Is this just a blinky? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: FrankT
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2018, 03:14:17 am
content: Is this just a blinky?https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spyassociates/spyfinder-pro-hidden-camera-detector-spying-preven/comments

author: Cyberdragon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2018, 05:44:02 am
content: Yep, just look at the comments. It's a scam and they know it, they just spout nonsense. As a comment pointed out the excessive pledge goal might be artificially inflated too.It's really just an LED flashlight with a three setting controller, like something Bigclive would get from Poundland.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2018, 05:50:01 am
content: Yes, it is just a blinky. It might be worth $10 on a really good day.But this "campaign" is a scam from start to finish.I would bet that most of the pledges are fraudulent.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 01, 2018, 06:20:36 pm
content: Yes.You can also wonder why a well-installed and reputable company (as they claim) would need crowd funding for such a simple project. Simply doesn't make sense.

author: edy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2018, 12:13:24 am
content: I never heard of such a device, interesting idea. How does it work? Flashes ultra bright red LED and you look through a RED filter to detect a reflection off a glassy lens surface? Does it detect a camera per se, or just some kind of reflective object such as a lens? Could you make this using a 555 timer?I found some other options online for $18.99, I wonder if this is similar:https://www.ebay.com/itm/SPYFINDER-SECRET-CAMERA-FINDER/302937553326?hash=item46887c39ae:g:YiYAAOSwOv1b1iiz:rk:2:pf:1I can't see how they can charge close to $200 for their product on Kickstarter. What fool would not check eBay or other listings to see what is available first? Here is the same thing on Amazon for even cheaper ($11.99):https://www.amazon.com/Soondar-Anti-spy-Detector-Full-Range-Al-Round/dp/B00RE6A4LS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1541376755&sr=8-2&keywords=spyfinder

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2018, 12:33:27 am
content: Well that's the Pro Model. The regular model must be really bad.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2018, 01:24:30 am
content: It would appear to depend on reflection from the camera lens (or window).But it seems like you would only see a reflection if you were directly in-line with the lens.Which doesn't seem very reliable for any kind of serious application.It seems like a dodgy and deceptive toy at best. And very likely a first-class scam.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2018, 09:11:58 pm
content: QuotePerhaps it works like a cats eye with a laser - the laser bounces off the sensor on the focal plane and comes back out the way it went in. With plain light it might also do that, but the dispersion coupled with attenuation means that there would be too little return to detect. The flashing could be just to make detection more noticeable (i.e. we notice dim stuff more if it's flickering), and the red filter blocks anything except the laser, thus reducing visual noise. Assuming it is a laser - could just be a red LED, of course.If this is the case, I would expect it to shine if you're in the sensor view, which could be quite a wide angle given some of these spy things.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2018, 10:46:17 pm
content: Quote from: dunkemhigh on November 06, 2018, 09:11:58 pmYes, it COULD work like that, but it doesn't appear to have anything for an emitter but a ring of ordinary LEDs.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2018, 11:05:49 pm
content: Good point. That might be why the red filter and flickering is neededMight have some red filter to give this a whirl and see.

author: Richard Crowley
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2018, 11:27:24 pm
content: I would also expect that if the source were something as collimated as a laser beam, it would also need to be co-axial to the viewing port or parallax would render the technique ineffective.

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2018, 11:59:11 pm
content: Yes, that's another good point. The ring of LEDs might be to a) give lots of photon oomph and b) allow coaxial viewing of the relatively narrow normal LED output. Of course, that also makes it easier to aim at whatever you're looking at (something my partner seems to find very difficult when pointing to stuff).