Perceiving the insides of a wi-fi digital camera flash receiver

In a current teardown, I disassembled and documented the insides of a Godox wi-fi digital camera flash transmitter that ended up being in a lot better form than had been marketed after I’d first acquired it. I used to be subsequently extremely motivated to return it to completely practical form afterwards, albeit not for personal-usage causes—it supported Fujifilm cameras, which I don’t personal—however as a substitute in order that I may subsequently donate for one more’s use, holding it out of the landfill within the course of.

This time round, the state of affairs’s reversed. In the present day we’ll be taking a look at an “as-is” situation wi-fi digital camera flash receiver, from the identical producer (Godox’ X1R-C). And this time, I do have a private curiosity, as a result of it helps Canon cameras (“-C”), a number of of which I personal. However given the rattling I heard inside at any time when I picked it up, I used to be skeptical that it’d work in any respect, removed from deluding myself that I may repair no matter ailed it. That stated, it solely value $4.01 pre-15% promo low cost, $3.40 after, in March 2024 from KEH Digital camera on the identical order as its X1T-F sibling.

Right here’s the sticker on the baggie that it got here shipped in:

And listed here are just a few inventory pictures of it:

Stepping again for a minute earlier than diving into the teardown minutia: why would somebody wish to purchase and use a standalone wi-fi digital camera receiver in any respect? Assuming a photographer wished to sync up a number of digital camera flashes (implementing the in style three-point lighting setup or different association, for instance), as I’ve written about earlier than, why wouldn’t they simply leverage the wi-fi connectivity constructed into their digital camera provider’s personal flash models, corresponding to (in my case) Canon’s EOS flash system?

A part of the reply may be that with Canon’s system, for instance, “wi-fi” solely means RF-based for newer models; older implementations have been infrared- (additionally typically known as “optical”-) based mostly, which requires line-of-sight between a transmitter and every receiver, has restricted vary, and can be liable to ambient mild interference. A part of the rationale may be {that a} given flash unit doesn’t combine wi-fi receiver performance (Godox’s entry-level flashes don’t assist the firm’s personal 2.4 GHz X protocol, for instance), or there may be a protocol mismatch between the separate transmitter and the built-in receiver. And a part of the rationale may be as a result of the strobe illumination supply you’re wanting to sync to doesn’t also have a sizzling shoe; you’ll shortly see how the Godox receiver handles such conditions…usually, at the least.

Let’s dive in, starting with some overview photographs, as regular accompanied by a 0.75″ (19.1 mm) diameter U.S. penny for dimension comparability functions (per B&H Picture’s web site, the Godox X1R-C has dimensions of two.8 x 2.6 x 1.9″ / 70 x 65 x 47 mm and weighs 2.5 oz / 70.9 g). Again:

Rattling apart, it nonetheless powers up and outputs seemingly significant show information!

Left (as considered from the entrance) aspect, together with the ability swap:

Bland entrance (no want for an infrared optical module with this explicit receiver!):

Proper aspect (you’ll see what’s importantly behind, and not behind, that rubberized panel shortly):

Prime; you’ll be able to inform from the additional contacts that this sizzling shoe’s not solely really “sizzling” but additionally Canon management protocol-cognizant:

And backside; this explicit shoe’s “chilly”, meant just for mounting functions:

Beneath that detachable panel, unsurprisingly, is the two-AA battery compartment:

Look carefully and also you’ll see two screw heads inside it on the high corners, together with two extra holes on the decrease gadget corners within the photograph. You recognize what comes subsequent, proper?

