Introduction: PiNoculars - Raspberry Pi Binoculars
Strap a Raspberry Pi 2 + Camera to a pair of binoculars (or telescope, microscope, etc.) and use one of adafruit's touch LCDs + custom raspbian image to view and take pictures. (Scroll through the photos above for examples / comparisons)
This project takes more time, money and is clunkier than if you were to purchase a commercial product. You're probably not on instructables because you wanted to buy a solution ; )
There are two sets of instructions here! See the images and video above for a brief overview. The first few prep steps are the same for both. Once construction starts you have a choice between a "Quick & Dirty" version that anyone can do, and an "Over-engineered" edition requiring fancier tools (laser cutter or power tools) and more time.
Finally, this is a fairly newb friendly guide, some may find it a bit slow. It's also very unlikely you have the same pair of binoculars, any dimensions mentioned are going to differ for you. Make your own measurements!
Super props to Phillip Burgess and Ruiz Brothers for their DIY WiFi Camera Script and adafruit for making it very easy to connect an LCD to the Pi. Much thanks to the Ann Arbor District Library and Maker Works for access to wonderful tools!
Step 1: Prep - Image Download & Installation
Description: First step, download the appropriate OS, a specific version of the Raspbian OS put together by the adafruit crew to make it easy to interface with their 2.8" Capacitive Touchscreen.
Note: The information here is accurate as of October 26th, 2015. It's likely that the steps for this will change as the websites adafruit.com and raspberrypi.org evolve, and/or as the Raspbian OS changes.
Materials:
- Micro SD Card + Adapter
- Computer with Internet Access
Basic Steps (See video for detailed instructions... specific to Mac OS)
- Download the Wheezy Raspbian image at AdaFruit
- This version includes support for the Touchscreen
- Unzip the image after it finishes downloading
- CAREFULLY Follow the instructions on RaspberryPi.org to install the OS
- Eject the SD Card once you've finished writing the image to it.
- You're done, next step!
Step 2: Prep - Test Your Hardware
Description: Let's connect the barebones setup, this way if there's an issue we'll know before we have it mounted to our Binoculars. Quick note: the default (150mm / 6") cable that ships with the Pi Camera is a little tight, you may need to order a longer one.
Materials
- Raspberry Pi 2
- Pi Camera + Cable
- Micro SD Card with image loaded
- Capacitive Touch LCD HatUSB WiFi Dongle *
Basic Steps (see video for detailed instructions)
- Remove Micro SD Card from adapter
- Flip Pi Over, place Micro SD card in holder
- Attaching camera cable to camera (silver tabs face lens)
- Disengage clasp if needed
- Place cable in slot
- Engage Clasp
- Disengage clasp if needed
- Place cable in slot
- Engage Clasp
- Leave cable hanging out over network jack
- Line GPIO Pins on Pi with Header on LCD
- Carefully press down (avoid pressing on LCD)
- It may take a minute, but you should end up at the Raspi Boot Config
- A Grey & Blue Screen.
I used a USB WiFi dongle for this project, it's optional, though the steps later on will make use of it.
Step 3: Prep - OS and Camera Setup
Description: Finish setting up the Operating System, connect to your network and get the camera running at boot. A basic outline of the steps is below, a detailed run through is available in the video above.
Materials
- Raspberry Pi with LCD and Camera attached
- SD Card with TFT capable Raspbian Wheezy OS (previous step)
- USB WiFi Dongle or Ethernet Cable attached
- Power Supply for Pi
Basic Steps (see video for details)
- A. Finish Configuring OS:
- Boot Pi
- If the Raspberry Pi Software Configuration Tool doesn't run at boot
- Login and run the command 'sudo raspi-config' to start it.
- Expand File System
- Internationalization Options: Change Locale
- Internationalization Options: Change TimeZone
- Internationalization Options: Change Keyboard Layout
- Enable Camera
- Advanced Options: Enable SSH
- Restart
- Option 1: Ethernet Cable (Network Cable)
- Connect from your router/modem/switch to your Pi
- Reboot Pi. When at the login screen look at the 3rd line up.
- This should be your IP address
- Skip down to Section C below
- run: sudo nano /etc/wpa_supplicant/wpa_supplicant.conf
- add to bottom:
network={
ssid="YourWiFiName"
psk="YourWiFiPassword"
}
- add to bottom:
- Reboot Pi. Third line up on LCD Panel should be your IP Address
- SSH into your pi: pi@your.pi.ip.address
- You can also hook a keyboard & mouse directly to your PI : )
- Browse to the "DIY WiFi Camera" tutorial at adafruit
- Scroll down to "Install Camera Script"
- Follow "Install Camera Script"
- Follow "Tweaks"
- Follow "Standalone Mode"
- SSH into your pi: pi@your.pi.ip.address
- Browse to the PiTFT Tutorial at adafruit
- Follow the "Extras! Tactile Switch as Power Button" steps
- Do NOT follow the additional steps below the Tactile Switch section.
