Categories: Electronics

Disassembling a premium webcam

Again in late April, EDN printed my teardown of an entry-level webcam, Avaya’s Huddle HC010, on the time promoting for $14.99 (however having been priced just a few years earlier, within the midst of pandemic-induced residence workplace gear shortages, for almost 10x that quantity). Within the intro to that piece, I briefly talked about different, higher-end webcams, certainly one of 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 at this time:

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:

In contrast to a few of its comparably-priced friends offered by different firms, the ideaCam S1 collection does not help interpolated-pixel digital zoom capabilities, together with the flexibility to “observe” 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 an alternative, Benq features a magnetically hooked up 15x multiplier “zoom” supplemental lens which the corporate claims can be “macro”-capable. Not but offered (at the very least within the U.S.), so far as I do know, however inferred within the consumer guide 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 lets you connect (and even lock down) the webcam in a “regular” on-display orientation, fully detach it to point out 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 seems as shut as potential to what’s truly in entrance of you.

Benq calls the ideaCam S1 a “4K” digital camera, which is shut however not fairly proper. “4K”, at the very least from a show standpoint, references a 3840×2160 (8,294,400 complete) pixel picture. The ideaCam S1 captures nonetheless photos with 3264×2448 (7,990,272 complete) pixels. And its video decision choices, in each circumstances restricted to 30 (not 60) fps body charges, are 3264×1836 (5.992,704 complete) pixels in 16:9 ratio mode and 3264×2448 pixels (the identical as with nonetheless photos) in 4:3 ratio mode.
The webcams are based mostly on an 8 Mpixel Sony CMOS picture sensor. It admittedly took me just a few tries to understand what the “COMS” reference on Benq’s net web page meant Low gentle efficiency is surprisingly subpar, per a number of reviewers’ feedback, even when the built-in ring gentle is in use. Right here’s Benq’s suggestions after I inquired about this quirk: “ideaCam is a webcam designed primarily for capturing objects, so it really works greatest 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 at the very least one USB-A port. That stated, I’m admittedly shocked that Benq didn’t additionally embrace an affordable USB-A to USB-C adapter within the field to be used with the more and more widespread laptop computer PCs and the like which are 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’ll be able to alternatively discover the quick-start information in digital kind right here, together with the digital-only full consumer guide):

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 related USB cable, enclosed inside a white cardboard sleeve:

Listed here 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. Entrance view first; the ring gentle shines by way of the frosted white circumference when on. Additionally notice the opening for the only microphone enter within the decrease proper nook of the “lens” (curiously, this design doesn’t appear to leverage a standard 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” under the lens:

Right here’s what it seems 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 situated throughout the widespread major lens meeting to which they each adhere:

The 2-switch meeting on the high toggles the ring gentle on and off and, along with 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 possibly least in any case…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 start line:

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 along with 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 could have already inferred, there’s a gyro IC (possible MEMS-based) within the webcam that determines (and communicates to system software program) whether or not it’s in its “regular” or downward orientation. Happily, BenQ gives an exploded-view video that reveals the place it’s situated:

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, under 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 identification 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 identification 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 quilt portion lifts proper off:

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

Word the holes for the microphone enter, within the black piece’s decrease left area, and the exercise LED, under 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 gentle LEDs diffuse-shine when illuminated.

Talking of which:

Objects of explicit 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 giant MEMS mic to the lens’s decrease proper. Together with, after all, the exercise LED under 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 would truly be capable of return the ideaCam S1 Plus to its authentic totally purposeful situation…

Success! It nonetheless works! Over to you in 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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