Nikon 5700 lens error

Nikon 5700 lens erros

2005-10-24T22:31:00.000+10:00

There I was one day with my Nikon 5700 taking happy snaps and even some half decent photos when it said "lens error"... I tried the usual tricks of turning it off then on again, swearing at it, giving it a gentle hit, giving it a harder hit, swearing at it heaps and thumping the thing and it still didn't work!

I searched "the net" and found,
http://jancology.com/blog/archives/2003/11/02/nikon_5700_lens_error.html

It seems this error is not uncommon, grrrrr...

What to do?

2005-10-24T21:37:00.000+10:00

I left my camera in the drawer for a couple of weeks while I thought about what to do with it. Didn't want to pay to get it fixed $300+

Tried thumping it a few more times.

Tried pulling the lens out with pliers (getting desperate now).

Then thought, let's pull the sucker apart, nothing to lose...

Pulling the sucker apart

2005-10-24T20:47:00.000+10:00

So I just started taking out heaps of little scews from around the body of the camera, some hidden well. Soon with a little bit of force bits of the body came off.

Pulling more of it apart

2005-10-24T19:49:00.000+10:00

Pretty soon I realised this was a fiddly job. Now a little about myself, I have very little knowledge of electronics, I get very impatient when "technology" doesn't work and I was a drinking a fair bit of bourbon at the time of this "operation".

Needless to say, but "do not try this at home", unless you feel like it. I recommend Wild Turkey bourbon.

Ahhh found the stupid little gears

2005-10-24T18:58:00.000+10:00

After a bit more unscrewing and pulling bits off I found the stupid little gears that have died. They were driven by a little motor thingo and hooked up to the lens.

Here's the busted one

2005-10-24T17:02:00.000+10:00

Only one of the gears were busted, it looks like 3 teeth are off it.

Put it back together?

2005-10-24T16:06:00.000+10:00

This is what it looks like now, bits everywhere, cables pulled out, lots of little screws (some fell on the floor and are lost in the shag pile though). Should I attempt to put it back together? Might have another bourbon and think about it...