Broken autofocus

[Kreng]

I have owned a Powershot A2000 IS for several years. It is a simple, inexpensive camera but I like it and it has always worked well for me. Recently the autofocus stopped working so all photos are unfocused. When I press the autofocus button, I can hear a faint whirring/rasping sound that indicates it is trying to focus. I assume something has broken or become disconnected. These cameras are available second-hand for very little money, but I would like to try to fix mine if possible. Can anyone direct me to any information or tips that might be helpful for this? I am fairly handy and the camera is easy to disassemble, I'm just not sure what I should be looking for. Thanks for any help.

[Waddizzle]

Your biggest problem will be getting spare parts, if you need them.  Your best source for spare parts will most likely be a used camera.  But, if you buy a used camera, then you might as well use that one, and let your current camera become spare parts.

You are the first person I have ever heard say that a compact camera is easy to disassemble. 

[Kreng]

Thanks for the reply. So far disassembly has been straightforward but I stopped after removing the innards to see if I could find out more. I'm not sure exactly where to look for the problem. There is a little motor in the camera and I don't know what is in the lens. Obviously that has a different motor to extend it, and that works fine so the autofocus is somewhere else, just not sure where. 

I am good at fabricating bits and pieces so not too worried about spare parts if I can get to the actual problem. If I kill something, or just can't fix it, I can always buy a $35 replacement. I just want to see how far I can get with it first. Hopefully there are experts here who have been there.

[Waddizzle]

"Hopefully there are experts here who have been there." 

Give it a week for all of the photo heads to weigh in.  It is a good thing you stopped disassembling the lens where you did.  In most cases, I am told that you can get so far, and then suddenly the entire lens assembly just collapses like a house of cards.

[smack53]

I had a Nikon CoolPix that I took apart for the same reason, only I did not stop until I had the lens come completely apart. Never did get it back together again. You will need some special tools to make sure the lens stays aligned properly or else the focus motor won't be able to work correctly. Better left to the guys with the right tools.

Steve M.

[Kreng]

Yeah that is the conclusion I have also come to. I thought it might be fun to try just to see if I could. These cameras are so cheap second-hand that it is not worth trying to have it fixed.