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RSS > Logitech C120 dissasembly and IR filter removal

nadrealista	#1 14/01/2010 - 13h59 Top
Class : Habitué Posts : 84 Registered on : 13/01/2010 Off line	Hi all For Free-Track(ing) I bought Logitech C120 web cam (Please read edits at the end of the post. There is also C120M webcam!!!!) Since I couldn’t find manual for IR filter removal, I did one. It's for disassembling of C120 and how I did IR filter removal. I STRONGLY recommend to read through whole document to «get the whole picture» and to decide would you do it or not!!! English is not my native language so I suugest that moderators do corrections if they find it necessary. Logitech C120. This is camera 1. Use toothpick or screwdriver to remove rubber cap 2. Use screwdriver to unscrew screw (lol) 3. Remove camera's front cover. Note: it holds on two small clutches so there is no need for force 4. Gently pull left half of camera towards yourself 5. Remove clip and now you have left half, front cap and clip removed. Put them away for now 6. Unscrew lens cover. You'll feel the moment when you have to stop. 7. Take out button, take out LED cover, pull out electronic board together with lens cover. 8. Pull of lens and lens casing from electronic board Reddish covering is IR filter. It is coat and needs to be removed mechanically (or by some chemical unknown to me). Now, I did it with emery paper. It should be waterproof. It should be for fine polishing (800-1200nits). Note in upper right corner is picture of backcover of emery papers. 9. Picture is not from actual emering of lens. First of all, make emery paper wet and put it on flat surface (glass preferably). Grind side to you. Take lens casing and do emering with circular motion with light pressure (moving part is lens, not paper). Do it for couple minutes with (say) 800, then another couple with 1000 (1200). You can check it from time to time to see if coating have disappeared. If it is, then you can stop. If you want to use camera for video calling or something similar, I suggest fine polishing until all scratches gone. In other case, some scratches are fine That is it. In reverse order you do assembling. Camera gain much better IR reception. EDIT 18.02.2010 Actually, IR filter is removable. You can try to pry it off with small screwdriver. Thanks Simon EDIT 11.04.2010 I'm informed that there is variation model of this camera with different filter location. Namely, it is C120M Thanks buccaneer for pointing Thanks and sorry sirbum69. I didn't know there were 2 versions of camera Edited by nadrealista on 11/04/2010 at 16h57.
Simon	#2 17/02/2010 - 12h50 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 1 Registered on : 17/02/2010 Off line	Thnx, this helped me a lot, but i found out that you can just remove the entire IR filter at once, you don't have to scratch of the paint. The actual lens is beneath it. Just prye it off with a small screwdriver.
Harly	#3 17/02/2010 - 22h22 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 3 Registered on : 17/02/2010 Off line	Hmm, I tried prying the filter off, the filter snapped and the screwdriver went through and scratched the lens. The cam won't be used as webcam anymore. Still thinks it's ok for the Freetrack setup, though
nadrealista	#4 18/02/2010 - 07h00 Top
Class : Habitué Posts : 84 Registered on : 13/01/2010 Off line	Simon @ 17/02/2010 - 13h50 a dit: Thnx, this helped me a lot, but i found out that you can just remove the entire IR filter at once, you don't have to scratch of the paint. The actual lens is beneath it. Just prye it off with a small screwdriver. I thought filter was removable part but I couldn't remove it Good to know there is another way. Thanks for info
Royraiden	#5 19/02/2010 - 00h36 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 4 Registered on : 17/02/2010 Off line	The filter on my C300 is removable,I just removed it.Same instructions to get it open,but before removing it you have to remove the lens itself,at least in my model the lens comes off by unscrewing it from the plastic that holds the ir filter.Then carefully push the filter with somethig soft,I used a q-tip.Without the filter removal the webcam could barely track one or two led's,now it tracks the 3 led's perfectly.
Braniac	#6 21/02/2010 - 00h31 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 3 Registered on : 13/02/2010 Off line	[<delete me>] Edited by Braniac on 21/02/2010 at 01h41.
buccaneer	#7 14/03/2010 - 13h59 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 24 Registered on : 14/03/2010 Off line	To fill IR filter removal part... Took sewing needle, small screwdriver and started playing around with C120 lens block. Apparently IR filter edge was plastic sealed so i picked one side open with a needle. After having a bit of plastic removed i took screwdriver and pried filter with twisting motion (like screwing something) to avoid possible scratching of lens. In process filter cracked (no big deal) but lens itself was good. After filter removal cam IR sensitivity was significantly increased and actual image coloring became pretty reddish. Edited by buccaneer on 24/03/2010 at 17h55.
sirbum69	#8 04/04/2010 - 04h57 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 7 Registered on : 27/03/2010 Off line	ive done this same meathod twice now too two different C120 cameras and each time ive got the same results...Once i remove the small round piece below the hard plastic after prying it off, The camera is no longer usable. The picture becomes completly blurred as if there is no focus at all... Im thinking that not all C120 cameras have this IR filter where you say it is. Maybe a newer model of it?.... So for anyone else reading this and wanting to try it, Be very careful, or you will end up like me twice now with an unusable camera...
