Disassembling a premium webcam

Again in late April, EDN revealed my teardown of an entry-level webcam, Avaya’s Huddle HC010, on the time promoting for $14.99 (however having been priced a number of years earlier, within the midst of pandemic-induced dwelling workplace tools shortages, for almost 10x that quantity). Within the intro to that piece, I briefly talked about different, higher-end webcams, one among which was BenQ’s ideaCam S1 Plus and Professional collection.

Right here’s a inventory picture of the $169.99 “Plus” variant, whose internals we’ll be analyzing as we speak:

For $30 extra, the “Professional” model comes with a separate wi-fi distant management (and USB receiver) for the corporate’s computer-based EnSpire (which BenQ additionally refers to in some locations as Enspire) software program suite:

Some upfront qualifiers:

• Not like a few of its comparably-priced friends bought by different corporations, the ideaCam S1 collection does not help interpolated-pixel digital zoom capabilities, together with the power to “comply with” the consumer’s face as she or he strikes round within the body and thereby current a consistently-centered picture to viewers (which Apple, for instance, calls “Heart Stage”).
• As a substitute, Benq features a magnetically hooked up 15x multiplier “zoom” supplemental lens which the corporate claims can also be “macro”-capable. Not but bought (no less than within the U.S.), so far as I do know, however inferred within the consumer handbook is an ideaCam S1 normal model, which dispenses with each the “Plus” supplemental lens and the “Professional” distant management.
• The ideaCam S1 collection’ market uniqueness derives from a versatile magnet-enhanced mount, which allows you to connect (and even lock down) the webcam in a “regular” on-display orientation, utterly detach it to indicate one thing within the neighborhood of the pc to your viewers, and in-between rotate the webcam near-90° down on the desktop in entrance of you. Within the latter case, the aforementioned EnSpire software program driver auto-rotates and keystone-corrects the captured picture in addition to tweaking autofocus in order that what’s seen by others appears as shut as attainable to what’s really in entrance of you.

• Benq calls the ideaCam S1 a “4K” digicam, which is shut however not fairly proper. “4K”, no less than from a show standpoint, references a 3840×2160 (8,294,400 whole) pixel picture. The ideaCam S1 captures nonetheless pictures with 3264×2448 (7,990,272 whole) pixels. And its video decision choices, in each circumstances restricted to 30 (not 60) fps body charges, are 3264×1836 (5.992,704 whole) pixels in 16:9 ratio mode and 3264×2448 pixels (the identical as with nonetheless pictures) in 4:3 ratio mode.
• The webcams are based mostly on an 8 Mpixel Sony CMOS picture sensor. It admittedly took me a number of tries to comprehend what the “COMS” reference on Benq’s internet web page meant Low mild efficiency is surprisingly subpar, per a number of reviewers’ feedback, even when the built-in ring mild is in use. Right here’s Benq’s suggestions once I inquired about this quirk: “ideaCam is a webcam designed primarily for capturing objects, so it really works finest in well-lit environments.”
• I get why Benq made the ideaCam S1 collection natively USB-A-interfaced, given the sizeable put in base of computer systems that supply no less than one USB-A port. That mentioned, I’m admittedly shocked that Benq didn’t additionally embrace a cheap USB-A to USB-C adapter within the field to be used with the more and more frequent laptop computer PCs and the like which can be USB-C-only.

Upfront ideas now concluded, let’s get to the tearing down, starting with the compulsory outer-box pictures (after I eliminated the shiny, reflection-inducing shrink-wrap, that’s):

Flip open the field:

And beneath the highest flap you’ll first discover a plethora of paper (you possibly can alternatively discover the quick-start information in digital kind right here, together with the digital-only full consumer handbook):

Beneath it (and a skinny sheet of protecting black foam):

are, clockwise starting from left, the primary webcam meeting, the privateness cowl, the “macro zoom” supplemental lens, and the mounting bracket, all cushioned by extra foam:

In entrance of the froth is the majority of the webcam’s completely linked USB cable, enclosed inside a white cardboard sleeve:

Listed below are the varied constituent items out of the field:

Two views of the mounting bracket, which additionally integrates a ¼” screw gap for a not-included optionally available tripod or different stand:

Now for the webcam itself, as regular accompanied by a 0.75″ (19.1 mm) diameter U.S. penny for measurement comparability functions. Entrance view first; the ring mild shines by means of the frosted white circumference when on. Additionally notice the outlet for the one microphone enter within the decrease proper nook of the “lens” (curiously, this design doesn’t appear to leverage a conventional multi-microphone array for ambient noise cancellation functions, as an alternative per product documentation counting on “AI processing”) and the hardly seen exercise LED “gap” beneath the lens:

