M9 lcd has 'slipped'

[Rupert Greenwell]

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I have not used my M9 for several months, it has been kept in it's original box. Today I got it out to use and noticed that the lcd screen had twisted or slipped. It was out of line with the rest of the back of the camera. Most odd.

It was not loose and would not move up or down when I put a bit of pressure on it. I inserted a battery and the usual card . The top line of the menu is partially obscured. The rangefinder seems fine. I took some photos and put them onto the laptop. All well and  focus is spot on . I put  the card back into the camera and formatted it  but  I got 'no card' message. I tried replacing the card a couple of times with  no luck. I put in another similar card and all was well. Tried the original card again and no luck.

I started to search this forum for any details of the lcd moving and came across all the 'no card' posts. Oh dear my camera is on the way out.

I have a M9 Monochrom and it's screen is absolutely straight. I can't think how or why the screen on my M9 has moved since I last used it.I can only think that it may be glued into place and at some stage has come unstuck before hardening again if that is at all possible. 

[pgk]

Can you post a photo?

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[Rupert Greenwell]

Sorry. I don't know how to post a photo on this forum but the screen is out by quite a bit. It hasn't been knocked at all. I have put pressure on the screen and it will not budge. All quite odd. The camera was bought second hand by me  with a new sensor but it was not in a tidy condition. It has always worked well though and has been looked after by myself. It has never got wet or been put away damp or been in a hot environment. 

[mujk]

If I understand your description correctly, it is the actual lcd screen that has moved from the correct position, not the lcd cover glass? If so, it seems to be the the glue or other mechanism used to hold the lcd screen in place that has failed. Fixing it may be quire simple, but it requires that the camera is disassembled so that the back cover part can be removed (the screen assembly is attached to the back cover). Unfortunately, disassembly includes removal (and in practice replacement) of the body cover leatherette, so the camera will need to go to Leica for this operation.

[Rupert Greenwell]

Yes the lcd screen has moved. What is strange is that having moved it is stuck fast. The camera has been stored in it's original box and I have kept it in a cupboard in my house. 

During storage over the last 6 months or so the lcd has slipped, The camera has started to show the 'no card ' sign which I believe from reading posts on this forum is a problem with the main circuit board. I expect that considering the age of the camera a repair by Leica will be uneconomic.

 

[mujk]

If you are interested to see how the M9 looks at the inside, here is a video from the final assembly phase:

However, the back cover comes preassembled so you cannot see how the lcd is actually attached.

Problems with SD card recognition can of course also be caused by faulty cards or dirty contacts, but you have probably already checked those. I think it should be possible to ask Leica for a cost estimate before deciding to send the camera in.

 

[Rupert Greenwell]

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Thanks for the video. The only thing that I can add is that when I removed the camera from it's box and realised that the screen had slipped . I noticed that the screen had a substance that had been 'splashed' across it. This was very hard to remove with a cloth and my thumbnail . I wondered what it could have been. I checked the plastic bag and the interior of the box that the camera came in but all was well.

I bought the camera second hand with a new sensor but it is in a user condition. I will keep it as it is , I don't think that it is worth spending money on regarding it's age and condition. 

I just wondered if any one else had experienced a similar occurrence.

[mujk]

Hard to tell what the substance was. Maybe some glue? Perhaps there had been a screen protector at some point and this was the result of someone wiping of old glue residue? Or the result of someone cleaning the camera?

Do you know if the sensor was replaced by Leica or someone else? If it was by Leica then they would have replaced the body covering leatherette with a new one (possibly a bit different than the original one). But if someone else replaced the sensor, maybe they just removed the cover and glued the it back on? Possibly managed to splash some glue on the screen as well? This is a really wild guess, but maybe they cleaned the body with a solvent in the cover removal process and managed to get some solvent under the lcd cover glass affecting the lcd glue so that the lcd came loose?

[Rupert Greenwell]

The sensor was changed by Leica. I bought the camera about 3 years ago from a UK Leica dealer. Your theory about solvent somehow causing the screen to come unstuck is a good one. Something has reacted on the camera.

I use the M9  in fine weather and good light during the spring to autumn and then put it away for the winter.  I also have a M9 Monochrom which is in a much better condition which I use all year round. The screen on that is absolutely fine.