Repair question: Does anyone know how to separate the camera sensor from the lens on an air 2s camera?

[Andrew L]

Hi, All

I've got an air 2s camera whose autofocus motor is not functioning properly. Everything else about the camera (and of the gimbal) works fine - calibration is good, everything. Just that the autofocus motor click-click-clicks upon startup and it is most of the time is unable to focus on anything.

I have sourced a new lens component (the thing with the optics and the autofocus motor and related electronics). The thing is, I cannot figure out how to separate the CCD board (which contains the sensor) from the old/bad lens component. I've tried prying in different ways but I really don't want to break the CCD board. I was wondering if anyone on the forum knows how these two parts are attached and how I can separate them. It may be that we're just talking about some glue that I need to heat up to separate, but I'd like to consult with those in the know before giving it a go.

(note: I'm not looking for advice about how I should replace the entire gimbal or send it away for repair or whatever - I want to try it this way).

Here are some pictures to help illustrate. The first two pictures are annotated to help you get a sense for the different bits. I want to keep the CCD/Sensor board, separate it from the original lens unit (and then affix it to the replacement unit, but first I just want to safely separate the two). the last two pictures are just from different orientations and a closeup.

Anyone have any hands-on experience separating this CCD board from the lens?

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

I haven't taken an Air 2s camera apart but I have taken a wrecked Mavic 2 Pro camera apart. From memory the sensor was attached to the lens unit by screws BUT I am pretty certain the joint was shimmed, with the shims fitted around each screw.
If the Air 2s camera is also shimmed then I suspect you are going to be very lucky to make a successful repair.

However, best of luck if you try it.

 

[Andrew L]

I haven't taken an Air 2s camera apart but I have taken a wrecked Mavic 2 Pro camera apart. From memory the sensor was attached to the lens unit by screws BUT I am pretty certain the joint was shimmed, with the shims fitted around each screw.
If the Air 2s camera is also shimmed then I suspect you are going to be very lucky to make a successful repair.

However, best of luck if you try it.

Thanks for the input. There are no screws (visible to me anyway) attaching that back CCD board to the lens unit. I realize that if I get it off I'm going to have to very carefully position the sensor onto the new lens very precisely or else the sensor will not be square on to the lens.

 

[TruGreen]

Can you post a picture showing the circuit board straight on. In your sideways pic I think I see one screw

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Thanks for the input. There are no screws (visible to me anyway) attaching that back CCD board to the lens unit. I realize that if I get it off I'm going to have to very carefully position the sensor onto the new lens very precisely or else the sensor will not be square on to the lens.

It may be a bit more complicated than getting the lens "square", by which I assume you mean getting the axis of the lens perpendicular to the plane of the sensor.
There is, or maybe, also something known as "register" or "lens register" or "Flange focal distance".
I do not know if the mouldings are accurate enough for 'calibration' of this to be disregarded.
Wikipedia states that this distance is usually measured 'to a precision of hundredths of a millimetre'.

 

[Andrew L]

It may be a bit more complicated than getting the lens "square", by which I assume you mean getting the axis of the lens perpendicular to the plane of the sensor.
There is, or maybe, also something known as "register" or "lens register" or "Flange focal distance".
I do not know if the mouldings are accurate enough for 'calibration' of this to be disregarded.
Wikipedia states that this distance is usually measured 'to a precision of hundredths of a millimetre'.

Or if the autofocus mechanism has enough leeway in it that it can focus onto the plane of the sensor even if it is off by a small amount. Anyway, no matter. Replacing the whole gimbal is $500 canadian. The lens housing, lens, and AF motor was about $15 shipped. So this is worth trying.

Anyway, first step is getting the two separated without breaking the CCD board. @TruGreen ... Thanks for the observation. I will send edge-on photos when I get home.

 

[maria_kabaguma]

Last year there were problems with 2s that the dji didn’t make the software to pair gimbal with the drone itself. After I disassembled it, disconnecting some wires on the motherboard lead to ‘gimbal stuck’ error that was not possible to fix in unofficial drone service. So shipped it to dji and got a new one instead of them fixing the error.

 

[Andrew L]

Last year there were problems with 2s that the dji didn’t make the software to pair gimbal with the drone itself. After I disassembled it, disconnecting some wires on the motherboard lead to ‘gimbal stuck’ error that was not possible to fix in unofficial drone service. So shipped it to dji and got a new one instead of them fixing the error.

Thank you for your experience. However, I am not having gimbal issues of any sort - just autofocus issues. And I am not interested in engaging dji support (I'm positive they would just tell me to replace the whole gimbal anyway)

 

[Andrew L]

@TruGreen - here are the edge-on pictures you were asking for. In all of these shots, the original lens module is on the right (with the CCD board still affixed), and the new lens module (without a CCD board) is on the left.

