DIY: Turn Honor 5X Camera into Night Vision

If you're interested in converting the camera of your Honor 5X smartphone into a night vision device by removing its infrared (IR) filter, this article is worth checking out.

So, how do you turn the Honor 5X's camera into a night vision camera using an infrared flashlight? Let's walk through the process.

First, let's take a look at the phone we'll be using. It's the Honor 5X, a full-network model with a 3GB RAM + 16GB storage configuration. It features an all-metal body and feels quite solid in hand.

If you happen to have the same unused Honor 5X lying around and want to repurpose its camera, the first step is to disassemble the phone.

You'll need to remove the camera module, and that requires taking out the motherboard as well.

Once you have the camera out, you'll notice that the lens and focusing coil are integrated. The focusing coil is connected to the CCD board with two solder points. At this stage, you'll need a blade and a soldering iron. Use the soldering iron to detach the two solder joints.

You'll then see a piece of glass on the CCD — that's the infrared filter.

To remove it, you can use a heat gun set to a low temperature, along with a blade to carefully pry it off.

With this method, the IR filter comes off easily.

Now, you can reassemble the lens and focusing coil module, re-solder the joints, and put everything back together. That completes the modification — all that's left is to test the result.

Since the lens module may not return to its original precise position during reassembly, the focus might be slightly off. But you can fix this by gently rotating the lens to adjust the focal distance.

Done!