Thinkpads Forum

Background: My dad isn't happy anymore with the performance of his netbook, an Asus EEE 1015 (Atom N570 dual-core 1.6GHz) so he's looking for an upgrade.

There's a spare X61 Tablet at home (Core 2 Duo L7700 1.8GHz), but he doesn't want it because it lacks a webcam. Our initial plan was to obtain an X200 or X200s, but none the ones available locally had a webcam.

So... time for Plan B: installing a webcam inside the X61T's lid.

Phase I: Choosing a webcam module and making sure it works [Done]
Our donor webcam is the Suyin CN0316-SN30-0V03-V06, scavenged from a defective HP-Compaq Presario F700 series laptop.
This model has certain advantages:
1. it's a UVC camera so it works with the default drivers
2. its cable is separate from the LCD panel's cable.
3. While the connector on the webcam has 5 pins, the other end of the cable only has 4 pins and has the same pin layout as a USB port.

One USB plug, a little #30 AWG wire and soldering later, I'm ready to plug it to my laptop... and it works!
Device is detected immediately and i run a webcam app to test.

Update:
I changed the webcam module to the SCB-0385N, which came from a Samsung NC110 netbook.
It has better low-light performance than the first one, and is smaller too.
I had to solder my own cable though.
Picture here: https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3859/150 ... e4a4_o.jpg

Phase II: Placement of the webcam inside the lid [Done]

Putting the webcam on the top center of the lid is of course impossible without removing the latch.
The next best place is the area to the right of the latch.
There are a number of structural members that are in the way, so I need to remove them. Time to dig out that Dremel.

For now, I will be working on a spare lid assembly, and once I've succeeded, I will repeat the procedure on the actual lid.

Update
I've completed the mod on the spare lid. A few pictures here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/axur-delm ... 528393101/
BTW, the lid is metal, probably magnesium. I thought it was CFRP.

Phase III: Internal Wiring [Done]

Plan A: I've decided on using the fingerprint reader's USB port...but I can't seem to find it. :O

After carefully reading the HMM, the LCD FRUs in particular, I realized that the fingerprint reader connector is part of the LCD cable, and there are different cables for units with and without the fingerprint reader. Plan A shot down.

Plan B: Add the cables on the LCD connector
After a lot of Google-fu, I finally found a copy of the schematics of the Thinkpad X61 and X61 Tablet.
I opened up the LCD connector and saw this:


The four leftmost solder pads are unused. It's circled in red in the picture, and there's a "1" beside the leftmost pad, denoting that it's pin 1.

Armed with a multimeter, I found the following pin assignments:
Pin 1: VCC3M_LCDIF on the schematics --> Pin 14 on the LCD connector
Pin 2: USBP6+ --> Pin 16 on the LCD connector
Pin 3: USBP6- --> Pin 18 on the LCD connector
Pin 4: GND --> Pin 20 on the LCD connector; also connected to the metal screw posts and those big globs of solder.

I used #30 AWG solid wire because that's the thinnest wire i had. After soldering, I put some hot-melt glue to make sure it doesn't break off.
I soldered the GND wire to the globs of solder instead of pin 4-- the existing wiring was too close for soldering comfort.

Then I connected the webcam, plugged in the LCD cable on the laptop. I didn't connect an LCD so I plugged in an external monitor. Removed the HDD and boot from a Linux live USB. After confirming that the USB webcam was detected, I turned it off.

Phase IV: Modding the actual lid and final installation [Done]

The most challenging part of the project is done, and I feel I don't need to explain as much.

Pictures can tell most of the story at this point: https://www.flickr.com/photos/axur-delm ... 528393101/

Project Complete!


Epilogue:
After installing skype, I discovered that the internal mic isn't working.
I don't know if the microphone cable was damaged during the project (I had to remove the hinge to change the LCD cable, the mic cable also goes through the hinge).

I don't want to remove the hinge just for that, so I'll think of a different solution.

Internal wiring: feed it from the lid through the circular hinge, into the base and solder it internally to one of your USB ports.
OR solder it to USB points on the docking station connector (AKA slice connector).
OR solder it to the PCMCIA unit: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=114682
OR see this: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=107918
OR see this: http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=113605

How about the one that connects to the fingerprint reader?
It's somewhere inside the lid right?

