S30 on-off switch / lens cover

[will_]

Here's a copy of a query I submitted to Canon UK:

I have a PowerShot S30 digital camera and have a problem with the lens cover / on-off switch. The lens cover has a small dent in it, as though the camera has been squashed front-to-back at some point. The sliding action of the lens cover feels slightly scratchy and has a begun to score the surface of the front of the camera. This has also affected the operation of the on-off switch, which is incorporated in the lens cover: The camera does not switch on reliably unless the lens cover is opened by sliding it from the top, and the camera sometimes switches itself off if the lens cover is knocked (or even touched) while the camera is on. I have a number of questions:

1. Can you suggest what the problem may be caused by and which parts are likely to require replacement to fix the problem? I have a parts diagram / list for the S30 if that helps.

2. How much would it cost to have you diagnose the cause of the problem and provide an estimate of the price to fix it? Can you give me a rough idea of how much such a repair would be likely to cost without me having to send the unit away? (I understand such an estimate could be wildly out, depending on the exact nature of the problem.)

3. Would you be able to send me the parts directly, if I am able to diagnose the problem myself? How do you open the casing of the S30? (I can't see a way in.)

Thanks.

...and here's the reply I received...

Your problem description indicates an error, which we suggest, should be checked and eventually repaired by an authorized repair centre. Contact addresses as well as telephone numbers can be found on www.canon.co.uk. Click on "Contact Us", and then on "Local Canon Contacts". Click on "Authorised repair centres for Photos & Video products".

Pretty useless, eh?

Can anybody else shed any light on the matter?

Thanks in advance,

Will

[stopbath]

Your camera got hit (or it hit something) and this resulted in a crack or bend in something inside.

The answer you got from Canon is a stock carbon copy answer that covers everything. They could have been more forthcoming with the info, but on the flipside, their answer was a safe one.

If you feel lucky, look for hidden screws under doors, flaps, and stickers, rubber and other parts. By hiding screws the camera looks cleaner. The covering parts can be resecured by rubber cement or replaced. There can also be a squeeze seal (?) where you need to squeeeze a cover to 'pop' the seal apart. Some covers must be removed in sequence. Don't mix up screws. A wrong size screw can damage things if put in the wrong place when putting it back together. Hint: take of the cover, put the screws next to the cover where they go. Perhaps scotch tape can keep them in order if the desk gets bumped.

Once you get it apart look for dents, bends, cracks and other signs of impact. It is likely that a contact has been bent a bit, and easly looses connection. This should be reset or replaced.

Be careful and good luck. Don't fully expect a working camera after you open it up. There is a very real chance it can become rendered useless. Not a huge chance if your only working on the on/off contact, but it's real enough.

Safe bet is to follow Canon's advice. Risky bet is to open it up!

[will_]

Thanks for your reply, stopbath.

Has anybody managed to open an S30 before? I believe the S50 looks almost identical from (the outside, at least), so I would welcome information about any of the Sxx series cases.

Thanks.

[lschelve]

Late reply, for possibly same problem: the lens cover of my S30 felt 'scratchy' and did not open completely (normally, you can open it till it is clear about 3mm from the moving part of the lens). Therefore the on/off switch was not activated, and the camera could only be used for reviewing pictures from flash-card .

Considering the camera lost, I dared open it using stopbath's advice, and found the problem. If you still have the camera, you may try the same thing. Of course, there is some risk in it! I am not responsible!

Problem: the lens cover slide mechanism has 2 tiny gearwheels. One of them was broken, and the debris prevented the complete opening of the cover. Removing the debris solved the problem. The cover is a bit unstable without the wheel, but the camera functions OK .

So, shaking the camera, putting a knife under the cover etc. might help, but I didn't try it because I didn't know the cause. And of course, such violent methods are risky. So you might also follow the second route: opening the case.

Unscrew all screws you can find on the outside, except the 2 in the part that connects to the carrying strap. You can probably leave those 2 in.
Also remove 1 screw under the A/V out rubber flap. Keep good track of which screw came from where!

Now the camera can be opened. There are no 'snap closures', you need no force. It is a nice and firm construction.

Take of the front part. There is one electrical connection to the main assembly. You can remove that for easier working, but don't pull it! Release the 'lock' at the main assembly, then the flat cable comes loose.

