How I fixed my webcam issue

[skyther]

Hi there! I've just done this to my week old Mini. The pictures posted by lethal_force above helped a lot!

I believe the film is placed there intentionally for aesthetic purposes; removing it reveals the shoddy workmanship of the webcam which is actually positioned off-centre on mine.

The webcam has indeed improved heaps but it is still extremely grainy. If you don't use your webcam much I would advise against doing this as there's a rather high chance of some minor cosmetic damage. The film was held in by a fair amount of glue on my unit and was rather difficult to pull out. Keep some isopropyl alcohol handy for cleaning any glue residue off.

I also noticed that the LCD panel used is actually matte... seems to be a rather strange choice IMO, since we neither get the sharpness of a glossy panel nor the anti-reflective properties of a matte screen?

[williamsegura]

Hi. This fix was ok for me on my Mini 1110LA.

By this operation I find a response for a issue that my mini has since it has bought, 2 months ago. A pop-up ballon in the right bottom appears, with a sound, adevrtising that a USB device has conected-disconected. I discover that this happens because the webcam is very sensible when I move the screen, not always although. The web cam module has a plastic pull-out label that is adhered to the bus connected between the port module and the cable that comes from the mainboard, that it crosses in the back of the LCD(oled) screen. If I touch the connection (soldered) between this cable and the bus connected to the port, the "USB symptom conection-disconnection" appears. Now, I know why any weeks ago the camera freezes wen I move the screen. Can this issue may a general factory trouble in all 1100 series, or a defect on my unit?

Thanks!

[twobluestripes]

I tried this fix after reading only the first post. The quality of the picture is not very high on the cam, but it's better than the one on my desktop that i bought for like 20 bucks in 2004 or so. I could tell that the cam on this Mini was just too dark, so I knew removing the tinted plastic would help a lot. I pried the top open in a few places with the little hook attachment of a fingernail clipper, and also used that to unstick and slide out the plastic. Aside from a tiny bit of scuffing along the crack (not noticeable unless you run your finger along the edge), I appear to have done no damage. I'm satisfied with the result; before it was unusable indoors even in daylight; now it's much better.

[shawtywannathug]

hate to sound like a fag but im scared....i just got this freakin thing
should i turn it off?
nd i was thinkin about alcohol nd a q-tip
btw i have a mini110
i think i have the same prob but um not too sure
nd does any1 kno n e apps that i can use the webcam with along with skype?
cuz going to my comp nd opening the cam that way sucks ass

[Zymastorik]

hate to sound like a fag but im scared....i just got this freakin thing
should i turn it off?
nd i was thinkin about alcohol nd a q-tip

IMHO I wouldn't 'operate' on a brand new mini just to make the webcam a bit lighter. I'm using the HP 110 and the webcam has acceptable performance considering it's 1)application and 2) the unit's price point. Opening your unit will slay any hopes of obtaining warranty service (which HP is terrible about anyhow), something to consider.

As I said in another thread about the same issue, unless you're using it in a darkroom, the webcam works just fine, some people are just never happy.

[shawtywannathug]

hate to sound like a fag but im scared....i just got this freakin thing
should i turn it off?
nd i was thinkin about alcohol nd a q-tip

IMHO I wouldn't 'operate' on a brand new mini just to make the webcam a bit lighter. I'm using the HP 110 and the webcam has acceptable performance considering it's 1)application and 2) the unit's price point. Opening your unit will slay any hopes of obtaining warranty service (which HP is terrible about anyhow), something to consider.

As I said in another thread about the same issue, unless you're using it in a darkroom, the webcam works just fine, some people are just never happy.

deff tru but my living room isnt completely dark
i'd say its lit pretty average...but the cam jus seems so gay in normal light
u basically have to tan to get it lookin good
btw do u kno n e apps to record nd use on skype???

[Zymastorik]

deff tru but my living room isnt completely dark
i'd say its lit pretty average...but the cam jus seems so gay in normal light
u basically have to tan to get it lookin good
btw do u kno n e apps to record nd use on skype???

I agree it's a bit dark, but to me it's not dark enough to mar my sexy mini to fix it. =D

I'm not sure about recording form Skype. You want to record the video form Skype? You're outgoing feed as you send it? I haven't played much with Skype. I did use Windows Movie Maker to capture some video and audio form the webcam/mic and it looked respectable and the vid/audio seemd to be synched up ok. I didn't notice any issues with stutter or the audio being out of sync. I doubt you could do that while using Skype though... if I run across something I'll post it for you.

[ldavies93]

Just to say thanks - It took me less than 2 minutes to open the lid up, remove the filter and close it up again with zero damage I do have before/after pics but suffice to say it turned from really dark to really light

[gelenar]

How do I use my integrated webcam to see my grandchild whose parents also have a webcam? Once I open my webcam, how to I connect to my daughter's webcam?
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[Capmaster]

You need to be using an app like Skype that allows the participants to use their webcams on both ends. I've used mine with Skype occasionally and it works pretty well

It's free
http://www.skype.com/