At the right bottom in the LCD, correct. Forgot about that.
If you change the lens angle, you might even put the webcam there!
Don't know the FPR pinout, but it's only 4wires...

If you change the lens angle, you might even put the webcam there!

There isn't much free space there, the circuit board of the inverter and d-pad is too big.


I'm thinking of changing the webcam module because I'm dissatisfied with the low-light performance of the one I'm testing now.

There are 3 other dead laptops in my shelf that are equipped with webcams.
Maybe I should test them all, but that means more work trying to figure out the wiring -- there ought to be a database on these things to eliminate the guesswork and duplication of effort. :

Have you considered detaching the camera from its board. If you manage to do the proper wiring you can store the camera board in the body and have more options for fitting the camera on the screen.

Take a look at these keychain cameras
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showpost ... ount=16522

They are very popular among plane modelists and their camera modules are detachable. Some later models support webcam mode.

Have you considered detaching the camera from its board.

My soldering skills are nowhere near that level, unfortunately.

I'm done cutting up the spare lid and updated my first post. Pictures to follow.

axur-delmeria wrote:
Phase III: Internal Wiring [No idea yet]

internal wiring is not a problem at all,

you can solder the wires directly to usb contacts
http://s131.photobucket.com/user/vavet/ ... 3.jpg.html

or if you have the second mpci-e slot and middleton bios you can use this
http://s131.photobucket.com/user/vavet/ ... 2.jpg.html

vavet wrote: internal wiring is not a problem at all,

I didn't open (disassemble) LCD cable for tablets but it seems that it is full and have no more space for another 4 wires.
If i were OP - i'll use cable for fingerprint reader.
It is already placed in LCD assembly.
It have 2 USB + 2 power wires

If fingerprint is mandatory - (SMD SOLDERING SKILLS NEEDED!!!!!) there are some chips that can be used as USB hubs - ex Microchip USB2502 - small board with chip and crystal and wires connections can be plased anywhere in LCD body.

Some hints on Fingerprint connector - i have reengineered it with tester and X61 schematics - it is 4 pin connector with colour wires. I don't want to take picture of it - so i draw pseudo schematics (imagine that connector is before your eyes, the wires goes to the left and you see small metal clamp through holes of in plastic body):

wires connector function

orange------I---I -> (-) negative power
red----------I .. I -> USB D-
brown-------I .. I -> USB D+
black--------I _ I -> (+) positive power

I don't find any 5V sources to video connector on mainboard (only 3.3 and 20). So this positive power 99% is +3.3V. Normal (external) USB connector have 5V. I think some notebooks webcams need only 3.3 - so it can work.

Update: I changed the webcam module and uploaded a few pics.

Major problem: turns out the fingerprint reader's connector is part of the LCD cable assembly, but mine does not have it. T_T

I need a plan B for this...

axur-delmeria wrote:BTW, what's this connector for? https://www.flickr.com/photos/axur-delm ... 219146951/
It's on the underside of the left circuit board, with all the indicator LEDs and most of the Tablet buttons. It's a 4-pin connector labelled CN5 that I've circled in red.

This is microphone cable connector - useless in our case.

Plan B. Ebay for a spare LCD cable with fingerprint connector.
OR find thin wires - they must be thin and flexible (like in microphone cable) and pass them through LCD hinge. You can use all points to connect to USB that RBS noticed + LCD cable connector PCB itself. See pic This is LCD cable connector PCB - unglue 2 thin kapton tapes and openup. Rightmost 4 wires (black, brown, red, orange) i think is a FPR wires. I'm not 100% shure - I HAVE NOT TESTED THIS!!! Right of PCB you can see FPR connector itself with 4 wires.


You can use any adhesive tape (ex tape for packing cardboard boxes). Use couple layers to increase durability. Sometimes i have used PVC adhesive tape it is thick and strong.

I already have thin wires-- AWG #30 solid wire (aka wire-wrapping wire).
The question is whether it can withstand the repeated bending due to the hinge.

