G1WH acts weird after replacing battery

[sanchaz12]

Hi everyone!

Today I decided to replace the battery in my G1WH bought from Banggood about half a year ago. The battery originally in the device was worn out due to temperature changes and being constantly charged to 100%. Nothing new of course, most normal Li-ion and Li-po batteries have this issue under these circumstances. First, I searched the web for a compatible (super)capacitor to use in the G1WH, but could not find one. So I decided to just replace the battery.

I took the replacement battery from a rarely used MP4 player I had lying around. The old battery was a 3.7V 180 mAh Li-ion battery, the replacement one is a 3.7V 350 mAh Li-ion battery. The new battery fits perfectly in the case as it is roughly the same size and form, only a bit bigger. There is even room for a bigger one (maybe even 400-450 mAh would fit).

After I soldered the new battery to the logic board and securing the battery with some double sided tape, the camera turned on and recorded fine. No problem so far. Next, I reassembled the camera and tried turning it on and recording once more. This time weird things happened. After pressing the record button, the camera would start recording, but after about 2-3 seconds it freezes and the camera image changes to random greenish blocks and stripes. This happens about 3 out of 5 times. Pressing the reset button and turning the camera back on works fine. Only after starting a recording this would happen. I also discovered that pressing on the logic board triggers this weird behavior, when the camera seems to record as it should.

As pressing on the logic board triggers this behavior, it seems to be some kind of 'loose contact' issue. I checked all the wires for shorting, but everything seems to be fine. I tried 're-seating' the display cable in it's socket, but the problem remains.

Could this be the result of pressing the battery on the logic board? I tried not to press too hard, just enough for the double sided tape to secure onto the battery. But maybe I pressed too hard, and something on the logic board now has a 'loose contact'. Or am I looking in the wrong direction, could it be related to the different battery? This does not seem to be a relevant issue, as the voltage and type is the same, only a bigger capacity. With most electronics, replacing a battery with a larger capacity should just work fine.

If you have any suggestions or even have experience with the same issue, please let me know!

Greetings,
San

 

[Dionic90]

perhaps the heat from the soldering gun affected other parts of the board....? did you use a heatsink to divert heat away from the board?

 

[sanchaz12]

perhaps the heat from the soldering gun affected other parts of the board....? did you use a heatsink to divert heat away from the board?

Thanks for your reply, but I'm sure that didn't happen. I cut the wires from the logic board about halfway, the same goes for the new battery. I soldered those two wires to the corresponding wires of the logic board. Never touched the logic board or battery contacts itself with a soldering gun because of the reason you provided.

Greetings

 

[Hillbilly]

Maybe a silly question but you did cover the joins in the wires so they dont short.

Sounds like you may have distorted the circuit board and damaged a track on it.

Is the board seated flat in the camera. Could also be a dry joint that you have aggravated when pushing on it.

 

[sanchaz12]

Maybe a silly question but you did cover the joins in the wires so they dont short.

Sounds like you may have distorted the circuit board and damaged a track on it.

Is the board seated flat in the camera. Could also be a dry joint that you have aggravated when pushing on it.

Before I started soldering I have put shrink tube over each wire, and after soldering I secured it with a lighter (and also, no heat came in contact with the board this time).

I'm also thinking myself that I've damaged a track on the logic board, specifically a line to the Novatek chip as this processes the video signals.

Yesterday I tried putting it back in the car and so far it recorded fine. So I'll leave it there and see if it keeps working when it's not moved around a lot.

 

[sanchaz12]

Well, I gave up. The camera is still acting up randomly when used in the car. It turns on normally every time (first picture), but the slightest movement will trigger the weird behavior (second picture). It seems like I have damaged something when replacing the battery indeed. Lesson learned the hard way...
Bought a Mobius camera with wide-angle 'B' lens together with a super-capacitor as replacement today. This camera is much more maintenance friendly and is proven to be reliable.

Anyway, thanks everyone for thinking with me!