I don't think I see any screws related to the connection between the CCD board and the lens module.

 

[Andrew L]

Crickets from the forum... well, I'm going to go with the assumption that the CCD board is glued to the lens housing. Will try a careful application of heat from a heat gun and will see if I can separate them.

 

[retiredNH]

Crickets from the forum... well, I'm going to go with the assumption that the CCD board is glued to the lens housing. Will try a careful application of heat from a heat gun and will see if I can separate them.

Crickets? Probably because the rest of us would just send the drone in for a proper professional repair/replacement, rather than spend hours trying to save a few bucks and probably destroying the sensor in the process.

 

[Andrew L]

You know, that was not a very nice reply. That being said, I'll accept your point that my "crickets" comment was a bit passive-aggressive. I should have found a different way to ping the forum for a final (and I won't ask again, don't worry) answer on this question.

The rest of your post, though, is uncalled for. I'm not sure how this particular concept is difficult to understand: we all know that if I send the drone in for repair, they are just going to tell me to replace the whole gimbal assembly. That is not in question.

Now given that, what is the harm in trying to fix this item, and, if successful, save $350USD? I'm only out 10-15 dollars with the part that I purchased.

And if I am able to fix this, I can document it and help out others... help them to self-repair and reduce waste (because if I have to replace the whole gimbal, it will mean replacing a whole bunch of stuff which is working just fine).

 

[mobilehomer]

You know, that was not a very nice reply. That being said, I'll accept your point that my "crickets" comment was a bit passive-aggressive. I should have found a different way to ping the forum for a final (and I won't ask again, don't worry) answer on this question.

The rest of your post, though, is uncalled for. I'm not sure how this particular concept is difficult to understand: we all know that if I send the drone in for repair, they are just going to tell me to replace the whole gimbal assembly. That is not in question.

Now given that, what is the harm in trying to fix this item, and, if successful, save $350USD? I'm only out 10-15 dollars with the part that I purchased.

And if I am able to fix this, I can document it and help out others... help them to self-repair and reduce waste (because if I have to replace the whole gimbal, it will mean replacing a whole bunch of stuff which is working just fine).

You have received several good replies. The BEST answer, is to let DJI repair it. It might be under warranty. Did you even check? PLUS, if you send it to them, they will probably send you a new drone for the cost of the repair. You MIGHT save $350, or completely screw it up. Then you will need a lot more than a $350 repair. I like to tinker and fix stuff, but there are times to let the pros handle things. This is one of those times.

 

[Andrew L]

I did check.

There is no way this drone will be covered.

It was underwater for nearly 2 weeks. I haven't subscribed to any care/refresh program. There is nothing I will be getting from DJI in compensation. You know that, I know that. I've spent 3 months carefully cleaning and repairing every single part, and the drone works, flies beautifully, avoids obstacles, has lock, functions. All that is left is a tiny little autofocus motor and I'm 95% of the way to fixing that.

Do you think I would try a repair on my own if I thought it was covered under warranty?

since I knew that it wasn't going to be covered, I bought a replacement unit and I want this original unit as my backup.

Is that clear enough? I just asked a simple original question: does anyone know how these 2 parts are attached? When I got advice about sending it in, I politely answered in an earlier reply that I wasn't looking for advice about sending it in. I mean, I even clearly stated in my original post that I was not looking for send-it-away service advice.

Then later on I mentioned crickets. Instead, I should have asked "one more try... anyone ever tried to take these two bits apart?" and then if no response, just go away. Again, I should not have mentioned crickets. That's on me.

 

[retiredNH]

You know, that was not a very nice reply. That being said, I'll accept your point that my "crickets" comment was a bit passive-aggressive. I should have found a different way to ping the forum for a final (and I won't ask again, don't worry) answer on this question.

If you had just done a final "anyone??) post, which is a polite way of bumping a post, I would not have said anything. Instead, you make what I took to be an insult. If it wasn't intended to be insulting, then my apology.

OTOH, Andrew L gave you good advice. Don't assume what DJI will do.

BTW, if your drone flies, except for the camera/gimbal assembly, then you have a backup for any failure except a gimbal one, don't you???

 

[Andrew L]

Agreed, of course. "Anyone" would have been better than my crickets comment. I will strive to do better in the future.

As noted above, I did call an authorized DJI repair shop. I explained my situation. When I told them I had revived a lost-in-the-water drone, they immediately started on about how they probably couldn't repair anything. I kept talking to them, however, explaining that all I wanted was to replace the camera module itself, and not the whole gimbal, because the gimbal was working fine. They stated that they could not and would not replace just the camera. It was complete gimbal, or nothing. So I turned to the web, and I found the camera module for $10USD. So... why not give it a shot? If I screwed it up, that's not much lost $$ on top of the cost of a whole gimbal.