Maybe I can make it work, though soldering it to the LCD cable might be too much for me.
I don't have SMT-grade soldering equipment, and my hands are beginning to shake.

So the other (hidden) USB ports are in the Ultrabase connector, Cardbus, and 2nd mPCIe slot right?

Update:

After intense Goolging I've found the schematics for the X61 and X61T.

I found where the wires for the USB data and power pins are located.
Soldered wires to a spare LCD harness and plug in for a quick test, and the Webcam is detected. Success!
Next I'll finalize the connections and move the LCD cable to the X61T that will use the webcam.\\

Will update the first post with details and pics later.

This is interesting. Do you think there's room to add such a camera to an SXGA+ modded lid?

R

@flyingfishfinger

Take note that I'm modding an X61 Tablet lid. There's enough space on the upper-right corner for a webcam.


For the non-tablet X60/X61, installing an internal webcam is almost impossible.

There are only two places where a webcam could be installed:
1. Bluetooth module --> problem is, I haven't seen a USB webcam module that small

2. WWAN antenna --> actually, this is an ugly hack: remove WWAN antenna, glue/attach a small connector wired to USB, wire the matching conector to the webcam and put them in a small enclosure, essentially recreating the UltraPort found in the Thinkpad T2x series.

This seems almost close in size to the BT module...

Other way th think about - T20 A31 series have ultraport on top of display unit.
It is possible to recreate this idea in X6x body. We need good connector that can handle camera module - eg microUSB with hooks. After that we need to make body (dome) for a "UltraPort Camera III" (3D printing;) and paint it in black... I know that there is small space in top corner of display - may be sacrificing left WiFi antenna can give some space fo connector...

I believe it is possible to fit a webcam module in bluetooth area. With Tokuichi Oomura from Japanese forum we have ordered several modules from different thinkpad models and will try them in parallel. My bet is T510 module which need to be shortened obviously. I will post a topic once there are results.

BTW, does any one know the model of connector used on bluetooth module of x61? I was wondering to use it for attaching the webcam. LCD cable does have USB wires on bluetooth end which are yet to be determined. I checked available schematics but couldn't find information on the connector pinout so far...

And it's done!!
I'm still tired so I'll post the pictures later.
New problem though-- the internal mic isn't working.
I don't want to remove the hinge again just to test the audio cable. I'll figure something out. :I

And I'm done! Updated the first post and posted some links to pictures.

vavet,
That's an interesting idea, testing different Thinkpad webcams.

LCD cable does have USB wires on bluetooth end which are yet to be determined. I checked available schematics but couldn't find information on the connector pinout so far...

There's no info in the schematics regarding the LCD cables themselves.
You can use a multimeter on a spare X60/X61 LCD cable and figure it out by hand.
The pinout of fingerprint connector on the X61 can provide a guide as to which signals to look out for, since the same connector connects the Bluetooth module on the Tablet model.

axur-delmeria wrote:And I'm done!

Good work! You are the MAN!

Good job! and thanks for the hints

vavet,

On the regular X61, the fingerprint reader plugs directly to a socket on the planar board.

On the X61 Tablet, there's a special flat cable which has the Bluetooth socket on one end, and the FPR plug on the other. This allows the bluetooth module to plug into the FPR socket.

This cable can be used to figure out the pinout of the bluetooth socket.
It's easier since there are less pins compared to the LCD cable connector.

Now that I think about it, I can actually do this tomorrow!

Here is a (very crude) drawing of what I found the pinout to be, established by the motherboard schematic and measuring the LCD cable. I haven't tested it electrically or functionally, but @vavet has some small camera modules that he's planning on playing with.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3TxYx ... x3NHhrSWs/

@axur-delmeria, what's the resolution of the camera you ended up putting in?

R

As I mentioned in the first post, it's a SCB-0385N, taken from a Samsung NC110.
Using the generic drivers, it reports 640x480 maximum resolution.

It's not fantastic by any stretch, but it's what I got in my box of scraps and its low-light performance is good enough for the intended use. (skype).



Hmm, it seems I forgot to post my findings on the BT/FPR socket.
I'll do it later, or maybe tomorrow.