Idea for very bright DIY IR illuminator....

[Lunchietey]

HI!

Ok so after a bit of internet browsing, I came across the excellent but expensive Larson Electronics illuminators.

These all look like led light bars off 4wd's which can be bought very cheaply.

For example, their $181 3w LED illuminator is an ebay $20 10W led 'work light' with a 3w IR emitter and diver in place of the white LED. I would say you could buy a $20 housing a $10 10w IR emitter of your chosen wavelength(850 or 940nm) and change them over fairly successfully.

They are weather proof, have spot/flood/combo optics and LED drivers already built in. Has anyone considered replacing the LED 3/5/10W chips with IR emitters of the same type?

May be a fairly cheap and fully customisable way to have very high performance, strong AND weather proof illuminators!

 

[Lunchietey]

On further investigation, you could even use a multi lensed light bar/work light and replace a few with IR emitters(simply controlled with dusk/dawn switch same as garden lighting) and use a 12V pir to have the other lenses activate in white as a normal sensor security light. You would need separate led drivers per LED and replace the cable with a multicore but it's not hard.

You could vary the IR intensity and range by selecting different styles of housing and emitter.

I'm going to buy a 20w Work light off ebay and replace one side with IR and link that with my garden solar 12v system to activate at night, and use a PIR for a courtesy/security flood over the door. This will be mounted over the workshop door.

 

[steve6690]

When the visible lights trigger on will that not wash out your cameras for a few seconds while they switch back to day mode ? I couldn't think of a worse setup.
I have considered building my own IR floodlights and may do it at some point in the future. I used to make led dive torches as a hobby.
Your problem may be finding optics that work as you want but it would be an interesting experiment.

 

[Lunchietey]

When the visible lights trigger on will that not wash out your cameras for a few seconds while they switch back to day mode ? I couldn't think of a worse setup.
I have considered building my own IR floodlights and may do it at some point in the future. I used to make led dive torches as a hobby.
Your problem may be finding optics that work as you want but it would be an interesting experiment.

Why would it wash the camera out? It's no different to any other sensor security lights... My cameras are fully adjusted in less than one second when my normal sensor lights elsewhere turn on?

You don't mount illuminators right next to cams anyway. The lights will work fine.

The optics should be fine if you use the same 'package' of led. You obviously need to open the light to see what you need first to order the right led though!

 

[steve6690]

When my cameras are in night mode with IR illumination, and a floodlight is switched on, the camera switches over to day mode and it takes more than one second for the camera to switch over and readjust to the point where you have a useable image. You don't want this happening, not even for a second or two, when an intruder triggers your pir.

 

[Lunchietey]

I guess the white light may not be for you.

Mine switch over too but its very quick. Maybe 1/2 a second to change, and another 1/2 second for the light level to adjust. Day vision/white light is significantly better for close range facial ID so in my case is substantially better than trying to ID a face by IR illumination.

Plus the sensor light will deter burglars in the first place!

 

[steve6690]

You are right of course that IR light is not ideal for identification of offenders. Personally, in your situation I would just build a visible light led floodlight, leave it switched on and do away with the PIR. But that's just my opinion.

 

[nzipcamera]

HI!

Ok so after a bit of internet browsing, I came across the excellent but expensive Larson Electronics illuminators.

These all look like led light bars off 4wd's which can be bought very cheaply.

For example, their $181 3w LED illuminator is an ebay $20 10W led 'work light' with a 3w IR emitter and diver in place of the white LED. I would say you could buy a $20 housing a $10 10w IR emitter of your chosen wavelength(850 or 940nm) and change them over fairly successfully.

They are weather proof, have spot/flood/combo optics and LED drivers already built in. Has anyone considered replacing the LED 3/5/10W chips with IR emitters of the same type?

May be a fairly cheap and fully customisable way to have very high performance, strong AND weather proof illuminators!

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Do you have a source for 10w IR LED lamps?

 

[Lunchietey]

Sounds like a good idea to me.

Do you have a source for 10w IR LED lamps?

