mooge
Well-known
I was being stupid the other day, and I fell off my bike while taking a picture of the new bus station in the area. the camera I was using ( a Pentax optio 450) kind of died... screen went white, lens didn't collapse... so I figured I'd have nothing to lose if I tried fixing it.
so here are a few notes on my repair adventure. I don't have any pics of the camera because... well, it's my only digital!
-- -- --
first of all, this wasn't really a difficult repair. no more challenging than repairing a film camera really, which surprised me. the main difference is that the parts are plastic, and some can (did) break easily. and watch out for that capacitor...
-- -- --
diagnosis:
there was a big dent in the bottom from the fall. no surprise, really. and the lens wouldn't collapse all the way. something had come loose in the lens and got stuck.
procedure:
body panels come off as usual, but there's a screw in the battery chamber as well. with the panels off, there's a gearbox hidden by a metal plate, open this up and remove one of the gears to disengage the lens moving motor. oh, and there's a connecting ribbon for the back panel, remove that by tugging down on the connector.
now to the back. I don't remember what order I did things, which is funny because I just put the camera back together like ten minutes ago. uhh, there's an L shaped metal bracket that needs to come off , it's attached to the tripod socket at one end, the screen and stuff don't need to be removed. the sensor board has two parts connected by a ribbon, remove the top piece and its connection, then remove the sensor (three screws, one under tape). put that somewhere safe.
under the sensor (towards the lens) is an IR filter in a plastic plate. remove the plate. you'll now see the lens.
the lens collapsing mechanism works with a spral track like a screw thread and a big gear along the back of the lens housing.
the first optical element you'll see is the focusing lens- one lens in a plastic mount with two fork-arms that hold it in position. the lens is held by a spring against a small metal bar, the bar is driven up and down by a motor with a long screw. all of this and the metal poles that they ride on are located under a metal plate in the seven 'o clock position. the spring runs the length of the camera body, disconnect it from the front of the camera. be careful with this lens unit- the top fork can break very easily. the camera seems to work anyways though.
somewhere under all of this (I don't remember, this was before some exams), there's the shutter unit, then under that, there's a metal mask with three prongs. this guy was loose in my camera. remove this (yes, remove it) and re-assemble...
... and put back that IR filter. it's fun to play with with the IR filter out ( it's like having an M8 with the wierd colours, haha), BUT it doesn't focus properly. (only focuses close)
and for what it's worth, the lenses are really dirty in the camera since the repair, and the photos I've taken so far look alright. just keep that sensor clean.
oh, and parts left over: three, and ten screws. well...
I got the camera to work as a 'digital holga' for a moment. look at the pic below... yeah. I was gonna keep it like that BUT I switched off the camera with a bit of ribbon loose, that ribbon got caught by the retracting lens and forced out my sensor or something dumb like that. ever since, no whacky results. sigh...
anyways, I hoped you enjoyed reading this. the chances that this will help anyone with an actual repair are slim...
oh, and these 'disposable', 'outdated' digital 'PoS' cameras are only that if you think of them that way. the camera that I fixed is 4 MP, slow, and has tons of distortion... but it will be totally worth the hours I put in to fix it if it lasts me another few years.
cheers,
Eugene.
so here are a few notes on my repair adventure. I don't have any pics of the camera because... well, it's my only digital!
-- -- --
first of all, this wasn't really a difficult repair. no more challenging than repairing a film camera really, which surprised me. the main difference is that the parts are plastic, and some can (did) break easily. and watch out for that capacitor...
-- -- --
diagnosis:
there was a big dent in the bottom from the fall. no surprise, really. and the lens wouldn't collapse all the way. something had come loose in the lens and got stuck.
procedure:
body panels come off as usual, but there's a screw in the battery chamber as well. with the panels off, there's a gearbox hidden by a metal plate, open this up and remove one of the gears to disengage the lens moving motor. oh, and there's a connecting ribbon for the back panel, remove that by tugging down on the connector.
now to the back. I don't remember what order I did things, which is funny because I just put the camera back together like ten minutes ago. uhh, there's an L shaped metal bracket that needs to come off , it's attached to the tripod socket at one end, the screen and stuff don't need to be removed. the sensor board has two parts connected by a ribbon, remove the top piece and its connection, then remove the sensor (three screws, one under tape). put that somewhere safe.
under the sensor (towards the lens) is an IR filter in a plastic plate. remove the plate. you'll now see the lens.
the lens collapsing mechanism works with a spral track like a screw thread and a big gear along the back of the lens housing.
the first optical element you'll see is the focusing lens- one lens in a plastic mount with two fork-arms that hold it in position. the lens is held by a spring against a small metal bar, the bar is driven up and down by a motor with a long screw. all of this and the metal poles that they ride on are located under a metal plate in the seven 'o clock position. the spring runs the length of the camera body, disconnect it from the front of the camera. be careful with this lens unit- the top fork can break very easily. the camera seems to work anyways though.
somewhere under all of this (I don't remember, this was before some exams), there's the shutter unit, then under that, there's a metal mask with three prongs. this guy was loose in my camera. remove this (yes, remove it) and re-assemble...
... and put back that IR filter. it's fun to play with with the IR filter out ( it's like having an M8 with the wierd colours, haha), BUT it doesn't focus properly. (only focuses close)
and for what it's worth, the lenses are really dirty in the camera since the repair, and the photos I've taken so far look alright. just keep that sensor clean.
oh, and parts left over: three, and ten screws. well...
I got the camera to work as a 'digital holga' for a moment. look at the pic below... yeah. I was gonna keep it like that BUT I switched off the camera with a bit of ribbon loose, that ribbon got caught by the retracting lens and forced out my sensor or something dumb like that. ever since, no whacky results. sigh...
anyways, I hoped you enjoyed reading this. the chances that this will help anyone with an actual repair are slim...
oh, and these 'disposable', 'outdated' digital 'PoS' cameras are only that if you think of them that way. the camera that I fixed is 4 MP, slow, and has tons of distortion... but it will be totally worth the hours I put in to fix it if it lasts me another few years.
cheers,
Eugene.
Last edited:
ZeissFan
Veteran
Here's a warning to anyone who disassembles any camera with a built-in flash. Be very careful about the flash contact points.
I shorted the contacts with my thumb, and it burned a small hole in the tip of my thumb. You could smell the burning flesh. It delivers a substantial electrical shock.
I shorted the contacts with my thumb, and it burned a small hole in the tip of my thumb. You could smell the burning flesh. It delivers a substantial electrical shock.