3com Home Connect PC Digital Camera Problem Black Screen

G

Guest

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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.webcam (More info?)

Hello there,

i've got a WebCam by 3Com called "HomeConnect PC Digital Camera" and
problems with it: First it worked fine put then after some time there
was noch picture any more. Just black screen with a litte white line
at the top that changes when i move the cam. The other problem is that
i don't have any more guarantee for that product. so i want to repair
the cam by myself if its possible. does anybody know something about
the camera? can the ccd get damaged?

Thanks for every answer
Stefan Pieper
 

Kilowatt

Distinguished
Apr 5, 2004
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Hi Stefan. I also own this webcam. Great model, except that in fall 1999,
when i bought it, there was a color/brightness difference spanning half of
the entire image. I was curious, so i completely unscrewed the lens to look
at the CCD image sensor. On those cameras, there's a kind of filter sheet
that covers the sensor...a greenish transparent sheet. In this case, it
seemed to had slided away and was covering half of the sensor. I returned
the camera for an exchange. The second one had about the same problem except
that the strange color/brightness difference affected only a corner in the
image. I unscrewed the lens (again!) to see that this same filter shifted
away a little. I took a small coton swab and i were able to slide it so it
covered all the sensor surface like it should. Blasted thereafter with
compressed purified air to remove dust particules and screwed the lens back
on. Everything was fine thereafter. I just tought about that when i've read
you post. It's probably not the same problem, but might worth to take a look
at just in case. Keep in touch!

--
Alain(alias:Kilowatt)
Montréal Québec
PS: 1000 excuses for errors or omissions,
i'm a "pure" french canadian! :)
Come to visit me at: http://kilowatt.camarades.com
(If replying also by e-mail, remove
"no spam" from the adress.)
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.webcam (More info?)

"KILOWATT" <kilowatt"nospam"@softhome.net> wrote in message news:<rO9sc.7076$tb4.253260@news20.bellglobal.com>...
> Hi Stefan. I also own this webcam. Great model, except that in fall 1999,
> when i bought it, there was a color/brightness difference spanning half of
> the entire image. I was curious, so i completely unscrewed the lens to look
> at the CCD image sensor. On those cameras, there's a kind of filter sheet
> that covers the sensor...a greenish transparent sheet. In this case, it
> seemed to had slided away and was covering half of the sensor. I returned
> the camera for an exchange. The second one had about the same problem except
> that the strange color/brightness difference affected only a corner in the
> image. I unscrewed the lens (again!) to see that this same filter shifted
> away a little. I took a small coton swab and i were able to slide it so it
> covered all the sensor surface like it should. Blasted thereafter with
> compressed purified air to remove dust particules and screwed the lens back
> on. Everything was fine thereafter. I just tought about that when i've read
> you post. It's probably not the same problem, but might worth to take a look
> at just in case. Keep in touch!

Thanx, but that did not fix my problem... i already openend the camera
and looked at the greenblue filter. it's at it's right position.

before the black screen error came up, i dropped the camera some on
the floor for some times... perhaps this caused the error... so i was
searching for something broken inside the camera. but theres
everything ok... during that i found out that the green LED at the
front of the cam was blinking on/off/on/off very fast. i remember that
this has changed, when the camera was functionally ok the green front
LED was lighting constantly... perhaps there is a problem with the
power?
 

Kilowatt

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Apr 5, 2004
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Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.webcam (More info?)

Hi Stefan. On my Camera the green led normally flashes very quickly. In fact
the flash rate is proportional with the frame rate. The led in fact
extinguises when a frame was captured. Here on my cam, when the led is
lighted ON more often then OFF during a blink cycle, it's because the
computer is slowing down because of another ressource hungry application, of
simply because the computer itself is running out of ressources after a long
time without rebooting. Normally, the OFF period is longer than the ON
periods... so i only see very quick flashes.