Ive ordered a 10w led light as a test unit to try out the theory so will wait and see what it has in it when it arrives.

eBay, dx, alibaba etc seem to have various types as a starter

 

[nzipcamera]

The problem I have found is finding a quality IR LED's that have good light output and will last.

All the ones I have had to date have been ok to start with but over time (2 - 3 Months) the individual LEDs fail.

Interested to see how you get on.

 

[Lunchietey]

Will take a few weeks with shipping etc to get the first light and then order the subsequent led components I need to turn it into an IR illuminator.

One of the biggest issues with the chinese LED's is poor assembly and heat sinking due to carelessness, not so much the design. You find stupid stuff like no thermal compound on the LED but a big blob of it doing nothing on the side of the enclosure haha

Will obviously update when I have something running. Have a lot to do this month($27k in backyard work and all new hikvision gear to go up!)

 

[LittleBrother]

Kind of a random post from me, but with a powerful IR setup is it not worth while being careful about your eyes when testing? I understand the eye fails to really react to IR, but it can still be damaging; somewhat like staring at a large light without the blink reflex.

$27k sounds like quite a budget

 

[Lunchietey]

I don't think it will be an issue, never heard of anyone being blinded by IR? It's almost heat energy compared to 'light'. You don't see blind kids from looking directly into remote controls haha. I also had no plans of holding this type of light in my eye!. I'll be using a cam to test!

Once you're over a few meters/yards/feet away, intensity shouldn't be a problem

Yeah loads of work happening(6m x 6m workshop and a gable roof outdoor area as well as a lot of concrete/poured limestone etc. Also storage areas for trailers and a pad for a 25ft Caravan.

 

[nayr]

I have really light sensitive eyes, and looking into my black face PTZ 50ft away with its IR at full blast makes my eyes water after a few moments.. its odd with just the faint glow in the distance.. but its pretty powerful and I am lit up like a spotlight on the video.. if I leave the camera at max IR I can see the internal temps climb up about 4 degrees C, even when its below zero outside.. so those LED's are alot more powerful than I expected.. I dont think its good for your health to stare into them for very long.

my point being, it has to have some effect on your vision.. even at a distance, or else it wouldn't hurt to stare into a IR spotlight.

 

[Lunchietey]

According to a loooong PDF I have read, high infra red exposure can lead to damage like being too close to a fire or looking at the sun BUT not so much at 850nm, more like 1400+ in their animal testing. It is still electromagnetic energy and even though your eyes photoreceptors are not converting it into electrical impulses to transmit to your brain, your eye is still absorbing some energy as heat.

There is no mention of blindness BUT long term regular exposure can cause cataracts etc to form much faster than people who aren't regularly exposed to IR in high doses.

So if you make smallish IR lamps, just don't hold it to your eye for hours. If you make a mega illuminator, don't install it at eye level next to your front door. Mount it high on a pole etc and don't stare at it for an hour a day!

 

[AlpineWatch]

IR unfocused laser?

 

[Lunchietey]

Lazers are only bright when focused or scanned across a surface rapidly OR really really big and extremely expensive.

 

[AlpineWatch]

Not sure on the expense - IR laser diodes are pretty reasonable. Eye safety is definitely an issue.
http://www.hkvstar.com/technology-news/what-s-laser-infrared-security-camera.html
i think they goofed on the text in their photos - the scene looks the same between the 100' and 50' photos other than illumination.

If someone is tinkering and looking to build something, why not give it a try?

 

[Lunchietey]

i think they goofed on the text in their photos - the scene looks the same between the 100' and 50' photos other than illumination.

That's the whole point of comparison images, one thing stays the same(the scene) while the other changes(50m vs 100m illumination)

The images show the 100m is narrower but further illumination(back wall is brighter) but 50m is wider(roof trusses and sides of image better lit)

Does anyone else find that keystrokes often go missing on this forum? Sometimes I have to retype letters a few times which is VERY annoying. This is the only place this happens?

 

[SyconsciousAu]

How did you get on with building your DIY Illuminator?