Materials
- 2 blue acrylic sheets 12×12
- Glue: e6000 and Weld-on acrylic cement
- PLA (for 3d print)
- blue spray paint/acrylic paint
- wood tile
- blue LED
- USB connector with wires
- clear spray bottle cap
- small amount of modeling clay
Tools
- Laser-cutter
- 3d printer
- Inkscape
- Fusion 360
- drill
Last semester, I built a custom “mask” for my Tapo camera; this semester, an old Wyze PanCam got the upgrade treatment. To give it some character, I turned it into a mini TARDIS. I created the files for the main body panels in Inkscape to cut on the laser cutter, then modeled the iconic stepped roof and lamp topper in Fusion 360 to 3D print.
Option 2: Direct & Maker-Focused (Highlights the tools and workflow)
When it came time to assemble the acrylic housing, I started with E6000 cement on the right side, but the messy seams left a lot to be desired. Switching to Weld-On 4 acrylic solvent cement for the left side produced a much cleaner, water-clear bond. Best of all, the acrylic top snapped into place with a snug friction fit, requiring no glue at all.
I painted the topper, glued the “walls”, soldered the LED and resistor to a USB power cable. The hole was too small to fit the LED through. I had fed the light from the top while testing, but realized that once I soldered the USB connector to it, I had to feed it through the bottom. A drill fixed that right away.
The LED uses a solar power bank as a power source.
Next I needed a way to secure the clear cap over the LED. I used a small amount of clay and sunk the cap into it.
Finished project as it sits in my front window.
Background
I had several Wyze cameras and I have abandoned them for lack of support. I do not want my cameras sending data to the internet.
Thingino to the rescue! I found an open source project that turned my locked down cameras into standard RTSP/Onvif cameras that could be accessed anywhere. Now my Wyze cameras can be viewed on a Roku or on a home assistant dashboard.
All my cameras face to the outside, except for the one on my door which I use to determine if I remembered to lock the door after having gone upstairs.