The different led behaviour on your camera and mine may be simply firmware
related.. they may had rewritten it before you bought the cam...i don't
know. Nonetheless, i don't know why the led now flashes instead of staying
on on your cam. One thing i'm shure of is that small integrated circuits and
other small parts, once soldered on a board, are very shock resistent. The
circuit board would crack before such small parts would be damaged by the
shock. The only component i'm not shure about it's shock resistance is the
CCD image sensor itself. What i would do if not already done, is to check
(or re-check) the board for a cracked section, then look for any broken
solder joint. Look especially at tall and larges components like capacitors
for example. The dynamic inertia when you cam hitted the floor is more
likely to had acted on such large component and stressed them/their solder
connections. Dont forget to have a well lighted workplace and a good
magnifying glass since those breaks are sometimes hard to spot.

The good news is that if you can't find the problem, there's now better
webcam (like the Quickcam pro 4000) at half the price i've paid (199.99$
CDN) for the 3-com Home Connect... :) Please keep in touch.
--
Alain(alias:Kilowatt)
Montréal Québec
PS: 1000 excuses for errors or omissions,
i'm a "pure" french canadian! :)
Come to visit me at: http://kilowatt.camarades.com
(If replying also by e-mail, remove
"no spam" from the adress.)
 
G

Guest

Guest
Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.webcam (More info?)

I have a little 3com home connect
it grew mold or something on the imager and etched it
I wiped it off and that completely ruined it.
.... whomever sells that cam now, offhand i forget, has a much better driver
than 3com or the second mfg.

Think 3com cost around $100 way back when,,,,,, just ordered logitech 4000
for $32.00us +11 ship off ebay. Logitech 4000 is had 2 for $100us at one of
the big three computer makers on recent promo's.

"KILOWATT" <kilowatt"nospam"@softhome.net> wrote in message
news:Kgtsc.24019$tb4.664664@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Hi Stefan. On my Camera the green led normally flashes very quickly. In
fact
> the flash rate is proportional with the frame rate. The led in fact
> extinguises when a frame was captured. Here on my cam, when the led is
> lighted ON more often then OFF during a blink cycle, it's because the
> computer is slowing down because of another ressource hungry application,
of
> simply because the computer itself is running out of ressources after a
long
> time without rebooting. Normally, the OFF period is longer than the ON
> periods... so i only see very quick flashes.
>
> The different led behaviour on your camera and mine may be simply firmware
> related.. they may had rewritten it before you bought the cam...i don't
> know. Nonetheless, i don't know why the led now flashes instead of staying
> on on your cam. One thing i'm shure of is that small integrated circuits
and
> other small parts, once soldered on a board, are very shock resistent. The
> circuit board would crack before such small parts would be damaged by the
> shock. The only component i'm not shure about it's shock resistance is the
> CCD image sensor itself. What i would do if not already done, is to check
> (or re-check) the board for a cracked section, then look for any broken
> solder joint. Look especially at tall and larges components like
capacitors
> for example. The dynamic inertia when you cam hitted the floor is more
> likely to had acted on such large component and stressed them/their solder
> connections. Dont forget to have a well lighted workplace and a good
> magnifying glass since those breaks are sometimes hard to spot.
>
> The good news is that if you can't find the problem, there's now better
> webcam (like the Quickcam pro 4000) at half the price i've paid (199.99$
> CDN) for the 3-com Home Connect... :) Please keep in touch.
> --
> Alain(alias:Kilowatt)
> Montréal Québec
> PS: 1000 excuses for errors or omissions,
> i'm a "pure" french canadian! :)
> Come to visit me at: http://kilowatt.camarades.com
> (If replying also by e-mail, remove
> "no spam" from the adress.)
>
>
 

Slayer

Distinguished
Jul 21, 2001
35
0
18,530
Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.webcam (More info?)

sorry to butt in but the op did say he dropped it many times....

well sorry mate but its busted.....buy another

i dont see the point of trying to fix something that has been dropped many
times and obviously is broken beyond usable repair...

i do strongly suggest not dropping it..

as this tends to break it..

blu tack the dam thing down next time and put this down to experience...

regards slayer....










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