To answer your other question, yes... I could have chosen to keep the original body as a backup. However, what I'm aiming for is to have a fully functioning complete backup drone that I can carry around in the field or on trips (without battery, it is probably only about 400 grams). It is much preferable to have an entire functioning unit than to have to bring jeweler's tools around and a magnifying glass to do a gimbal swap in the field.

Also, this all is a way to make the most out of my disastrous and stupid crash into my friend's sailboat that started this [unwanted] repair odyssey in the first place.

 

[Andrew L]

I am happy to give good news on this little project. I was able to separate the CCD/Sensor board from the lens module with the bad autofocus motor. I borrowed a friend's heat gun and I slowly heated the assembly up while I held it in a vice, applying upward pressure along one edge of the CCD/Sensor board.



It took 4 or 5 attempts, but eventually a thin line appeared and grew as I applied pressure, and not long after, the two pieces popped apart. It was indeed glue that was holding the two together:



The old lens module is on the right, and the new lens module is on the left. You can see the glue residue around the top edge of the old lens module. The CCD/Sensor board is in the middle, with the sensor visible.

I had some old DSLR cleaning swipes and fluid handy, so I cleaned off the sensor (it received a little bit of dirt from the prying off process).

Next it was time to affix the CCD/Sensor onto the new (left hand) lens module. I dry-fitted the CCD/Sensor onto the new lens module, and it was surprisingly easy to fit completely flush onto the lens and with exactly the same orientation and positioning (it turns out there are some little guide edges and what-not molded into the plastic of both the CCD/Sensor board and the lens module. I then applied some beads of super glue to the new lens module and glued the CCD/Sensor board to the new lens module. Here's a shot of the CCD/Sensor board attached to the new lens module:



Then I attached the ribbon cable from the new lens module onto the connector on the CCD/Sensor board, re-installed the camera assembly back into the gimbal, and..... Success! Autofocus works perfectly again. Below is a picture from the drone (looking down onto the new replacement Air 2S service unit that I purchased). Note the nice focus onto the microfibre green cloth texture:



So, if anyone else is out there and encounters this sort of situation where the lens itself is broken (cracked or otherwised damaged, like for me with the autofocus motor), know that it is possible to replace just that part.

Here's where I ordered it from: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004584521351.html

Also for future reference if that link goes away... I have a spare module that I ordered (I mean, it was so cheap). I see that the site says this part is discounted 90%, so that really good price may go away at some point.

 

[mobilehomer]

Congratulations!! I am so glad it worked for you. You done good.

 

[benniep9721]

I am happy to give good news on this little project. I was able to separate the CCD/Sensor board from the lens module with the bad autofocus motor. I borrowed a friend's heat gun and I slowly heated the assembly up while I held it in a vice, applying upward pressure along one edge of the CCD/Sensor board.

View attachment 159915

It took 4 or 5 attempts, but eventually a thin line appeared and grew as I applied pressure, and not long after, the two pieces popped apart. It was indeed glue that was holding the two together:

View attachment 159913

The old lens module is on the right, and the new lens module is on the left. You can see the glue residue around the top edge of the old lens module. The CCD/Sensor board is in the middle, with the sensor visible.

I had some old DSLR cleaning swipes and fluid handy, so I cleaned off the sensor (it received a little bit of dirt from the prying off process).

Next it was time to affix the CCD/Sensor onto the new (left hand) lens module. I dry-fitted the CCD/Sensor onto the new lens module, and it was surprisingly easy to fit completely flush onto the lens and with exactly the same orientation and positioning (it turns out there are some little guide edges and what-not molded into the plastic of both the CCD/Sensor board and the lens module. I then applied some beads of super glue to the new lens module and glued the CCD/Sensor board to the new lens module. Here's a shot of the CCD/Sensor board attached to the new lens module:

View attachment 159916

Then I attached the ribbon cable from the new lens module onto the connector on the CCD/Sensor board, re-installed the camera assembly back into the gimbal, and..... Success! Autofocus works perfectly again. Below is a picture from the drone (looking down onto the new replacement Air 2S service unit that I purchased). Note the nice focus onto the microfibre green cloth texture:

View attachment 159914

So, if anyone else is out there and encounters this sort of situation where the lens itself is broken (cracked or otherwised damaged, like for me with the autofocus motor), know that it is possible to replace just that part.

Here's where I ordered it from: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004584521351.html

Also for future reference if that link goes away... I have a spare module that I ordered (I mean, it was so cheap). I see that the site says this part is discounted 90%, so that really good price may go away at some point.

Hi Andrew,
Do you still by any chance have the spare unit have exactly the same autofocus issue and in South Africa it's a really expensive repair, would purchase it from you no issues and cover postage as well?
Regards
Bennie

 

[corwest]

Hate to bring up the old thread but did you run into any serial number mismatch errors after the swap or is that info stored on the CCD board and not the lens module?