Do secret agents and clever spy gear fascinate you? These nifty DIY gadgets will bring your spy fantasies closer to the real deal!
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In this article:
Amazing DIY Spy Gear for You and Your Kids
Spy Stuff You Can Make at Home
The gadgets featured in spy movies are so cool, they'd make you wish you could be a super spy too. Some of this hi-tech gear probably cost a fortune, but who says you'd have to buy one to own one?
Today's your lucky day! We've rounded up some neat DIY spy gear you and your kiddos will definitely be eager to go undercover with.
Spy Gear for Adults
If your personal heroes include Agent 007 or Jason Bourne, you can still make full use of their hi-tech toys without having to complicate your life with a secret identity (or risk it with all that training and high-stakes drama).
Check out this list of super-cool spy gadgets you can have in your possession.
1. Spy Cam Coffee Cup
How many people do you see take a sip from a cup in a public place? This coffee cup spy cam is the perfect disguise especially when you're in a restaurant or any public place.
What You'll Need:
- 2 paper coffee cups
- Arduino
- TTL serial camera
- Accelerometer
- Hookup wire
- Battery connector
- 9V battery
- SD card and SD card shield
- Resistors
- RCA jack
- Computer
- Soldering iron
- USB cable
- Solder
- Wire strippers
- Hobby knife
Instructions:
- Focus the lens of the camera. If your camera has TV-out, you can solder an RCA connection to the board and see the image on a TV that has RCA input. Other cameras have software to help you focus the image.
- Configure the SD card shield for the data sheet and guide. Make sure to use the version 3 or 4 and format the SD card using the FAT file format.
- Cut and strip a few short lengths of solid gauge wire. Different wire colors will help you distinguish the connections easier.
- Solder one wire to the accelerometer's Y-axis (pin 2), another wire to the X-axis(pin 5), a red wire to the positive power supply (pin 6), and a black wire to the accelerometer's ground (pin 3 or 4).
- Connect the wires to the Arduino's pins conveniently broken out on the SD card shield for the project construction.
- Gather the paper coffee cups, cut the top off one of the cups, and cut a hole at the bottom for the camera lens. The second cup will act as a sheet where the first cup slides into.
- Cut a corresponding at the bottom of the second cup to line up with the interior cup's camera lens.
- Mount the camera in the interior cup. Make sure the camera's cables are connected properly.
- Connect the 9V battery and test it out!
So to use it, just take a sip, snap a picture of the subject like how it's done in the movies, and you're done!
When you need to hide the camera lens at the bottom, simply rotate the cups and the lens is nowhere to be seen. Cool, right?
2. Bug Device
Part of the job is to be ahead of the game at all times. That is why spies always have a good eavesdropping device at their disposal.
What You'll Need:
- Cellphone
- Plug-in type headset
Instructions:
- Connect the plug-in headset to the phone.
- Turn OFF these settings on the cellphone: Ringer, Vibrate, and Light.
- Under headset setting, turn ON auto answer.
- Plug in the power cord if you plan to bug the area for a longer time.
- Hide the cellphone in the area you want to bug. Call the phone and start listening in.
You get the picture and, yes, it's brilliant! Do take note though, that this is all for fun and games — the law doesn't look kindly on recording people without their consent.
3. Teddy Bear Spy
Unlike the coffee cup spycam, this spy gear is stationary and involves sacrificing your favorite stuffed animal.
What You'll Need:
- Teddy bear stuffed toy
- Webcam
- Laptop or computer
- Scissors
Instructions:
- Cut one eye out from the teddy bear with a pair of scissors.
- Make an opening at the back of the teddy bear.
- Remove the webcam from its casing, along with the lens and circuit board.
- Insert the bare parts of the webcam at the back then push its viewing lens to where the bear's eye is.
- Connect the webcam to the laptop and you're done!
While you're in another room not too far away, you now have an instant CCTV camera in the room where the teddy bear sits.
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Spy Gear for Kids
If adults have these awesome spy gear, there are all kinds of gizmos and spy craft for kids too! Expand your children's imagination with some cool science through this awesome gear for your young spies!
1. Keyhole Spy Tool
These days, a glass fiber cable with a small camera at the tip is used to spy a room. Well, of course, not everyone has this type of camera, but there are certain alternatives if you want to get a fisheye view of a space.
What You'll Need:
- A thick sheet of black paper
- Small glass marble
- Scissors
- Sticky tape
Instructions:
- Cut the black paper approximately to a length of about eight times the diameter of the marble, and a width of five times its diameter.
- Place the marble at the center, then carefully roll the paper securely around the marble. Use the sticky tape to stick it after rolling.
- Poke the marble on one end until half of it is peeking outside, and the other half is inside.
You can poke this keyhole spy tool into the keyhole and see if it's safe to get in.
2. Homemade Fingerprint Powder
Scene of the crime and forensic specialists use aluminum powder to make fingerprints visible. However, DIY experts came up with an alternative recipe that does the same thing.
What You'll Need:
- 2 porcelain dishes
- Starch powder
- Knife
- Candle
Instructions:
- Put some starch in one porcelain dish.
- Light the candle, then position the second porcelain dish right above the flame. Soot will form in the process.
- Scrape the soot from the second dish then deposit it in the dish with the starch powder. Do this until there's an approximately equal amount of starch powder and soot.
- Mix the soot and starch powder together.
Now, you can start dusting to reveal the fingerprint. Though not directly visible to the human eye, fingers leave a fatty substance on surfaces it comes in contact with. This powder recipe will help your little spies get the job done!
3. Minion Notebook Spy Cam
Even kids are smart enough to know that spies should always have surveillance gear. This time, let's make something from a notebook with an image of a Minion on the front cover.
What You'll Need:
- Image of a Minion
- Thick notebook
- Cutter blade
- Cellphone
Instructions:
- Mount the printed image of a Minion to the cover of a thick notebook.
- Carefully cut out the minion's pupil.
- Place the cellphone level with the hole and cut out an outline in the thickness of the sheet to conceal the phone.
You have now an instant spy toy kids are ready to pretend they're studying when actually spying on someone.
Learn these spy hacks in this video from 5-Minute Crafts PLAY:
As you can see, there is no need to go through all that rigorous training to be like your favorite spy hero. All this nifty spy gear can even be made from simple household items you already have lying around.
Just be creative and let your imagination go to work, and that life of (pretend) espionage you've always wanted is within your grasp.
Got more of these brilliant spy gear ideas you can share? Tell us about them in the comments section below!
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Stay connected with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on January 8, 2016, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
