ComputingCommon
Webcam
Also called USB camera, clip camera.
Do not disassemble a working webcam. It is already the module you wanted.
A donor is the dead machine. The parts below are what is still worth removing from it. “Leave it” is a part that is physically in there and should stay in there: too dangerous, too worn, or only useful as part of a repair you are not doing.
Plug the module in before you take it apart. A webcam the computer already sees, a scanner that types into a text box, or a speaker board that plays music is the finished part. The chips on the board are not an upgrade.
Why it is in the trash while the parts are not
A better camera arrived, or the clip broke. The sensor is usually fine.
Before you open it
Do this while it is still unplugged, cool, and not leaking. Plug it in first. If the OS sees a camera, you are finished.
Where the dead machine usually is
- Home office — In the house
- Junk drawer and cable box — In the house
- Office cleanout — Commercial
In the cable box, missing its clip.
How it comes apart
Only if it failed. The microphone and the lens are the only parts, and the lens is aligned.
Tools: A computer.
What to take
The table is the short version. The notes under it describe that part inside this machine, not only the general description.
| Part | Call | How many | How often | Where to look |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| USB webcam | Prize | 1 | always | The whole thing. |
| USB cable | Worth pulling | 1 | always | Fixed cable. |
| Electret microphone | Bonus | 1 | usually | Beside the lens. |
| Lens and optical glass | Bonus | 1 | always | In front of the sensor. |
| Enclosure | Bonus | 1 | always | The shell and the clip. |
Prize
UVC over USB.
The whole thing.
Do not open a working one.
Usually good.
Worth pulling
USB-A.
Fixed cable.
The strain relief is the failure point.
Test it.
Bonus
A small capsule, if you have already broken the camera.
Beside the lens.
Bias it.
Good.
A tiny plastic lens. Alignment is the value.
In front of the sensor.
Leave it.
Scratched lenses are why the image is soft.
A ball joint.
The shell and the clip.
The clip is often the broken part.
Mixed.