2 fuji ga645zi: lcd problem and shutter not firing

giaphoto · May 5, 2014

I have two fuji GA645zi that have started to show problems.
My third camera is still ok but showing problems as well(light not working).
I would like to fix them or have them fixed by someone (I am in Europe)

camera 1
The problem is the flex cable at the hinge that is getting cut.
I have lost almost all digits and the camera is not working as it should. The ribbon is cut and the camera can't understand if the door is opened or closed because the contacts switch at the back of the door are cut.
I can't find a cable with the right pitch 0.9mm to bypass the ribbon. I have some experience in repairing but as far as I am aware FUJI does not sell spare parts.

camera 2
The shutter is not firing. The camera focuses the first time the battery are inserted and fires but the leaf shutter does not open.
What could it be?How could I fix it?

Can these be fixed for a reasonable amount of money?
Any ideas or advises on how to fix them?
I have a third one that is working ok but don't know for how long.
Any help, suggestion is appreciated.

p.s For someone out there openin a camera is not a game!!Always discharge the capacitor that can be fatal or don't attempt to open, it's not a game!!

John Koehrer · May 6, 2014

What about jumping the broken section?
Using ~30 gauge wire or if you can find a flexible circuit with the correct number of lands. Maybe from a P&S.
Jumping these things can be a bit tedious but is certainly possible.
Using an X-Acto knife or razor blade scrape the plastic away and solder or try using conductive glue.
I said it was tedious didn't I? Especially the scraping part.

Richard S. (rich815) · May 6, 2014

I have one of these and a GA645. Frank Marshman, who works on these (he fixed an LCD issue on my GA645), says the big weakness in the GA645zi is that ribbon cable and the poor design of it being worn over time by simply opening and closing the camera back door. He says there's no replacement parts and once that goes the camera is shot.

giaphoto · May 9, 2014

Richard Sintchak (rich815) said:
I have one of these and a GA645. Frank Marshman, who works on these (he fixed an LCD issue on my GA645), says the big weakness in the GA645zi is that ribbon cable and the poor design of it being worn over time by simply opening and closing the camera back door. He says there's no replacement parts and once that goes the camera is shot.

Indeed the edge where the ribbon cable goes is quite sharp and this is an issue I've been reading here for a while.
Thanks anyone for advises, I just remembered I sent a mail to Frank Marshman in the past about this issue and indeed there are no replacements.
I'll try to bridge the gap somehow but the pitch there is too tiny to solder for my skills.
I'll ask him about the stuck shutter camera but sending to usa and getting it back would probably cost me too much.

I've seen there are companies in Usa creating PCB circuits from CAD pinouts (the same ribbons used in cellphones) but have no idea how much that would cost.

It's a pity to leave home such a good camera (we just met LOL) for hiking that has the power to slow me down from a digital shoot shoot shoot overdose
(omd-em5+ manual glass is rather amazing in these regard though)

Zvargulis · Jun 10, 2014

@giaphoto Any success with this camera mate? i am an electronic technician by trade and have tools and equipment to fix these sort of problems.
I have just bought a faulty GA645Zi, i did no research first and thought i could deal with the problem of no LCD but i think i am sharing the same problem of the camera thinking the back door is open as it does not auto wind on the next frame, though if i turn the wheel it advances the next frame. (it was sold advertising that the you have to manually wind on the next frame.)

I am wondering if you have opened the camera up at all to inspect and taken any photos? the batteries are now dead in this camera and i am reluctant to open her up tonight as i want to do more testing first.

I think we can beat this camera, there are far to many people just tossing them away. And i will be travelling the world for the next 6 months and really want this camera to be my everyday worker.

munz6869 · Jun 10, 2014

I watch with keen interest. My zi simply has a fading rear LCD, so much so that I dare not use any other ISO film than 100, because I just won't know whether I've set it or not...

Marc!

TomNY · Jun 10, 2014

munz6869 said:
I watch with keen interest. My zi simply has a fading rear LCD, so much so that I dare not use any other ISO film than 100, because I just won't know whether I've set it or not...

Marc!

