FP5 Camera stops working (as soon as it is >25°C outside?)

[n8mahr]

Okay, here´s just me guessing at the reason for this annoying behavior.

on my fp5, build fp5.vt2x.c.107.20260609

the camera stopps working out of the blue several times a day - seemingly only or MUCH more often the warmer it is outside.

sometimes, apps can still connect to the camera but have a black screen, sometimes i get the message “camera not responding” and the stock camera app crashing without even using the camera, like, when im browsing the web on my phone. i then can´t access the camera anymore.

the solution is rebooting the phone, nothing else brings the camera back to life.

i´ve read here this might be sd-card related. but i save my pictures on the internal memory, for i can´t even select the card as target to save my pictures.

so, might the card or the card reader module be faulty? why does it happen so randomly on warmer days? and why would it be influencing the camera if i don´t save my pictures there?

thanks for pointing me in the right direction.

PS: added a picture of the inside. it looks like heat discoloration on the cable connecting the top module and also on the underlying metal. could that be heat damage, or is it supposed to look like that?

[Meaghan]

@n8mahr

i´ve read here this might be sd-card related. but i save my pictures on the internal memory, for i can´t even select the card as target to save my pictures.

Could you check without your card? How was it formatted? Internally or as a portable one ?

[n8mahr]

Hello Meaghan,

it´s formatted as “internal”. been using it like that since i got the phone two years ago with a lexar silver card without problems. it started maybe two weeks ago. will probably give that a try to narrow it down on the card / card reader.

[Meaghan]

Hi
I don’t use myself a SD card but the general forum wisdom advises against that - formatting as internal storage, I mean.

A little guide to... using SD cards

Android 6 introduced new options for using an SD card in your phone. When you format an SD card or insert a new SD card, you’ll have two options: Internal/phone/adopted storage or external/portable storage. The option that most closely matches older Android versions is the external option. There are a couple of things to take into account when choosing which option works best for you: TL;DR: Formatting as internal will allow you to store apps on it and have it encrypted with the system interna…

Please back up everything in a safe location.

[n8mahr]

i know it´s “forum wisdom”, because those cards tend to be flakey, especially with so many cheap ones around. and more often than not it´s the cheap cards that are to blame. that´s why i bought an expensive one.. like, quite expensive (lexar silver plus) . using the card as “external” would negate all the advantages of having an sd card slot for me, that´s why i actually would not want to use it that way. so it´s either internal or no card at all for me.

i will give it a try once i don´t need a “working phone” in the evening. and maybe also do a backup beforehand thanks for reminding me, though!

would you mind commenting on the discoloration of the cable? i posted a picture in my first post, in what i believe might be a cause for my issues with the phone - the camera is close to the “hot spot” and the card reader connects via the “heated” cable

[Meaghan]

@n8mahr

PS: added a picture of the inside. it looks like heat discoloration on the cable connecting the top module and also on the underlying metal. could that be heat damage, or is it supposed to look like that?

just noticed. don’t feel frisky enough to open my FP5 just now, but you can have a look at FP schematics, https://www.fairphone.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Fairphone-5-Information-on-how-to-repair-and-recycle.pdf (p.19)

[n8mahr]

ok, thanks! afaict, the image you posted does not have any signs of heat discoloration. might be because the phone shown is brand new. but maybe not..

[n8mahr]

okay, so i ordered a brand new top module, and it looks absolutely identical. the cable is already in a slightly blue hue. only the metal mesh shows signs of heat discoloration.