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YOU CAN BUILD NIGHT VISION GOGGLES OUT OF AN OLD VR HEADSET

A discontinued headset nobody wanted, a Raspberry Pi, and infrared light your eyes cannot see — working night vision for the price of second-hand salvage.

by Tolga Ozuygur

FULL CAD BOM FIRMWARE DOCS

Open-hardwareDisplays

Built withRaspberry Pi3D printing

difficulty
●●●●○
time
a weekend-plus
license
MIT
repo
repo ACTIVE64 stars

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Videos
1
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COMPAREE VERDICT

This is a working night vision build that uses salvaged consumer hardware as the shell, which is clever, but it will take longer than a weekend because there are no written step-by-step instructions. The repository publishes the printable parts, a Python script that works, a short parts list with links and build photos, and the creator's build video shows the rest. The electronics are straightforward - a Pi 3 A+, a Waveshare IR-CUT camera, six Waveshare infrared LED boards, and a power bank. The script was tested on Buster, not Bullseye, so if you are on a newer Raspberry Pi OS image, expect to fix library calls. Check a second-hand Gear VR carefully for cracked lenses and broken clips before you buy. This is a project for someone who enjoys working from photos and video and already knows their way around a Raspberry Pi. If that is you, the result is genuinely impressive.

GOOD TO KNOW

  • —All printable parts are published: camera holder, camera ribbon clip, battery case and clip, LED caps and cable clips, plus the overall model (STL and SketchUp).
  • —The software is a single Python script that uses MMAL to build the side-by-side images and starts at boot.
  • —There is no written build guide. The repository has photos in the pictures folder and the author's own build video.
  • —The script was tested on Raspberry Pi OS Buster, not Bullseye, so expect to work around library changes if you are on a newer image.
  • —Short parts list in the README with links to the Pi 3 A+, the Waveshare IR-CUT camera and the Waveshare infrared LED board.
  • —MIT licence, no restrictions on use.

Parts to buy

5 items

From our check of the build. Exact quantities and part numbers are in the creator’s BOM.

  • Second-hand Samsung Gear VRFind
  • Raspberry Pi 3 A+Find
  • Pi IR-CUT cameraFind
  • Six Waveshare infrared LED boardsFind
  • Button switchFind

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Can I build this?

PrintCamera holder, camera ribbon clip, battery case and clip, LED caps and cable clips.
BuySecond-hand Samsung Gear VR, Raspberry Pi 3 A+, Pi IR-CUT camera, six Waveshare infrared LED boards, power bank with two USB outputs (one at least 2 A), button switch.
Tools3D printer, soldering iron, basic hand tools for assembly. A Linux machine or familiarity with SSH for the Pi setup.
SkillsComfortable reverse-engineering a build from photos and video. Soldering, Python, and working around library version mismatches on Raspberry Pi OS.
TimeA weekend-plus, mostly spent identifying parts, sourcing a usable second-hand headset, and debugging the script on a newer OS image if you are not on Buster.
Cost$$, dominated by the infrared LED boards and the Pi camera. The Gear VR itself is cheap second-hand, but expect to pay for shipping or drive to collect it.

Build at your own risk. Projects involve tools, electronics and sometimes mains voltage — follow the creator’s safety notes.

Videos

The creator's own build video (in Turkish). He notes it is not an instruction video, but it shows the whole build and is useful next to the photos.

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Gallery

Start here

Navigation into the creator’s own docs — we don’t rewrite the guide, we route you to the source.

  1. 1.Source a second-hand Samsung Gear VR(Check the lens for cracks and the head strap for broken clips. The model does not matter as long as the shell is intact.)
  2. 2.Identify the IR LED boards from the repository photos (The README links the Waveshare Infrared LED Board (B). You need six.)
  3. 3.Print the parts from the STL folder(Camera holder, camera ribbon clip, battery case and clip, LED caps, cable clips.)
  4. 4.Set up Raspberry Pi OS Buster on a Pi 3 A+(The script was tested on Buster. If you use Bullseye or later, expect to fix deprecated MMAL calls.)
  5. 5.Run the Python script and configure autostart (The script builds the side-by-side images the headset needs. Test it manually before enabling autostart at boot.)

