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In this tutorial I will try to make the simplest analog video transmitter and send that signal over the radio frequencies and make our homemade “spy camera”. The circuit is easy to make and requires just a few components. I’ll do my best to explain you how analog video signal works, more or less, and since I still have my analog black and white TV from the vintage teardown video, let’s see if I’ll be able to receive the video signal and display that on the analog TV. So guys, let’s get started.

As you can see, we need some resistors, capacitors, a coil, a small NPN transistor, a potentiometer, a diode and a wire for the antenna. Instead of the LC tank to create the carrier frequency, some circuits are using a crystal oscillator with a specific frequency. You could also try that if you want. To make the coil I get some copper wire and make 3 loops and 8mm diameter and 22 SWG wire. Peal the enamel from the tips and add some solder. You also need an analog video camera like the one below. These cameras work at 12V but be careful, sometimes they require only 5V or below that value. I guess these ones have a voltage regulator of some sort, but that’s good for us because in that way we can supply both the camera and the transmitter with the same voltage, let’s say 12V.

1 x analog video camera
1 x 2N2222 NPN transistor
1 x 75R resistor
2 x 10K resistor
1 x 500R Potentiometer
1 x 10pF capacitor
1 x 22pF capacitor
1 x 47pF capacitor
2 x 470pF capacitor
1 x 4.7uF capacitor
1 x 1mH coil: Homemade with 22SWG wire
1 x 1N4148 diode
1 x copper wire antenna”

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