DISCLAIMER: By following the steps on these pages, you risk modifying, or worse, damaging your display/camera permanently. I will not be responsible for any damage that may occur to your display/camera while following the steps described herein. Good luck.

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In order to make the personal viewer covert, you need to remove the PCB from the housing. Therefore, you need to design a cable solution that will allow you to remove the PCB and move it down the line. There are many ways to accomplish this. I tried several different options before coming up with the final version. In this photo, I have attempted to reproduce a mock FFC by utilizing 30 AWG. I lined up the wires parallel to eachother. 16 wires are required for the LCD and 6 for the backlight at 3'-0" in length. I stripped one edge of the wire on one side with an Xacto blade. I was then able to test fit these cables into the connector on the PCB. I found that the cable had too much play in the connectors. This solution may have worked but I decided to design something more robust.

This image shows my second wire design. I again used the 30 AWG but used alternating colours for ease of identifcation when soldering. In order to avoid soldering directly to the PCB thereby risking damage, or even worse, destruction, I devised a solution whereby the original parts would not be soldered. For the PCB side of things, I was able to obtain sample FFCs that would match both the FFCs of the backlight and LCD. The Parlex Corporation, Laminated Cable Business Group, sent me three samples of each part numbers 050-06-102B (for the backlight); 050-16-102B (for the LCD). I was also able to obtain similar cables from Miraco Interconnect Systems. These were the only two companies that would send me samples after a rigorous search over the Internet and many companies contacted.

For the LCD and backlight side of things, I was able to obtain FFC connector samples from Molex that are available directly over the Web. I was able to find connectors for both the LCD and the backlight that had alternating conductors on the solderable side (note the black wires on one side and the blue on the other). This would make soldering alot easier. The parts Molex sent me were 52559-0692 for the backlight and 52559-1692 for the LCD.

Use epoxy glue to secure the wires once they are aligned leaving excess wire that will be soldered to the connectors. Repeat the process for the other side that may be soldered to an identical connector or directly to the FFC, as seen above. (Basically, you are now building an extension cable). This soldering work is microscopic and a typical hobbyist may have some difficulty. Thanks to Alan McKay from the Department of Computer and Electrical Engineering at the University of Manitoba for his soldering excellence. After the soldering was complete and the wires were tested, I epoxied the area from the previous epoxy to the connector for added strength under stress.

This image is showing one original display on the right and the necessary components that have been modified to the left. The plastic tabs on both side of the optics were sanded off by hand. The spacer has also been sanded to its minimum required size.
The modified display pieces are put together with a minimal amount of epoxy glue. Note the backlight has been turned 180 degrees in order to fit neatly within the depth of the sunglass frame. The FFC of the LCD has been glued over the backlight for easy access.
The Ultra Mini CMOS Camera was the smallest camera I could find on the Web. It is available at a cost of $129.95US from Supercircuits.com. This camera will be mounted on the right side of the optic.
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