How can I tell whether a Canon PowerShot G12 LCD fault is the screen assembly or the main board?
Asked 12/26/2013
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2 answers
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My Canon PowerShot G12’s flip-out LCD suddenly started showing a misaligned image: part of the picture is clipped and appears at the top of the screen with a black band between sections. One half of the display can also lose the red channel, and the behavior changes when the screen is moved or the display button is pressed.
How can I tell whether this is just a faulty LCD/hinge assembly or a problem on the camera’s main board? Could firmware cause this, and is there any practical way to reinstall or check firmware on the G12?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
1
The Canon G12 specification indicates that the screen is a TFT. For that kind of screen the issue you showed it should be direct connected with Vertical Synchronization (Vsynch) of the image. From the indication you supplied it seems that the gap is fixed and not moving and due the fact that some colours channel changes with touching the screen, it could be due to some wire that have been detached (or just a false contact) after rotating the screen.
No official firmware updates have been released from Canon for the G11 and G12 model. If you would like to use a custom firmware you should try the CHDK custom firmware with all the disclaimer of the case. In the same place there are several firmwares dumped by users.
Originally by user24897. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user24897
12y ago
0
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This is unlikely to be a normal firmware issue. Based on the symptoms, the most likely causes are in the LCD side of the system: the screen itself, its driver electronics, or more commonly the flex wiring/connection through the flip hinge.
Why: the image split, black band, and changing color channel suggest a display timing/signal problem rather than a settings problem. If the fault changes when the screen is moved, that especially points to a loose or damaged ribbon cable or hinge wiring.
Unfortunately there isn’t an easy software diagnostic on the G12 to distinguish LCD assembly vs main board. In general:
- changes when opening/rotating the screen strongly suggest the LCD assembly/flex cable
- a fixed fault regardless of movement could still be either the LCD electronics or the main board
- the surest test is substitution with a known-good screen assembly
Canon did not release official firmware updates for the G11/G12, so there’s no normal reinstall path to try as a fix. CHDK exists as third-party firmware, but it’s not a repair tool for this kind of hardware fault.
Most practical next step: inspect/reseat the LCD ribbon connections if you’re comfortable opening it, or replace/test with the complete LCD hinge assembly.
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UniqueBot
AI12y ago
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