My LCD went finally went completely about 2 years ago. I had bought a well used ZI in 2003 and the LCD starting having problems after just a year or two. If you turn the dial counterclockwise a few turns you end up at max ISO of 1600, then each click clockwise is 1250, 1000, 800, 640, 500, 400, 320, 250, 200, 160, 125, 100, 80, 64, 50, 40, 32, 25, auto. Also EV comp is reset when the camera is turned off so that can be set by single clicks when powered up. A little inconvenient, but it's given an extended life to the camera. It has served me well. Last year I picked up a 690II, no LCD, no batteries and big beautiful negatives, though it takes up a lot more room in a backpack.

Pioneer · Jun 10, 2014

They are certainly wonderful cameras and great fun while they last, but the cost of convenience is a lot of potential failure points. Some can be recovered from, others cannot.

Zvargulis · Jun 13, 2014

Little update,

I disassembled the camera enough to be able to inspect the ribbon cable.

Unfortunately the way fuji had decided to route this ribbon forces a couple sharp bends on a not so flexible cable. Causing a lot of stress on this very important cable, especially when the film door completely open.

I would recommend anyone with a working GA645Zi to try and avoid allowing the door to open all the way. Maybe try to load film resting the camera between your legs allowing the door to only open 90 degrees (or something like this). This will surely postpone cracking the ribbon and extending the life of your camera.

Below is a photo of the damage done to my ribbon, it is completely split in two.

I will be doing some research for techniques in repairing/ joining this sort of ribbon but i don't believe it is going to work as extra length on this ribbon is key.
To make the camera usable I am planning on identifying which contacts on the ribbon are connected to the door switch, and do what i can to connect the door switch back into the computer. So at least the camera will not think that the door is always open and can auto advance the film through the camera.

I have two weeks left in the country, I doubt I will be taking this camera on holidays with me....

Zvargulis · Jun 13, 2014

also 10 points to me for showing off my chromatic aberration skills.... clearly intentional haha.

jmcaimi · May 27, 2020

Very old post, but I try. Has anyone found the way to trick the back sensor, so the camera thinks the door is always closed (and advances the film after the photo is taken)? Is this a possible workaround to the broken ribbon? thanks.

campy51 · May 27, 2020

Just a thought, I fix copiers and they use ribbon cables quite a bit and I am wondering if one can be used on the Fuji. Is there a picture of the cable I could see?

Alexander Campos · Oct 18, 2020

jmcaimi said:
Very old post, but I try. Has anyone found the way to trick the back sensor, so the camera thinks the door is always closed (and advances the film after the photo is taken)? Is this a possible workaround to the broken ribbon? thanks.

@jmcaimi did you ever figure out how to trick the door sensor? i also have this same problem

FOTOTECH Poland · Nov 7, 2020

Check first photo, it shows which paths are responsible for rear cover microswitch.
We can replace flex for new one.

Randy Stewart · Nov 22, 2020

For those with the infamous GA645Zi cable break/LCD loss issue: Go on YouTube and do a search for this topic. There is a recent video posted by a repair company in Finland which offers to do the repair by replacing the cable with a new one. They remove all of the components on the old cable to the replacement cable. The video covers the entire process from initial disassembly of the camera to extract the defective cable though repair process and camera re assembly, in about 90 minutes. They offer to sell the replacement parts for DIY for $100 or will do the full repair for $270. (That may have been euros rather than dollars.) After watching the procedure and checking their website, I'd gladly pay to have them do the whole job. No idea where they come up with the replacement cable; I assume they make it themselves since they do not seem to have a shortage.

FOTOTECH Poland · Nov 23, 2020

Randy Stewart said:
For those with the infamous GA645Zi cable break/LCD loss issue: Go on YouTube and do a search for this topic. There is a recent video posted by a repair company in Finland which offers to do the repair by replacing the cable with a new one. They remove all of the components on the old cable to the replacement cable. The video covers the entire process from initial disassembly of the camera to extract the defective cable though repair process and camera re assembly, in about 90 minutes. They offer to sell the replacement parts for DIY for $100 or will do the full repair for $270. (That may have been euros rather than dollars.) After watching the procedure and checking their website, I'd gladly pay to have them do the whole job. No idea where they come up with the replacement cable; I assume they make it themselves since they do not seem to have a shortage.

