Nikon Coolpix S1000pj Teardown

ID: 1176

Description: A while back we heard about the nifty Nikon...

Contents of the box include:
Separate instruction manuals/quick start guides in both English and Spanish. No instructions for you, French Canadians.
Battery Charger.
A/V and USB Cables.
Carrying Strap.
Nikon Software Suite Disk.
Nikon Remote, model ML-L4.
The remote even allows you to zoom and activate the shutter from a distance.

As engineers, we decided the first thing we should do is browse through the instruction manual...
We're glad Nikon is looking out for the well being of the average Joe, but "Take the Camera out of the Box"? Really?
Common sense FAIL.

The extremely simple yet nifty injection molded plastic stand tilts the camera back a few degrees to allow for projection on vertical surfaces.
The S1000pj sports a single lamp/single LCD panel projection system to view images in a dimly-lit room.
The image size can vary from approximately 5 to 40 inches.
According to the user manual specifications, the output resolution of the projector is VGA equivalent.

We here at iFixit strongly support the work the Rebel Alliance is doing to Restore the Republic and we fully stand behind their cause.
"Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."
It's a shame the S1000pj doesn't beep or whistle or stop garbage compactors from crushing future Jedi knights.

The dimensions of the camera are 99.5 x 62.5 x 23 mm (4 x 2.5 x 0.9 in), and it weighs in at approximately 155g (5.5 oz.) without the battery and SD memory card.
Hidden behind the lens cover in the upper right corner is the Nikkor 5X wide optical zoom VR 5.0-25.0 mm 1:3.9-5.8 lens.
The back panel houses the comparatively large 2.7-inch High Resolution Bright LCD.
The slider on the third picture (boxed in red) focuses images projected from the front of the camera.

Removing the rechargable lithium-ion battery.
The battery, model EN-EL12, is rated 1050 mAh at 3.7V making the power output 3.885 Wh.
Looks like Nikon rounds up.
The battery weighs approximately 22.5 g (0.8 oz) excluding the terminal cover.

We're glad we can trust our good'ol Phillips screwdriver to help us remove a few screws from the battery-chamber/memory card slot cover.
After a few pries with a plastic opening tool, the chromed plastic side cover simply pops off the camera body.

A few more screws secure the rear case to the body.
After prying around its perimeter, we lift the rear case off the body.
Surprisingly, both the front and rear outer cases are machined out of aluminum.
The button covers attach to the rear case while the electronic portion is attached to the metal shield next to the display.

The display is attached to the metal shield by several fingers that apply pressure between the shield and the edge of the display.
Flip back the ZIF cable lock and remove the display.
Use a plastic opening tool to pop the speaker assembly out of the metal shield.
The speaker pumps out some pretty fresh beats when the camera is in projector mode.

Remove a few screws around the perimeter of the open back of the camera.
After some (careful) prying, the top and right covers pop right off.
Interestingly, the controls along the top of the camera are attached to a board below the top cover. The top cover just houses the button covers.

Carefully lift the protective steel panel to reveal the logic board.
Use the tip of a spudger to flip back the ZIF cable lock to disconnect the control ribbon cable before removing the panel.

The camera module in all its glory.
Like most compact digital cameras with optical zoom that have no externally telescopic lenses, the S1000pj's internal zoom lenses move perpendicular to the front face.
The basic components include:
A few movable lenses.
CCD image sensor.
Optical zoom motor and feedback sensor to position the lenses.
Aperture and image stabilization modules.
Light has to travel through at least four glass lenses until it shines on the CCD sensor. What a journey.

We had to disconnect a few additional ZIF cables and remove some screws still securing the the logic board to the main chassis.
Disassembling this camera is not for the faint of heart -- Nikon definitely did not intend this device to be user serviceable.
We even had to de-solder a bunch of components including the camera cover actuator, projector LED, and flash bulb.

Here's an inside look at the projector assembly sans the protective cover.
Light for projecting images is supplied by a very powerful LED (shown in red) that even has its own heat sink to conduct heat to the aluminum front panel.
As light leaves the LED it passes through some filters and lenses (shown in orange).
A good deal of engineered optical reflection allows the light emitted by the LED to reflect through a tiny LCD panel (shown in yellow) and head toward the mirror.
Before bouncing off the angled mirror and exiting the camera, the projected image passes through a focusing lens (shown in blue) connected to the slider on the top panel.

Almost there...
Remove the automatic lens cover door first. The lens cover is motorized and opens anytime the camera function is activated.
After the lens cover is out, removing the front facing microphone is a snap.

Residing on 'SIDE-B' of the board are:
MAXIM 8916I TL919 +NTAS
HIMAX HX8852-A 005BEG 923ES06 LCOS display controller with interface compliant to MIPI.
Wolfson Microelectronics WM8941G 95AEKSW mono CODEC with speaker driver and video buffer.
RHAPSODY E1-145 923102.

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj...you've just been Torn'd!
That's our new phrase, Torn'd.
That does it for this edition of iFixit's riveting teardown. Join us next time when we continue our teardown debaucheries!

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