Canon SD-300 LCD screen repair

Attempt this repair at your own risk. Opening your camera will void the warranty. I am not responsible for any damage you may incur. There may be high voltages present from the flash unit. Repairs should be carried out at a static-free workstation.

Please donate if you find this helpful.

Click on any picture to enlarge.

This repair guide covers the SD-300. I have heard that the process is similar for the whole SD-XXX family (SD-400, SD-300, SD-200, Ixus 50, Ixus 40, Ixus 30) (you may need a different screen though). Canon wants about $150-200 to replace the screen, plus you have to send it back to them. There is a slight chance that they will replace it for free (I had a S-400 that was replaced for free), but if you're out of warranty, you really did break it, or it looks like you broke it (I've heard they spontaneously break...), you're probably out of luck.

The symptom of a broken LCD is a white screen with splotches on it, kind of like ink spills. It will look something like the picture on the right.

Before you spend the $66.90 on a new LCD, make sure the camera still works by taking a few pictures and verifying that the images are OK. You don't want to try and replace the LCD if something else is broken. A cracked LCD will not affect the quality of pictures, you should be able to get the same quality shots even though the screen is broken.

Tools Required:

  • Small Phillips head screwdriver
  • paper
  • tape

    Parts Required:

  • LCD screen: Canon part number ck9-1103 ($66.90 UPS Ground) Order from 732-521-7230.

    Step 1: Open the camera
      Remove the battery and SD card from your camera before starting.
      Remove the 6 small screws around the case. Place the screws somewhere safe.
      Pry open the case. It's easiest if you start with the battery door open, lifting up gently. Use your fingernail or something really thin to go around the side of the case. I pried the three sides: left, right, and bottom. Then I applied a little pressure on the top half of the case from the bottom to "unclip" the lid from the assembly.
      at this point, you should have the top lid off.
      you should be able to remove the bottom lid.

    Step 2: Unhook and prepare old ribbon cable
      lift the black tab that holds the ribbon cable down:
      tape a thin piece of paper to the ribbon cable:

    Step 3: Remove the old screen
    (This is the order I did it in, but you may find it easier to pry the inner tabs first.)
      Gently pry the two tabs holding the screen down.
      Gently pry the two other tabs holding the screen down.
      You can use an Xacto knife to gently pry up the screen if you're having problems. Be careful when putting the knife in. There is a reflector sheet under the screen that is easily scratched. Unfortunately, I scratched it, but my scratch was on the corner, so it wasn't that obvoius. Try not to touch the reflector, as it will be near impossible to clean it. If you touched the reflector, don't worry, it's not really noticeable from the outside. You may notice the scratches on the lower right of my reflector.
      GENTLY pull the old ribbon cable through the camera assembly. Don't pull too hard or you might rip your paper and you'll end up spending hours trying to fish the ribbon cable back through. Make sure you leave enough paper on the other side you'll need it in the next step.

    Step 4: Install the new screen
      Detach the old ribbon cable from the paper and tape the new ribbon cable to the end of the paper that you just pulled through:
      GENTLY pull the paper back through the camera assembly. Don't pull too hard! Line up the ribbon cable with the connector. Make sure you insert the ribbon cable into the connector fully, otherwise the screen won't work properly. You should insert the cable until most of the silver contacts are not visible. You might be able to use your finger to push the cable in, but if not, use a toothpick or xacto blade (the dull side) to push the cable in:
      Once the cable is set, press down the black tab to secure the connection.
      If you've gotten this far, it should be pretty obvious how to clip the new screen back into the assembly, but basically, put the screen bottom first, and then click it into place. You may need to (gently) pry the tabs to make it easier to clip in the screen. Be gentle, take your time, you don't want to break the screen (again).

    Step 5: Reassemble camera
      Make sure the microphone hasn't fallen out, if it has, replace it into the shell, shiny side up:
      Make sure the (play-video-still) switch is in the same position as it was when you removed the casing.
      replace the front lid.
      replace the back lid, don't forget the chrome side panel and strap loop.

    Step 6: Test Camera
      Turn on the camera and verify that everything works as it used to.
      Please donate if you find this helpful. You've just saved around $100.

    Additional Pictures:
    (c) 2005 Pat Tjin. No duplication without consent.

    Other Resources:

  • Andy's Powershot screen replacement page