Step 4: Choose a Method!
There are an infinite number of ways to attach your Pi to your Binoculars. We've provided two!
The Quick & Dirty method involves a little bit of foam, electrical tape, ruler, pencil, and a knife. It can probably be done in half an hour or less.
The Over Engineered method involves a computer, inkscape vector image editing software, thin plywood, a laser cutter, nuts & bolts, etc., and a lot more time. Completely pointless! It is an interesting exercise in designing and fitting a piece of material to an existing object, and the steps are geared toward someone who's never done something like this.
Side note: The Over Engineered design could be used to make a template for cutting out the pieces with a jigsaw and a drill or similar tools.
Step 5: Q&D: Build the Camera Mount
Description: The first step in the Quick & Dirty method. We'll be marking up and cutting out a small circle of foam that serves as a mount for the Pi Camera.
Materials needed:
- Binoculars
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Foam (6mm thick, wider & longer than the eye piece of your binoculars)
- X-Acto Knife
Basic instructions (see images and video for steps)
- Place binoculars with the eyepiece facing down on your section of foam.
- Use a pencil to draw an outline on the foam around the eyepiece.
- Use a ruler to draw a crosshair through the center of your circle.
- Draw a rectangle approximately 8mm x 8mm at the center of your circle.
- Use your X-Acto knife to cut out the rectangle, and then the circle.
- Make many light cuts.
- Force doesn't always help, and will cause more damage if you slip.
- Use disposable material below foam to save your work table.
- Test fit. The camera mount should barely cover the eyepiece, and the Pi camera should fit just inside the rectangle. This doesn't have to be perfect, but the closer the camera is to the center of the mount the better.
Step 6: Q&D: Attach the Pi, LCD, and Camera
Description: Putting it all together. We'll be assembling all of our pieces and booting up our Pi. After testing your basic setup from earlier, you will need to disconnect the LCD Panel from your Pi. Be careful! A small flat-head screw driver may help in separating the two.
Materials Needed:
- Binoculars
- Raspberry Pi with Camera Cable Attached!
- LCD Panel
- Pi Camera
- Pi Camera Foam Mount
- Scissors
- (2) Small to Medium Rubber Bands
- Electrical Tape
- Ruler
Basic Instructions (see video for clarity!)
- Place rubber bands around top & left side of LCD to hold the LCD in place.
- Cut a piece of tape long enough to wrap around binoculars (for me ~25cm)
- Place sticky side of tape against the inner edge of the LCD Hat header
- Use your ruler to smooth the sticky side against the edge
- Attach the LCD Panel to Pi. Careful not to crush your LCD!
- Place Pi+LCD on top of binoculars
- Position close enough to front so camera can reach eyepiece.
- Wrap loose electrical tape snug around the binoculars
- Tape may not adhere well. It works great on my binoculars. Be careful : )
- Cut a short (~4cm) piece of tape
- Place across the back of the camera and around foam mount.
- Attach camera to cable if needed
- Silver side of cable pins facing direction of lens
- Boot up Raspberry Pi
- Point binoculars at a well lit area
- Cut a longer (8-10cm) piece of electrical tape
- Place camera on front of eyepiece
- Move camera around until you see a well defined circle
- Secure tape around camera and to binocular eyepiece
- Wrap that around the eyepiece, over the tape you just attached
Mission Complete!
Mostly, see the last two steps in this instructable for further comments on power, video alignment, etc.
Step 7: OE: Design, Laser, and Assemble the Camera Mount
Description: Create a mount to hold the Pi Camera to the eyepiece of your binoculars. We'll be using vector based software (InkScape) for this. If you have no experience with software like Inkscape, the video is pretty thorough. Otherwise you may find the video a little slow ; )
Materials
- Binoculars
- Calipers (A ruler will work, but is not ideal)
- Pi Camera
- Computer with InkScape installed
- Raspberry Pi Camera Board Dimensions
- 5cm x 15cm x 3mm - 6mm baltic birch, cardboard, acrylic, or other laser safe material *
- (3) M2 x ?? x 25mm length machine screws and nuts *
(4) M2 x ?? x 8mm length machine screws and nuts *
Basic Steps
Use the video as a guide. Measurements are going to be different based on your binoculars, adjust as appropriate!
