Errors Compound

I was wrong! The web-cam I converted to view the IR spectrum was not ruined. How could I overlook this minor mistake for so long? I'll tell you how,I simply, and incorrectly, assumed it was the lens. This has been my greatest blunder of the entire project, costing me $20 from my shoestring budget! I'm not proud to say it, but it needs to be documented.  I discovered that the cam worked perfectly. As I began to inspect the cam I found that the focus ring could rotate. Once I had found the driver (which was no easy task ) I was able to refine the image to clarity.
By the way if you are using a Creative Instant WebCam model: VF-0040 and want to save time click here for the driver.
At the same time, against my better judgment, I decided to power the frame from the my laptop's USB port. This was the image I saw. I still hadn't completed the focusing but I got so excited I impetuously captured an image! This is much brighter than the images Juan and me took with our unmodified cameras. It also proved me wrong. I was of the mind that a measily 5.5V the USB laptop power line have the Amperage or, quite frankly, the testicular fortitude to drive 66 LED's. I'm quickly learning that I don't know everything, and that a project like this leaves you looking at the world with new eyes. So, here I am, blogging about my wonderful achievements. Amazed by the ignorance and absentmindedness I've accumulated over the years- and wondering if, after all this, I'm really just a mountebank- a fraud, a scheister. How can I teach others that which I don't know? Honestly, I can't be sure of everything- yet, but I am sure that this project will not stop until completed. I'll end this post with an image of the camera in focus. There is no IR burst - we already know it can pick that up. What I haven't proven- until now, is that the webcam can focus and capture a great picture! By the end of this part of the project I was glad I took a chance and listend to my instinct. I could power the frame from my laptop, I could focus the camera, and I can use a single computer to power the entire display. Maybe I'm not a mountebank seeking to deceive all who enter this site with bright eyed dowey eyes. I guess what it really comes down to is how much you're willing to learn - about trusting instinct, how much you really know about a subject, or how open minded you are to explore nature.