wm_fennell

Hi,

Morris was the first to reach this point and gives a pretty good description of what you're likely to find.

Apparantly the problem for all of us lies 'inside' the lens assembly.

Mechanically there is a disconnect between the drive motor and lens.

So far, the most common failure mode seems to be the lens has been jarred loose from the detents that secure it to the inner housing.

Without having much else to contribute i suggest you re read all of the other posts in order to anticipate/avoid as many potential pitfalls as possible, while servicing the lens assembly.

good luck,

bill

edward.

with the valued help of those mentioned above the surgery was a success but the patient died :(

i neglected to discharge the flash capacitor before attempting to remove the display screen. the resulting short was quite spectacular but apparantly fatal.

my mistake was pretty basic and i see no reason others with a bit more respect for the relatively fragile electronics will not be successful.

the pics you referenced will be very helpful. i wish i had them.

can you translate the text.

by now, you've figured out that very tiny screws come in many shapes and sizes. there are more to follow so keep track of the size and locations. pics, bags and labels will all help.

the silver/grey back cover will be the first to be removed.

after the screws are all removed around the perimeter, gently pry open the exposed joint with a narrow flat blade.

each side appears to have 2 concealed snaps approx 1/3 the distance from each corner. the snaps attaching the backplate to the chrome trim piece are the most difficult, but they are there.

be patient, wiggle and pry a bit at a time.

use something softer than the camera case to cover your prying tool to protect the case from dings as much as possible.

as indicated in your pics (maybe).

once the cover is off.

drain the cap with something appropriate ( resistor, bulb, meter, etc).

remove the grounding plates.

unsolder the battery leads to the circuit board.

gently, remove the ribbon cables to the board (power switch, lens and screen)

refer to the comments from morris and john above about dealing with the lens assy.

good luck

-bill

excellant!

i am hanging onto every word and cant wait for the next installment.

i'm still a bit behind you.

i have gotten down to the lens assembly but the ribbon cable is still attached.

the ribbon appears to wrap around the lens housing in 2 places.

the tiny screw on the side that you described and at the motor drive ( with another tiny screw.

Does the second tiny ribbon pop off the motor casing?

I can open the gearbox enough to see what a mess i'm in for.

Without being able to 'cleanly' separate the two halves i will be toast.

you were right about the lens.

its just flopping around inside the housing.

thanks and good luck,

-bill

ps

apparantly it take alot more that a couple of days to discharge the flash capacitor :(

i think i shorted it with the LCD frame while accessing the screws behind( hopefully no additional damage)

thanks

you are a Prince!

i remember to access hole you describe.

i feel like i'm defusing a bomb :)

-bill

my story is the same as many others

-Nikon coolpix L3

-camera dropped

-lens permanently stuck

-"lens error" on display

-out of warranty and factory repair is likely more than replacement costs

-not a fan of just pushing,pulling banging to see what happens.

but as long as i've got nothing to lose i would like to identify the 'failed

components and see if i can locate replacement parts on the cheap.

any advice in 'popping' open the case w/o any further damage would be

appreciated.

i have removed the 8-9 screws around the perimeter and can easily separate the

grey/silver joint.

however, i am uncertain how to procede with the chrome trim piece housing the

shutter release.

i would appreciate any help continuing with the dismantling process.

thanks,

-bill