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INCREDIBLE Raphael Camera Discovery

Hi Guys
I was testing out the camera on my Fuze last night in complete darkness in my room. So i put the flash on, and started snapping some pictures. What I started to notice was that there was this halo on the right side of the screen. I quickly figured out that this was from the LED light hitting the back casing and bouncing back into the camera lens! I removed the back of the Fuze, and snapped another picture. The differences are AMAZING! THe following pictures have the exact same settings and everything, one was just taken with the back on and with without the back on.
Check it out!
With Back On = http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a60/votum3/IMAG0022.jpg
Without Back On = http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a60/votum3/IMAG0020.jpg

I guess my pictures dont have this halo as stated here http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a60/votum3/IMAG0022.jpg
or at least not that strong
NExt problem is how to solve that without removing back casing? Maybe impossible ;(
Nice find! THanks

Thanks. The only thing that I was considering was some type of jacket that goes around the flash that plugs the space between the back casing and the flash. But I'm not exatly sure how I could do that...

You can modify your case by putting a dark piece of material in the case to separate the light form the camera lens.

Yea I was thinking maybe some of that black foam type stuff with the adhesive on the back thats often used on electronics would work great.

maybe it is a ORB..
tvos

tvos said:
maybe it is a ORB..
tvos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ROFL

Yea after I took the picture my camera was actually taken by a spirit and thrown across the room. I tried to get it back but to no avail...

whats needed is to make the hole that little bit bigger

In my opinon HTC should leave the camera out from these business models, lower the price and make them smaller in size or something...

id rather they make them actually usable like some nokia or sony models myself. i love not having to carry around a separate camera as long as the phone camera is up to snuff.

A small square of felt between them ought to do the trick.....

dont have that problem

leaving out the camera is like limiting the device of what it can REALLY do. true, many business's state no camera phones on site, simple solution find another job.. j/k have two devices one w/wo camera..
tvos

Loco5150 said:
In my opinon HTC should leave the camera out from these business models, lower the price and make them smaller in size or something...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yesterday I had send a document to a coworker, and I used my Pro to take a picture.
Last month I had to e-mail a bank receipt while on the go, guess what I did?
So yes, the camera is important for business use, and I would never buy a phone without it.

Smaniac said:
Yesterday I had send a document to a coworker, and I used my Pro to take a picture.
Last month I had to e-mail a bank receipt while on the go, guess what I did?
So yes, the camera is important for business use, and I would never buy a phone without it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly - so much easier than writing stuff down

I'm a service tech....and use the camera to snap pictures of goofy stuff I see
on machines, and sometimes mail them to the tech support center. I've always
been told a picture is like 1000 words...

last week I caught my spouse cheating on me finally and took pictures with my diamond pro... so yes, it is good for business, especially when you can give it to your attoryney for grounds of divorce..
tvos
ps. just kidding - having fun with this topic! hehhe

djcaston said:
Thanks. The only thing that I was considering was some type of jacket that goes around the flash that plugs the space between the back casing and the flash. But I'm not exatly sure how I could do that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If anyone tries this, or any other fix successfully, will you please post pics of your "repair"?
Thanks!

djcaston said:
Hi Guys
I was testing out the camera on my Fuze last night in complete darkness in my room. So i put the flash on, and started snapping some pictures. What I started to notice was that there was this halo on the right side of the screen. I quickly figured out that this was from the LED light hitting the back casing and bouncing back into the camera lens! I removed the back of the Fuze, and snapped another picture. The differences are AMAZING! THe following pictures have the exact same settings and everything, one was just taken with the back on and with without the back on.
Check it out!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been discovered on the Kaiser forum a while ago already. But now that you mention it, i check the back cover and surprisingly, I haven't noticed until now that there is no protecting glasses in the holes.

