Need advice on damaged firewire port, GL2. at DVinfo.net

Jeremy Nixon · March 19th, 2005, 09:55 PM

Hey everyone,

One of the pins on my cameras firewire port is bent over backwards down inside the body of the port . Something was stuck in my firewire cable and pushed on one of the pins when I insterted it. Carelessness on my part forsure but I need to get it fixed up ASAP. Its a too small and tight of area for me to bend it back and even if I manged to do it I'm sure it wouldn't last long. Canon says 4-8 weeks for a repair time and around 300$. It's off warranty .

Any suggestions?

My buddy mentioned that he might be able to remove the old port and attach a new one ordered from digikey. Surely the same thing that canon would do. It's off warranty, he's an electrical engineer and I figure I've nothing to lose by letting him try. Anyone with any experience? Anyone taken the body of the GL2 apart, espc. the rear light gray peice? Any suprises? I'm hoping the guts won't explode when the screws are removed.

hrm

Jer.

Ken Tanaka · March 19th, 2005, 10:52 PM

You've answered your own question. What advice could anyone possibly offer?

Jeremy Nixon · March 19th, 2005, 11:41 PM

Well, I was hoping someone could give me some tips on the body shell disassembly/reassembly process as well as anyones personal accounts with port damage issues on the GL2.

I didn't realize that I was solving my own problem.

I apologize for being ignorant.

Jer.

Ken Tanaka · March 20th, 2005, 01:29 AM

Jeremy,
The best, most reliable course of action is to send the camera to Canon service. Many, many folks pose similar scenarios here; my camera's broken, I don't want to / can't afford to send the camera to Canon for a repair, I'm going to fix it myself, tell me why I can't/shouldn't. It's a foolish course to attempt self-repair on these devices.

I give your "buddy" one chance in, perhaps, 20 to make the repair and reassemble the camera to working order. I am not a camera technician but I have seen similar cameras disassembled. The tolerances are daunting.

Put simply, your bet on your friend's ability is, effectively, the replacement cost of the camera -vs- 100% success certainty of a $300 repair. That's a very poor wager.

If you have a contractual commitment mandating your use of a camera during the repair period rent one.

Good luck.

Jeremy Nixon · March 28th, 2005, 12:34 AM

I went ahead and had my friend fix the problem. Since I didn't feel like paying the $500+ that canon quotedme I figured I'd risk it. He replaced the firewire port and it's working a-ok .

Jer

Ed Frazier · March 29th, 2005, 07:42 AM

I'm not sure about your quote from Canon. In the original post you say $300 then $500+ in you last. My XL1S is in the shop now for annual cleaning/tune-up and to also replace the firewire port. It had become loose and while still working, I wanted to get it fixed before it broke off altogether.

The quote from Canon - $240 labor and $52.70 parts. Total with tax and shipping came to $326.03.

I don't know about the GL2, but I suspect the original quote for $300 included cleaning and tune-up. I think $240 is the base rate Canon charges for any repair, at least on the XL1(S).

Ed

Ken Tanaka · March 29th, 2005, 12:07 PM

Good for you, Jeremy! It looks like your bet has paid-off, at least so far!

March 19th, 2005, 09:55 PM	#1
Jeremy Nixon New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Spruce Grove, AB. CANADA. Posts: 13	Need advice on damaged firewire port, GL2. Hey everyone, One of the pins on my cameras firewire port is bent over backwards down inside the body of the port . Something was stuck in my firewire cable and pushed on one of the pins when I insterted it. Carelessness on my part forsure but I need to get it fixed up ASAP. Its a too small and tight of area for me to bend it back and even if I manged to do it I'm sure it wouldn't last long. Canon says 4-8 weeks for a repair time and around 300$. It's off warranty . Any suggestions? My buddy mentioned that he might be able to remove the old port and attach a new one ordered from digikey. Surely the same thing that canon would do. It's off warranty, he's an electrical engineer and I figure I've nothing to lose by letting him try. Anyone with any experience? Anyone taken the body of the GL2 apart, espc. the rear light gray peice? Any suprises? I'm hoping the guts won't explode when the screws are removed. hrm Jer.

March 19th, 2005, 10:52 PM	#2
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	You've answered your own question. What advice could anyone possibly offer? __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

March 19th, 2005, 11:41 PM	#3
Jeremy Nixon New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Spruce Grove, AB. CANADA. Posts: 13	ok. Well, I was hoping someone could give me some tips on the body shell disassembly/reassembly process as well as anyones personal accounts with port damage issues on the GL2. I didn't realize that I was solving my own problem. I apologize for being ignorant. Jer.

March 20th, 2005, 01:29 AM	#4
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Jeremy, The best, most reliable course of action is to send the camera to Canon service. Many, many folks pose similar scenarios here; my camera's broken, I don't want to / can't afford to send the camera to Canon for a repair, I'm going to fix it myself, tell me why I can't/shouldn't. It's a foolish course to attempt self-repair on these devices. I give your "buddy" one chance in, perhaps, 20 to make the repair and reassemble the camera to working order. I am not a camera technician but I have seen similar cameras disassembled. The tolerances are daunting. Put simply, your bet on your friend's ability is, effectively, the replacement cost of the camera -vs- 100% success certainty of a $300 repair. That's a very poor wager. If you have a contractual commitment mandating your use of a camera during the repair period rent one. Good luck. __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com

March 29th, 2005, 07:42 AM	#6
Ed Frazier Major Player Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Las Cruces, NM Posts: 343	I'm not sure about your quote from Canon. In the original post you say $300 then $500+ in you last. My XL1S is in the shop now for annual cleaning/tune-up and to also replace the firewire port. It had become loose and while still working, I wanted to get it fixed before it broke off altogether. The quote from Canon - $240 labor and $52.70 parts. Total with tax and shipping came to $326.03. I don't know about the GL2, but I suspect the original quote for $300 included cleaning and tune-up. I think $240 is the base rate Canon charges for any repair, at least on the XL1(S). Ed __________________ Ed Frazier

March 28th, 2005, 12:34 AM	#5
Jeremy Nixon New Boot Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Spruce Grove, AB. CANADA. Posts: 13	I went ahead and had my friend fix the problem. Since I didn't feel like paying the $500+ that canon quotedme I figured I'd risk it. He replaced the firewire port and it's working a-ok . Jer

March 29th, 2005, 12:07 PM	#7
Ken Tanaka Retired DV Info Net Almunus Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,943	Good for you, Jeremy! It looks like your bet has paid-off, at least so far! __________________ Lady X Films: A lady with a boring wardrobe...and a global mission. Hey, you don't have enough stuff! Buy with confidence from our sponsors. Hand-picked as the best in the business...Really! See some of my work one frame at a time: www.KenTanaka.com