# camera repair



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

After causing battery drain, my on/off button finally braoke.
Suspect; Sony CyberShot 6.0

Is it repairable or time to stick a fork in it and get a new picture taker?

Thanks,
John


----------



## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Fork time... Look at the Panasonic Lumix line in addition to the Sonys. For $100 or less, you get a camera that also takes HD movies. 

Don't know about you, but I use about 2% of the capability of my 7 year old Cannon Powershot...and the size of it...it's pocketability...is probably the most important requirement I have. I just put my camera in auto mode...and snap away..or take (old) VGA movies. And....I'm thinking of retiring my old friend because of that. I've taken over 10,000 photo with that Cannon...it's an old friend...so I've been looking around.



I've found three significant differences so far between what's out there today...and 7 years ago. First, 4x optics vs 3x...and a major discriminator from those that say, "just use your cell phone". Second, some of the newer cameras ARE smaller...and rounded more...way better to put in a pocket. And third, HD 720 movies...way better than VGA. 


And...last, cheaper. I paid over $200 for the Canon...replacement Sony's, Panasonics, etc sell new under $100...seen some for only $65.


----------



## afinegan (Jan 2, 2008)

The Panasonic Lumix line shares there electronic centers with Leica. Some leica lenses are on the Panasonic. (I hope you know what Leica is !!!)


Heres an article on the same camera thats a Leica and a Panasonic but the Leica is priced higher due to brand name, so buy a Panasonic Lumix and get Leica tech (if it has one of Leica's Lenses)
http://gizmodo.com/5316483/panasoni...ame-camera


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Well I looked at a couple of discount houses on line and the Panasonics and Sonys and other name brands started at over a c-note. 
Did I mention that I am on a very limited budget? 
Ever hear of SVP? I can get a SVP X Thinn8350 Silver 8MP Digital Camera w/ 4GB memory for less than $80. They call it their Top of the Line offering, but I've never heard of them.... 

The Sony could take vids too, the only time I did was by accident! 
I'm mostly a point and shoot, with close ups, kinda guy. 

Thanks for your replies. 

John


----------



## Phippsburg Eric (Jan 10, 2008)

I had a spot of dust making a mark on all my photos with the old pocket digital camera. I'm handy and figured the camera was toast so what the heck...I took it apart to see what I could do. 

Everything is really small and compact. no wires just flexible ribbon cables. some would come loose at a connector some would not. some connectors were one-shots...assemble and forget it. 

I did find the spot of dust right on the CCD or whatever the digital film is called...one breath and it was gone...but getting the parts back together so they would all work...NO JOY. I did get it to take a couple of photos with out dust spots but the screen never worked again. 

I did learn abit about how these things go together, how the zoom works and not to remove any ribbon cables unless I was sure i was removing a reseatable connector. 

I have since purchased not one- but two- Olympus Stylus TOUGH cameras...both working...one for me and one for my wife. they are a bit more money, but take great photos and high res movies. they are also waterproof and shock proof. Dropping them on hard surfaces has not harmed them. mine has also been under (salt) water and works fine. I bought the extra memory card and a spare battery for each. these all give me a level of redundency. the only thing I am not too happy about is that the workings are slow...it take a while to come on, store photos and movies and even start shooting a movie.

by the way, perhaps the answer for now is to just get a new battery and take it out to turn off the camera when not in use. 

--eric


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Eric, 
Too bad it broke in the off position... and the button broke phsically, sits lower than before. 

I was curious if anybody repaired them anymore or if it's history... 

John


----------



## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

John

Since you have a good deal of experience as a jeweler working with delicate and small things, and if you can't find someone to attempt a repair for a reasonable price. Why not take a stab at it yourself, what's the worst that can happen, it's gonna work worse?


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Are parts available? I dunno... 
Eric's post reminded me of a time when I worked at a fast fix jewlery repair shop in an Austin mall. A lady came in with her husbands new watch in a bag. He had tried to replace the battery and it all came apart! There were at least 7 layers and other bits... My fellow jewelers shook their heads no, I said for $25.00 I'll give it a go, but I get paid either way. 
The Boss gave me a half hour and I did it in 25 min.