Resources

Documentation, files and community threads for this build — we link straight to the original sources and never rehost the creator’s files.

KNOWN ISSUES

  • Buying a second-hand Gear VR with a cracked lens or broken head strap. Inspect it in person if possible, or ask the seller for close-up photos of the lens and all clips.
  • The parts list is short, so check the details yourself: the LED boards are Waveshare Infrared LED Board (B), and the power bank needs two USB outputs with one delivering at least 2 A.
  • The Python script uses MMAL, which changed between Buster and Bullseye. If you are on a newer OS, you will hit deprecated function errors and need to rewrite calls.
  • Use a power bank with two USB outputs, and put the Pi on the one that delivers at least 2 A, as the README specifies; a weak output will make the Pi brown out.
  • No written assembly guide. You are working from photos in the pictures folder and whatever you can pause in the author's build video. Someone used to reading schematics will be fine; someone expecting a step-by-step will struggle.
  • The camera must be able to see infrared — the build uses Waveshare's RPi IR-CUT camera, whose IR filter switches off in the dark. A normal Pi camera with a fixed IR filter will not see the LEDs' light.

Can I use a different VR headset shell?

Yes, but you will need to redesign the printed mounts. The STL files are sized for the Gear VR's internal dimensions.

Will this work on Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye or Bookworm?

The script was tested on Buster. Bullseye and later deprecated some MMAL functions, so expect to rewrite parts of the Python script.

How far can you see with this setup?

The project does not state a range. It is active infrared: you see as far as the six IR LED boards light the scene, so expect a room or a garden path, not long distances.

Is this actual night vision or just infrared?

It is active infrared imaging: the LEDs illuminate the scene in a wavelength your eyes cannot see, and the camera picks it up. Not the same as passive image intensification used in military systems.

Where is the bill of materials?

In the README: a Raspberry Pi 3 A+, a Waveshare RPi IR-CUT camera, six Waveshare Infrared LED Boards (type B, linked), a Samsung Gear VR, a power bank with two USB outputs (one at least 2 A), USB cables and a button switch.

Community builds

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Discussion1

FROM THE COMPAREE TEAM

The whole thing runs on salvaged hardware — a Gear VR nobody wanted any more, a Pi, and infrared LEDs. What would you use working night vision for that does not need military-grade range?

CompareeTEAM1mo agoedited

Practical notes from our verification: the repository has the printable parts, a working Python script and a short 'Parts Required' list in the README with links to the Raspberry Pi 3 A+, the Waveshare RPi IR-CUT camera and the Waveshare infrared LED board (six of them), plus a power bank with two USB outputs. What it does not have is a full written build guide — the author says so and points to the photos in the pictures folder and to his YouTube build video, which he notes is not an instruction video. The script uses MMAL and was only tested on Raspberry Pi OS Buster, not Bullseye, so on a newer OS expect to rewrite parts of it or go back to Buster. A second-hand Gear VR is cheap, but the market is full of cracked lenses and broken straps, so inspect it in person or ask the seller for close-ups. The result is genuinely impressive when it works, but this is not a step-by-step kit. Correction (4 October 2026): we re-checked this page line by line against the project's own repository, documentation and videos, and fixed errors in earlier versions.

Tolga Ozuygur

Tolga Ozuygur built these goggles on an old Samsung Gear VR headset and published the 3D files, the Python script and build photos under the MIT licence. The README says there are no full written instructions yet; his Turkish-language YouTube video shows the build.

GitHub

Star the project on GitHub

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  • Comparee is not the author of the projects featured here. All rights to each project belong to its creator — every page links to the original source, and we never host creators’ files.
  • Information is provided without warranty and may become outdated as projects evolve. Prices are indicative bands only — always check the creator’s parts list for current costs.
  • Building and operating any project is at your own responsibility. Protective equipment, safe workshop practice and compliance with local regulations are the builder’s responsibility.
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