UPDATED!: Pictures of Captivate Mainboard

So.. after some tinkering (and massaging) I got the back cover off of my Captivate and was able to snap some pics of the innards for your viewing pleasure.
It's very similar to the standard Galaxy S, but some of the chips are laid out a bit differently, also, I apologize for the substandard picture quality, the only thing I have available to take pictures is a Blackberry Storm2 with an led flash.
Update: I've taken some better pictures now, and I've got them uploaded:
Teardown Photos
Enjoy!
Update:
Step by Step Teardown

Very cool

That is cool. Wonder how long it will be until we see a complete tear down of the phone

That is (almost) as far as you can go. Theres one more PCB thats actually attached to the screen. Other than that, that main board and the sim/sd card board that sits on top of it are all thats there.
Edit: Here are some better pictures I was able to take this morning, unfortunately EVERY single picture I tried to take of the small Broadcom chip turned out like crap, or you could not see the writing on the chip. I could not read it myself, as the writing on the chip is extremely tiny, and I don't have a magnifying glass.
Teardown Photos

Any way you could do a photo-by-photo instruction for the tear-down? Maybe put some o' dem fancy photo-ma-shop arrows in there?

I suppose I could do that
I just need a few more photos of the "in between" steps to give a better idea of what needs to be disconnected and how to get the back cover off.
And then there's the whole write up thing. -- Question about that, should I do a new "tear down" thread, I'll get a bit more in depth this time as well, I'll get all the chip numbers down (I found a magnifying glass!) so we can better cross reference what hardware we have in comparison to the Galaxy S i9000.
Will probably be a day or two until I can get it up, maybe longer depending on the write up.

Yeah, I'm guessing a tear-down thread would be in order unless there's some way of changing your thread title. Appreciate it.
I spilled a bit of an "adult beverage" on my Captivate last nite. Dang cat... Nothing went wrong w/the phone... save for the power button & the volume rocker... They were a bit... sticky.
I was able to get them cleaned up a bit using a razor blade & some alcohol wipes, but I'd love to be able to fully clean everything by disassembling the phone. I removed the 4 screws in the back beneath the battery cover, but got nowhere...

Can someone confirm if the fm radio chip is there?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

t-readyroc said:
I removed the 4 screws in the back beneath the battery cover, but got nowhere...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are actually 6 screws. Two are hidden underneath the sliding latch for the battery door.
isyiwang said:
Can someone confirm if the fm radio chip is there?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats one of the purposes of tearing the phone down, I'm hoping to answer that question, or at least give enough people enough information to find out.

https://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/oetcf/eas...me=N&application_id=200666&fcc_id='A3LSGHI897'

pretty cool u think now that we can tear it down, we can add the front camera too it?

I don't know, it would definitely take someone much more skilled than I to fit the Front camera in.
The layout on the top is a tiny bit different, and it would require some changes to that as well as making space above the screen on the opposite side for the camera.
So, definitely NOT an easy job, if it is even possible.

if you look at that video of the teardown of a galaxy S i9000, it looks like the FFC is part of the rear facing camera module
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt9XNnjAcBc&feature=player_embedded
at 2:59 in the video the camera is taken out, and at 3:07 she turns it over and you can see the front facing camera - does your rear facing camera look different (except for the obvious, missing that small black square with the FFC)?
if it's not different, except for the missing ft camera, i suspect these are all modular components so sammy could assemble them, as needed, to a customer's specs - which means, if someone can source that correct module w/ffc, and rip the driver and software for it from the i9000, that it'd be possible

The camera is identical, minutes the front facing piece, if course. The connection to the main board is the same as well.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

if you pull it apart again, it'd be nice if you had a magnifier or a camera capable of macro shots so we can definitively identify that gps chipset

The macro on my camera is good, but not that good =)
My magnifying glass, however, shows me that the chip is a BCM4751.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

My research shows that this chip does not do anything with FM radio so that is quite disappointing. Dammit AT&T! Always got gotta crap up a great phone. So now we don't get FM radio and we don't get the FFC.

if its the same camera module minus the FFC, im sure we will find some junk galaxys on ebay for parts soon enough, sum1 will develop a new front for us hopefully, pop in the new camera, get the ROM for it to work, and hope it can work. i am by no way an engineer or anything technically, so im not saying its plausable, just saying it could work if some1 knew how to do it.

