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LCD dying on SONY A7s
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PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 3:29 pm    Post subject: LCD dying on SONY A7s Reply with quote
I just noticed the LCD back panel on one of my SONY A7s cameras is dying. Sad

6 1/2 years old, that's modern electronics for you...

a few columns/stripes of dead pixels down both the left & right side of the screen, getting worse by the day; apparently this means the LCD has sprung a leak and the liquid crystal solution is slowly leaking out.

I can't justify the outlay and hassle of getting it repaired by SONY or its recommended repair specialist (which has some bad reviews anyway; expensive, slow, charges for unnecessary extras).

I've ordered a £20 (aftermarket) LCD from eBay stocked here in the UK (seller with good feedback on camera LCD supplies), and will have a go at fitting that myself. Seems doable for a reasonably experienced tinkerer like myself. I will let you know how I got on. There are some tutorials on the web, not sure I think all they do is sensible.

Worst case that can happen is that this camera will end up more like a traditional SLR than it ever was; I usually only use the back LCD for menu settings, shooting I only do using the viewfinder anyway Wink . In theory the whole thing will still work fine without a back LCD.

Anyone else changed an LCD on a SONY A7 / A7s / A7R before?


PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 3:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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Last edited by Blazer0ne on Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:10 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Blazer0ne wrote:
One more thing. Important. Before you start working on the screen you will need to change a menu settings for precaution in case the monitor does not work on the first try. Disable the auto monitor/viewfinder detector and switch to viewfinder only. If your first attempt doesn't work and the camera is set to auto then the only way to view is with HDMI. This will allow you to use the viewfinder even if the monitor ceases to work. This setting cannot be modified through the HDMI interface.


Thanks for the tip! Like 1 small

But are you suggesting that if the monitor/viewfinder is set to AUTO, it won't switch to the viewfinder even if you bring your eye up to it if the monitor doesn't work? I can see issues if it is set to MONITOR ONLY, but if set to AUTO shouldn't the viewfinder still work as per usual?


PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 4:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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Last edited by Blazer0ne on Tue Feb 22, 2022 7:03 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 5:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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Last edited by Blazer0ne on Tue Feb 22, 2022 6:26 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 5:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Blazer0ne wrote:
RokkorDoctor wrote:

But are you suggesting that if the monitor/viewfinder is set to AUTO, it won't switch to the viewfinder even if you bring your eye up to it if the monitor doesn't work?


Correct


I may me be missing something, but then how does one thest the new monitor screen?

If the monitor/viewfinder is set to VIEWFINDER, the monitor will never come on for testing surely?

The warnings I read on the internet was to make sure the monitor/viewfinder option is not set to MONITOR ONLY before trying the LCD replacement, but that VIEWFINDER ONLY or AUTO should be OK...?

(And I'll stay well away from any flash voltages; got stung by a broken RICOH GX100 once which i thought had been without its battery long enough for the flash capacitor to have discharged; not an experience I would like to repeat! Wink )


PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 5:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
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Last edited by Blazer0ne on Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:10 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 5:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Blazer0ne wrote:
I’d say maybe it would be a good idea to assign the monitor/viewfinder selection to a custom button for easier navigation and switching by memory in case you have any issues.


Good suggestion, but unfortunately that is not an assignable function Sad


PostPosted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:03 pm    Post subject: Re: LCD dying on SONY A7s Reply with quote
RokkorDoctor wrote:

Anyone else changed an LCD on a SONY A7 / A7s / A7R before?

Don't despair.

I haven't disassembled the rear panel itself, but other than that I've done full disassembly and repairs on my A7R.
It's a really easy camera to work on. Just two types of screws. No non-obvious invisible flex cables to tear.
If you bought new display not as a part but as a display assembly, swapping it out is going to be trivial. I mean it.

Get yourself something like a mobile phone disassembly kit, google disassembly tutorials, be patient and don't force anything.


PostPosted: Thu Jan 13, 2022 8:48 pm    Post subject: Re: LCD dying on SONY A7s Reply with quote
aidaho wrote:
RokkorDoctor wrote:

Anyone else changed an LCD on a SONY A7 / A7s / A7R before?