buccaneer	#9 04/04/2010 - 06h38 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 24 Registered on : 14/03/2010 Off line	sirbum69 @ 04/04/2010 - 06h57 a dit: Once i remove the small round piece below the hard plastic after prying it off, The camera is no longer usable. Hmm... very strange. Was that removed piece flat and with reddish/cyanish tint (depends on angle of view). If it's not bulby - it's not the lens. See attached picture: cracked filter on the right from the plastic lens block, lens itself still in the block. Also note the threading on the side of the block - it is used for manual focusing (remember the step #6 from first post?). BTW C120 is the manual focus webcam. When assembling, screw lens block all the way down into electronic board but without force. Twisting lens block clockwise - focus further, counterclockwise - closer. Maybe after filter removal you have remaining deformed plastic seal ridge preventing screwing all the way down - then file it off nice'n'flat like in step #9. That plastic stands out for ~1mm. Hope it will help Edited by buccaneer on 04/04/2010 at 10h30.
sirbum69	#10 04/04/2010 - 16h08 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 7 Registered on : 27/03/2010 Off line	Well i can try to file off the plastic and see, but yes the part i took out was the redish colored platic piece...the bubble type thing is still there... But the only diff i see from mine and that one, is around the outside there are like little coloumns...the black ones... mine dont have those...If my camera worked lol i would take a picture to show you. As for the focus part yes i know about that, i have tried to focus it both ways...screwed all way down, all the way off..and in the middle... Ill try and take a picture of it somehow to show you what mine looks like. Edited by sirbum69 on 04/04/2010 at 16h30.
buccaneer	#11 04/04/2010 - 18h28 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 24 Registered on : 14/03/2010 Off line	Looks like the lens block has a bit different construction on your C120, mine has outer ring reinforcements(those 6 black columns). But not a big deal, as for me, until the lens is damaged/moved from original position. Try to play around with lens block and electronic board without all the casing. Remove excessive plastic and mount the lens, make sure that threading fits perfectly (NO MISMATCH). Connect webcam (be careful to not short circuit anything) - screw the lens all the way clockwise (focus to infinity) - check the video - if blurry, move something small very close to the lens (e.g. needle). If it gets into focus, then optics is ok, just something prevents to move lens deeper. Check the condition of the threading.
flow	#12 04/04/2010 - 19h06 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 6 Registered on : 02/02/2010 Off line	One easy mistake that would cause a blurred image is replacing the lens the wrong way round. Trying flipping it.
sirbum69	#13 04/04/2010 - 22h13 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 7 Registered on : 27/03/2010 Off line	flow @ 04/04/2010 - 21h06 a dit: One easy mistake that would cause a blurred image is replacing the lens the wrong way round. Trying flipping it. You cant place the lens on wrong, as it screws in only one way...So you can flip it...Tho that would make sence.. As for trying other ways, there seems to be another piece of plastic like thing on there still...Ive tried to remove it but all i did was scratch it all to heck. I can almost get it to come out just from tearing it apart... So im starting to wander if there were too Type of lenses on it. The one that i took out that maybe should have went back in, and then this next part that im trying to get out now... But im affraid i may have damaged it beyond fixing...the Bulby lens part seems to be ok, just this other part that is plastic is gouged bad... Starting to think i may have to go with the VX-1000 and seems there IR filter is much easier to remove lol...But biggest hurdel there is getting the wife to allow me to spend more money...HAHA... Edit: after looking more at the pics from the above tutorial and then looking more on where they uploaded them so i could see bigger images, i can see now that i do have a different type of lens...As mine does not have the same support. My camera is the Logictec C120M...The M should stand for manual focus im assuming. But for some reason mine and yours are different. Lol was so hoping to have this working for Flacon 5.5....Gonna keep stabbing at it... Oh and i tried what you said, i placed a small pin item in front of the lens with it out of plastic case, and nothing...i couldnt even tell there was something there it is so out of focus...Oh and i had screwed it all the way down clockwise....I also tried unscrewing it all the way counter clockwise until it would just about come off, and nothing... Im gonna try and see if i can remove this other plastic type lens thing that is on top of the bubble part and see if that helps at all...Cant hurt the camera anymore then it already is lol.. Edited by sirbum69 on 04/04/2010 at 22h32.
sirbum69	#14 04/04/2010 - 22h52 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 7 Registered on : 27/03/2010 Off line	well after doing some more looking around, it seems that the version of camera i have, the IR filter may not have been in the part you showed me...It may have actully been behind the part that is attached to the circuit board... I unscrewed that part from the cercuit board, and behind that part was a square type lens that when held slightly diagonal to the light it would turn a redish color. So that may have been what i needed to remove all along...And i think i have now destroyed the actully lens or the thing i took out was maybe a focus type lens?... Either way the lens is preatty well toast now lol... So hopefully this will help someone else, who may have the same version of camera i have, yet it is still called a C120m
killerbanjo	#15 14/05/2010 - 23h18 Top
Class : Apprenti Posts : 1 Registered on : 14/05/2010 Off line	If you do encounter an IR filter on the Circut Board its self (Like mine) just flip the whole thing over and undo the 2 little black screws exposing the small ir filter which is inside the plastic bit. I couldnt get mine out so i just used a screwdriver to smash it untill none was left. Works like a dream hop that helped, killerbanjo

