Adam Smasher Upcycles an Obsolete Casio Pocket TV Into a Go-Anywhere Inspection Camera

Maker Adam Smasher has posted a build which makes use of long-since obsolete pocket television sets to create a portable inspection camera — reusing the telescopic antenna as a way to keep the camera on-target.

There was a brief period during which a pocket television was the thing to have. Early models, like those from Cambridge-based Sinclair Radionics, used cleverly miniaturised cathode-ray tubes (CRTs); later designs decrease the bulk by switching to flat-panel liquid crystal displays (LCDs). The closure of many nations' analog terrestrial TV broadcasts and the growth of the smartphone market put paid to the pocket TV business — but Smasher has found a use for the devices which are otherwise languishing in a drawer.

"This is an old pocket TV from the 90s," Smasher writes of the Casio EV-670 at the heart of the build. "It's basically useless in it's current state since it functions off analog signals that no longer exist. You can pick these up at yard sales or on eBay for almost nothing these days."

"This is a tiny pinhole camera. I used this because just like the pocket TV it is analog and can be had for only a few bucks. These are the two cables needed to make this project happen. The pocket TV video input is not a typical analog RCA. Instead, it is an audio jack style input (like earphones). We need to make these two cables one usable cable."

By splicing the two cables together, Smasher is able to link the camera to the TV and display its image on the screen — but the project doesn't end there. "The antenna built into this pocket TV [is] a large built in antenna, it extends and retracts so it is perfect for mounting our tiny camera on," Smasher explains. "This allows full range of motion, I can adjust the antenna to 90 degrees and use it to inspect the cylinder walls on small engines. Also, you could use this in drains and various other places."

The finished project is compact, portable, and using a battery-backed power supply can be used in-the-field — or, quite literally, in a field. Full details are available in Smasher's video tutorial or in image form on Imgur; a discussion can be found on Reddit.