Is a Canon Power Shot A570 worth repairing?

[Soakedlontra]

Yeah, you're making some sense...I think. Have you already removed the outer case? Be very careful doing this and don't force anything. The outer case is comprised of a front and back plastic shell. Consequently, it's very easy to chip or crack it. The flex wiring is inside the camera. You need to remove numerous screws on the outer case (prior to removing the outer case) and take off at least one metal bracket (removing the screws that hold it in place) in order to expose the flex wiring/ribbon cable of interest. This cable includes the button actuator underneath the on/off button. As I mentioned previously, it really helps to have a functional model (backup purchased on Ebay) in case you forget how things are put together.

Taking it apart, cleaning, and reassembling the camera will do absolutely nothing to solve your problem. It's not a mechanical button issue -- the actuator beneath the on/off button has failed. Therefore, the entire flex wiring/ribbon cable needs to be replaced.

A significant challenge will be finding the replacement part online. The store that I bought mine from doesn't have the part listed in its Ebay inventory anymore. I'm really not sure where to purchase it now. You might consider buying an AS-IS A570 on Ebay that has a lens error. Typically, those non-working units are less expensive. I'd be willing to bet that the flex wiring/ribbon cable that you need is still working in a "lens error" camera. If you have a properly functioning replacement part and you know what you are doing, it probably wouldn't take longer than 20 minutes to fix the issue.

Jeeeezz...Thank you very much for all the info. I went as far as taking the back of the case off...I am not going to try to take the front part off until Sam is back home...It is the first time that I open an electronic gadget. He makes tools to make tools and deals with mechanical problems every day.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Jeeeezz...Thank you very much for all the info. I went as far as taking the back of the case off...I am not going to try to take the front part off until Sam is back home...It is the first time that I open an electronic gadget. He makes tools to make tools and deals with mechanical problems every day.

You will definitely have to take off the front case as well. That being said, I don't think there's much that you can do without a working replacement part. Be careful when putting things back together. As I mentioned previously, the outer case is plastic so you have to guard against chipping or cracking the pieces. Good luck!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Based on your description, I'd say that you need to replace the flex wiring inside the camera that includes the on/off button. I replaced this part on one of my cameras in the past year. It was a fairly straightforward process...but I went slow and paid attention to details. Let me know if I can help in any way...

The part that I was talking about previously is for sale on Ebay for $15 + $5 shipping. It may look really difficult to replace, but it isn't.

I'm not 100% certain that you need to replace this particular part, though. Inability to turn on the camera might be caused by a battery door problem, battery contacts, lens error, etc. Have you done the troubleshooting specified in this link? That really should be your first step in figuring out what's wrong.

 

[Nemrod]

I have two, mint, perfect, fully 100% functional Canon A570IS rigs, one with Ikelite housing and Ikelite tray, one with Canon housing and Inon tray and Inon AD system adapter possibly for sale.

N

 

[Soakedlontra]

The tool maker took the the front of the case off and he did not find anything broken. I don't know what we are going to do next...

 

[Soakedlontra]

We gave up trying to fix the camera ourselves. After an exhausting day at the Dive & Travel Expo in Tacoma last Sunday where I talked to all the underwater photography exhibitors that I could find until smoke came out of my head, I made the decision to buy a Canon S90 with an alkalite housing and a strobe light of some sort and also a Power Shot A570 on E-Bay. In this way my buddy and I can have a camera each and end our perpetual fights over who will be the photographer during a dive.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

We gave up trying to fix the camera ourselves. After an exhausting day at the Dive & Travel Expo in Tacoma last Sunday where I talked to all the underwater photography exhibitors that I could find until smoke came out of my head, I made the decision to buy a Canon S90 with an alkalite housing and a strobe light of some sort and also a Power Shot A570 on E-Bay. In this way my buddy and I can have a camera each and end our perpetual fights over who will be the photographer during a dive.

Congrats on the new camera purchase! You'll have a great time playing around with the two camera rigs underwater.

Sounds like a reasonable solution. Now you have a non-working A570 that you can use for parts if your Ebay A570 goes down.

It sounds to me like the "tool maker" had very little experience with repairing digital cameras. To find the source of the problem, a straightforward approach would have been to switch out parts one-by-one from a fully functional A570. If the "tool maker" didn't do that, I'm not sure how he/she could ever hope to be successful with troubleshooting efforts.

 

[Soakedlontra]

It sounds to me like the "tool maker" had very little experience with repairing digital cameras. To find the source of the problem, a straightforward approach would have been to switch out parts one-by-one from a fully functional A570. If the "tool maker" didn't do that, I'm not sure how he/she could ever hope to be successful with troubleshooting efforts.

The problem with your suggestion is:where can I find a fully functional A570 without buying one? Do you have one spare that you can lend us?

The 'Tool Maker' resolves problems all day long at work and when he comes back home he wants to swtich off! I don't blame him. His work is more related to he field of mechanics than electronics, though.

The real issue here is that I need to get my act together and become less dependent on other people!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

The problem with your suggestion is:where can I find a fully functional A570 without buying one? Do you have one spare that you can lend us?

The 'Tool Maker' resolves problems all day long at work and when he comes back home he wants to swtich off! I don't blame him. His work is more related to he field of mechanics than electronics, though.

I could lend you my spare A570...but depending on how careful you are, there is the chance that you could break it.
Perhaps a better approach would be for you to purchase your own fully functional, used A570. You could use that as a source for switching out parts. An added bonus is that you'll have a spare camera in case one gets flooded and stops working.

Ebay is a great place to purchase a used A570. They are for sale all the time.

When I first read your post, I thought that the "tool maker" was a "professional" who looked at your camera and tried to fix it. Now it's pretty clear to me that the "tool maker" is your husband/dive buddy, right? If so, I think it's great that he tried taking the camera apart. If he really likes to tinker around with things, having a functional model to work from would be very helpful.

 

[Soakedlontra]

Anybody interested in broken Canon Powershot S90 and A570 for spare parts?