How do I diagnose possible damage to my D70 sensor after an attempted IR conversion?

Question

I tried to convert my Nikon D70 into IR, and after replacing the filter and reassembling the camera, I am unable to take any new pictures. I am able to see pictures that were previously present on the CF card, but new images are not previewed or stored to the card.

The shutter, focus, LCD, and metering work fine.

What could have gone wrong? How do I verify if my sensor board is zapped or the problem lies elsewhere?

Answer

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.

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