Seek Compact XR Thermal Camera not working after Lightning Connector Broken Off

[fadetonoir]

I have a broken Seek Compact XR thermal camera for iOS where the lightning connector has broken off.

I thought repairing it should be a simple case of resoldering the lightning connector, but as I don't currently have a device with a lightning connector I was wondering if a conversion to USB-C or micro USB would be possible.

After much research - mostly on this forum, which seems to be a goldmine for these cameras so thanks to everyone who's ever posted information about them here! - I determined that not only is a conversion perfectly possible because they use the same mainboards (and almost the same ribbon cables - just the iOS version has the extra IC for communicating with Apple devices) but I wouldn't even need to replace the lightning connector, I could solder a USB cable straight to the mainboard.

So I thought before I did anything else I would just check to see if the camera was working - I chopped a regular old USB-A to USB micro cable in half and soldered the micro USB end to the board, but it wasn't detected by the app when I plugged it into a phone. Then I tried soldering the USB-A end of the cable onto the board and trying it in a PC - not detected, nothing in Device Manager. In both cases I tested my connections with a multimeter and checked that nothing was shorted and also checked for voltage but there was none present.

I had better luck with USB-C - soldering wires to a spare breakout board and adding a 5.1k resistor between CC and GND, as per this guide - https://www.dcddcc.com/blog/2018-11-10-retrofitting-the-seek-thermal-compact-with-a-usb-type-c-connector-using-3d-printing.html
With that setup, the camera does actually receive power from the phone (or PC if connected via a USB C to A adapter) but it does nothing except get warm, with one chip in particular getting very hot very quickly.

I've highlighted the chip in the attached photo - I believe it's a switching regulator, as described by mikeselectricstuff in his excellent teardown video on YouTube. Mine is labelled CEY 7AJ P7LR but I can't find any information on it. If it's getting really hot is it safe to assume it's shorting and therefore needs replacing? Or could the fault lie elsewhere?

Any help or suggestions much appreciated!