 IR LED6. D9 IR LED7. D10 IR LED8. D11 IR LED9. D13 IR LED10. D15 IR LED11. D16 IR LED12. D18 IR LED13. D20 IR LED14. D21 IR LED15. D23 IR LED16. D24 IR LED

step 4: Installing the 8 ResistorsThe last step is for the installation of the 8 current limiting resistors which go at positions R1 to R8. The resistors will stand on their ends for this project. Unlike the LEDs,the resistors are not polarity sensitive and can be installed any way you want.

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Image Notes1. R1 Dropping Resistor2. R2 Dropping Resistor3. R3 Dropping Resistor4. R4 Dropping Resistor5. R5 Dropping Resistor6. R6 Dropping Resistor7. R7 Dropping Resistor8. R8 Dropping Resistor

step 5: Finishing Up The Board AssemblyOnce the board is fully assembled, you can now apply power leads to the power input terminals. We have seen these units mounted in many different types of housing,including PCV plumbing end caps.

When you power up your system, you may notice a slight glow to the LEDs. This is common on 850nm models where you will see a slight red glow to them. The 940nmmodels do not have any glow that is visible to the human eye.

Good luck with your build and you are sure to receive many years of service from your IR Illuminator display.

Image Notes

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1. Apply power to the PCB here

step 6: PCB Design Templates - Extra InformationEXTRA:

The LED SpotLight is a fairly simple design PCB, and can be hand-crafted by those who wish to etch their own boards at home. To assist in your creation, we areincluding four images in PNG format of the board layout which you can transfer to your own PCB material.The four images include an overview of the PCB for component layout, a board-top image of the traces, a board-bottom image of the traces and a final image of a drillingguide.

These are all provided for your own enjoyment and no support is provided for these.

The images are also updated on the support page at: www.pcboard.ca/kits/led_spotlight/diy.html where you will always find the most recent information.

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Comments8 comments Add Comment

 HarveyH44 says:  Dec 9, 2009. 5:13 PM  REPLYWhere can I find the PCB artwork?  I prefer to etch and drill my own boards.  I've done a couple with perfboard, but always wanted a round design.  Guessyou wouldn't sell many kits, if people made their own...

 john.kerr says:  Dec 9, 2009. 6:27 PM  REPLYDon't have the artwork available separately sorry. The documentation/schematic is available from http://www.pcboard.ca/kits/led_spotlight/

john

 dogsop says:  Dec 10, 2009. 7:48 PM  REPLYWithout providing the way for people to make their own boards this whole instructable seems to be nothing more than an ad for your boards.

 silencekilla says:  Aug 25, 2010. 7:41 PM  REPLYI agree and they expect us to pay $4.00 USD for a bare board with no components. Thats rediculous i might pay $2.00 for it but definatly not $4.Thats just a complete rip off.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-IR-Infrared-Illuminator-Night-Viewing-With/

 john.kerr says:  Dec 11, 2009. 7:07 AM  REPLYThere were a few requests for the PCB layout, so I now have a dedicated page to assist in doing up your own board.

Have a look at: www.pcboard.ca/kits/led_spotlight/diy.html

 lemonie says:  Dec 9, 2009. 4:02 PM  REPLYYou appear to have used the same image 5 times, but we still don't see the finished item. Can you get the use of a camera?

L

 john.kerr says:  Dec 9, 2009. 4:21 PM  REPLYYou should see a slightly different image in each step as the build happens - there are separate files uploaded and I do see a slightly different image oneach step. Give it another try.

 lemonie says:  Dec 10, 2009. 12:22 AM  REPLYOh yes, it's the 90 degree angle makes it hard - finished item pic, in a case / on a mount?

L