How to Replace a Digital Camera LCD

Introduction & Disclaimer

A very common digital camera repair, no matter the manufacturer or style, is of the LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) screen. Disclaimer, disclaimer! Replacing an LCD without experience and knowledge can be very difficult and somewhat hazardous. Almost always for a camera repair like this it is due to damage caused by physical trauma (like dropping ). Being tightly packed little pieces of technology that they are, the camera's LCD is attached to and/or part of a lot of other integral components. This means that there are probably other things broken, which also means that if you aren't a pro it's unlikely something you'll be able to find or fix. Keep in mind too that replacement parts for cameras are not in proportion to the selling price so having a bunch on had doesn't make much sense economically. Testing, calibration and adjustment equipment only available to repair facilities may also be necessary to get things back up and running right. Basically, you have no room for mistakes if you try this yourself. THIS IS NOT A REPAIR GUIDE! I take no responsibility for any damage to property or personal harm that may result from using this walk-through.

Tools You'll Need

The most important part you will need of course is a replacement LCD. To ensure the connections align and it fits properly, it must be for that particular make and model. Here is a list of the basic tools needed for "most":

1. A set of small Phillips Head screwdrivers (preferably magnetized)
2.  A straight pair and a curved pair of ESD (Electrostatic Discharge) safe tweezers
3. A lint free cleaning cloth (microfiber)
4. Compressed/canned air
5. A shallow container or a flat refrigerator magnet for screws and parts
6. Static free latex gloves

*more complicated configurations additional tools may be needed, such as a soldering iron and solder.

Replacing the LCD

Battery and Memory card are removed.

• Inspect for additional accessories

Camera Housing

• Locate and unscrew all housing screws for the necessary housing cover(s).

Warnings

1. Manufacturers “glue” the screws in place making it easy to strip out the tiny screw heads. impacts can shift the housing making it difficult to remove screws. Screws can also be hidden behind stickers or panels.
2. A proprietary screwdriver may have to be special ordered from the manufacturer.

Remove Camera Housing

• Loose now, the cover can be removed. Check to see if the LCD is either attached to the rear cover or bracketed to the main circuit of the camera.

Warnings

1. DO NOT TOUCH ANY CIRCUITRY. There is a risk of shock from this point on. The flash capacitor can be located nearby and gives out a serious shock if not careful.
2. On the external housing there are Flexible Printed Circuits (FPC) and/or wires attached to buttons that run to the main circuit board. Pulling those out unintentionally can damage them.

Removing the LCD

• remove the screws securing the LCD to the rest of the camera. There may be additional clips or seals to watch out for.
• Using the appropriate set of tweezers, disconnect the wires and/or FPC’s that connect the LCD to the camera.
• Remove broken LCD.

Tips

1. It will be clear whether or not a soldering iron and solder is needed at this point. Proper soldering techniques apply here.

Replacing the LCD

• Removed the protective plastic sheet before installation. Do not touch with bare hands. You want to avoid potential damage and it is in bad form to get any oils on the nice new LCD screen.
•  Blow out dust with the compressed/canned air. Take care to not blow dust into the wrong spots (viewfinder, lens, sensor, etc).
• Work in reverse; re-connect the FPC's/wires and re-secure the new LCD.

Warnings

1. It is very easy to bend/crack the connections.
2. Pay special attention to the FPCs and connections. They must be properly secured and seeded.
3. Make sure you have your screw size right. Using the wrong size can short and/or cause internal damage.

Housing Replacement

• Re-fastened the Housing onto the camera and secure with the housing screws.

Tips

1. Things may not line up properly at this point. Take apart for evaluation and reassemble.

Warnings

1. Wires can bunch wrong, there is a risk of pinching wires.

Test

• Replace battery and memory card, turn it on and test it! Keep in mind that this only tests if the LCD was installed correctly
• If the camera/LCD is still not working there could be many other things going wrong. Mentioned in the beginning, a high possibility that something else is broken and/or needed to be calibrated/adjusted exists with repairs like these.

Tip

Professional photographers always have a backup camera in case of any type of equipment malfunction; it’s not a bad idea to follow suit.