Night Vision - STOP Driving Blind with This Military Tech Hack!

[@ghostedyoutuber263]

At the time, these units were "defective" military grade but suitable for "civilian" use. These "reject" units were suppose to used on the Javelin Joint Venture CLU for the Javelin Missile. These were originally designed and made by Texas Instruments DSEG group. Raytheon purchased DSEG in the late 90's and moved much of DSEG to Tucson and combined with Hughes Electronics.

[@midnightmachineshop]

That's really cool to get the history of these. Thank you for sharing! A friend of mine who worked at Raytheon back then had also said that the Department of Defense was a little upset because of the greatly reduced pricing that GM was getting as compared to what the military was being charged for essentially the same item.

[@Roman_4x5]

@@midnightmachineshop I doubt the DoD has emotions ;) But if they do, they are like a spoiled rich kid. They will be charged premium for subpar product just because they have virtually unlimited budgets.

[@PhilipDaeHan]

Videos like this makes KZbin one of the coolest places to see out of the box car mods.

[@midnightmachineshop]

Thank you!

[@My-Pal-Hal]

​@@midnightmachineshop Ya know a trick for drilling in steel, is a decent little magnet. And a car vac, or shop vac for aluminum or plastics 👍

[@Lieutenant-Danskie]

I drive one hour to work at 4am and have accidentally ran over countless critters over the last ten years. I’ve been trying to find a solution and this is better than my invest in a brush guard idea.

[@midnightmachineshop]

I’ve nearly hit a few animals myself over the years as well. Even with the ARB bumper on my truck I would still rather not find out how well it deflects something like a deer.

[@phillipyoung3250]

Now you'll be able to see their guts in thermal vision

[@joe_moms_lover]

Have you tried showing down?

[@staticbreakup]

It's all fun and games until it allows you to see the wendigo in the woods as you're driving

[@midnightmachineshop]

What the thermal sees can't be unseen. :)

[@cyleleghorn246]

I wish I didn't know now, what I didn't know then! Even if you remove the IR camera, you know they're still out there

[@lllilililililililililll]

just add a record function to guarantee you never see one

[@mediocreman2]

Did this like 15 years ago. Works okay, but there's a lot more modern stuff now and cheaper infrared emitters and you can just buy a whole package if you want. The biggest problem was having the screen be in a place where I was looking while driving, but not being distracting while driving.

[@stevebabiak6997]

That’s where the “head up display” on the windshield would come into play.

[@h9hkk6155]

You don't need infrared emitters, this is a long/med wave infrared

[@mrdojob]

Problem is that it's just not practical. It's better to just look at the road the normal way than split attention between two sources of info. I have a thermal imaging camera and honestly, I would hate to use it in the car. People stand out clear as day on it but so does plenty of other heat sources like cars, chimneys, even metal plates in the sun and even the road on a hot evening.

[@h9hkk6155]

@mrdojob thermal in the car is really useful, but only in specific conditions: really bad weather/poor visibility

[@mrdojob]

@@h9hkk6155 Even then I noticed thermal really doesn't perform all that well in very bad weather. I think thermal would actually be more of a danger in heavy fog or bad weather than an advantage as it's a big distraction at a time where you really don't need it. Nothing really beats your eyes.

[@LazloNQ]

I have wanted this for years and never realized it was this easy. Id love this as a heads up display for the sole purpose of watching for deer at night. Thank you!

[@jannekallio5047]

I installed hudway head up display to my 1972 camaro. They also offer a camera for night vision, but it was about 1000 dollars so i skipped it. Currently building the whole dashboard new and it will smoothly integrate the display. Will start making video series of this project soon.watching this video i kinda want this camera too 😂

[@Slickrock72]

No longer available, but I bought a FLIR PathfindIR imager from B&H Photo, these were designed for use on Law Enforcement vehicles and are very compact. I made an airflow deflector to direct an upwards stream of air directly in front of the imager window to reduce moisture buildup (and dead bugs) on the window. I could see cows on the road long before they were visible in the headlights.

[@chrisproudlove1280]

Toronto at night when it’s raining or snowing, people for some reason wear white parkas in the winter and black at night in the rain while looking at their phones! Everyone needs this! Should be mandatory by now!

[@JustinVManes]

best themal camera hack ever. thank you.

[@midnightmachineshop]

I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for watching!