nadrealista

#1 14/01/2010 - 13h59

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Hi all

For Free-Track(ing) I bought Logitech C120 web cam (Please read edits at the end of the post. There is also C120M webcam!!!!)

Since I couldn’t find manual for IR filter removal, I did one. It's for disassembling of C120 and how I did IR filter removal.

I STRONGLY recommend to read through whole document to «get the whole picture» and to decide would you do it or not!!!
English is not my native language so I suugest that moderators do corrections if they find it necessary.

Logitech C120. This is camera

1. Use toothpick or screwdriver to remove rubber cap
2. Use screwdriver to unscrew screw (lol)

3. Remove camera's front cover. Note: it holds on two small clutches so there is no need for force

4. Gently pull left half of camera towards yourself

5. Remove clip and now you have left half, front cap and clip removed. Put them away for now
6. Unscrew lens cover. You'll feel the moment when you have to stop.
7. Take out button, take out LED cover, pull out electronic board together with lens cover.

8. Pull of lens and lens casing from electronic board

Reddish covering is IR filter. It is coat and needs to be removed mechanically (or by some chemical unknown to me).

Now, I did it with emery paper. It should be waterproof. It should be for fine polishing (800-1200nits). Note in upper right corner is picture of backcover of emery papers.
9. Picture is not from actual emering of lens.
First of all, make emery paper wet and put it on flat surface (glass preferably). Grind side to you. Take lens casing and do emering with circular motion with light pressure (moving part is lens, not paper). Do it for couple minutes with (say) 800, then another couple with 1000 (1200). You can check it from time to time to see if coating have disappeared. If it is, then you can stop.
If you want to use camera for video calling or something similar, I suggest fine polishing until all scratches gone. In other case, some scratches are fine

That is it. In reverse order you do assembling. Camera gain much better IR reception.

EDIT 18.02.2010
Actually, IR filter is removable. You can try to pry it off with small screwdriver.

Thanks Simon

EDIT 11.04.2010
I'm informed that there is variation model of this camera with different filter location. Namely, it is C120M

Thanks buccaneer for pointing

Thanks and sorry sirbum69. I didn't know there were 2 versions of camera

Edited by nadrealista on 11/04/2010 at 16h57.

Simon

#2 17/02/2010 - 12h50

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Thnx, this helped me a lot, but i found out that you can just remove the entire IR filter at once, you don't have to scratch of the paint.

The actual lens is beneath it. Just prye it off with a small screwdriver.

Harly

#3 17/02/2010 - 22h22

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Hmm, I tried prying the filter off, the filter snapped and the screwdriver went through and scratched the lens. The cam won't be used as webcam anymore. Still thinks it's ok for the Freetrack setup, though

nadrealista

#4 18/02/2010 - 07h00

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Simon @ 17/02/2010 - 13h50 a dit:
Thnx, this helped me a lot, but i found out that you can just remove the entire IR filter at once, you don't have to scratch of the paint.

The actual lens is beneath it. Just prye it off with a small screwdriver.

I thought filter was removable part but I couldn't remove it

Good to know there is another way. Thanks for info

Royraiden

#5 19/02/2010 - 00h36

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Registered on : 17/02/2010

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The filter on my C300 is removable,I just removed it.Same instructions to get it open,but before removing it you have to remove the lens itself,at least in my model the lens comes off by unscrewing it from the plastic that holds the ir filter.Then carefully push the filter with somethig soft,I used a q-tip.Without the filter removal the webcam could barely track one or two led's,now it tracks the 3 led's perfectly.

Braniac

#6 21/02/2010 - 00h31

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[<delete me>]

Edited by Braniac on 21/02/2010 at 01h41.

buccaneer

#7 14/03/2010 - 13h59

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To fill IR filter removal part...
Took sewing needle, small screwdriver and started playing around with C120 lens block. Apparently IR filter edge was plastic sealed so i picked one side open with a needle. After having a bit of plastic removed i took screwdriver and pried filter with twisting motion (like screwing something) to avoid possible scratching of lens. In process filter cracked (no big deal) but lens itself was good. After filter removal cam IR sensitivity was significantly increased and actual image coloring became pretty reddish.

Edited by buccaneer on 24/03/2010 at 17h55.

sirbum69

#8 04/04/2010 - 04h57

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ive done this same meathod twice now too two different C120 cameras and each time ive got the same results...Once i remove the small round piece below the hard plastic after prying it off, The camera is no longer usable.

The picture becomes completly blurred as if there is no focus at all...

Im thinking that not all C120 cameras have this IR filter where you say it is. Maybe a newer model of it?....

So for anyone else reading this and wanting to try it, Be very careful, or you will end up like me twice now with an unusable camera...

buccaneer

#9 04/04/2010 - 06h38

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sirbum69 @ 04/04/2010 - 06h57 a dit:
Once i remove the small round piece below the hard plastic after prying it off, The camera is no longer usable.

Hmm... very strange. Was that removed piece flat and with reddish/cyanish tint (depends on angle of view). If it's not bulby - it's not the lens.
See attached picture: cracked filter on the right from the plastic lens block, lens itself still in the block. Also note the threading on the side of the block - it is used for manual focusing (remember the step #6 from first post?). BTW C120 is the manual focus webcam. When assembling, screw lens block all the way down into electronic board but without force. Twisting lens block clockwise - focus further, counterclockwise - closer. Maybe after filter removal you have remaining deformed plastic seal ridge preventing screwing all the way down - then file it off nice'n'flat like in step #9. That plastic stands out for ~1mm.
Hope it will help

Edited by buccaneer on 04/04/2010 at 10h30.

sirbum69

#10 04/04/2010 - 16h08

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Well i can try to file off the plastic and see, but yes the part i took out was the redish colored platic piece...the bubble type thing is still there...

