XH09 teardown - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Dogman211
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 07:09:21 am
content: Ho boyo this was not easy. They certainly used the gluiest of glues on this one and is yet to be seen if it survived the procedure.PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS UNLESS YOUR READY TO YEET YOUR XH09, THIS IS NOT SAFE FOR IT OR FOR YOU!Please excuse the pictures with my damaged finger, I tried a few other unsuccessful methods of opening it and got damaged in the process.I got the thing opened with the use of a table clamp and a wrench, clamping the large backside of the crease as close to the gap as possible and tightened as much as possible, then levering with a tight adjustable wrench to seperate the 2 layers.In this process I buggered the usb-c flex cable, if someone knows where to get one or has a place that sells a 10 pin fpc connector please let me know, I can't seem to find one in the usual places.Anyway, bar the bent board due to another method I used prior, we have our thermal sandwhichIf someone finds another one of these FPC C 10 pin cables let me know, I really wouldnt mind trying to pop this in a 4mm lense case that I already have on handHere is the main thermal board, looks to be a standard fpv thermal board most thermal dongle owner use which a massive unconventional lens cooler. Anyone recognise the connector pin count with a cheaper thermal? if so I might try to fit a different head on it to see if it makes a difference loland heres the underside to the first board / digital converter boardTook the lens cap off and accidentally cracked the glass, anyway here is the front and back without focus thing, also pls ignore scratches on lens, I thought I could just take the whole unit apart but its glued to hell just as badly as the case and I really couldnt be bothered separating the 2Now I want to swap the 4mm of the cheap thermal and the 9mm of the infiray , it appeared to work for the most part on the cheap thermal sorta (probably only sorta due to my rough care of the teardown), case also mostly fits for no reason other then coincidence. I have the case of the 4mm ready to go but without a pinout I cant really power the thing unless I can find another C FPC cable.fit infiray board in cheap thermal caselet me know if you need to see anything closer!

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 10:49:17 am
content: Regarding separating the case halves. Heat is your friend in such cases as it degrades the glues adhesion to the metal. My approach is to heat the casing to around 90 Celsius at the seam and then place a Stanley box cutter blade into the joint. I then tap the back of the blade with a jewellers hammer and this usual drives the sharp edge of the blade into the joint, breaking the glues bond. Bending the blade to the side continues the process of separating the glue joint to about 1mm. I repeat on all sides and then use a spudger to force the two halves apart. You have to keep the joint hot enough to degrade the glue adhesion whilst applying the force to the joint. Too much heat is not a good idea as it can melt plastic parts on and within the casing. I like to use Stanley box cutter blades in disassembly work as they are thicker than some cheap copies and effectively behave like a thin chisel to force casings apart. Great care is needed though as the blades slice flesh with great ease and it is not uncommon for the end tips of the blade to shear off, so eye protection is essential. I use the Stanley 1991 (short) and 1992 (long) blades as pictured below. Cheap and effective case separators. A Stanley blade edge is Scandi profile, hence why it is perfect for driving into a joint to separate it.You can use the Stanley blade separation technique without heat if the glue used is brittle or working on plastic cases with seam welds or ABS glues.Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 11:05:19 am
content: Mixed in with your pictures I see another imaging core that looks to be a Guide Sensmart TIMO256 ? Are you experimenting with that core as well ?https://www.gst-ir.net/products/uncooled-thermal-modules/timo-series-miniature-thermal-modules/timo256.htmlI am thinking of reporting you to the GASIR lens abuse hotline as I see evidence of a brutal attack on your XH09 lens !May I ask why you chose to smash it as they can normally be extracted once the retaining ring is unscrewed. Was it glued into place ? Sadly modern day camera designs seem to use adhesives rather than mechanical retention and that can make lens disassembly challenging. Older thermal imaging lens assemblies tended to use a combination of soft seals, soft silicone mastic and threaded retainer rings to construct the lens element stack. The good old days !Thank you for taking the time to document your teardown.Fraser

author: Dogman211
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 11:54:49 am
content: That was actually the first thing I tried lol, I noticed some rubber melting around the lens so I decided to stop after 30 mins of 400 degrees and a spudger failing. I have no idea what adhesive they are using its some tough stuff

author: Dogman211
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 11:56:57 am
content: Yeppers! Got it for super cheap so I thought its 4mm lens casing was a good candidate for the XH09.As for the abuse, I was trying to remove the lens from the casing using the same method I did to separate the halfs, unfortunately I didnt count for the lens are being so thing and transferring alot of the vice pressure into the glass which made it pop. Complete accident lol

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 12:07:28 pm
content: As you say, they must be using decent adhesive ! So many modern glued seams give up quite easily when the Stanley blade has its way with themSorry to hear about the lens incidentWithout knowing the construction of a particular lens block it can be very hard to reverse engineer them to aid disassembly. Clearly there was no mastic or clearance around the lens element to absorb any deformation of the lens barrel.Good find with the Guide Sensmart camera dongleFraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 12:24:12 pm
content: Regarding the damaged Type C plug and associated FCC. I have had a look in my usual suppliers inventories and sadly I have not found the same format of Type C male connector. They are all ‘through hole” or puck edge mounts. Modification to fit your FPC would not be simple. If the original connector is not completely mullered, you could attempt reforming of the metal shroud with mini electronics type pliers. These normally have a nice thin tip to get into the connector for and smooth jaws to avoid surface damage. I bought a set years ago but do not know their official name. They are square ended and not just needle nose pliers. The plastic insulator within the metal shroud is hopefully undamaged.Fraser

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 12:32:00 pm
content: These are the flat nose pliers I have for getting into connector shells to repair them. They have flat endshttps://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/pliers/8640782?gb=shttps://docs.rs-online.com/6bd0/0900766b81586f58.pdf

author: Dogman211
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 12:36:20 pm
content: Gave it a crack and the inside fell out in several pieces :'( I have sent a message to some bloke on fiver who makes fpc cables and he recons he can do it. I will post the resulting fpc here so people can order another from pcbway if it works as to keep these modules in good knick for a while.

author: Fraser
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 12:38:21 pm
content: Just saw your message. That is a pity. I hope the chap on Fiver can helpFraser

author: Dogman211
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2024, 12:39:18 pm
content: thanks for checking this too by the way, was hopeful it was some generic mobile cable haha