But all the parts worked and were there... 

I don't have the skill to solder a new pcb button switch in for the old, but if I could find the on/off module I'd go for it. 
I posted to see if repairing is an option or a pipe dream. 

John


----------



## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Depending on just "how" the On/Off switch is broken it MIGHT be repairable. But I doubt if it is worth the effort to even discover if it is repairable. As "--eric" indicated, taking it apart is an iffy proposition as to whether you can get it back together and it still work. Too many things can break too easily.

Some connections are done with what are called "Zebra Strips".

Zebra Strips are a multi-layer sandwich of thin conductors and insulators in a long stack of 1,000's of layers, which are then layed on their side and sandwiched between multi-lead/pad connectors to carry signals from each pad on one connector to the mating pad on the other one, through the thin conductors... No 1 conductor is specifically designed to connect from one connector to another like a multi-wire cable does; they are just "shorts" from one pad on one connector to the corresponding pad on the other connector. Some of the thin conductors in the Zebra Strip end up not touching pads on either connector. Each pad on the pads may have a dozen of the thin conductors touching them to carry signal to the other connector. When these are first assembled the stack of alternating insulators and thin conductors are wider than the space that is to be between the connectors and it gets sqhished between them. The pads on the connectors have to be perfectly clean so the thin conductors will make contact. When you take it apart the insulating layers might stick to the pads on one or the other side and leave some residue that when reassembled may make contact with the thin conductors difficult... Thus when reassembled it may not work. (Probable reason that '--eric's display no longer worked.)

Another thing to note about dissassembling these things, best illustrated by a personal annectdote:

My granddaughter had a small point and shoot type digital camera and it had been dropped and abused so often that several of the bezels needed to be held on with tape and the battery door was held shut by tape also. She asked if I could repair it. I said, "Sure", knowing full well the absurdity of the answer. I took it home and, sitting in my overstuffed swivel-rocker/recliner easy chair, with a large metal tray in my lap to catch the parts as I undid screws (and tape!) I dissassembled the camera.

Fascinating stuff in there! Two small motors to extend/retract the lens, zoom and focus. Intricate gears and sliders in the mechanical parts, but the majority is just a couple of printed circuit boards with surface mounted components and epoxy'd down microcomputer chips.

I managed to get it turned on and to operate the flash and then get the flash shut off before it recharged too much. I removed the batteries and took a metal screwdriver and deliberately shorted out the large tublar capacitor down the middle of the camera (about the size of my little finger!) and got several good "snaps" at the end of the screwdriver. That capacitor holds the charge to generate the flash and can have a very high voltage on it. I then shorted out several other pairs of connections on the board, especially under a small flap of plastic insulator that I figured was there as additional protection from the high-voltage components touching the metal bracket that was near it.

I then turned it over to look at the other side.

I then had to put the metal tray on the floor next to my chair, lower the leg rest, get up, and go across the room to retrieve the camera innards from behind the TV on the other side of the room.

I don't remember specifically deciding to throw the camera innards over there but I do remember the pain in my hand and arm that caused me to do so. That capacitor still had a significant charge on it!

I bought my Granddaughter a new camera.


----------



## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

I understand John, but what have you got to lose by trying?


----------



## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By SteveC on 09 Jun 2011 04:19 PM 
I understand John, but what have you got to lose by trying?










hee hee hee... Depends on whether there is anything breakable in the room when he unintentionally throws it across the room!


----------



## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

OK then, John I fully retract my suggestion; it's to difficult and dangerous, just properly dispose of it and go buy a new camera.


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Well while you were writing the above I went looking for parts, plenty of view screens and shutter release buttons but no power on buttons 

Might go for the neat parts inside.... 

Nobodys heard of SVP? I can get a new one of those for the same as repair of my oldie. 