Don't despair.

I haven't disassembled the rear panel itself, but other than that I've done full disassembly and repairs on my A7R.
It's a really easy camera to work on. Just two types of screws. No non-obvious invisible flex cables to tear.
If you bought new display not as a part but as a display assembly, swapping it out is going to be trivial. I mean it.

Get yourself something like a mobile phone disassembly kit, google disassembly tutorials, be patient and don't force anything.


Oh, I have plenty of tools; I service camera lenses as a hobby! Wink

I bought the display as a part, and should hopefully get it in the next two days or so. Having looked at the tutorials on the web, I think I prefer to follow iFixit's instructions first. This seems easy enough to get the whole display assembly out first, after which the cables to the display itself should have some slack and be much easier to access; no working at impossible angles in tight spaces like in some of the other tutorials I have seen... Wink . I just hope the small PCB separates from the display easily enough (it is stuck down apparently); as that needs to be re-used.

Who knows; if it is easy enough and successful, I might order the actual SONY £90 + tax display and do it again, unless the £20 aftermarket part I got turns out to be entirely satisfactory. I'm not really using the display much other than menu settings in the field and showing my shots to my other half; I prefer to use the EVF. Besides, there is every change that the cheap aftermarket displays are rejects off the same production line as the SONY ones, with a couple of dead pixels here or there...

I haven't seen the entire display assembly available as a part by the way, only the display itself (I assume with entire assembly you mean display + hinging frame, PCB and flex cable to the camera).

Any ESD precautions required? (I would assume so, and I have the setup); the web tutorials make no mention of this at all which surprised me a bit.

Someone mentioned being careful re. flash voltages; but I am sure that is a red herring; the A7s contains neither a flash nor any flash capacitor.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 15, 2022 7:56 am    Post subject: Re: LCD dying on SONY A7s Reply with quote
RokkorDoctor wrote:

I haven't seen the entire display assembly available as a part by the way, only the display itself (I assume with entire assembly you mean display + hinging frame, PCB and flex cable to the camera).

I'm not current on the parts market (swapped the shutter awhile ago, requires full disassembly), but I definitely seen on eBay display+frame assembly salvaged from used camera.


RokkorDoctor wrote:

Any ESD precautions required? (I would assume so, and I have the setup); the web tutorials make no mention of this at all which surprised me a bit.

I must admit to not doing anything here either, but I have no carpet and it was during the warm part of the year.

RokkorDoctor wrote:

Someone mentioned being careful re. flash voltages; but I am sure that is a red herring; the A7s contains neither a flash nor any flash capacitor.

I haven't spotted any high voltage capacitors inside, so I don't think this applies.

Good luck with your repair!


PostPosted: Sat Jan 15, 2022 11:14 am    Post subject: Re: LCD dying on SONY A7s Reply with quote
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Last edited by Blazer0ne on Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:10 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Update:

I have just replaced the LCD, and all is working fine now!

Whoo Turtle

In the end, I first followed iFixit's instructions for removing the whole screen assembly:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Sony+a7+LCD+Screen+Replacement/130458

Once the assembly was out, I followed some of Raiatea Arcuri's instruction as to the replacement of the actual LCD:

https://www.raiphoto.com/replace-lcd-screen-sony-a7a7ra7s/

Removing the whole assembly first makes it much easer to disconnect the cable from the camera to the PCB stuck on the back of the LCD panel, as that cable now has considerably more slack.

Some things I did differently (or now would do differently):

- There is no need to remove the top two screws on the back of the LCD panel assembly. This doesn't hold the LCD panel in place in any way. Removing those screws only results in the dislodgement of the plastic spring tab that hold the screen folded up on the camera, which is a bit of a pain to get back in. I really don't know why even iFixit tell you to remove those two screws; I would advise against it.

- Prying the LCD panel (+ trim) away from the assembly is a lot harder than iFixit make it sound. In the end I used a plastic spudger in the gap between the trim and assembly on the sides of the panel (not the top), and slid it up. This dislodged the plastic tabs at the top that hold the trim attached to the rest of the assembly.