* Material thickness and screw sizes are going to affect each other. Watch the full video before purchasing anything to understand how things are assembled so you can make the right decision when it comes to choosing your materials and hardware
Step 8: OE: Design, Laser, and Assemble the Pi + LCD Mount
Description: Create a mount to hold the LCD and Raspberry Pi to your Binoculars. Keep in mind that the dimensions mentioned in the video will likely differ for you. Use the video as a guide.
Materials
- Binoculars
- Calipers (A ruler will work, but is not ideal)
- Raspberry Pi 2
- LCD (AdaFruit 2.8" PiTFT Capacitive Touch)
- Computer with Inkscape installed
- Diagram of LCD Hat (Download the full size 'original' version)
- 12.5cm x 12.5cm x 3mm - 6mm* baltic birch, cardboard, acrylic, or other laser safe material
- (1) M2 x ?? x 25mm length machine screw and nut *
- (2 or 3) M2 x ?? x 8mm length machine screw and nuts *
- Plastic Tube (A small section of straw will likely work fine)
Basic Steps
Use the video as a guide. Measurements are going to be different based on your binoculars, adjust as appropriate!
* Material thickness and screw sizes are going to affect each other. Watch the full video before purchasing anything to understand how things are assembled so you can make the right decision when it comes to choosing your materials and hardware
Step 9: Camera Flip!
Description: It's likely that the image you are viewing on the LCD is flipped vertically and horizontally. If this is the case we need to add two lines to the cam.py file.
Materials:
- PiNocular!
Basic Instructions (see video for details)
- ssh into your pi (pi@your.ip.address)
- Or plug a keyboard directly into your Pi
- login
- Type "cd ada" then hit Tab to autocomplete
- Type: "nano cam.py -c" then Enter
- Hit Ctrl-W to Search
- Search for "# Init Camera"
- Should put you around line #571
- camera.hflip = True
- camera.vflip = True
The video should now be flipped in a way that responds more naturally to your movement.
Step 10: Power and More!
Description: Choose a method for powering your PiNocular. There are a number of options, we cover one and link to a number of others.
Materials
- PiNocular
- Guide 10 Plus Goal Zero Recharger
- ~91cm / 36" + Male USB A > Male USB Micro Cable
Basic Steps
- Make sure your batteries are fully charged
- Make sure the Battery Pack is switched off
- Connect the USB Cable to both the Battery Pack & Raspberry Pi
- When you are ready to use the PiNocular setup, switch the Battery Pack on.
- When you are done using the PiNocular setup
- First switch the Pi off via Button #23 on the front of your Pi
- Wait at least 30 seconds for your Pi to shut down.
- Switch the Battery Pack off.
- First switch the Pi off via Button #23 on the front of your Pi
Some Power Details
The Guide 10 Recharger Pack is rated for 2300mAh at 4.8v. The Raspberry Pi with the LCD and WiFi will probably draw between 500 - 1000mAmps per hour. I haven't done extensive testing, so let me know if you know better ; ) A 2300mAh battery pack should last around two hours. I would recommend against pushing this limit. If the battery can't supply enough power you may end up the contents of your SD Card, or worse.
If you don't need the WiFi adapter * running for this setup, feel free to remove it. It's a pretty significant power drain.
Other Battery Options
There are a number of other options. Some are less bulky but require more work, others offer more run time. If you try one, I'd love to hear how well it works!
A 10,000mAh USB Rechargeable Battery Pack from Adafruit is another bulky $50 option, but should last ~10+ hours.
The SnapPiCam Tutorial at Adafruit includes information on sandwiching a slim Lithium Ion Battery + Charger between an LCD Panel and a Pi.
Having the battery pack on a long enough USB cable that I can keep it in my pocket helps keep the weight of the binoculars down.
* The Raspberry Pi does not have a built in battery / clock module to keep the proper date and time when it's not powered. It relies on an internet connection to do this. This means the date / time stamps on your images are probably going to be all wrong! You can fix this by purchasing and configuring an RTC Module for the Pi, or using your cell phone as a WiFi tether (assuming your cell phone has internet access) for you Raspberry Pi : )
Learnings and Difficulties
Blurry images: Are very common! Holding the setup as still as possible and shooting in broad daylight will help.
Switch position: Using either the switches next to the touch screen or the screen itself to take pictures is not ideal. Positioning a switch closer to where your fingers rest would be much nicer.
LCD Unnecessary? Once you've calibrated the position and focus of the camera lens, the LCD is unnecessary beyond reviewing pictures taken (which is nice). But these could be sent to your phone, or viewed from your phone over a web page.
