Camera AF Bypass Switch / Microphone Relocation(upgrade)

[Loftus]

A new post to further the progress and usability of two previous mods. I have added an external switch to manually turn off the camera's AutoFocus as my previous mod had only a jumper installed for which I still had to take adam apart when I needed the AF feature. By adding a external switch I can switch the autofocus on or off in realtime so I get the best of both worlds. In order to do this I needed to find a spot on the case that had clearance already made for the metal frame and also someplace that didn't look out of place. I choose the bottom of adam as this was the most discreet part and gave the perfect opportunity to test out another mod of relocating the microphone for better pickup than the stock location.

The Microphone relocation (upgrade): By moving the mic up beside the camera the mic should always be directed towards the person/people you are filming and should provide better sound pickup (directional). I figured it wouldn't hurt to install a bigger mic while I was at it so I upgraded to a 6mm mic vs the stock 4.25mm mic (I have no idea of the stock mic specs in terms of freq specs etc.. so in terms of upgrade I can not really attest to it being technically better only more of a bigger is better upgrade scenario). See pics for more info.

Camera AF Bypass Switch: By now having a means to turn AF on/off in realtime I can truly get the best out of adam in video mode (AF off to stop the clicking sound of the camera constantly trying to focus), AF off in photo mode when wanting to take pictures > one foot away in focus, and AF "on" when using QR apps such as "i-nigma" to get the best out of the tablet in magazine interaction. After my first mod of cutting the AF power wire to get decent video I had sacrificed being able to focus on up close objects such as QR codes. Now that these codes are commonplace I needed a way to bring back the AF feature that is needed, hence the need for a external switch. Some may think why not use a software fix of AF on/off ? Well I have zero programming ability and I'm under the assumption that if NI and the rest of the team haven't found a software workaround for the issue then it is most likely a hardware issue that needs a hardware fix..which is why the switch was installed.

Check out the link for the pics if interested...I hope to see the camera working in ICS soon then I can move towards the new ROM. Currently running Cromina (Froyo).

Previous Camera AF mod link found in sig.

Link to photos: http://s938.photobucket.com/albums/a...view=slideshow

[kwilson73]

Excellent job Loftus. Please keep us informed of your testing. I am quite intrigued by your efforts.