And inside we go:

Disconnect the cable harness mating the topside sizzling shoe to the PCB, and the separation of the 2 halves is full:

Right here’s a standalone overview of the within of the highest half, together with a sizzling shoe closeup:

And now for the (backside) half all of us care extra about, as a result of it accommodates the PCB:

Keep in mind that rubberized flap I earlier talked about? It acquired jostled out of place at this level, and finally fell out utterly. Discover something odd behind it? If not, don’t really feel dangerous; I nonetheless hadn’t, both:

These two screws holding the PCB in place inside the chassis are subsequent to depart:

Earlier than persevering with, I’ll spotlight just a few notable (to me, at the least) features of this aspect of the PCB. The connector within the decrease left nook, once more, goes to the cable harness which finally ends up on the sizzling shoe. The massive IC at middle is, maybe clearly, the system “brains”, however as with different Godox units I’ve already torn aside, its topside marking has been obliterated, so I sadly can’t ID it (I can’t assist however surprise, although, if it’s a FPGA?). Above it’s Texas Devices’ CC2500, a “low value, low-power 2.4 GHz RF transceiver designed for low-power wi-fi apps within the 2.4 GHz ISM band”: translation, Godox’s X wi-fi sync protocol. And above that, on the very high of the PCB, is the related embedded antenna.

Onward. As I started to elevate the PCB out of the chassis, the show popped out of place:

And at this level, I used to be additionally capable of dislodge what had been rattling round beneath the PCB. Do you acknowledge it?

It’s the two.5 mm sync connector, which acts as a relatively “dumb” however nonetheless baseline practical various to the new shoe for connecting the receiver to a strobe or different flash unit. It’s usually situated subsequent to the USB-C connector you lately noticed behind the rubberized flap.

At this level, after all of the shaking to get the sync connector out of the chassis, the ability swap’s plastic piece additionally went flying:

I used to be initially solely capable of elevate the PCB partway out of the chassis earlier than it acquired “caught”…that’s, till I remembered (as with the sooner Godox transmitter) the 2 battery tabs related to the PCB underside and sticking by way of the chassis to the battery compartment beneath:

Pushing them by way of the chassis from the battery compartment acquired to the specified finish level:

The two.5-mm sync connector website within the decrease proper nook of the PCB, beneath the USB-C connector, is apparent now that I knew what to search for! Tough dealing with by the Godox X1R-C’s prior proprietor had apparently snapped it off the board. I may have stopped at that time, however these screw heads seen atop the smaller PCB for the monochrome LCD have been beckoning to me:

Eradicating them didn’t get me wherever, till I acquired the brilliant concept to look beneath the ribbon cable, the place I discovered yet another:

That’s extra prefer it:

The 2 halves of the show meeting additionally got here aside at this level:

That pink-and-black strip is an elastomeric connector (additionally recognized by the ZEBRA trademark). They’re fairly cool, IMHO. Per the Wikipedia abstract, they…:

…include alternating conductive and insulating areas in a rubber or elastomer matrix to supply general anisotropic conductive properties. The unique model consisted of alternating conductive and insulating layers of silicone rubber, minimize crosswise to reveal the skinny layers. They supply high-density redundant electrical paths for top reliability connections. One of many first functions was connecting skinny and fragile glass liquid-crystal shows (LCDs) to circuit boards in digital units, as little present was required. Due to their flexibility, they excel in shock and anti-vibration functions. They will create a gasket-like seal for harsh environments.

Right here’s a standalone view of the backplane (with LEDs and switches alongside it), as soon as once more exhibiting the contacts that the elastomeric connector’s conductive layers mate up with:

And listed here are just a few photographs of the rest of the monochrome LCD, sequentially ordered as I disassembled it, and amongst different issues faintly revealing the contacts related to the different finish of the elastomeric connector:

Final, however not least, I made a decision to strive reversing my teardown steps to see if I may reassemble the receiver again to its authentic seeming-functional (sync connector apart) situation:

Huzzah! The show backlight even nonetheless works. I’ll maintain onto the sync connector, at the least for now:

I would strive soldering it again in place, though I don’t anticipate utilizing something apart from the choice sizzling shoe going ahead. For now, I welcome 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.

Associated Content material

• Scrutinizing a digital camera flash transmitter
• The Godox V1 digital camera flash: Effectively-“rounded” with multiple-identity panache
• Multi-source vs proprietary: extra “illuminating” case research
• Disclosing the outcomes of a webcam closeup

The put up Perceiving the insides of a wi-fi digital camera flash receiver appeared first on EDN.

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