NikAmi said:
My research shows that this chip does not do anything with FM radio so that is quite disappointing. Dammit AT&T! Always got gotta crap up a great phone. So now we don't get FM radio and we don't get the FFC.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This chip is the broadcom gps. He replied to the larryccf question.
So, I hope fm radio is here.
Broadcom BCM4751 is a single-chip GPS receiver used for tracking and navigation, primarily in mobile devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App

iLoki said:
The macro on my camera is good, but not that good =)
My magnifying glass, however, shows me that the chip is a BCM4751.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
tks - it may be sammy did use a different gps chipset in the captivate
and btw, macro will magnify - take a high res shot, then open on your pc, depending on how hi res, i've had them open the picture in 25 X 22" or so sizes
and you can see mosquito footprints - had an Omega, a high end one that had a serial number on the backside way too small to read even with a 6X magnifier - had to have been laser etched
used a macro shot to read it - no joke
try it some time

[Q] Are there any external Flash adapters for Samsungs's Camera?

I am wondering if you've find some sort of flash/xenon/LED for taking pictures in dark places with your Samsung Galaxy S? Maybe something that could be connected to the above mini-usb port?

I'm interested into the reasoning behind this kind of thing...
Easy option would be to use the night mode which works wonders.
Other option would be to carry a mag light of some sort with you.
Using an external device would be complex because software would have to be made, its possible, but I dont see this happening anytime soon.

Shame though they left the led out. IMHO a USB flash would be a brilliant idea if you consider the number of androids out there.
On the other hand host mode or something like it would be required...

Hi,
im looking for something like this...
regards

I recently bought something like this for my girlfriend's iphone 3g. It connects up to the iphone's dock port and (I think) sucks power from it. Other than that, it's a really simple device. On/Off button on the actual device means there's no need to worry about software.

Do u really need a flash? I found the night shot mode is quite decent.
Sent from my GT-I9000M Ver. UGJH2 using XDA App on Bell Mobility Network

The flash is more for 'no light' photos rather than 'low light' photos or close ups when its dark. Atm i9000 can't do those at all.

I'm looking for something like that, a micro usb xenon/led flash would be great!!

On my previous phones, I always made sure to have a photo light. Not because i need it to take pictures, but as a flashlight.
Real pity that Samsung left it out. Reviews claimed the OLED on bull brightness would be a suitable flashlight too, but I disagree.
I did use it as a photo light occasionally when taking close-up pictures, especially inside equipment.

digitalhater said:
I am wondering if you've find some sort of flash/xenon/LED for taking pictures in dark places with your Samsung Galaxy S? Maybe something that could be connected to the above mini-usb port?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi friend!
Maybe this, friend: xatakasmartphone.com/2013/07/01/iblazr-el-flash-led-para-tu-movil-que-vitamina-las-fotos-en-la-oscuridad/
I'm looking something like that too!

Night Vision modifications

I've been toying around with the idea of modifying my phone to be capable of night time pictures/recording.
This is what I've done so far (yes, I'm aware my soldering job is a travesty against electronics, this was preliminary testing, I'm redoing it once I find out if possible to exchange the cameras):
Having been a lurker for several months (until now) I need to make some posts before I'm able to link my pictures.
This is the result of such:
Possibilities(?):
Considering a hardware modification to get a less "purple" shade of night vision using a replacement camera meant for the EVO 3D, as when it's used with the IR LED "rack" it provides a better picture and a longer range in zero lighting. I have not researched whether the modification is possible.
Casing attachment as an external attachment with a small switch. No research has been put into making such, yet.
Your input is always accepted.
Thanks,
EDB Rattlesnake

Very unique. Dont think Ive ever seen anything like it!
Thanks for sharing, and keep us updated. Sorry I dont have suggestions..

austriker27 said:
Very unique. Dont think Ive ever seen anything like it!
Thanks for sharing, and keep us updated. Sorry I dont have suggestions..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had to share this after learning the cost of nightvision recorders, and learning that most digital cameras are capable of night vision as long as there is an IR illuminator.
Any updates that occur I'll be sure to post up.

