A DIY enthusiast built a low-resolution digital camera using the ADNS-3090 sensor from an old optical mouse, a 3D printed case, and off-the-shelf parts. Published on the r/3Dprinting and r/electronics subreddits, the device features a 30×30 pixel grayscale sensor with 64 color options and includes multiple shooting modes: single, double, quad, “smear” panorama, and a dedicated mouse drawing mode. Photos can be viewed on a built-in display that holds 48 images and supports serial photo transfer to a computer.
The finished camera is very compact but densely packed with components. It has a 32KB FRAM, Python scripting support for dumps, multiple auto-lock exposure settings, and a battery that offers a few hours of use, which is pretty impressive considering the form factor. The creator specifically added that Panorama is a key feature: it performs a vertical column “scan” for elongated images. Due to the tight space within the two-piece 3D printed shell, most of the construction is soldered by hand.
The project documentation is extremely transparent about the technical limitations and the result: the sensor's output is, as expected, low-resolution, but useful for recognizable images, especially with multiple color palettes and temporal effects. “Draw” mode takes advantage of the mouse sensor’s intended use by allowing users to draw directly on the screen. The camera also locks and auto-unlocks for multi-shot sequences, again resulting in a more powerful device than typical e-waste designs. According to the author, the overall experience is pretty comparable to the classic Game Boy camera. They added that while the latter has higher resolution, this DIY build offers more color depth and flexible shooting settings for experimental photography.
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Fueled by my childhood of taking apart video game consoles to see how they worked, I turned my passion for technology into writing. I have a double bachelor's degree in computer science (2018) and English (2024). I have been writing about various technical topics since 2016, with a particular interest in games. When I'm not looking for the latest tech news, I'm producing music, playing games, or hiking.