Is it possible to fix this camera?

May 8, 2013 1:32 PM

Can I find a replacement part for this Canon A2000 or repair it some other way?

I have a point-and-shoot camera (Canon PowerShot A2000 IS) that's a few years old and it still works fine except for one problem. There battery door can't perfectly shut because the piece of plastic that was the latch chipped away (hard to see, but here, its the little nub that's sticking out) when I dropped it. So when the battery door closes its sits loose enough that the contacts aren't completely touching (see here), and so the camera doesn't turn on. The MacGyver solution has been some tape, but (a) this doesn't last and (b) has to be re-applied every time the batteries are replaced.

I'd like to actually fix it for real. So I think I need a replacement for the front half of the body, since that is where the latch is. Haven't had much luck searching for the part or a store that might carry it.

Any ideas where I can find this part? Or alternatively, any suggestions for creative (cheap) ways to fix it that's better than tape? It would need to be able to hold the door to the body pretty snugly.

posted by villafoyager to Grab Bag (10 answers total)

If it's a few years old, I'd bet you can pick one up used on B&H or eBay or wherever pretty cheap and (carefully, of course) swap out the piece you want yourself.
posted by gauche at 1:35 PM on May 8, 2013

I've seen the part for $27 but the entire camera for as low as $40 on eBay

unless you just need the latch mechanism which is about $8 with shipping

http://goo.gl/tXfGN
posted by bobdow at 1:47 PM on May 8, 2013

Have you tried a thick rubber band around the whole camera? That would be my first thing to try.

I've seen velcro sticky tape that might be used to hold the door shut. Most hardware stores have them.
posted by bottlebrushtree at 1:48 PM on May 8, 2013 [1 favorite]

I used a rubber band on a simliar fix so I guess I agree with bottlebrushtree.
posted by advicepig at 2:57 PM on May 8, 2013

If I was MacGyvering this, I'd probably look to see if there were any way to add a tiny screw to hold the door closed. Failing that, I'd think about how I could screw/epoxy a bit of scrap plastic or metal into position to replace the missing piece.
posted by pipeski at 3:01 PM on May 8, 2013

I spent a few minutes thinking up a decent solution that involved reusing the strap from a lanyard, drilling some tiny holes, and adding snaps to the lanyard.

Honestly, the best solution here is a roll of gaff tape. Not duct tape, real gaff tape. Yes, you reapply it every time. I can't for the life of me think of a better solution. Rubber bands suck and are unreliable for this, i've been down that road. I wouldn't spend any actual money on fixing this. Buy one roll of tape and set it aside for the camera, it'll probably outlast the camera if you're ripping it in to actually thin strips.

Replacing the front half of the body will be an enormous pain in the ass. Replacing the latch likely will be too. I've fucked around with trying to fix this type of thing on these canon A cameras before, among other pocket cameras. I'd either tape the thing, or just go meh and replace the whole camera.

In all seriousness though, i'd go look through value village/good will/local thrift stores. One day when i needed a little pocket camera for something a while back i got a nice lumix for like $5.99 that even had an SD card already in the slot. I browse thrift stores every day after work and see decent cameras like this almost every single day.
posted by emptythought at 3:26 PM on May 8, 2013 [1 favorite]

This might be the exact thing you need. Have replaced a couple of battery doors on similar Canons and it's pretty easy to do (replaced both the front panel on one and just the flip-out door thing on another) with some help from Youtube.
posted by azlondon at 4:37 PM on May 8, 2013

Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestions. I tried a rubber band before too. It probably wasn't thick enough to be honest, but it'd have to be a really strong/tight fit for it to hold the door shut.

I'll look into the gaff tape, sounds promising.

And just to clarify, it's not the battery door that needs replacing. That part is fine. Its the latch which is part of the mold from the front half of the body.
posted by villafoyager at 7:42 PM on May 8, 2013

You can call Canon directly and see if they have the part you need. It's been a while since I've needed to use them, but 732-521-7230 should get you in touch with the (very helpful) Replacement Parts Department.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:34 PM on May 8, 2013

If the body of the camera is ABS plastic you could try rebuilding the missing part with a slurry of ABS plastic bits dissolved in acetone. I've done this in similar cases and it worked just fine. It will take some time though, as you kind of have to work in layers letting the acetone evaporate before placing the next layer. Knowing how the missing part looked (to a certain degree) is necessary.
posted by mirage pine at 2:25 AM on May 9, 2013