I'm using an Apple iSight as the camera in the multitouch setup I'm developing Touché on. This camera is really easy to mod for IR vision.
I have uploaded a photo series on how to mod an Apple iSight for IR vision to my flickr account. It should give you a good overview of how to disassemble the camera.
Basically, the steps are these:
- Pry out the white plastic ring that's around the FireWire jack.
- Pry out the white disc with the Apple on it.
- Unscrew the two screws holding the aluminum shell. They are right next to the white ring you pried out in step 1.
- Carefully slide out the camera assembly of the aluminum shell. Wiggle it slowly and push at the lens.
- Remove the anti-dust piece of cloth. Be careful to leave the glue strips intact, so that you can put it on again when assembling the camera later.
- Pry off the top part of the electronics cage (a thin knife or a flat screwdriver work as a tool here).
- There are a couple of screws holding the lens assembly together. Unscrew them all. Be careful not to damage the delicate focusing mechanism.
- Once you have disassembled the lens compartment, the visible light filter will fall out by itself (it's not glued in — very convenient).
- Replace the filter with an IR filter (3 pieces of exposed photo film work well).
- Re-assemble the camera, basically by just doing the above steps in reverse.
I think that together with the photoset, you'll have an easy time following these instructions. Good luck modding your iSight!
Link
Flickr — Modding an external Apple iSight for IR vision