Are there any led as powerful as the original, but IR? Could you mod the phone to have two or three leds on the same powerline so you have regular flash to or will this mess upp the photo colour?
It would be awesome with nighttime photos just for fun.
Could you post some photos and a little tutorial of where to connect everything?

agazza said:
Are there any led as powerful as the original, but IR? Could you mod the phone to have two or three leds on the same powerline so you have regular flash to or will this mess upp the photo colour?
It would be awesome with nighttime photos just for fun.
Could you post some photos and a little tutorial of where to connect everything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was an external attachment. I did not do any hardware modification, yet.
I wouldn't suggest IR LED replacement, as it is invisible light (not viewable by your naked eye). You could definitely exchange the LEDs, I would first find out the stock LED information before doing it. If you wanted to place several LED's on the same attachment, you're looking at upgrading more than just the LEDs and doing phone body modifications. I would suggest using an external attachment, given it's removable, easier, and much safer than taking apart your phone.
Pictures of the attachment will go up upon my reaching ten posts (that of which I will not break forum rules to achieve).
Have patience please. :victory:

C_Adamanteus said:
This was an external attachment. I did not do any hardware modification, yet.
I wouldn't suggest IR LED replacement, as it is invisible light (not viewable by your naked eye). You could definitely exchange the LEDs, I would first find out the stock LED information before doing it. If you wanted to place several LED's on the same attachment, you're looking at upgrading more than just the LEDs and doing phone body modifications. I would suggest using an external attachment, given it's removable, easier, and much safer than taking apart your phone.
Pictures of the attachment will go up upon my reaching ten posts (that of which I will not break forum rules to achieve).
Have patience please. :victory:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah, i was thinking of switching to a stronger led on the original, i have two G2s any way, and i thought i could add a extra IR one to, just for fun,
sent from phone

agazza said:
Ah, i was thinking of switching to a stronger led on the original, i have two G2s any way, and i thought i could add a extra IR one to, just for fun,
sent from phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see why that couldn't be done. I'd assume that if you attached the IR to the same circuit the regular LED is on, they would both respond to the flash modes. Personally, I'd mount the IR LED next to the camera, and wire it through the phones battery with an external switch. I'd recommend a 10mm over the standard 5mm LED size. Also the closest you can get the LED to 1k the wavelength without going over, the better. The closest I know is 950.

C_Adamanteus said:
I don't see why that couldn't be done. I'd assume that if you attached the IR to the same circuit the regular LED is on, they would both respond to the flash modes. Personally, I'd mount the IR LED next to the camera, and wire it through the phones battery with an external switch. I'd recommend a 10mm over the standard 5mm LED size. Also the closest you can get the LED to 1k the wavelength without going over, the better. The closest I know is 950.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My only problem is that i can´t find the mW of the led supply, i know that cyanogenmod has a brightness mode in their torch app, wich has to raise the mW, and i want to know how high it can go without frying the electronics. becouse this would be nice to add to the phone to
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wholesales-...967?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d4ae9e3f

LED Case Review

Wanted to do this sooner however, work commitments... Not Good!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So a few days, my LED Case turned up from Korea (Yes I had it imported due to the poor stock allowances on the Samsung Estore)
I spent £55 to get it, however had £30 in Amazon Vouchers... So technically £25 including postage. I picked the Black one... (Charcoal Gray to be technically correct)
It goes well with White in my opinion.
Bought from here;
Here
My General Review;
First off lets get something straight here, The cases functionality compared to the HTC One M8 Dot View is some what limited.
Imagine David and Goliath... David being Dot View Case... Well you get some idea.
This is a niche product, that's for sure and at that price, I expect better from Samsung. I feel like they are slowly turning into Apple with their overpriced accessories.
HTC in my view priced the Dot View Case right for what it is.
I would like to have seen better quality material. Not the same that they are using on the normal flip wallet... ITs nearly £30 more then the Normal one and £15 more than the S-View Window.
On a bright side, It does have a nice feel to it regardless. Its not flimsy, it fits fine. It reacts as its supposed to and is great for telling when something is going on.
It has passive and active notification systems. When you get a phone call, it'll tell you. When you have a Facebook / Whatsapp etc, 4 little lights will move about every 20 seconds or so....
I think its great for the aesthetics. Nothing more. I wish I could have shown you how it works but for your benefit, I have included 2 videos.
My own review below; & A video showing it in action.
Final Thoughts;
I would Say 7/10. Its official, it works nicely. However for what it is, I would have wanted to pay less...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pros;
- Great Idea In Principal
- Active & Passive Notification
- Tight Fight Around Device
- Wallet Slot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cons
- Pricey / Should Be Cheaper
- Material Is Reasonable But Should Be Better For Price
- Issue With Speaker Grill Being Covered (Could Be My Device Though)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Sweet, can't wait.
When done will give it a shout out at my Note 4 index thread for tmobile
http://forum.xda-developers.com/not...-bible-wip-t2984063/post57744658#post57744658