Right here’s what it appears like with the supplemental lens put in (notice to potential clients; there’s a near-invisible clear piece of protecting plastic on the rear of the supplemental lens that, except first eliminated, will end in poor picture outcomes when the supplemental lens is in use):

And right here’s the privateness cowl put in:

The magnet that holds each it and the supplemental lens in place is positioned throughout the frequent major lens meeting to which they each adhere:

The 2-switch meeting on the prime toggles the ring mild on and off and, at the side of the EnSpire software program suite, freezes the captured picture:

At backside is the magnet-augmented rectangular gap into which you insert the mounting bracket (additionally notice the completely hooked up USB cable popping out of the webcam):

And final however not least (or perhaps least in spite of everything…it’s fairly bland) is the BenQ-branded bottom:

Time to dive inside. Subsequent to the USB cable entry level is a tiny Philips screw whose removing would seemingly be a logical place to begin:

That’s what I’m speaking about:

Subsequent, let’s get the multi-wire harness for the USB cable outta there:

Two extra screws to go (the primary one had already been eliminated at the side of disconnecting what I assume is the USB cable’s floor strap):

And…nothing’s budging but. Let’s strive these three extra screws seen deeper inside:

Getting them out was a bit dodgy as a result of each time I unscrewed one, it instantly went airborne and adhered itself to the magnet on the backside bracket gap…however I managed…

Hmmm…nonetheless no significant disassembly progress, nonetheless. Time to show the webcam round and switch our consideration to the entrance meeting:

That’s extra prefer it!

Even with the screws eliminated, it had nonetheless been tenuously held in place by the four-pin connector that mated the PCB to the two-switch topside meeting:

Back and front standalone views of the chassis now absent the entrance meeting:

And now what you actually care about; the primary unobstructed view of the system PCB’s bottom:

As you’ll have already inferred, there’s a gyro IC (seemingly MEMS-based) within the webcam that determines (and communicates to system software program) whether or not it’s in its “regular” or downward orientation. Fortuitously, BenQ supplies an exploded-view video that exhibits the place it’s positioned:

Particularly, assuming the video is correct in pinpointing what it calls the “Webcam flip sensor,” it’s the tiny five-lead chip labeled U12 on the PCB and marked FT8DSN, beneath and to the left of the left-side PCB gap. To the proper of the flip sensor and towards the middle of the PCB is a bigger IC whose id I sadly can’t discern. It’s marked as follows:

IG1600
2109AAD
TP1X841
0570011

Concepts, anybody? And whereas we’re at it, does anybody know the id of the tall rectangular eight-lead chip at far proper, above the USB wiring harness connector, and marked as follows (accompanied by a yellow paint “dot” in its decrease left nook)?

GD
N1C0
UF8096

Flip the entrance meeting over:

and with the retaining screws now eliminated, the duvet portion lifts proper off:

The clear plastic center area is solely protecting, so far as I can inform, with no significant optical properties of its personal that I can verify:

Observe the holes for the microphone enter, within the black piece’s decrease left area, and the exercise LED, beneath and to its proper (and on the black piece’s backside). And across the perimeter is the frosted white opaque plastic via which the ring mild LEDs diffuse-shine when illuminated.

Talking of which:

Gadgets of specific notice embrace the lens meeting at heart (with the aforementioned 8 Mpixel Sony CMOS picture sensor unseen behind it), the system processor to its left (a Sunplus Innovation Expertise SPCA2680A, not discovered on the producer’s web site, though notice the presumably associated SPCA2688), and the surprisingly massive MEMS mic to the lens’s decrease proper. Together with, in fact, the exercise LED beneath the lens and the six-LED ring across the perimeter.

I’m going to cease at this level, within the hopes that if I’m cautious with my reassembly, I’d really have the ability to return the ideaCam S1 Plus to its unique absolutely purposeful situation…

Success! It nonetheless works! Over to you on your ideas within the feedback.

—Brian Dipert is the Editor-in-Chief of the Edge AI and Imaginative and prescient Alliance, and a Senior Analyst at BDTI and Editor-in-Chief of InsideDSP, the corporate’s on-line publication.

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• Prosumer {and professional} cameras: Top quality video, however a connectivity vulnerability
• Digital digicam design, half 2: Movement issues for body fee, publicity time, and shuttering

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