The camera with the back case removed. (Low resolution Indycam photos taken in poor light.)
In December 2002, the camera developed a fault affecting some of the controls. The parameter selection wheel on the left of the camera failed so that only some of the parameters could be adjusted--for instance, when ISO was selected, the camera would act as if SIZE was selected, so it was impossible to adjust the ISO parameter. Also, the left arrow key on the back of the camera would intermittently activate the up arrow function simultaniously when pressed.
The camera was under warranty, but as the fault seemed to be a simple one, and I did not wish to lose the camera for some weeks while it was repaired, I decided to undertake the repair myself.
The camera proved to be assembled surprisingly simply. The main magnesium alloy case is in two parts, and the back part can be removed, leaving most internal parts attached to the front. This was sufficient to gain access to the faulty switches, which are mounted inside the back.
Removal of the case back involves first removing four screws and the left-hand side plastic panel with the exposure adjustment and auto/manual focus controls, then the two screws holding the PCB below it, which will hang loose. Two screws each are then removed from beneath the EVF, the battery compartment door and the CompactFlash door. Of the 6 screws beneath the camera, the three nearest the back are removed. The back then comes away, attached only by a mylar ribbon, which can be unplugged, connecting the controls.
The camera with the back case removed. (Low resolution Indycam photos
taken in poor light.)
Inside of the back case. The damage had occured on the keyboard
mylar beneath the metal plate visible just left of centre. To the
right the parameter selection dial mechanism can be seen detached
from the knob that controls it (this has to be removed to lift up the
plate).
Close-up of the mylar visible when the plate is lifted up.
The thing in the centre is the arrow keys with the button
removed. The white squares are buttons, and the small black
things other components. The damage is not visible in the
photograph, but was in this area.
It turned out that the fault was not in the switches that had apparently failed. However measurement of the switch signals revealed a slight (very high resistance) short-circuit between some of the high-impedence signals, enough to cause incorrect reading of switch positions. The affected signals were shared between both failed switches.
The switches are all connected by a thin double-sided printed circuit mylar which also has a few passive components. It became apparent that water had got in at some stage (possibly before I purchased the camera, as it is second-hand) and caused corrosion of the case and wires on the mylar. A metal plate had to be removed and the mylar lifted up to show the damaged area.
It was necessary to desolder some components and thoroughly clean the area in order to fix the fault. I had to take the camera apart a couple of times as the fault came back, but I believe it is finally fixed now.
The camera also had an intermittent fault since I bought it, which caused the camera to repeatedly reboot when it was powered on, never coming up fully. As this fault went away and did not reoccur, I never looked into it. However while working on the present fault, I was able to duplicate this fault, so I suspect that it was caused by the same defect.