Besides the lens opening is a metal flap with 3 screws, with the now useless on/off switch right next to it (unfortunately, I couldn't take a picture of this, while my camera was open). Remove the 3 screws, carefull, there are 2 springs under this part.

Remove the small transparent part that has now become visible. The lens cover can now be removed (pull lightly, at an angle). Debris can be removed. With some luck, everything can be reassembled and you're done!
Good luck!

[emh]

lschelve, thanks for the detailed instructions. I had the same problem with my S30 (broken gear wheel in the cover), and following the steps you outlined was a cinch!

[msabramo]

I wanted to thank you guys for providing nice instructions on how to disassemble the camera. I had been wanting to do this to fix the problem I was having with my sliding lens cover not turning the camera on, but I was kind of scared to take the camera apart until I read your posts, which gave me the confidence to do it.

I took my S40 apart tonight and got it working and while I did it, I took a few pictures with my Treo, so people can see what the steps look like. Here's the link - I hope that it's useful to people:

http://marc.abramowitz.info/archives...igital-camera/

[88kat]

I have a powershot S30. Had camera on wrist strap in car taking pics. Camera slipped about 4 inches and hit steering wheel while still on wrist with strap and died with the lens stuck out.Even with new a battery nothing will happen.Lens doesn't go in and it won't power up. Other than that it is in excellent condition.I'm An electrician and use to fixing things and I have already taken it apart, but found nothing that looked damaged or out of place. I was hoping you may know something for me to check or look for. Thd door switch seems fine.

Thx 88Kat

[Jon]

Here you go. Canon S30 Parts Catalog. May not help you with actually taking it apart and getting it back together but at least you'll have an approximation of what parts to get in advance.

[HughA]

A good UK repair place is Lehmanns Direct.
http://www.lehmannsdirect.co.uk/
They repaired my S30 (broken LCD) for a reasonable price and I believe they will also supply spares. Much more helpful than Canon UK

Hugh

[keith.wansbrough]

lschelve, thank you very much for the detailed instructions! They worked perfectly on my Canon PowerShot S45 - the only difference was that there were 4 extra screws around the tripod mount. My camera now works again, at last!

One clarification, for anyone else following the instructions: the lens cover (door, or "barrier" as Canon call it) slides off from the fully closed position, not the fully open position. Under the transparent part is a metal tab - this is actually part of the lens cover, and as you pull the cover off this tab slides out towards the hole where the lens goes.

Beware - the three screws on the metal flap are slightly different from the other screws on the camera, and the middle screw is different from the other two. Be sure to remember which is which.

msabramo's pictures of the process are great.

The problem with my camera turned out to be that one of the two little gears that run in the tracks under the lens cover had completely broken (split in half along its axis). The debris blocked the track and jammed the cover. Removing the broken gear means the cover is a bit more wobbly than before, but it works.

Thanks again,

--KW

[jmohnani]

Guys,

Can you please explain how you removed the transparent part after removing the three screws inside the front panel (sliding lens cover). I can't figure that out, which is preventing me from removing the sliding barrier unit and reaching the gears to remove the debris.

Thanks...

[keith.wansbrough]

Originally Posted by jmohnani

Guys,

Can you please explain how you removed the transparent part after removing the three screws inside the front panel (sliding lens cover). I can't figure that out, which is preventing me from removing the sliding barrier unit and reaching the gears to remove the debris.

Thanks...

I can't remember exactly, but I do remember it was a bit tricky. The transparent part has a hole in it. I think I got a pointed tool and put it into the hole, and levered it out that way.

HTH.

--KW

[alexkx]

Thank you all guys for sharing your experience - I just fixed the same problem on my S30, would never be able to do it without your notes. One subtle detail: if you try to close the barrier after it was fully open with the cover apart, you would not be able to do it. I spent an hour thinking I made an error arranging pieces, but it turned out that the process goes in 2 phases: first very short short move squeezes the contacts thus closing the circuit, and then electric motor in the main part lowers U-shaped piece by extending leg letting the barrier go.

