i noticed from a google nexus 7 disassembly that it actually had a place reserved for a rear facing camera, and a place to plug one into the motherboard but they left it out for cost issues... so.. what would it take to actually install one yourself?
You will need a schematic to begin with. Or a Google search in case someone already made the mod. Then you need the parts and first rate soldering skills. Only work while grounded and that goes for your soldering iron. Remember, rosin core, not acid core solder.
It might not be as easy as simply dropping a camera into a slot.
You might need to populate the PCB with components to make the camera function. Some PCBs have lots of missing parts. Or so it will seem to most people. Since this "missing" camera is not placed, the components that make the camera work are also gone.
Manufacturers do not load parts into the pick and place if they do not need to. And the ECOs, do not forget those. Some additional parts could be missing because of an engineering change required to account for a missing second camera.
Then there is the software issues. For all I know, an ASIC is programmed to allow the use of a second camera or other firmware or something added to the OS. Without these things, you might not be able to activate the camera. I am sure there are missing setup settings you will not have because you are doing something the product is not designed to do.
Ground yourself because you can damage a chip just by touching it. Never forget the ground. You might damage the component and the device still works until the now weakened IC fails at some future point.
Wires inside the chip are designed to handle just so much. If static fries part of the fine internal connections between the die and frame, the wire is too weak to handle the power that will flow through it, so bye bye Nexus 7.
If the connector you are seeing is actually for a camera in the first place. Until I see a schematic, I cannot begin to know what is going on.
Or, it could be as easy as adding the missing camera and you are good to go. Not sure the module is custom, so get a part number and you can probably find one that you can try.
Make sure you properly seal the screen and carefully observe where every part you remove is placed. Trust me, there could be lots of stuff inside the case and if you do not have a good memory, you might find reassembly difficult.
Make sure you remove the covers with care because there could be many little connections between this and that and unless you know where everything goes, you have trouble.
Good luck at any rate.