Thanks for recommendation, but we are from Poland, not Finland ;-)
Youtube video you saw is ours. We do not have shortage of flex cable because we remanufactured them.

cptrios · Feb 10, 2021

Thought I might piggyback on this thread...

My question is: how useable are these cameras if the rear LCD is shot? I see a lot of cheapish ones pop up with that particular problem.

Alexander Campos · Feb 10, 2021

cptrios said:
Thought I might piggyback on this thread...

My question is: how useable are these cameras if the rear LCD is shot? I see a lot of cheapish ones pop up with that particular problem.

I think that might be a case by case basis but for me, the camera itself is perfectly fine. The knob still advances the film so it took a couple of rolls but I figured out how to advance the camera manually. I load the camera and then advance it 22 clicks. shots 1-8 = 4 clicks. shots 9-16 = 3 clicks (this is because there is a drift and the gap between shots gets bigger and bigger). The only other thing that sucks is that my camera is stuck 100 iso. Not a big deal since you can set the exposure compensation. But once you turn off the camera it resets it back to 100. Also means I can never shoot Delta 3200. Kind of a hassle, but better than nothing. This is my all-time film camera and one day I may get this fixed but for now, it works

fuji #1 · Feb 13, 2021

Alexander Campos said:
I think that might be a case by case basis but for me, the camera itself is perfectly fine. The knob still advances the film so it took a couple of rolls but I figured out how to advance the camera manually. I load the camera and then advance it 22 clicks. shots 1-8 = 4 clicks. shots 9-16 = 3 clicks (this is because there is a drift and the gap between shots gets bigger and bigger). The only other thing that sucks is that my camera is stuck 100 iso. Not a big deal since you can set the exposure compensation. But once you turn off the camera it resets it back to 100. Also means I can never shoot Delta 3200. Kind of a hassle, but better than nothing. This is my all-time film camera and one day I may get this fixed but for now, it works

Wow this manual advance info is so helpful. I just got mine in the mail and it has the same sheared ribbon cable.
Looks like I can use it just like you described except for that fact that I do not know what the ISO is stuck at.
Given the same symptoms as your camera, do you happen to know how can I find that out?
I also thought about resetting it, but I did not find a reset procedure in the user's manual.

fabulousrice · Feb 19, 2021

giaphoto said:
I have two fuji GA645zi that have started to show problems.
My third camera is still ok but showing problems as well(light not working).
I would like to fix them or have them fixed by someone (I am in Europe)

camera 1
The problem is the flex cable at the hinge that is getting cut.
I have lost almost all digits and the camera is not working as it should. The ribbon is cut and the camera can't understand if the door is opened or closed because the contacts switch at the back of the door are cut.
I can't find a cable with the right pitch 0.9mm to bypass the ribbon. I have some experience in repairing but as far as I am aware FUJI does not sell spare parts.

camera 2
The shutter is not firing. The camera focuses the first time the battery are inserted and fires but the leaf shutter does not open.
What could it be?How could I fix it?

Can these be fixed for a reasonable amount of money?
Any ideas or advises on how to fix them?
I have a third one that is working ok but don't know for how long.
Any help, suggestion is appreciated.

p.s For someone out there openin a camera is not a game!!Always discharge the capacitor that can be fatal or don't attempt to open, it's not a game!!

I've heard there's plenty of shops that repair it if you're willing to go to Japan.
Some might do it from a distance if you ship the cameras but I haven't found one yet.
Using the zi models today is a bit of a risk given their age and how fragile the backdoor computer is. The "non-zi" models do not have this issue.
Mine worked for a total of 6 months before the back screen went blank. Still fires and zooms fine, but I have to advance the film with the advance knob each time. Fun for double exposures, but a bit of a waste - I could do double exposures with a Zeiss... Still, a good camera for street photography in case you can get it to fire.