John


----------



## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Dunno 'bout others, but it is true... I have never heard of SVP. Whut is it?


----------



## Mike Reilley (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Totalwrecker on 09 Jun 2011 02:57 PM 
Well I looked at a couple of discount houses on line and the Panasonics and Sonys and other name brands started at over a c-note. 
Did I mention that I am on a very limited budget? 
Ever hear of SVP? I can get a SVP X Thinn8350 Silver 8MP Digital Camera w/ 4GB memory for less than $80. They call it their Top of the Line offering, but I've never heard of them.... 

The Sony could take vids too, the only time I did was by accident! 
I'm mostly a point and shoot, with close ups, kinda guy. 

Thanks for your replies. 

John 
OK...found a few SVP cameras. They do NOT hit me as good cameras...i.e. Canon, Panasonic, and Sony. For one, it's got to be OLD since it has only an 8MP CCD chip. The standard NOW is 12MP. Further, "under $80" doesn't hit me as cheap, since I can find the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP1 cameras for under $75 on eBay, and the new Lumix DMC-S1 version for $100, and the Sony DSC-W105s in the $110 range, or the Canon Powershot A3100 also in the $110 range. Of this group, the Panasonic seems to have a better lens and does HD movies...so for $75, it's a steal. If you really want inexpensive...look at the Canon PowerShot A470...going for around $40. It's a good 7MP camera with a good lens...just a little bit bigger than the smallest pocket cameras.


----------



## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

John

Just In case you get an adventurous quiver sitting out there in the "Pondering Chair."









Sony DSC-W30 6MP Service Manual PDF[/b]


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Steve, 
Who's got time to ponder? 
I'm still in the midst of the Last Frontier expansion and I have a new technique to document! 

On my parts search I discovered many models under the cyber shot name, mine is a DSC-S600. 
Without a power button replacement there's no gain going in. I felt it collapse under my brutish finger.... 

Mike, 
Thanks for looking, I was hoping for a gem instead of a cubic Z....Size isn't my concern as I usually left it on the tripod. 

John


----------



## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Totalwrecker on 09 Jun 2011 06:46 PM 
{snip...}[/i] On my parts search I discovered many models under the cyber shot name, mine is a DSC-S600. 
Without a power button replacement there's no gain going in. I felt it collapse under my brutish finger.... {snip...}[/i] Oooops, OK then here's the one for the DSC-S600.









Sony DSC-S600 Service Manual PDF[/b]


In looking at the parts diagram page 5-4 (Adobe 31) item #55 is the RL-063 Board Complete, then on page 5-6E (Adobe 33) under the listing for the RL-063 Board is listed S202 Pt #1-786-855-21 Switch, Tactile (Power), and there's no asterisk beside the listing, which would be an indication that it's a non-stocked part like there is on the shutter switch.


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Thanks Steve, but I think it's time to move on..... or punt! 

I found another off brand that might be worth a $50 gamble from Amazon, I avoid evilbay... 

A BenQ DC C1030 Eco 10MP.... 

Come Christmas time there's always asking Santa for a better one, my Santa is easy! It's my timing that's off! 

John


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Steve, 
Well I did open 'er up! And I managed to get to the on/off button without unsoldering the first 5 tiny wires. The button is still good!, but a bit o plastic has broken between the switch and the finger. It's probably a momentary switch and that plastic (broken bit) was the spring to lift the accusator (ack shu ate or) off the switch, looks like white nylon. Also looks like the accusator (dang can't spel gud 2day) pin is mia... 
Gonna be some jerry-rigging me thinks... maybe just remove the button altogether and use a pencil/pen tip to turn on/off.... yep that's the direction I'm going, won't be pretty, but neither am I so nobody will notice much..... Arrrggghhhh my eyes!!! 

Thanks for the pdf, I wouldn't have gone in without it. 

Now to get it back together! 

FYI the RL-063 board is connected by a dozen hair width wires soldered on! No way Jose! 

John


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Whooo Wooo! 

