Replacement USB Cable: This is a photo of the original 6 foot USB cable alongside the new 16 foot USB cable. Not only is the new cable longer but it is also heavier duty and should stand up better in the field:
Step 17. Cut outer rubber casing off the new 16 square USB cable at the square connector end with a razor knife leaving the rubber strain relief on the cable. Pry off the two metal parts with a driver and pliers. This will reveal four male pin connectors of the USB cable. The four wires are color coded. Since this is a molded connector, you may need to scrape away some of the rubber at the base of the cable pins to see the color of the wires (red, black, green & white):
Step 18. Cut off about five inches of the original USB cable with the circuit board and ground connector attached:
Step 19. Solder wires of original USB cable to pins of new USB cable, red to red, green to green, white to white and black to black. I used shrink wrap as insulation:
Step 20. Connect braided ground of both USB cables and solder together:
Step 21. Remove the T-thread from a standard camera T-ring by loosening the small set screws.
Step 17. I used a template to mark the center of the imaging chip location and drilled a 3/8 inch diameter hole. Attach the T-ring to the plastic project box with superglue.
Circuit Board Standoffs: This is a photo of the standoffs from radio Shack:
Step 18. Install four standoffs on circuit board. I removed the small split washers that came on the screws with the standoffs. Install two screws with plastic washers through the large holes next to the imaging chip. Installed two standoffs at the corners of the other end of the circuit board using small pieces of plastic to hold down the circuit board:
Step 21. Solder ground pin back onto circuit board and push USB four wire male connector into female connector:
This is a good time to check operation of your camera. Just make sure that the circuit board is recognized by your computer when plugged in and that the imaging chip responds to changes in brightness levels.
Step 21. Here is a photo of the circuit board when it is powered up. There is a very bright orange LED. The easiest way to block its light is to paint it with black paint. With the LED on, I painted it using a tooth pick repeatedly until no light could be seen.
Step 21. Cut slots in the plastic project box for the USB cable relief:
Step 21. Position the circuit board so that the imaging chip is directly under the hole; I did this by eye. Use a drop of super glue on each end of the plastic standoffs already attached to the circuit board and hold in place until dry. Apply hot glue on the standoffs to further secure.
Step 22. Drill a few holes in the back of the project box for air-circulation to allow some cooling:
Step 22. Superglue air-conditioner filter material over the holes on the inside to keep dust out:
Step 26. Close up the project enclosure and install the four enclosure screws. This is the completed camera with the T-thread to 1.25 inch adapter installed.
Finished!
If you completed the modification and would like to let me know how it went for you, you can contact me at the following email address: