Two days ago I bought a cheap webcam ($18) to use with skype etc., and because it had 4 blue LEDs which could not be turned off when the room was dark (controlled analog from a sensor on the top of the camera), today I opened it to unsolder those LEDs - no problems with that. However, I discovered why the in-built microphone was not sensitive enough - no hole for it, it was just wrapped in some paper scotch tape an left floating inside the case... OK, I had 4 holes now, but they were
5 instead of 6 mm so I needed to widen a bit one of them to let the mike hang out on its wires (it is cylindrical, 6mm). The metal plating of the plastic case would get a bit damaged while drilling 5 into 6, so what. To my surprise, the case shell half was taken by the drill and thrown away (had to creep for 2 minutes searching the floor); fortunately, I had covered the lens with some of the scotch tape the mike had been wrapped in, so it did not suffer. The case turned out to be made of 1.5 or may be 2mm stainless steel! (I know how it feels drilling it from experience, and it took me about 10 minutes until I managed it ...) A not quite spheric shell of two parts, polished, really well made - I still wonder how on Earth such a cheap webcam got this case.... (well, the other good thing with it is the 800x600 sensor, the bad news is it somehow manages to crash the PC of my remote skype contact ... :-) :-).Dimiter
------------------------------------------------------ Dimiter Popoff Transgalactic Instruments
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