I'm excited to know your thoughts. I have the s view case...love the feel but hate the window..wanted the classic but apparently not offered in the US?? so this is my next best option...honestly don't care much for the features but rather the innovation and professional look of the case...can't wait

fkofilee said:
Ill be doing a case review later today as mine will be turning up.
Watch this space
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
??? did u received it?

ravijani said:
??? did u received it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
+1

Also looking forward to this review

Yes!
All Done, Sorry about the delay
My NX300 is out of action for a few weeks, so had to improv

Have any questions, let me know.

fkofilee said:
Have any questions, let me know.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
link to where you bought please

oneandroidnut said:
link to where you bought please
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Click the Red "Here" and itll take you there...

fkofilee said:
Click the Red "Here" and itll take you there...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AHHH i see that thanks and holy it is expensive. you wanna sell me yours? LOL

oneandroidnut said:
AHHH i see that thanks and holy it is expensive. you wanna sell me yours? LOL
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
God No...............

humm... my whatsapp or messenger notifications don't work?

haha why not? thought you didnt love it?

oneandroidnut said:
haha why not? thought you didnt love it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because i still use the flip wallet.... XD

fkofilee said:
Because i still use the flip wallet.... XD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha oh ok then!

oneandroidnut said:
haha oh ok then!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol .

How do you get the 4 spinning LED lights for WhatsApp ??? Mine doesn't do that !
fkofilee said:
So a few days, my LED Case turned up from Korea (Yes I had it imported due to the poor stock allowances on the Samsung Estore)
I spent £55 to get it, however had £30 in Amazon Vouchers... So technically £25 including postage. I picked the Black one... (Charcoal Gray to be technically correct)
It goes well with White in my opinion.
Bought from here;
Here
My General Review;
First off lets get something straight here, The cases functionality compared to the HTC One M8 Dot View is some what limited.
Imagine David and Goliath... David being Dot View Case... Well you get some idea.
This is a niche product, that's for sure and at that price, I expect better from Samsung. I feel like they are slowly turning into Apple with their overpriced accessories.
HTC in my view priced the Dot View Case right for what it is.
I would like to have seen better quality material. Not the same that they are using on the normal flip wallet... ITs nearly £30 more then the Normal one and £15 more than the S-View Window.
On a bright side, It does have a nice feel to it regardless. Its not flimsy, it fits fine. It reacts as its supposed to and is great for telling when something is going on.
It has passive and active notification systems. When you get a phone call, it'll tell you. When you have a Facebook / Whatsapp etc, 4 little lights will move about every 20 seconds or so....
I think its great for the aesthetics. Nothing more. I wish I could have shown you how it works but for your benefit, I have included 2 videos.
My own review below; & A video showing it in action.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

That is the general notification light for anything other than Calls, Emails or Messages using the stock Sammie Apps.

I have been using mine for about a week now and it's great. I have the Note 3 with S view and you can't really compare the two covers.
You buy the Led cover for only one reason: showing off. It's unique and cool and good looking, and for a product in this category you shouldn't expect to pay a fair price - of course it is over priced. Hell, here in Denmark I can buy some cheap windows phone for he same money I gave for the LED cover, and it's fine with me.
It would be awesome if some dev bothered to expand the funcionality of it though, like fx desplaying caller's name in one line etc. I really miss that and some other functionality from the S-view cover, but I will keep it on regardless because its cool.
my only problem with it: it doesn't cover the phone perfectly when closed (at least mine) even though its basically new and I didn's abuse it in any way. The flexible part of it is a bit too thin/soft and so it doesnt close perfectly and firmly and "swims" a bit, and I can only assume it will get worse with time. Anyways, my review of it is that it is a cool gadget with very low funcionality beyond the very basics, but very good wow effect.