A clothing converter was a device used by the Brown family to blend in when they visited a different time period. It had the appearance of a regular camera, but when used to take a photograph it would disguise the subjects in contemporary clothes from that time period. The device worked by producing an optical illusion, which would last for 8.6 hours before disappearing in a flash of light. In order to function properly, the device required 'clothing conversion coordinates' to be entered.