- The LCD panel itself is fixed to the plastic trim holder with a thin black soft & stretchy double-sided sticky tape (approximately 0.2mm thick). I didn't have that kind of tape, but as a replacement I used a double-sided 0.2mm thick soft vinyl high-tack tape with acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive on both sides. Vinyl tapes or tapes suitable for vinyl are often great as you know they can't get away with any old cheap adhesive and usually use an acrylic adhesive; it needs to be resistant to plasticiser migration.

- The old PCB was carefully pried off the back of the LCD panel and reused. It only contains passives so no ESD issues. I measured its original position on the LCD and stuck it back in the exact same position on the new LCD with a double-sided acrylic adhesive tape, before re-attaching the cables. I did make a pull-tab for the sticky tape in case I ever need to remove that PCB again; it s a bit fragile.


As I suspected, having seen the new aftermarket LCD panel and original SONY LCD panel side-by-side, I am 95% convinced the aftermarket panel starts off on the same production line as the official SONY panel.
Everything is the same, down to the cable-markings, fonts, and same machining marks on the metal shielding. The only difference I can see is that the SONY LCD gets an extra screen protector with anti-reflective coating, which is missing from the aftermarket part. The SONY panel may also go through some more stringent quality checks; who knows.
What I do know is that the SONY panel is almost 6 times more expensive (about £110 + postage for the Sony panel vs £20 + free postage for the aftermarket panel).

The panel looks the same (colour, contrast etc.) so happy days. I'm not missing the AR coating as I stick my own protector over it anyway (I could reuse the one from my old screen).

[EDIT]: please take care with the iFixit instructions; they refer to all the screws to be removed as M1.5, but don't throw them all together thinking they are the same!. Other than the obvious different lengths, they also have different thread pitches; some are machine thread, others are self-tappers for plastic.

Last edited by RokkorDoctor on Thu Jan 20, 2022 4:13 pm; edited 2 times in total


PostPosted: Wed Jan 19, 2022 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Congrats Thank you! for tips!


PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 1:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Small update:

It turns out that the sticky tape used to hold the LCD in place is coming loose after some time, despite the extremely high-tack acrylic adhesive. I tried to stick it back multiple times, applying as much pressure as I dared without cracking the fragile screen, but after a few days it starts to detach again. Adhesion to the plastic bezel behind the screen is perfect, but adhesion to the rear edge of the screen glass itself is problematic.

After a lot of research on-line it appears I am using the correct type of tape adhesive, but SONY apply heat to make the tape adhesive bond permanently to the screen. I have no facilities to apply a controlled amount of heat for a controlled amount of time, and overheating the LCD will undoubtedly damage it. In the end, I have resorted to some external black electrical tape for securing the screen. This seems to work perfectly, and as a bonus it protects the edge of the screen against any damage.

I have seen reports of LCD replacements carried out at official SONY-autorised repair centers where the adhesive is also failing shortly after the repair, so it must be a common problem. Also, I have seen the official repair parts diagram for the SONY A7s, and the SONY official supplied LCD screen also does not have any adhesive edge pre-applied, and the adhesive strip shown in the parts diagram is listed as not available for supply...

A metal captive retaining bezel with proper screws would have been far preferable. No doubt SONY will argue that woud have doubled the price of the camera Wink ...


PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 3:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NTYN4MD


PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2022 9:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
visualopsins wrote:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NTYN4MD


Thanks for the tip, but that tape is far too thick. 39 mils, which is almost a millimetre...

I suspect it is very similar to the tape I used, which is an acrylic pressure-activated adhesive on a vinyl carrier with red separation layer, but that is much thinner (about 5-10 mils or so). The tape I used is also used by a repair centre here in the UK for LCDs, but they stated that they heat it in a temperature controlled lab oven for a set amount of time to give proper adherence. Of course I cannot find that website anymore, but from memory they didn't actually specify what temperature...

The other thing that might work is to apply sustained pressure for a few hours, but then I would have to make a shaped tool for that and I would have to take the screen out again.

TBH, the electrical tape works fine so far, and since I am the only one looking at the display I don't mind that the edge of the bezel looks a bit different.
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