Alexander Campos · Feb 21, 2021

fuji #1 said:
Wow this manual advance info is so helpful. I just got mine in the mail and it has the same sheared ribbon cable.
Looks like I can use it just like you described except for that fact that I do not know what the ISO is stuck at.
Given the same symptoms as your camera, do you happen to know how can I find that out?
I also thought about resetting it, but I did not find a reset procedure in the user's manual.

Fortunately mine is just damaged so it reads "100" on the back and that's how I know it's 100iso. If you do a half-press it should give you a light meter reading in the eyepiece. You can find another camera that does work and compare lightmeter reading till they match. Or if you want to really test it out you can pick an iso (say 400 because it's the most common) and then adjust the exposure compensation and bracket the shit out of the shot till you can figure out which one it is. If your display is really broken you wont be able to see the reading for the exposure compensation. Here's how it works: Make sure the camera is NOT in the off position. P will work fine. If you are looking down on the camera hold down the button in the upper right corner and click spin the wheel in the bottom right corner of the camera. Clockwise = +.5 spot. Counterclockwise = -.5 stop. The camera will do a +- 3stop compensation. If you get lost as to what stop you're on just move it to the OFF position and it resets back to 0.

Good Luck

fuji #1 · Apr 23, 2021

Alexander Campos said:
Fortunately mine is just damaged so it reads "100" on the back and that's how I know it's 100iso. If you do a half-press it should give you a light meter reading in the eyepiece. You can find another camera that does work and compare lightmeter reading till they match. Or if you want to really test it out you can pick an iso (say 400 because it's the most common) and then adjust the exposure compensation and bracket the shit out of the shot till you can figure out which one it is. If your display is really broken you wont be able to see the reading for the exposure compensation. Here's how it works: Make sure the camera is NOT in the off position. P will work fine. If you are looking down on the camera hold down the button in the upper right corner and click spin the wheel in the bottom right corner of the camera. Clockwise = +.5 spot. Counterclockwise = -.5 stop. The camera will do a +- 3stop compensation. If you get lost as to what stop you're on just move it to the OFF position and it resets back to 0.

Good Luck

Haha thanks! I realized that I can just test the meter reading against another camera to figure out the ISO right after I posted. It was indeed stuck on 100.
And yea my display is completely broken and unfortunately the dial is inaccurate as well. So I cannot rely on the dial physical movement to change settings or wind films.
I think the best course of action for me is to store the camera until I can find a shop to fix the flex cable or at least clean the circuit underneath the dial for accurate winding.
Would welcome any suggestions regarding the cleaning or other methods to keep using the camera though!

FOTOTECH Poland · Apr 23, 2021

fuji #1 said:
Haha thanks! I realized that I can just test the meter reading against another camera to figure out the ISO right after I posted. It was indeed stuck on 100.
And yea my display is completely broken and unfortunately the dial is inaccurate as well. So I cannot rely on the dial physical movement to change settings or wind films.
I think the best course of action for me is to store the camera until I can find a shop to fix the flex cable or at least clean the circuit underneath the dial for accurate winding.
Would welcome any suggestions regarding the cleaning or other methods to keep using the camera though!

A lot or Zi from US repaired during last months. You can check us on FB or IG fototech_serwis

AgX · Apr 23, 2021

Zvargulis said:
I disassembled the camera enough to be able to inspect the ribbon cable.

It is no ribbon cable, as such is a flat cable consisting of several isolated strands molded together and which easily can be parted.

Instead it is a foil with "printed on" tracks similar to printed circuit board. By this a circuit can be established on the foil or any spread of path of tracks, which cannot be achieved by ribbon cable, which is just straight wiring.
Common term is flexible printed circuit or flexboard.

wjlapier · Jul 15, 2021

FOTOTECH Poland said:
A lot or Zi from US repaired during last months. You can check us on FB or IG fototech_serwis

Just received my GA645Zi back from FOTOTECH. I purchased the camera here knowing the LCD was fading. Sent it off to Poland and about a month later the camera is back!

2 fuji ga645zi: lcd problem and shutter not firing

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