Canon IXUS 132 Lens Error repair attempt FAIL.

I got this camera from someone who had intended to have it thrown away as it is not working anymore.

It was on my desk for quite a while. This camera is a Canon IXUS 132 point and shoot, pretty low end by today's standard. The camera is failing for Lens Error upon power on and the lens will not retract. I thought i should give it a try to repair this camera and see if it is fixable. It does not seemed that difficult, but the problem is, I couldn't find video online on how to take the camera apart. I thought to myself, why don't i take this opportunity to record down the repair process while I figure out how to disassemble the camera. Maybe this info might be useful to someone out there.

And with a few simple tools, setup my video camera, pressed the record button and here goes:

if you are interested to get the tools that I have used, you can take a look here:

1. A small Philips screwdriver (about 1.5mm)(those small jewelers Philips head screwdriver will do just fine). I use one similar to this set or this set.

2. An angled tweezer. (get one from Aliexpress/Amazon)

3. Optional: Spudger. (get one from Aliexpress/Amazon)

Even though i have managed to open up the camera and pry open the Lens assembly, I still could not get it to work correctly. Something is not aligned somewhere within the lens assembly. I repeatedly open up the lens assembly for quite a few times and soon i discovered that I had accidently torn one of the flex cable connecting to what looks like an opto interrupter located within the lens assembly.

Since i have no intention of spending any extra $$$$ to get parts to fix this camera, i will be sending it to a recycling bin near me. Btw, replacement lens assembly are available online. You can have a look at it here: Aliexpress.

In the IXUS 132 lens assembly, you can find the CCD, the focusing motor and lens, the lens zoom motor, the zoom lens itself, the shutter and the lens cover.

Here's a few details pictures of the camera. Click on the picture to see a larger image.

IXUS 132 lens error message