Simple VHS Camera With Arduino

by ibras09 in Circuits > Cameras

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Simple VHS Camera With Arduino

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While daydreaming, I came up with the idea of building a simple VHS camera.

After doing some research, I discovered the MAX7456 IC, which became the backbone of this project since it can generate monochrome OSD output, while the Arduino acts as the brain of the system.

Coincidentally, I started working on this project near the end of 2025. At that moment, I became highly motivated to finish the camera so I could use it to capture memories during the New Year celebration.

Here are the details of my project....

Supplies

Materials:

  1. Arduino
  2. MAX7456 Module (or you can build your own by following the MAX7456 datasheet)
  3. Push Buttons 2x
  4. Optional Switch
  5. Wires
  6. Microphone Preamp Module with Electret Microphone
  7. 9V Step-Up Converter
  8. EasyCAP or Mini DVR for video capture
  9. FPV Camera or Rear Parking Camera with CVBS output
  10. X2 Box


Fimware : github.com/ibras09/Simple-VHS-Camera-With-Arduino
Library Max7456 : github.com/Avamander/max7456
Library RTC : github.com/adafruit/RTClib

Instructions

  1. Connect all ground wires to a single point (Star Ground or Common Ground).
  2. Arduino to MAX7456 (SPI): Pin 8 to D10 (CS), Pin 9 to D11 (MOSI), Pin 10 to D13 (MISO), Pin 11 to D12 (SCK).
  3. RTC DS3231 to Arduino (I2C): SDA to A4, SCL to A5.
  4. Add a voltage filter for the MAX7456, since it is usually more sensitive to voltage fluctuations.
  5. Don’t forget to connect the VCC and GND pins of the MAX7456.
  6. The schematic above is optional and can be used as a reference.

Downloads

Schematic.pdf

Feature

Features :

  1. Press Push Button 1 to set the OSD date (yyyy:mm:dd).
  2. Press Push Button 2 to set the OSD time (hh:mm:ss).
  3. Press both buttons simultaneously to update and save the date and time.
  4. While in Update Mode, use Push Button 1 to switch between the fields/values you want to change, and Push Button 2 to increment (increase) the value.


Conclusion

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This is the result of my camera project. There are still many things that need improvement, but overall I’m pretty satisfied with it.

Especially the OSD section — it still flickers sometimes.

For the next update, I’m planning to add a lens system for zoom in and zoom out 😁

I also want to improve the power management system to make the camera more stable.

If anyone has suggestions or even some mind-blowing ideas to make this project better in the future, feel free to share them!

Thanks.... 👍👍👍