[@ZecrOfficial]

I feel like this would be such an amazing tool for farmers and people who own a lot of land and deal with trespassers a lot, just being able to drive along your property and pin point someone on your land with the camera would be great as youd be more likely to catch people at night.

[@oby-1607]

I have hit 12 deer over the years with 3 trucks. All the trucks have deer bumpers because of this and suffered no harm. It sure would be nice to have something like this because the deer around here are as thick as mosquitoes at times.

[@ADomoradzki]

Well put together! You are so very knowledgeable.

[@jimdomoradzki3309]

Great informative video showing your knowledge of the topic.

[@midnightmachineshop]

Thank you for watching! Be sure to check out the other videos on the channel and subscribe!

[@Simon_Rafferty]

Very cool. I've been playing with a Caddx Infra FPV camera for something similar. This isn't a thermal camera, but has way higher sensitivity than my eyes and gives a clear view even in very dark conditions. There are a few videos on here demonstrating the camera. Having both thermal and low light could be a decent enhancement to your setup, particularly in wet conditions.

[@chase_h.01]

I dont know why this isnt sold as an upgrade or aftermarket product. IR is super useful

[@McJiver]

So hyped to look into this for my car.

[@fangthewarrior]

This is really cool, and I never knew GM did this! I've had a similar project in mind for my Jeep but using infrared

[@ModularKnight]

Super neat. Thanks!

[@midnightmachineshop]

Thanks for watching!

[@IntoTheMystery13]

This is so cool!

[@303fpvmonster]

Check out the FPV cameras for drones like the night eagle its the size of a quarter

[@daveb3910]

That's sick dude

[@allenrusselljr]

Amazing video. I frequent multiple junk yards and now will be checking every 2000 caddy I see. You'd be amazed at the things I've found at junk yards. Of course great prices on parts but I've found cash, weapons, laptops, Dr*GS and more.. Thanks

[@Yooperblood]

Ive been in a blackout convoy before, i was just glad to not be in front lol its easy to keel distance from the ir tags on the vehicle in front of you, but without it im sure the depth perception is wack

[@schrodingersmechanic7622]

Yeah I put something like this on my car years back (pathfindIR) and I tried blackout driving in the country using it. Familiar roads, no traffic and it was very uncomfortable driving even though everything was clearly visible on the camera

[@campandcook3118]

​@@schrodingersmechanic7622 with the often inverted colours of thermal, its unfamiliar. But with grayscale IR night vision, I find it easy to drive my bike on trails at night. Slowly of course, but the higher contrast and resolution of digital night vision makes it easy

[@shred1894]

You need to put a mesh in front to protect against rocks breaking your thermal camera. Something less fine than window screen but still pretty fine, make a frame and mount it as close as you can to the lens without being able to poke it and touch the lens.

[@h9hkk6155]

Works great 👍 thinking about upgrading my car, since not all new cars even have an option of thermal night vision! Also seen thermal night vision kits for cars, cost is like $500-700 An automatic protection screen for the camera lens would be useful.

[@stevetheborg]

this could save so many opossums!!!

[@XrpCopper]

Really cool

[@Jibs-HappyDesigns-990]

bruh! SendCutSend!! got it.. congratulations! I would have built an acrylic safety box! dude! thats so nice for a way back technology! saved a couple hundred bucks also! good luck!

[@midnightmachineshop]

Even though they are clear in the visible light wavelengths, the thermal camera can't see through many common materials including acrylic, polycarbonate, and glass. This is due to the nature of thermal radiation (long wave infrared) that the camera detects and it is different than the IR wavelengths that are detected by an image intensified night vision device. These materials instead behave like a mirror and this effect can be seen in the video where the windshields of other vehicles are instead reflecting the sky or other surroundings. In the video intro my glasses appear as two black spots as they are blocking the thermal radiation from my face from reaching the thermal camera. Lenses and windows for a thermal camera have to be made from Germanium, which while opaque to visible light appears transparent to thermal radiation.

[@meddel9864]

A cheap, small and easy to obtain option could be found in the FPV drone world. The CADDXFPV Infra Camera might do

[@Knife_Collector]

Wow.. night vision has advanced so much since then. Wondering if there might be away to focus it.

[@thomaswolfram3805]

Mercedes-Benz first offered the night vision camera in the S-Class in the W221 model generation, which was produced from 2005 to 2013. The system was called "Night View Assist" and enabled better visibility in the dark using an infrared camera. In the following generation, the W222 (2013-2020), the system was further developed and offered as Night View Assist Plus. Animal and pedestrian detection were integrated, among other things. (Source:ME, Internet and ChatGPT

[@midnightmachineshop]

Funny enough, the other night I was watching an old episode of 'Top Gear' from 2006 where they showed the S-Class and its thermal imaging system.

