Block cameras or camera modules as some call them,  are camera units sold without housings. [caption id="attachment_2020" align="alignright" width="222" caption="Sony FCB-H11 camera module (without housing)"]Sony FCB-H11 camera module (without housing)[/caption] From a consumer's standpoint most people have no need for a camera without a housing, therefore, most people have never seen one.  A block camera is actually quite fascinating when looked at up close because all of the electronics are exposed (see picture to the right). Block cameras come in a variety of sizes from medium to really small, making them extremely flexible and easily integrateable into virtually any application. Due to the fact that block camera modules can be modified to fit specific applications, no other camera system has been able to come close to that flexibility until now, and even now, the new system I am referring to still involves the block camera. Last year, Aegis Electronic Group, Inc. formed a strategic partnership with a local company to distribute their block camera housing kits in order to meet a variety of their customer's unmet needs. The first kit released was the FCB-H11 HD kit that included the Sony FCBH11 camera, a black steel housing, custom cabling and an interface board with choice of HD or HDSDI outputs. Due to the overwhelming success of this kit within various industries, housing kits soon became available for the entire line of Sony's (17) 10X, 18X, 26X and 36X zoom block cameras including the popular FCB-IX11A, FCB-EX480 and the FCB-EX20D to name just a few. If I were to pick one word to describe these new systems, it would be "simple".  Simple because these kits instantly simplify the integration process of a really great camera that already has the added benefit of being equipped with zoom functions (rather than having to find a lens).  The many configurations available suddenly opened up many more application opportunities for these cameras because engineers and end users were no longer left with trying to solder connectors on to the system, it now comes that way making them one step closer to "plug and play". The latest release of housing kits currently offers any of the Sony block cameras with a variety of output and Block Camera Housing kit - USB 2.0connection options including the newly released USB 2.0 housing with gives users power, video and control of the block camera over one USB 2.0 connector. USB 2.0 is still one of the most popular and well-known interfaces used throughout the world, and now that is available in a kit, block cameras have become that much more accessable to those not familiar with or not interested in trying to solder flying leads or integrate the interface board themselves. Kits with Flying leads, HD component, HD-SDI,  Panel Mount Power connector with Panel Mount 9 Pin d-sub or Panel Mount 12 Pin Hirose connector are also available. Camera functions including auto focus, auto iris and auto zoom are controlled via RS-232 and are Direct Show Compatible with Windows. When I said these cameras can be used in a wide variety of applications, what I am trying to infer is that these cameras can be used pretty much anywhere.  Inside their robust housings, these cameras can be added to military vehicles including helicopters, Humvees, tanks, jets, aircraft carriers, submarines, etc.  Commercially these can be used for pick and place machines, quality control/inspection, surveillance (traffic, warehouse, checkpoints, etc.), pipe inspections, search and rescue, the list goes on and on. Whatever your application, there's a block camera housing kit available that will take your imaging quality to the next level.