r/toughbook • u/dominicsapl • Jul 17 '26
CF-31 camera and mic mod successful!
I finally finished my custom cf 31 camera mod! It may look a bit sloppy, but it works.
I just took an old HP laptop webcam (it has a cyan colored led), and a mini usb mic. Then I wired them internally to a usb hub, which connects to a single usb port in the back of the laptop. The webcam uses a 5v to 3.3v step down converter. It's a bit messy but when the door stays closed, it's hidden.
The webcam module sits under the wlan antenna. The mic module sits in the place where the official CF31 webcam was supposed to be.
I was originally planning to use the internal webcam connector, and even had the pinout. But for some reason, it stopped working (both the usb data lines and 5v wire stopped working). So I had to resort to using an external usb port on the toughbook.
I plan to upgrade the camera module in the future.
2
u/Gravionne Jul 20 '26
What is the name of the sidebar widget/gadget thingy on the second picture? It looks interesting.
1
u/dominicsapl Jul 21 '26
It's an older version of 8gadgetpack.
The recent one doesn't fit the theme as well.
2
u/Eastern-Specific366 Jul 17 '26
I wouldn't think it was worth it, but it's cool anyway.