G’day!
Thanks for visiting. Use links on the right side of this page to find the more interesting stuff.
The point of this blog? There isn’t one… honestly, this is just a collection of random topics that inspired me to document and share; usually, it’s stuff that I find myself writing about in online forums, but with more detail. Sometimes unique, sometimes just my spin on a common topic.
Topics of interest? Photography, micro-electronics, and woodworking get most of my attention. I even manage to combine my interests from time to time, such as building photo sets, photographing woodworking techniques, and doing DIY camera repair.
Got a question or a topic of interest? Drop me a note here. I’m full of opinions!
Cheers,
Richard
07 August 2010 at 06:49
Dear Richard, your replacing the shutter and documenting the tearing and putting back the camera together was outstanding. i had a question that perhaps may not be doable. could the main pcb of a d2h be replaced with a d2 id appreciate any comments you may be able to provide. thanks..
07 August 2010 at 10:03
Hi, Carlos.
Thanks for your comment. I can’t offer a qualified opinion on upgrading the main PCB. I’d speculate it’s possible, but that would be a pricey experiment.
As one might expect, Nikon seems to share components across products – not every camera is designed from scratch. Especially within the same family, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to find they shared the same frame and most of the mechanicals. (The D2h seems to have a lot of commonality with the D2x.) However… you may find that one thing leads to another, and more than just a main PCB would need to be replaced.
You could compare the parts lists for both bodies to get an idea of what’s interchangeable, but that may be tough as well – e.g., Nikon seems to have several part numbers for the shutter assemblies that will work in the D2h, so just because the part numbers are different doesn’t mean they’re incompatible.
Lastly, the cost of a replacement main PCB with sensor is ridiculous – far more than you’d pay for an entire functional camera in the used after-market. I could only see it being viable to try if you had two partially destroyed cameras and salvaged them to create a single working unit. If you decide to tackle this project, please let me know how it goes!
Cheers,
Richard
28 August 2010 at 17:20
Hi Richard, wonderful article on the D2H, a question though about a D1H, I bought as my first digital camera a few months ago and was congratulating myself for obtaining it for a bargain price ($52) when the LCD screen went blank, camera would not fire, card error dislplay, but it will focus. Any immediate thoughts as to a possible diagnosis, or is it confined to being a book end? Great post!! Regards, Peter
29 August 2010 at 15:19
Hi, Peter.
I’ve got no special insight on that one. The “Err” code is the only diagnosis I’m experienced with – it means the shutter isn’t opening and closing as expected. Regarding the card error, what code is being displayed?
The D70 is legendary for giving CF card errors, and it seems to be because the pins in the CF socket aren’t making good contact – removing and reinserting the card clears it up 100% of the time for me. Given the same era, I wouldn’t be surprised if the D1 series had similar socket problems. However, that doesn’t explain the blank LCD on the back panel.
Sometimes it’s a hot smoking deal for a reason… I once bought a camera off Craigslist with a defective pop-up flash; having researched common failures, I thought it’d be a simple fix and a great deal. Boy, was I wrong. It turned out that the camera had water damage and I’d gotten the short end of the deal.
Anyway, if you think it’s destined to be a bookend, you’ve got little to lose by trying to fix it – it’ll still make a great bookend. That was my attitude when digging into this D2h… I had no idea if I’d even be able to reassemble it, but it was already a total write-off so no big deal. Depending on what you find and if you’re up for the experience, you might be able to source another broken (or even working D1H) off eBay and cobble together one working body. Please let me know how it turns out!
Cheers,
Richard