[pvollrath]

Thanks so much for everyone's comments here. I was able to use them to guide me through fixing a similar problem with my S50:


Canon S50 broken sliding lens cover / power / lens extension repair

My thanks to the following for references below getting me on the proper path. Refer to them for additional details, notes on other similar models, and photos.

http://marc-abramowitz.com/archives/...igital-camera/
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...ad.php?t=21556
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digi....html?qid=4886


DISSASEMBLY:

Holding the camera as you would if you were to take a picture, the two screws on the outside of the case on the left side near the USB flap, as well as the one screw underneath the USB flab, only hold on the BACK of case. There is no need to remove these screws if you only want to remove the front panel, which is all you need to do if you are working on the door. In total, to remove the front panel, I had to remove 2 screws from the bottom on either side of the battery cover hinge, 2 screws from the bottom on the front side of the tripod mount, and the two screws on the right side (not the ones that are on the silver part). Then it's just a matter of gently prying the cover off - I used a tiny flathead screwdriver to assist. This should not take any significant effort - the case is indeed well fitted. Be careful, however, because...

A ribbon cable runs from a small watch-type battery (which is attached to the inside of the front panel behind the sliding door next to the lens) to the top of the inside of the camera next to the zoom switch. Here it attaches by sandwiching itself between white plastic parts to make contact. However, there is a brown "lock", shaped like a long rectangle, that slides in on top of this piece. After removeal this "lock" looks kind of like a jumper cable from a personal computer hard drive. It has to be pulled out first before you can pull out the ribbon cable. The ribbon cable is only just long enough to connect things, and definitely short enough to make repairs really annoying, so it needs to be removed to do any real work on the front panel. All this needs to be done carefully, though, so as not to damage the ribbon by too much flexing or scoring.

INSIDE:

Inside the front cover, there is a rectangle-shaped piece of metal with three screws. I took off those screws carefully - underneath there is a spring on the top right that will pop out (I can't figure out what this does), and a spring that is attached to another metal plate underneath. This plate and it's spring slide horizontally (actually, from top to bottom of the camera), activating with the sliding door. I'm not sure what these are really for, though.

In my case, removing this horizontal spring resolved my problem. The metal plate it was hooked up to now slides freely, and it doesn't seem to be a problem getting it to slide like you would expect it to. But this doesn't seem to have been the only reason the problem went away. I was unable to get the cover off, so I could not get to anything between the sliding cover and the outside of the plastic case. After much jostling (with the cover off, though I probably didn't matter) two tiny half-moon-shaped gear pieces fell out. It's hard to tell for sure, but these were likely ONE fully round gear that had broken apart. Don't know whether this was the original problem or whether this was due to my jiggling. In any case, there is still something loose behind the sliding door, but I can't get in there to see it and didn't feely like prying it off. I couldn't get it to slide off past the closing point either, as one person suggested.

There is a much smaller small strip of metal underneath and perpendicular near the top of this plate. It makes contact with another gold-colored strip of metal, and when it does it pushes the gold piece which is clearly connected to the battery. You can tell that this is the key component that turns the power off and on (thus extending and retracting the lens).

REASSEMBLY:

If the battery cover has been removed, it must be reinstalled before the front cover can be installed. Also, annoyingly, the camera could not be turned on (and thus the repair could not be tested) until I screwed the front cover back on (though I did not test it screw by screw). There is a flat metal plate that attaches to the top left side of the inside of the front cover and slides inbetween other parts during assembly. It looks like it is meant to be connected by two rivets, however one of my rivets came off (don't know if I did that or not), and the other eventually did later with my jostling. It is roughly triangular in shape, with various holes and slide spots. When I reassembled the camera, I did it without this part and everything seems fine.

[johanov]

My camera is a Powershot S45. Relatively soon after purchase it developed problems with the sliding door. The initial symptom was that occasionally the camera would not get activated by opening the slide. After about three years of use, it suddenly became very difficult to close the slide. It would block at some intermediate point. Sliding the door back and forth a couple of times usually allowed the door do close all the way, but this made the camera difficult to work with.

I have opened the camera following the instructions posted by lschelve (thank you very much for the detailed description). On removing the door assembly I discovered a small gearwheel that hat broken into two halves. After removing the broken parts (I left the other gearwheel in place) and reassembling the camera it is now back in perfect working order. The door slides more smoothly than it has ever done before.

The gear assembly appears to have been designed to keep the door aligned in the intermediate positions between fully open and fully closed. However, the construction is apparently not rugged enough to handle the forces occurring during normal use.