Video: Taking video would be nice but isn't functional in this setup. I tinkered with adding it briefly, but haven't succeeded.

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36 Comments
6 years ago
Question about the camera positioning... did you have to remove the stock lens from the camera module to get it to focus properly?
Reply 6 years ago
MonteM6, goooooooood question. I don't think I did anything to the lens.
For other projects that required a closer focal depth I've rotated the lens: https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/macro-photography-with-the-camera-board/
But if I remember correctly this worked fine at the default position.
Reply 6 years ago
Interesting... I've got a project where I'd like to mount the camera module in front of the eyepiece on a spotting scope. I'd kind of put it off, because I was under the impression that the focal distance for the eyepiece (31mm) was way shorter than the focus distance for the stock lens. Then i saw the article in MagPi 56 on your system and went "hmmmm..." ;) Guess I need to revisit that project!
6 years ago
Hi,
I forgot to mention that booting into the cam.py program doesn't work either.
I have an additional line in the the rc.local folder, if I delete the whole tft screen isn't working.
6 years ago
Hi,
I am using the 3.2 TFT LCD Display from Banggood(with 3 tactile buttons) instead the Adafruit's for the project and it works well until the step "Tap to Confirm Exit" which doesn't work (the program doesn't close) and I can't connect a tactile switch (gpio pins 12,16,18) where it shows the error message "no rpi_power_switch found".
Can someone help me out?
7 years ago
Can this work with a raspberry pi 1? I have one sitting around doing nothing, and this looks like it'd be a good project, but I don't want to invest in all the parts if it doesn't work.
Reply 7 years ago
Calebv, yes it should!
It might help to note that you don't need the LCD panel for this project. You can use GPIO pins to control the camera, and use a web server such as Apache or Flask to view the images over a cell phone. You could even stream the video to a phone or tablet.
Though at that point, you might as well just strap the phone to your binoculars : )
Lots of options, have fun!
Reply 7 years ago
Alright, thanks!
7 years ago
nice project. what materials did you use for the both mounts? (I just want to make sure laser will handle it properly). another option would be a 3D printer, I guess, what do you think?
Reply 7 years ago
Thanks Tangorom!
For the Quick & Dirty mount I used foam core and electrical tape.
For the laser cutter version I used 1/8" (~3mm) Baltic Birch plywood.
As far as 3D Printing goes, I played around with a mount for the camera eye-piece, but not to mount the pi/LCD.
Here's the STL link, and here's a SketchUp link. Keep in mind that these will likely need modifying to work with a different size pair of binoculars. The mount worked, but I felt explaining the design process would take too much time ; )
Let me know how it goes!
Reply 7 years ago
Again, this is a fun project, Kudos, man. I love the concept.. Of course, everyone needs to adapt to their own equipment. I do have a different brand of binoculars but before I decide to start this I'll see if I can get the specs for accurate measurements. And to be honest, I really hate to use the electrical tape. when cold it gets loose, when hot it melts the adhesive and makes a horrible mess. I'm thinking of a small enclosure for the camera, so light aberation/distorsions won't be an issue. Just an idea.. :)
7 years ago
since you mention wifi, I'll just leave this here in case you don't know about it...
https://befinitiv.wordpress.com/wifibroadcast-anal...
TL:DR description - one way link, can receive mangled packets, can do "diversity" receiving...
7 years ago
Really nice project and instructable! The videos really make it simple to understand and make! :)
7 years ago
Nicely designed!
7 years ago
would this work with pizero?
Reply 7 years ago
Steven, it doesn't look like it will in the way my instructable calls for. The Pi Zero lacks the CSI port that the camera hooks up to.
It does have a USB port, so there is the possibility of using a usb camera.
Let me know if you figure out a solution, the pi zero would be much more compact, and nicer price wise!
7 years ago
Nice build, however, did you know most bino's have a threaded mount front and center for mono/tripod mounting? Usually under the front center cap. Smaller units may not have this option.
All in all I love this build idea and hope to try it out soon.
Reply 7 years ago
fmbfla: That's awesome! I did not realize there are tripod mounts on binoculars. That makes a ton of sense, and would allow for much more secure/ideal mounting options. Thank you for the tip!
7 years ago
Any idea of what the actual lux is other than Omnivision's stated 680-mV/lux-sec?
In other words, can you see the night time stars with this cam?
Reply 7 years ago
Earthman, I am not sure. I could only find this regarding star-gazing: http://www.mccarroll.net/blog/startrails/index.htm...
Having it connected to a pair of binoculars or a telescope may help, but I don't know for sure.