Fixing a cracked LCD on a Canon Powershot Elph. SD600 ( SD750,SD1000,SD1100)

Note: if you are replacing the Backlight please see read the instructions submitted by a reader at the bottom of this post.

Hello future LCD replacers. I hope it goes well. This process seems scary and is made even more scary by voiding the warenty. But it is cheap and fairly easy, so give it a shot. I hope these photos and tips will help. These photos are of a SD600 but they may well be good for most similar Canon digital cameras.See the comments linked from the bottom of the page for some additional tips and encouragement. I try to add them in as the come but they might be worth checking out. And for those of you who have commented THANK YOU I appreciate the kind words.
Diagnosis: First determine that a cracked LCD is the problem. Here this is very clearly the case. The backlight is still functioning. This can be seen because a bright white light is still coming through but images are not present. If the display is completely black the problem may be the backlight and not the LCD. Replacing the backlight is very similar but not shown here.

Finding the parts: To order a new LCD for the Cannon SD600 you need to find out which of two different screens are in your camera. I found this out by calling the Canons Eastern USA suplier. 732-521-7007. They will sell you a new screen for about $50 including shipping once you know which screen you need.

step 0: take out the battery and memory card (thanks 4salmon I forgot to write this step down)

First remove the six exterior screws shown below. Two on the left, two on the right and two on the bottom(shown with one already removed).

Next gently remove the casing. It should come off in four pieces. A front, back and right panel and a small circular piece that is inset in the right panel.

Once the back panel is removed you can tell which LCD screen is needed. You are looking for the presence or absence of the word "SONY" on the left side of the metal rim around the LCD screen. When ordering the part tell them which one you have.

You can now order the correct part.(732-521-7007 in the US)To continue removing the LCD screen take out the screw in the upper right hand corner above the LCD screen.


Once the screw is removed gently slide the the screen to the left. Lightly lifting the piece of clear plastic next to the screw hole might be necessary.

Now you should be able to lift the LCD screen while it is still attached to the backlight. Two ribbon cables come out from them. The thicker is for the LCD screen and the thinner is for the backlight. The thicker is attached to the back of the backlight with adhesive.

Gently pry the LCD screen away from the backlight. You may need to use a small flat head screw driver.

Between the screen and backlight there is a a thin plastic sheet.

After separating the the LCD from the backlight peel the thick cable off of the back of the backlight. There is no need to clean off the remaining adhesive it will be useful with the new LCD cable.Next flip the the camera over and pull out the thick ribbon cable from its socket. Now tape a strip of paper to the end of the cable (props to this website for this great idea). This will allow you to easily thread the new cable.(UPDATE: It may be easier to do this by removing the tripod piece instead of threading it with paper. See Jamie's comment. I would love to know how this works for people as I would rather not take mine apart again just to look. 1/28/08: This has been confirmed.)

Now pull the ribbon through leaving the paper in the place where the ribbon was.

Cut the paper and discard the old LCD screen.Press the new LCD screen on to the backlight until it clicks into place.Now tape the ribbon for the new LCD screen to the paper and pull the paper through


Carefully pull the new ribbon through. Press the ribbon against that back of the backlight, it should stick to the old adhesive.Slide the backlight and LCD into their old position (from the left to the right). Now replace the screw in the upper right hand corner.

Now remove the paper from the ribbon and attach plug the ribbon cable into its socket. Make sure to push it in deep. I did this by putting a small screwdriver into each of the two small holes on the side of the ribbon and pushing the ribbon into the socket.

Once the cable is plugged in all that remains is to reassemble the case and replace the six screws of the exterior case. It is easiest to put them on in the order: Back, right and than front. When putting on the back panal make sure the switch on the panal is in the same position as the switch on the camera.

I had a problem that once the new screen was in place it showed a black screen in camera mode. I fixed this by holding down the menu key, turning it on and off and reseting the menu options. I am not sure which one is correct so try one at a time and tell me which one worked.(UPDATE Anonymous posted:To get the LCD to display in "camera mode" go to settings and do a "Reset All..."This should take care of the LCD being blank in camera mode.)

