YouTuber Crams a Camera Inside of a Walnut

YouTube creator and do-it-yourself enthusiast Penguin DIY recently built a secret camera hidden inside a walnut shell, and it’s an excellent, albeit nutty, example of what creative people with engineering skills can do with miniaturized camera technology.

After splitting open the walnut shell and smoothing its interior, Penguin DIY got to work building his nutty camera. The builder installed magnets into the rims of both halves, drilled holes on either end of the assembled shell, and drilled a slot on the side for a USB-C port. To power the camera, Penguin DIY arranged nine small 30mAh batteries inside the shell, flanking the USB-C port, leaving a cavern for the essential electronics and the camera system.

While fitting the batteries themselves was not too tough a task, charging them is another matter. Even a small USB-C charging module is too big to fit inside the walnut camera, so Penguin DIY deconstructed it and reassembled the parts in a more space-efficient way.

As for the camera, naturally, Penguin DIY had to opt for a very small one. He settled on a Mini FPV camera that can wirelessly send images, including video. To ensure a stable connection, Penguin DIY installed metal plates in the top half of the walnut shell to improve signal performance and strength.

With all the components installed, it was time to test out the walnut secret camera, and sure enough, it works and can send video wirelessly to a receiver connected to another device via USB-C, including a smartphone.

This is not Penguin DIY’s first attempt at putting electronics inside nuts. Earlier this year, the YouTube creator turned a pistachio into a Bluetooth-equipped wireless earbud. A couple of years ago, Penguin DIY also converted a walnut into a wireless speaker. While this newest project is the only one focused on turning a regular object into a camera, Penguin DIY’s YouTube channel is a collection of eclectic DIY electronics projects, and is well worth checking out for people who love to tinker.

As for other DIY camera projects, PetaPixel has covered many of them over the years, including most recently, a DIY medium-format rangefinder camera and a waist-level viewfinder monochrome camera. There is no shortage of DIY projects for photographers to undertake.

Image credits: Penguin DIY