Got her back together and everything works!!! 

It's a little awkward, the on/off button is off set from the outer hole, I burred enough out sideways that I can still turn it on and off! 

Still it's better than a C-note to replace! 

John


----------



## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Hehehe... I knew your native curiosity would get the better of you... given time.









Although, I wish Dwight hadn't posted about his troubles with his wireless router







. Powered my system down last night, no problems being encountered running it; powered it back up early this morning and "NO DARN DSL SYNC"; checked the phone, got a dial-tone and no hi-freq humming, went through the modem & computer diagnostics; finally tracked it down to the phone/modem splitter that went defective, but only on the DSL modem leg, what are the odds of that (always seems that I pick the wrong end to start on







).


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Want me to open it up for you? 
I be fearless! 
I didn't even drain the cap, just avioded touching the promenent solder blobs... I heeded Semp's warning. 
It was kinda like that watch, figuring where parts inter acted, ie; sliders and buttons, etc... 

Weirdest thing was finding year old photos in the SD card, I erase after each downloading! or thought so.... 

John


----------



## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Totalwrecker on 11 Jun 2011 10:41 AM 
{snip...}[/i] FYI the RL-063 board is connected by a dozen hair width wires soldered on! No way Jose! {snip...}[/i] Glad that all has turned out for the best and you've got the camera back to working for the interval between now and Xmas.









Regarding the wiring, I'd bet they use the same low-temp solder-paste/hot-air techniques used on surface mount component repair.


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

You mean I could have undone those leads simply by talking to it??? 

John


----------



## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Woah! it's a tough crowd today! 

Ha ha! 

Greg


----------



## SteveC (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Totalwrecker on 11 Jun 2011 11:38 AM 
Want me to open it up for you? I be fearless! Naw, I'm one of those pack-rat/hoarder types, and had a couple of extra splitters in the junk drawer and just swapped it out.

Weirdest thing was finding year old photos in the SD card, I erase after each downloading! or thought so.... Most likely that's why you've got the old pictures on the SD, you took some pictures turned the camera Off, later on went to upload them and that's when the power switch broke.

You mean I could have undone those leads simply by talking to it??? Weeeellllllllll maybe, if you were in one of those highly agitated "$%#&@%$ blue-streak" states, but no way while in one of the laid-back "Pondering Chair" moods.


----------



## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Totalwrecker on 11 Jun 2011 11:25 AM 
Whooo Wooo! 

Got her back together and everything works!!! 

It's a little awkward, the on/off button is off set from the outer hole, I burred enough out sideways that I can still turn it on and off! 

Still it's better than a C-note to replace! 

John Now that you got it working, " not that we don't believe you" show us some train photo's........ Laf. at some of these post.


----------



## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Posted By noelw on 11 Jun 2011 12:40 PM 
Posted By Totalwrecker on 11 Jun 2011 11:25 AM 
Whooo Wooo! 

Got her back together and everything works!!! 

It's a little awkward, the on/off button is off set from the outer hole, I burred enough out sideways that I can still turn it on and off! 

Still it's better than a C-note to replace! 

John Now that you got it working, " not that we don't believe you" show us some train photo's........ Laf. at some of these post.

















Harummmph!









Oh my poor hurt feelings....







Surely you wouldn't doubt the word of the Preacher's kid, would ya? Ha Ha!









OK OK I humbly offer this pudding for your Saturday snack!































































These actually belong in my Last Frontier thread, but it's so pic heavy, it takes for ever to load...

The rock walls are not where they might end up, I'm building a hollow mountain face and haven't finished visualizing my next step....

The car barn is the reason this area exists. The tailings bin also isn't finished, it's mountain dependant. Got those tailings from the Total Wreck mine 2 weeks ago.

There I hope you are satisfied! Laffs all around! 

John


----------



## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

*"All right John.. "

I knew we get more photo's out of you some how.. Ok it working...hahahaha..







* 
*oh.. and the layout is really looking great to.. lol.. *


----------

