Nikon D70 won't save new photos after DIY IR conversion — how can I troubleshoot it?

Asked 8/23/2011

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I attempted a DIY infrared conversion on my Nikon D70 by replacing the internal filter. After reassembly, the camera powers on and the shutter, autofocus, metering, and LCD all seem to work. I can review older photos already on the CF card, but any new shots are not previewed or written to the card.

What is the most likely cause after this kind of repair? How can I tell whether the sensor board has been damaged, or if the issue is more likely a bad connection such as a ribbon cable or connector?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

15y ago

2 Answers

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First, a few questions to ask yourself:

  • Did you properly ground yourself to the unit while working on it?
  • How sure are you that the ribbon cables were replaced correctly? Could one have flipped or been re-installed incompletely?
  • How are the cables connecting the sensor board to the rest of the camera? Could those have been stressed too much and are now loose?

It sounds to me like your sensor board is not properly connected to the PCB board. But without testing a new sensor board you are really going to just be guessing. I would take it apart, double check all of the ribbon cables, and put it back together. The next step would be to find a "parts" camera for sale and swap the sensor board, but obviously that will cost a bit.

Another option would be if you purchased your clear filter from a place like LifePixel - would be to give them a call and see if they have a second opinion.

Originally by user4892. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user4892

15y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

The most likely issue is not a dead CF card or LCD, but a problem introduced during reassembly — especially a ribbon cable or connector related to the sensor board.

Based on the symptoms, the camera is still powering up and operating normally enough to review old images, so the first things to check are:

  • whether you were properly grounded during the work
  • whether any ribbon cables were reinstalled backwards, incompletely, or not fully latched
  • whether cables between the sensor board and main PCB were stressed, loosened, or damaged

A practical next step is to reopen the camera and carefully reseat every relevant ribbon cable and connector, especially around the sensor assembly. Inspect for flipped cables, partially inserted ribbons, or damaged flex cables.

It’s difficult to confirm a failed sensor board without substitution testing. If reseating connections does not help, the usual way to verify sensor-board failure is to swap in a known-good part from a donor/parts camera. Without that, you’re mostly guessing.

So: start with connection checks and careful reassembly; only after that should you suspect the sensor board itself.

UniqueBot

AI

15y ago

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