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Canon 40D LCD Replacement
Some of you know I broke the LCD in my Canon 40D. Long story short-a gust of wind toppled my tripod and camera into some rocks. The shock was enough to crack the LCD. I thought I would share this here to help anyone who may find themselves in the same situation.
My repair options were to either send it back to Canon and pay several hundred dollars to have the LCD replaced, take it to a local camera repair shop and pay a few hundred dollars, or do it myself for about a hundred dollars. I opted for the DIY route.
Let me start by saying that if you choose to repair your own broken LCD, you do so at your own risk. Consider this tutorial for entertainment purposes only, I am in no way liable or responsible for any damage or further damage you may do to your camera by attempting this.
First you need to get a replacement LCD. You can try ebay and get a really cheapo LCD from Hong Kong. I decided not to do this and purchase a screen from www.uscamera.com. For the 40D, it cost me $108 USD including 2-3 day priority mail. They were quick to respond to my emails and I received the screen within a few days of ordering.
Second, take a look at this 40D repair manual: http://www.scribd.com/doc/36932157/Canon-Eos-40D-Service-Manual-Repair-Guide#
You need a small, quality philips head screwdriver, a small slot edge screwdriver and a pair of tweezers or small needlenose pliers. It should take about 45 minutes.
First verify it’s the LCD and not the protective cover over it. Yup, it’s my LCD! You can see the scratch in the case and the gap between panels on the left of the screen near the Menu button.
Turn off the camera and remove the battery. Then remove the viewfinder eyecup by sliding it upwards.
There are a total of 5 small screw that hold the rear case on. Two are on either side of the viewfinder, two are on the bottom of the camera. The fifth screw is under the rubber grip. Use the slot edge screwdriver and pull back the grip as shown below to remove the screw.
Gently pull up on the rear cover. There are two ribbon cables holding the cover to the body/main PCB. The small one on the lower right can be gently lifted straight up from the PCB. The other is a bit tricky. You will see the cable attached to a white connector with a black insert. Using the small slot screwdriver, gently flip the black insert up. You will then be able to pull out the cable and remover the rear cover from the case as shown.
The next step is to remove the LCD from the rear cover. There are five small screws that you can see in the photo above and on page 37 of the online manual. Carefully remove these screws. Gently lift the LCD assembly off of the rear cover as shown below.
The next thing you need to do is remove the yellow tape holding the ribbon cable to the metal shield. The same type of connector is used here, only it seems a little smaller and more fragile. Gently flip up the black insert and pull out the ribbon cable. You will need to use the tweezers to remove the power connector with the red and black wires. This is very fragile, but you need to apply a good amount of pressure to remove it, so go slowly and carefully. The 2 photos below show the LCD removed from the shield.
Next you will take your new LCD screen and gently clean it with a rocket blaster and then use some cleaner and microfiber cloth on it. Now would also be a good time to clean the LCD protector in the back case.
Now you can take the new LCD and click it into the shield, being careful not to get fingerprints on it.
Reassembly is the reverse of the dis-assembly process. Be careful not to lose any screws or buttons in the process. Once the camera is back together, put the battery back in and turn it on. You should end up with something like this:
WooHoo!!!!
Also on my photoblog.
My repair options were to either send it back to Canon and pay several hundred dollars to have the LCD replaced, take it to a local camera repair shop and pay a few hundred dollars, or do it myself for about a hundred dollars. I opted for the DIY route.
Let me start by saying that if you choose to repair your own broken LCD, you do so at your own risk. Consider this tutorial for entertainment purposes only, I am in no way liable or responsible for any damage or further damage you may do to your camera by attempting this.
First you need to get a replacement LCD. You can try ebay and get a really cheapo LCD from Hong Kong. I decided not to do this and purchase a screen from www.uscamera.com. For the 40D, it cost me $108 USD including 2-3 day priority mail. They were quick to respond to my emails and I received the screen within a few days of ordering.
Second, take a look at this 40D repair manual: http://www.scribd.com/doc/36932157/Canon-Eos-40D-Service-Manual-Repair-Guide#
You need a small, quality philips head screwdriver, a small slot edge screwdriver and a pair of tweezers or small needlenose pliers. It should take about 45 minutes.
First verify it’s the LCD and not the protective cover over it. Yup, it’s my LCD! You can see the scratch in the case and the gap between panels on the left of the screen near the Menu button.
Turn off the camera and remove the battery. Then remove the viewfinder eyecup by sliding it upwards.
There are a total of 5 small screw that hold the rear case on. Two are on either side of the viewfinder, two are on the bottom of the camera. The fifth screw is under the rubber grip. Use the slot edge screwdriver and pull back the grip as shown below to remove the screw.
Gently pull up on the rear cover. There are two ribbon cables holding the cover to the body/main PCB. The small one on the lower right can be gently lifted straight up from the PCB. The other is a bit tricky. You will see the cable attached to a white connector with a black insert. Using the small slot screwdriver, gently flip the black insert up. You will then be able to pull out the cable and remover the rear cover from the case as shown.
The next step is to remove the LCD from the rear cover. There are five small screws that you can see in the photo above and on page 37 of the online manual. Carefully remove these screws. Gently lift the LCD assembly off of the rear cover as shown below.
The next thing you need to do is remove the yellow tape holding the ribbon cable to the metal shield. The same type of connector is used here, only it seems a little smaller and more fragile. Gently flip up the black insert and pull out the ribbon cable. You will need to use the tweezers to remove the power connector with the red and black wires. This is very fragile, but you need to apply a good amount of pressure to remove it, so go slowly and carefully. The 2 photos below show the LCD removed from the shield.
Next you will take your new LCD screen and gently clean it with a rocket blaster and then use some cleaner and microfiber cloth on it. Now would also be a good time to clean the LCD protector in the back case.
Now you can take the new LCD and click it into the shield, being careful not to get fingerprints on it.
Reassembly is the reverse of the dis-assembly process. Be careful not to lose any screws or buttons in the process. Once the camera is back together, put the battery back in and turn it on. You should end up with something like this:
WooHoo!!!!
Also on my photoblog.
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Comments
Thanks for the tutorial and congratulations on your repairs.
Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
Neil
http://www.behance.net/brosepix
That is probably a good idea as a precaution. I did not wear one and made out ok, but not everyone may have that luck.
Link to my Smugmug site
Canon 40d | Canon 17-40 f/4L | Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 | Canon 50mm f/1.8 | Canon 70-200mm f/4 L