Fix the broken/twisted LCD screen on your Canon digital camera



If you have a Canon digital camera with an LCD screen that pivots and rotates, then this page may be able to help you.

If your Canon digital camera has a cracked/shatter/broken LCD screen, then please see: instructions on replacing the LCD screen on a Canon digital camera.

Use this page if your Canon digital camera with a pivoting and rotating LCD screen has the following symptoms:

    Black LCD screen on your camera.
    No power to the LCD screen on your camera.
    Broken camera display.

I wrote this page based on my experiences with a Canon G3. However, I believe that this page is likely to apply to the following cameras:

Canon G2, Canon G3, Canon G6, Canon Powershot A75, Canon Powershot A80, Canon Powershot A85, Canon Powershot A95, Canon Powershot A510, Canon Powershot A520, Canon Powershot A610, Canon Powershot A620, Canon Powershot S1 IS, Canon Powershot S2 IS, and any other Canon camera with a rotating/pivoting screen.

This page may also apply to any other digital camera with a
pivoting/rotating screen.

Tools:

    Very small flat head screwdriver (required).
    An additional very small flat head screwdriver (useful).
    Very small phillips head screwdriver (useful).
    Small tweezers (useful).

Warning:

This page is for informational purposes only. Attempting to
follow the instructions on this page will probably void your warrenty. The author is not a professional, and the information on this page may be erroneous or cause you to break your camera.



Preface: Diagnosis

Your LCD screen could have stopped working for any number of reasons. This page will only address two of those reasons, and it will really only adress one reason in detail:

A. The internal connection to your LCD has come undone (addressed in detail)

B. The wires connecting your camera body to your LCD have broken (addressed only briefly)

Step 1: Disconnect the back of the LCD screen

The LCD unit has four screws holding it together. Rotate the LCD unit away from the camera body and unscrew all four screws. Now, gently remove the back of the LCD unit. You should now be looking at a circuit board on the back of the LCD.

Step 2: Examine the inside of the LCD

There are two bundles of wires that come through the hinge connecting the camera body to the LCD. These bundles end in two connectors, and the two connectors should each go into a socket.

Step 3: Untwist the bundled wires

First, look at how taut the bundles of wires are. If the two bundles look like a taut cable, then you may need to twist the LCD screen such that the bundles become more loose. If you feel resistence when twisting the LCD screen, then stop—you may be trying to twist in the wrong direction. Don’t force the LCD screen to twist if it is resisting you.

When you finish, the bundles of wires should look less like a cable and more like a bunch of thin wires held together with a band of tape.

Now, if the connectors are already in their sockets, go to step 5. Otherwise, go to step 4.

Step 4: Push the connectors into the sockets

If the connectors are not in their sockets, then you know what the problem is!

You need to push the connectors into the sockets (holes). This can be quite difficult. I used two small flat head screwdrivers to manipulate the connectors into their sockets. (The male end of the cable into the female end on the circuit board.) This takes time and patience. Unfortunately I don’t have any other real tips, but it can be done!

Step 5: Ensure that the wires are well connected to the circuit board

If the connectors appear to be in their sockets, gently push them with the end of your flat head screwdriver. Make sure that the connectors are well seated in the socket.

Remove all your tools from inside the camera and try turning on the screen. If it works, then congratulations—you’re
done! Simply screw everything back into place.

If the screen still doesn’t work, go to Step 6.

Step 6: Screws

You are about to remove lots of screws. Note: the camera on which I operated had screws of many different sizes. Keeping track of them was impossible. I recommend that you draw a rough picture of your camera and then record from where each screw came.

Step 7: Remove the covering plate from the hinge.

The covering plate on the hinge has two screws. Undo them. The other side of the hinge has two lips that hold it into place. Gently use your screwdriver to lift/pull those lips out. You can then pull the whole hinge cover off.

Step 8: Remove the back of the camera.

Undo the screws on the back & sides of the camera. Now remove the back.

Step 9: Inspect wire

You can now see more of the wire that connects the camera body to the LCD screen. Do you see any broken wires? If so, then you will need to replace/repair the wires. If not, then you should remove the front of the camera and inspect it further.

Unfortunately, this spot is where my expertise runs out: I didn’t have this problem, and so I stopped investigating the camera at this point. I wish you luck in your further efforts. Please let me know if you are successful and if you have more information to add to this guide.

If you need to order parts for the camera, this page will provide you with instructions for obtaining them.

I hope this helps!

Andy
Email me at website@andyozment.com

First posted: 19 June 2006
Last edited: 8 January 2008