Check your warranty Canon SD1100

Check your warranty Canon SD1100

Most cameras have a 1 year warranty. If your camera is still under warranty you may want to see if you can get the camera professionally repaired free. Look at the details of your warranty. Most companies have you write a letter stating how the problem occurred (ie: LCD wouldn't turn back on after transferring pictures). Cracked LCD's are harder to explain because the warranty doesn't cover you if you dropped the camera. If you purchased a warranty package at a retail store (such as Circuit City or Best Buy), their plan may cover accidental damage. If you did drop it, and plan on sending the unit to the manufacturer, do not admit to dropping it, lie.
Recognize the problem
Before you begin to tear into your camera, make sure it is a problem that you are comfortable repairing. A lens problem requires a much more invasive repair compared to changing an LCD.
Avoid static damage
The first time I tried to repair a digital camera, I did everything correct, except one thing. I did not take the proper precautions to make sure I wouldn't damage the circuitry of my camera with a static charge. The camera I tried to repair thus needed even more repair than when I started.
Here are a few precautions you can take to avoid damaging your camera with static electricity:
1) Remove the battery from your camera before you open the case
2) Wear anti-static latex gloves, or a wrist strap that grounds you.
3) Try to keep your body at the same electric potential as the camera.
You can do this by touching something metal (non-electrical) on the camera at different points during the procedure. For example, I know most Canon's have a metal frame holding their shape.
Keep track of materials
There is nothing worse than closing up your camera after a successful repair and realizing you don't have enough screws, or just as bad, realizing you have too many screws.
Here are a few tricks that you can follow to make sure you don't lose any screws and so that you remember where every screw was removed from:
1) Do all of your work over a paper plate. This way, if you do drop a screw, the edges of the plate won't let it roll away.
2) As you remove each screw, tape it to the plate or a piece of paper and label where it was removed from (ie: 'top of LCD'; 'housing case left bottom'; 'under LCD top right'; etc.)
3) Even though a magnetized screwdriver would make loosing screws more difficult, one should not be used because it may interfere with the electrical and mechanical parts of the camera
4) If you want you can sketch the camera on a sheet of paper and tape the screw on corresponding area of the sketch.

How To Replace a Broken LCD Canon Powershot SD1100

If you have a damaged LCD follow the steps below to repair this problem.
Step 1: Make sure that the LCD is what is the problem and that by fixing this the camera will be like new again. The best way to do this is to take the A/V cable that came with the camera and plug it into the camera and TV (A/V slot on camera found by the USB cable)
(i don't have a broken camera so I will be taking apart my working camera for your benefit. Your welcome)
Step 2: Unscrew housing, keeping track of the screws. You should have a total of six (6) screws (2 from each side and 2 from the bottom)
Step 3: Unscrew the two screws that are holding the LCD that are located at the the top of the LCD after the housing is removed.

Step 4: There are two metal pieces that snap into the the sides of the LCD, one on the left, and one on the right. The one on the left is shaped like an L, and the one on the right is shaped like a shorter L
Step 5: Remove the backlight ribbon which is located in the upper left above the LCD

Step 6: Remove the LCD ribbon which is located on the front of the camera. To remove lift the black tab and pull out the ribbon. There is some glue that attaches the ribbon to the bottom of the camera, gently pry the ribbon off.

Step 7: Separate the LCD/backlight from the camera. There is a tab that looks like a peg and loop on the bottom right corner of the LCD, there is also a small tab that is on the left side.

Step 8: Now get the new LCD. (information on how to get a new LCD can be found on the repair shop link).

Step 9: Reverse the steps above and install the new LCD, re-assemble the housing and re-insert the battery and test.

Congratulations, you did it!!!!

Didn't work? - If you only see white, this means that there is either a problem with the LCD unit you inserted, or that you failed to insert the ribbon fully. If you see an image, but is dark, then the backlight ribon was not replaced correctly or fully. If the camera doesn't power on, then you may have shorted a circuit, and failed to take the proper precautions as mentoined here.