Repair G100EX InfRec [success] - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 09:59:14 am
content: I'm going to have to repair a thermal imaging camera with a faulty display. It's a G100EX from InfReC.If anyone has any technical information, I'd love to hear it!Thanks in advance.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2025, 10:40:56 am
content: I own the NEC AVIO InfRec G120EX that is a stable mate of the G100EX. While I have worked on NEC AVIO cameras before, I have not had to delve into my G120EX. I have the official service manual for one of my other NEC AVIO cameras and, apart from block diagrams and some fault tracing flow charts, it is limited to board replacement and no schematics are present. Sadly NEC AVIO only supply complete boards and display modules as spare parts to their agents. I have to reverse engineer the PCB’s on these cameras in order to repair them. I very much doubt that NEC Avio will supply parts to you, but you could ask.You say the G100EX has a display fault, can you expand on this ? Is the panel physically damaged or just not showing an image correctly ? If the panel is faulty, you may be very lucky and find that it is a standard commercial part that may be purchased. If it is a custom panel, life gets more challenging. If you cannot identify the panel as a standard commercial product, you will need to reverse engineer the panels controller identity and pinout. It is then a case of trying to adapt a commercial standard panel to work with the camera electronics.If I remember correctly, the G100EX has a composite video output available. If efforts to find a new LCD panel fail, it may be possible to graft a similarly sized composite video input monitor panel into the G100EX monitor casing and feed it from the cameras composite video output line. An external composite video field monitor mounted on top of the cameras casing might also be an option. Sometimes we have no option but to adapt a cameras design to make it useable again, rather than it becoming e-waste or a parts donor. It may not be pretty, but at least it will be useable.Fraser

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: May 16, 2025, 05:35:53 pm
content: Thanks Fraser for all this information. I'll know more when I get the device, in the meantime if it's possible I'm interested in the synoptics of the device!

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2025, 10:12:28 am
content: I have the thermal camera on the workbench. The screen connection cable is strongly suspected because, according to users, the display error appeared gradually, and at first, moving the swivel screen restored the display. Now, after turning it on, the screen is uniformly white. You can hear the regular clicks of the shutter.I started disassembling the case to access the connection cable between the screen and the processing unit, but I'm stuck trying to disassemble the two shells!There's resistance around the lens that's preventing separation!The two screws holding the screen hinge aren't affected; they're simply attached to the shell.There are no other screws under the stickers either.Does anyone know if there are clips or if the lens needs to be removed? If so, how to proceed?Thank you for your help!I've attached some photos showing where it's stuck.Sincerely,Patrick

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2025, 11:29:17 am
content: From your pictures I can see that you have already managed to open most of the casing and it is stuck at the area around the lens, as you have said. This is unusual as it is not normally necessary to remove a cameras lens to open its case. That lens is normally part of a larger metal assembly within the camera. I will have to think about this a little. It is possible that there is a seal around the lens that is acting like glue holding the case halves together.Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2025, 11:32:57 am
content: Looking closer at the lens, it does have the notches in its barrel that normally suggest a removable barrel. It could well be that this lens barrel is designed to clamp the case halves together. Whilst an unusual decision by the designer, not unknown.Fraser

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2025, 04:44:06 pm
content: Thanks, Frazer, for the good lens suggestion. The cover's rotation was blocked by two set screws that needed to be loosened with a 0.9mm hex key. After loosening these two screws, the cover with its two notches unscrews easily in the usual direction.The two housings then separate easily.It's definitely the cable that's causing the problem... A crack is spreading in a protruding corner.

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2025, 05:47:05 pm
content: There's a broken track. I reconnected it with a wire extracted from an extra-flexible cable. Repairing the broken connection wouldn't have been possible without a good binocular loupe! The image below was taken at 22x magnification!!From the center of one track to the center of the next, there's a distance of 0.15mm!!I'll then reinforce the cracked circuit with UV resin on one side and epoxy resin on the other side of the ribbon cable.

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2025, 06:08:23 pm
content: Reassembly tomorrow, while the epoxy resin hardens. The following image shows the size of the joints to be repaired.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2025, 06:35:06 pm
content: Well done for working it out and managing to repair the flat flex cableSuch cable repairs are never simple.Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2025, 06:39:49 pm
content: Now that I look at you initial pictures more closely I can see the grub screw hole that would have suggested the lens barrel was removable. Sorry I missed that detail.Fraser

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2025, 07:50:33 pm
content: Quote from: Fraser on June 15, 2025, 06:39:49 pmOh no, don't apologize! You put me straight on the right track by spotting the notches!

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2025, 02:52:00 pm
content: Despite this nice cable repair, it didn't solve the display problem 😪I guess this broken connection wasn't necessary... too bad!I've still made some progress, I can occasionally and imperfectly see something on the LCD screen by bringing my finger close to the display connections... It's a capacitive effect because by insulating the tracks with tape, the effect remains. Watch the following video:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1W6EFZlREHQ?si=Qvzruza9gCcZiyVEI suspect a fault with the controller integrated into the display, but I'm not sure!I found a display that seems to be the same, and I ordered it. It's this one:For information, it's a 67 pins connector.https://fr.aliexpress.com/item/1005006042055211.htmlI looked for the pinout for one LCD TFT 320x240 3.5" with 67 pins connector without success, trying to see if the signals on the board are compatible.Can anyone help me?

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2025, 07:06:28 pm
content: Think I found the datasheet for a compatible display.It's here:https://www.fortec-integrated.de/fileadmin/pdf/produkte/TFT-Displays/Ortustech/COM35H3P04XLC_Datasheet.pdfThe visual appearance is identical; checking a few signals confirms the pinout!

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2025, 11:31:10 am
content: Schematic of the LCD display interface board with handwritten notes of the corresponding capacitor references (on black). I also noted (on green) the pin numbers of the 39-pin connector for the important signals. Note that the pin numbering of the 67-pin LCD connector is reversed on the board compared to the schematic !

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 20, 2025, 05:13:17 pm
content: Bingo!The CLK signal was problematic, with low amplitude and zero DC current, as if it were flowing through a capacitor.After checking, the ribbon cable was missing connection number 9!I had checked the connections, but I missed this break!It turns out it's a double-sided ribbon cable! At the tear, there's one track per side! I only repaired one side...Reassembly tomorrow, once the epoxy has cured. I hope it's finally fixed!

author: Silicium81
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2025, 08:15:10 am
content: Success !

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2025, 10:39:20 am
content: Excellent news. Well doneFraser