[@antontsau]

modern IR camera (real IR, not IR-sensitive like most of usual CCTV cameras) costs $400. Of course it has low resolution 160*120, but its enough for safety view. 384*288 is still VERY expensive, about $5K

[@midnightmachineshop]

This old Cadillac / Raytheon camera is 320×240 according to some information I found.

[@tom_olofsson]

Well done.

[@crispy-k]

Really cool video! And nice to know that a dc-dc converter can clean the signal to not get the lines on screen. Wouldn't some cheap camera with no IR filter and some IR lights do a much better job? Thermal is nice but you can't see anything other than "hot" things. No lines or anything else on the road etc? I've seen the new ones they've made for military with half nightvision and half thermal and that sounds pretty smart if you ask me. Maybe some capture card/screen that can interpolate 2 different inputs, thermal and IR on the same screen? Change which one is the most visible, thermal or IR. Can't be that expensive or difficult to make /get. I'm going to look into this. I've always thought about having nightvision and a screen in my car just to see better at night. I just want to do it "the right way" haha. 10/10 vid, keep it up !

[@DjAlonDevil]

Wow seems pretty dope. I think a modern setup suits a lot better, thermal technology became a lot better, cheaper and smaller.

[@2smoker64]

These were decent cameras for what they cost now, had a few over the years. Unfortunately, the chopper wheel inside is very delicate and degrades from age.

[@midnightmachineshop]

I've recall seeing once how someone had replaced the chopper wheel by 3D printing a replacement. We'll see how long the camera I have lasts as it is at least 20 years old at this point.

[@operator8014]

Oooo. I like that tape/wrench trick. Why TF have I never thought of doing that?

[@midnightmachineshop]

The tape thing just sort of came to me. At first I was thinking about using a magnet but then realized doing that would only be a good way to get a magnet stuck under the bumper.

[@operator8014]

@@midnightmachineshop I kid you not, I have WELDED nuts to the end of 1/2"x22ga flat strap to get them up into places and then just break the strap free from the tack weld to accomplish what you just did with 5 seconds and a tenth of a penny worth of painters tape. Nicely done.

[@NotALot-xm6gz]

A dab of silicone sealant or really crusty old grease works as well.

[@domineech]

If you need to keep a nut or bolt held inside a socket rip a piece of plastic bag and put it over the head of the bolt then stick it in the socket. It holds it in so you can start the bolt in places you can't fit your hand.

[@mikef825]

It's a little more money, but you could also install a rivet nut in the hole to have threads that stay in case you need to take it apart later. No fun dropping the nut and washer if you remove the bolt.

[@ptonpc]

A fun project :)

[@marcmmclellan]

Cool!

[@Sir-Dexter]

nice lol get a twin pair lol wire up too VR head set lol

[@garysgarage.2841]

Pretty cool must be rare I worked at a Cadillac dealer for 5 years never knew these existed. Lots of cameras have night vision now and work very well. My ring camera has night vision and works great my old Motorola phone had night vision and worked great used it in the dark instead of the flash light. Surprisingly my Samsung note 20 ultra doesn't have night view but it has a killer camera.

[@Mix1mum]

If you had the Samsung S20+ you'd have one of the very few android phones that has lidar built into it, and the only year Samsung did it.

[@DragonTorquemovies]

Can list your full list an details where you pucked everything up from?

[@AlexanderGee]

If you ever get bored with it on the truck hit me up and I can send you the CAD files for a handheld chassis I designed for this unit.

[@HolyOllie]

ive been testing a thermal camera from aliexpress intended for fpv drone usage

[@eyezonmy6]

should look at SIONYX Nightwave Marine Camera :P

[@ragheadand420roll]

Would be a good idea to,put plexiglass etc in front of the lens as a shatter protectant

[@mikei8957]

Checkout the Akeeyo night vision dash cam ! 😎👍

[@gsilva220]

I bet the amount of these cameras sold as replacement parts far outnumber the amount of cars made with these cameras in the first place...

[@Distached-Savage]

my 2019 ford raptor came with a flir with the display up on dash above steering wheel but not in the way. was really cool but sadly dont have the truck no more.

