So I am working on an idea for a project of mine. It is kinda sorta flashlight related. I’m about to build some more game cameras, but I want to step up my game. Currently, most of the people that convert the camera to IR cover up the flash and use a photo sensor to turn on a separate control board to flash an IR array. I am wanting to simplify it. The way the cameras work is there is a motion detector on a control board that turns the camera on when it senses motion and triggers it to take a picture.
Here is what I want to do. Assume the camera runs on a 3.7V battery. I want use a Oslon IR LED with an aspheric lens set to provide a flood beam. Run the LED/driver in series with the camera and run 18650’s 2S?P. That should provide 3.7V to the LED and 3.7V to the camera. The batteries would provide power to the camera AND the LED. Have it wired so that when the camera is on, the LED is on. When the camera switches off, the light switches off. Running at 1.4A for only a minute or two at a time, the LED shouldn’t get very hot nor should it drain the batteries fast. My goal is to eliminate the cost of the extra control board plus I think I can get the LED to provide more than enough light for the camera. I know with my T20 IR illuminator I built that I am illuminating objects at 300 yards with night vision. I’d be happy with 25 yards of useable flood light for the camera.
Look at my awesome artistic skills below and let me know if you think this would work or if I am a complete idiot. Basically, I would eliminate the little crappy 750mAh battery from the camera, and attach the wires to the + and - of the camera. The switch in the camera that turns it on will complete the circuit for the LED when the camera is on. Does it matter if the LED/driver is wired in on the positive or negative side?
Here are a couple of pictures of builds I’ve done in the past. I haven’t built one in 2-3 years, but it is time.
This is a camera that is converted to IR. There is a slave flash with an IR lens over it. It takes lots of batteries which is what I am trying to avoid. The 2 C-cell’s up top work for the camera and are wired parallel to the 2 AA Eneloops in it. The 4 C-cells at the bottom power the slave flash. The control board for the slave flash is enclosed in the project box at the top inside.
This is one of my favorites. It is small and compact and the camera has a great flash. 2 alkaline C-cell’s parallel to 2 AA Eneloop batteries.
This is a camera that runs on a 3.7V Li-ion battery. There are 3 C-cell batteries wired in parallel.