But the only diff i see from mine and that one, is around the outside there are like little coloumns...the black ones...

mine dont have those...If my camera worked lol i would take a picture to show you.

As for the focus part yes i know about that, i have tried to focus it both ways...screwed all way down, all the way off..and in the middle...

Ill try and take a picture of it somehow to show you what mine looks like.

Edited by sirbum69 on 04/04/2010 at 16h30.

buccaneer

#11 04/04/2010 - 18h28

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Looks like the lens block has a bit different construction on your C120, mine has outer ring reinforcements(those 6 black columns). But not a big deal, as for me, until the lens is damaged/moved from original position.
Try to play around with lens block and electronic board without all the casing. Remove excessive plastic and mount the lens, make sure that threading fits perfectly (NO MISMATCH). Connect webcam (be careful to not short circuit anything) - screw the lens all the way clockwise (focus to infinity) - check the video - if blurry, move something small very close to the lens (e.g. needle). If it gets into focus, then optics is ok, just something prevents to move lens deeper. Check the condition of the threading.

flow

#12 04/04/2010 - 19h06

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One easy mistake that would cause a blurred image is replacing the lens the wrong way round. Trying flipping it.

sirbum69

#13 04/04/2010 - 22h13

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flow @ 04/04/2010 - 21h06 a dit:
One easy mistake that would cause a blurred image is replacing the lens the wrong way round. Trying flipping it.

You cant place the lens on wrong, as it screws in only one way...So you can flip it...Tho that would make sence..

As for trying other ways, there seems to be another piece of plastic like thing on there still...Ive tried to remove it but all i did was scratch it all to heck. I can almost get it to come out just from tearing it apart...

So im starting to wander if there were too Type of lenses on it. The one that i took out that maybe should have went back in, and then this next part that im trying to get out now...

But im affraid i may have damaged it beyond fixing...the Bulby lens part seems to be ok, just this other part that is plastic is gouged bad...

Starting to think i may have to go with the VX-1000 and seems there IR filter is much easier to remove lol...But biggest hurdel there is getting the wife to allow me to spend more money...HAHA...

Edit: after looking more at the pics from the above tutorial and then looking more on where they uploaded them so i could see bigger images, i can see now that i do have a different type of lens...As mine does not have the same support. My camera is the Logictec C120M...The M should stand for manual focus im assuming. But for some reason mine and yours are different. Lol was so hoping to have this working for Flacon 5.5....Gonna keep stabbing at it...

Oh and i tried what you said, i placed a small pin item in front of the lens with it out of plastic case, and nothing...i couldnt even tell there was something there it is so out of focus...Oh and i had screwed it all the way down clockwise....I also tried unscrewing it all the way counter clockwise until it would just about come off, and nothing...

Im gonna try and see if i can remove this other plastic type lens thing that is on top of the bubble part and see if that helps at all...Cant hurt the camera anymore then it already is lol..

Edited by sirbum69 on 04/04/2010 at 22h32.

sirbum69

#14 04/04/2010 - 22h52

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well after doing some more looking around, it seems that the version of camera i have, the IR filter may not have been in the part you showed me...It may have actully been behind the part that is attached to the circuit board...

I unscrewed that part from the cercuit board, and behind that part was a square type lens that when held slightly diagonal to the light it would turn a redish color.

So that may have been what i needed to remove all along...And i think i have now destroyed the actully lens or the thing i took out was maybe a focus type lens?...

Either way the lens is preatty well toast now lol...

So hopefully this will help someone else, who may have the same version of camera i have, yet it is still called a C120m

killerbanjo

#15 14/05/2010 - 23h18

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If you do encounter an IR filter on the Circut Board its self (Like mine) just flip the whole thing over and undo the 2 little black screws exposing the small ir filter which is inside the plastic bit. I couldnt get mine out so i just used a screwdriver to smash it untill none was left.

Works like a dream

hop that helped, killerbanjo

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