Brass-Look Anglepoise Webcam and Light

Brass Look Webacam with Light

While I am not in the business of importing or redistributing manufactured items, I do think that the above item has some wonderful potential either for adorning a more Steampunk PC desktop, or as inspiration for others looking to craft their own, far more elegant version, of the evil eye of our computer world – the webcam.  Found by Mr Andy Anonymous, and to be found at the importing site here, it seems that this surprisingly cheap (no doubt primed for mark-up) also has an adjustable light built into it for use in murky laboratories or appropriately moody studies.  I really do think that with some careful and cunning craftsmanship, a rather impressive variation of this (perhaps including ‘helping hand’ magnification devices or alligator clips) could be constructed, possibly as part of a larger piece.

Thank you, Mr Anonymous – you were right in your appraisal of the item!

  • solus
    My, my that is a snazzy looking apparatus.
  • Klynt Mahryd
    I waaaaant
  • I was just about to buy a "sample", when I saw that shipping is more than twice the cost of the item. $28.00US??!?! I think not!
  • george (ty) tempel
    Yeah, I nearly ordered two then saw the shipping. Still, if we were able to swing a bulk purchase, this would work out very nicely. I can see using two of those as eyes on some robotic thingy.
  • heavyporker
    YES! We need to arrange a bulk purchase, to go to someone trustworthy that will partition out the webcams. We could even get the wholesale pricing that could save enough to pay off the shipping cost!


    Someone needs to make a thread proposing the wholesale purchase!
  • Molly Friedrich
    Seriously? I thought the steampunk aesthetic was ABOUT the rejection of cheap mass-produced plastic crap, not embracing it.
  • crucibelle
    Count me in on the bulk purchase, if you all decide to do it. :)
  • Willofgod
    What a shame. I guess we will just have to use this as inspiration.
  • Dion Dela Cruz
    I have plans for this little tinker toy.
    Plastic can be replaced, switch the LED's for something blue and doctor in some alligator clips. Can't let away all my ideas though. *schemes*
  • They've changed the product image on the website, I wonder if this means the thing is now an unpleasant chrome color?
    (actually, i have to admit, the chrome is still pretty cool, it's just that after seeing the "brass" anything else is a let down.)
  • In addition to telling Tinkergirl about this cam, I also braved the shipping cost from Hong Kong and ordered myself one. I just received it today, so I can say a bit more about it.

    I'm happy to relay that the camera is most definitely metal, not plastic. I cannot say if it is actual brass or a different type of metal colored and brushed to resemble it, but it has a nice heft for such a little device. The only part I believe to be plastic is the silver focus ring round the lens.

    The base actually unscrews from the arm, which opens up some easy possibilities for modification.

    The LED lamps look great: like a deep sea diving apparatus. There is a dimmer upon the USB cord that turns the lamps on and controls their brightness.

    I haven't actually gotten it to work yet, as the drivers for it seem somewhat out of date...but I am continuing to press forward.

    All in all, I'm quite happy with it. I would willingly have paid the combined $25 for cost plus shipping just to buy one in a store, and honestly, as sharp as it looks, I almost don't care if I actually get it working, so long as it's sitting on my desk!
  • Pyran
    It was available for $20 with free shipping on eBay awhile ago, I'll see if I can still find it.
    It's over here, but the search database is throwing fits, so I don't know what that means to availability.
    http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
  • Looks like there are 40 some odd of them available from that seller. Pretty nice deal for those who were turned off by the shipping cost from Chinavasion.

    I wrote to the ebay seller to see what they know about the driver software, heh.
  • Pyran
    If you can get this working, I'd totally buy one.
  • I did manage to find a working driver, by writing to the people running the ebay auction and asking. If anyone needs a copy it's here (the ironically named "driver for driverless webcam.rar):

    http://file.ecoolbuys.com/driver/webcam/
  • Cthulhu
    Nice find! Just bought one now, £10 is cheap for a webcam and it has that wonderful brass charm.
  • Cthulhu
    Well, I just received it and it's a nice piece of kit. It does not come with any drivers, just as was advertised. It did, however, arrive with a vista-only CD marked "DRVIER". Wow, this new-fangled OS uses some strange words indeed.
  • Pyran
    damn, they're selling like hot cakes now that I plugged 'em in the right place, I shoulda asked for comission.

    How's the video quality, guys?
  • Sleddr
    Does anyone know what happened to the ecoolstore on eBay? I've ordered the webcam but now the store is gone!
  • Darkminstrel
    Sleddr;

    Looks like they did something ebay didn't like. I haven't gotten an answer yet, but they could be scamming people. And I'd already paid for mine...but not received it.
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