[@06howea1]

Nice

[@20EsOfficial]

I wonder if you can add some sort of AI go it so that it does the detecting for you so you can put all focus to driving

[@n085fs]

"wizardry beyond diy" The moment you learn that every camera sees infrared if you remove a filter from it...

[@coler154]

not in the thermal band

[@stevetheborg]

i need this on my honda to see the deer,

[@Google_Does_Evil_Now]

Would be good for motorcycles too because they're very vulnerable to animals.

[@Jc-m1a1]

Can you share the connectors and possibly the cad file.

[@MAZEMIND]

Subbed o/

[@graywolf2694]

Cool but wow that camera is expensive for just the camera alone.

[@Buy-n-large]

Id be scared having this $400 piece of tech simply bolted to the front of my vehicle.

[@AKAtheA]

modern headlights are $1k+ each...

[@RENO_K]

I think people would j think it's some stupid cheap offroad light

[@crackshot2000]

haha you bumper is more

[@mariop8576]

I'll stick with my headlights :)

[@RA-II]

This cost 2000 just for the camera not installed. Also you install doesn’t protect the camera from getting stolen or hit by flying objects

[@michaelosmon]

This was really cool until you set it on the bumper. Bro that looks hideous. Maybe you're just testing idk. It's a really good idea tho and super creative it just needs to be relocated out of sight somewhere

[@gren509]

Great idea, but 15yrs out of date technology - modern IR 100x this good.

[@Outrightpower]

Need to add an IR emitter to the front for better visibility

[@DjAlonDevil]

There are no thermal illuminators, this isn't near-infrared or SWIR.

[@Outrightpower]

@DjAlonDevil doesn't need to be thermal for IR to be effective. Any cheap IR nightvision sensor works that way from my experience

[@ghostedyoutuber263]

An IR emitter will not enhance the thermal detector's ability to see. You are confusing your physics. If you want better visibility from emitters... add more lights as they emit photons in the visible region where human photon detectors can be used.

[@Outrightpower]

@ghostedyoutuber263 I thought the same thing until a friend literally showed me I was wrong. In person.

[@theREELdogman]

While cool, you really don't need to go to this much effort. There are much smaller solutions available and with a little computer knowledge you can rig up a raspberry pi and a small screen to do the same thing that this does.

[@superjeffstanton]

Make a video

[@theREELdogman]

@@superjeffstanton I will soon but it will be for whites only

[@Chuckq1]

I've looked too much money

[@NotALot-xm6gz]

Didn’t NTSC stop being a thing a decade ago after everyone decided that PAL was the global standard?

[@MathewSzymoniak-x7l]

Not everyone just the government regulation bodies

[@cptomes]

that's funny right there... fire up the betamax while you're at it!

[@virginiosavani]

In some cases, both NTSC and PAL analog systems are still used, but both are no longer the standard. The truly worldwide standard now is the digital broadcasting system DVTB2

[@RH0DI]

videos like these make me wish I wasn't a broke uni student 🥲 great video though!

[@midnightmachineshop]

Years ago I was in the same spot, deciding on if I could afford to spend $9 on a pizza. Best wishes for your studies.

[@RENO_K]

😭😭same I wish man It's not like my parents are poor or anything, giving me money to experiment is just not a priority It's my priority, so I gotta get it on my own But man 🥲 I hope that day comes soon before my journal of ideas gets filled up and impossible for me to make things I've been thinking of how to get a projector style HUD to work It'd be cool to do a simple Sobel edge detection on an LWIR camera module, hook it up to a HUD, basically what the new US Army fused NVG is like That'd be so trick, esp at night

[@midnightmachineshop]

@RENO_K The screen I am using has a menu option to flip the image around so it might be possible to do that and angle it at the windshield to use as a HUD. That's actually what the original Cadillac display was too, just a reversed display and an angled lens to properly project the image on the windshield glass. There is also an old system from GM Hughes called DataVision that is an NTSC HUD projector that uses a separate screen. I have one still in the box but it's big drawback is how big the projection unit is.

[@8stringer1243]

you can get a similar effect with any camera by taking it apart and removing the IR filter, if its still too hard to see there are cheap IR lights you could mount

[@gregkrueger331]

While the tech is a little antiquated, it works and that’s all that matters. I would spring for a better screen though, side view and the black/white contrast is horrible in these cheap TFT LCDs. Your image will improve quite a bit by just using a better quality screen.