Canon Rebel XTI that will not power on. Completely Dead!

[testdepth]

Canon Rebel XTI just quit working.  Nothing comes on at all!  No lights no nothing.  I have 2 fully charged batteries and tried both with no joy.  I put in a new clock battery and still nothing.  I removed the lens and the flash card and nothing comes on.  I have done the hard reset and still nothing comes on.  This camera was not dropped and just quit by itself.  I have cleaned all contacts as well and checked the flash card switch and battery door switch.  DEAD!

Doesn't anyone make anything that lasts anymore?  This is not a cheap camera and it SHOULD NOT stop working all on its own and if it does CANON should fix it for free.

I think I have tried all of the fixes I can find on Google.  If anyone here knows of a fix I didn't try then please let me know.

I thought CANON was a quality company.

[RobertTheFat]

When did you buy it? I think you'll find that it's out of warranty by now. I assume you knew what the warranty was when you bought the camera. My wife and I bought our XTi's in the fall of 2006. (They still worked, the last time I looked.) The XSi came out within a year or so, so your camera must be at least six years old. When did you last send it in for cleaning and inspection?

Or did you buy it used? In that case, how do you know what may have happened to shorten its useful life before you got it?

It's good to have high expectations for the products you buy, but yours strike me as possibly a bit over the top.

[Mykolas]

Hi testdepth!

Thank you for posting about this.

It appears you have checked what I would recommend you to check in order to resolve the issue.  The camera would need to be repaired, but it is no longer in service life, so our Factory Service Centers are unable to repair the camera.  Instead, you can participate in the Canon Loyalty Program.

The Canon Loyalty Program option allows you to replace your current camera for a discounted fee.  The original non-functioning camera would then be returned to Canon USA for recycling using a prepaid shipping label that would be provided.  If you would like to take part in this option, please call our Sales Department at (800) OK CANON (800-652-2666) seven days a week, 8am to Midnight.  Let them know you have been working with online technical support and the Canon Loyalty Program was offered.  Be sure to have your serial number for your camera at the time of your call.

[testdepth · Accepted solution]

Here is why my Canon camera died.  There was a loose piece I could hear rattling around inside the camera body so I disassembled the body in order to open the body and see what fell out.  When I opened the bottom of the body a small silver screw fell out of the body.  Apparently this happens to be a problem with this model and maybe others.  A screw from the motherboard backs itself out and rolls around inside the camera body shorting out the DC/DC power board and blowing the fuse labeled "P" on the power board. When I placed a meter across this fuse it reads infinity instead of a normal dead short.

How does a screw located inside of a camera body unscrew itself.  This is not a software issue or a failed electronics issue and this camera would still be working rihgt now if the screw had not backed out and shorted out my camera.  Canon's answer is of course that they no longer service this camera.

[ebiggs1]

"How does a screw located inside of a camera body unscrew itself."

Not only that, why wasn't the fuse able to protect the MB?

But you must realize cameras are electronic devices and the XTi is nearing ten years of age.  It is in the Rebel, or consumer line of cameras.  And here the goal is to provode a product at a competetive price.

Why did a screw fall out or unscrew itself?  Who knows but look at the thousands upon thousands of XTi's that are still shooting away.

To Canon's credit, they don't have to or are not obligated to offer you anything for a non-working camera.  But they do.

[Fightmaster]

I have and XT and I also had a small silver screw fall out. Thanks for the info, Now I can try and find where that fuse is.

[RobertTheFat]

---

@testdepth wrote:

Here is why my Canon camera died.  There was a loose piece I could hear rattling around inside the camera body so I disassembled the body in order to open the body and see what fell out.  When I opened the bottom of the body a small silver screw fell out of the body.  Apparently this happens to be a problem with this model and maybe others.  A screw from the motherboard backs itself out and rolls around inside the camera body shorting out the DC/DC power board and blowing the fuse labeled "P" on the power board. When I placed a meter across this fuse it reads infinity instead of a normal dead short.

How does a screw located inside of a camera body unscrew itself.  This is not a software issue or a failed electronics issue and this camera would still be working rihgt now if the screw had not backed out and shorted out my camera.  Canon's answer is of course that they no longer service this camera.

---

It sounds as though you have two options:

1)  Admit that it's time for an upgrade and take advantage of Canon's "Loyalty Program" to get a new camera at a good price. The XTi was a pretty decent camera in its day (my wife and I each had one), but more recent Rebels are far better. My wife's current camera, a T2i, is a major improvement, and there have been several new models since.

2)  Since you're obviously not a newbie, try to do the repair yourself. Look around for an XTi that still turns on, but has a cracked sensor, worn-out shutter, or other fatal flaw (such a camera should be available for a pittance), and re-use its power board. You have nothing to lose but a few hours of your time.

[DPEFILMS]

IM HAVING A PROBLEM WITH A DIFFERENT CAMERA BUT THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION MAY BE THE SAME... I DO HAVE A REBEL XTI BUT THATS NOT MY ISSUE

MY ISSUE IS WITH THE CANON 70D AND I WATCHED A VIDEO WHERE THEY HAD THE CANON 7D AND THE GUY TOOK THE CAMERA APART AND FOUND THE SCREW, HE PUT THE SCREW BACK INTO THE PC BOARD. HE RE-ASSEMBLED THE CAMERA. AND THE CAMERA TURNED ON IMMEDIATELY DURING THE VIDEO. 

WHEN I SHAKE MY CAMERA I THINK IM HEARING SOMETHING RATTLE INSIDE THE CAMERA, IT COULD BE THE SAME ISSUE. HOPEFULLY THE PC BOARD HAS NOT BEEN DAMAGED BECAUSE OF THIS AND MY SOLUTION WILL BE SIMPLE

THE ISSUE I HAVE IS KNOWING HOW TO TAKE APART MY CAMERA AND BUYING THE CORRECT SMALL SCREW DRIVER TO TAKE IT APART. IT IS TINY. 

MY OTHER OPTION WOULD BE TO TAKE IT TO CANON, THAT WOULD BE WHAT THEY WANT! THEY MAKE MONEY OFF THE REPAIR... BUT IF THIS IS A COMMON OR KNOWN ISSUE BY CANON, THEY SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM FOR FREE BECAUSE THIS PROBLEM AND MY PROBLEM IS NOT ISOLATED.

[testdepth]

If you have a Radio Shack near you then they should have a small screw driver set typically used for tearing down computers.  If not then Walmart should have it.  Taking this camera apart is not for the non technically minded due to all of the little screws, ribbon cables and small connectors involved.  If your board is fried then you'll also need to know how to solder small components.  You may need a magnifying glass as well.  You will need to take lots of pictures of the disassembly.  I could only find one YOUTUBE video that showed a tear down for a similar camera. 

[goosemaster]

Hello,

This thread is quite old, so this might be a long shot, but...

I have the same issue on the Rebel Xti that I was given.

The compact flash card release was also broken, but I'm fairly certain after reading your posts that the loose motherboard screw is the culprit.

I've set the screw back in place, but the camera refuses to turn on.

So, that "P" fuse must have blown. However, I'm a little lost on where exactly this fuse is found on the mobo! Is it hidden under the metal plates soldered onto the mobo?

Please help!

Thanks!!