SONY SLT-A77 LCD SCREEN REPAIR

SONY A77 LCD REPAIR

*Proceed at your own risk! This worked well for me but I also noticed how easy it would be for someone to apply too much pressure resulting in a destroyed LCD. This blog is only intended as advice to the adventurous.*

1.       After just 1 year this is what my Sony SLT-A77 LCD screen looked like. I also own a Sony SLT-A35 that deteriorated exactly like this one. After some research I found that using sun screen and bug repellant were the most likely culprits that caused this problem.  The trouble is I’m a nature photographer and would have protected the LCD had Sony warned me in advance. Instead of sending in the camera for $250 of work I decided to fix it myself. Please note that it’s possible to destroy your LCD doing this. It scared me a bit but in the end worked out well.

2.       So here’s the thing. This scratched and mangled looking LCD is really just a deteriorating Sony True Black screen protector which was applied with a super duper 3M adhesive. I didn’t quite realize just how super the adhesive was until I started the process of removing it. I took a sharp knife and worked a corner until it lifted (see next photo). It took a lot of force and about 30 minutes of angst thinking I was destroying the LCD while I slowly peeled it off! If I had to do it again I’d heat it with a hair blower until it was warm enough to soften the adhesive making it easier to lift off without damaging the underlying LCD screen.

3. As I ever so slowly peeled off the Sony LCD protector I was surprised to see it also served to mask the panel's back lighting circuits. Once you have it off, thoroughly clean the LCD panel with Isopropanol alcohol and a micro cloth until it looks pristine like the photo below.

4. I had to find a replacement mask and looked ordered online. Sony won’t sell them because they fear you will destroy your LCD trying to remove the original screen protector. The first one I ordered from an Amazon merchant did not fit. The second one I ordered from Aliexpress.com merchant fit perfectly as you’ll see below. It’s made by GGS and is an Armored H8 Glass Mask made to fit.  (Notice the branding on the mask is GGS and not SONY.)
GGS - A77 Replacement LCD Mask - from ROCKS China

http://www.aliexpress.com/snapshot/6503407893.html?orderId=65910884782493

 

5. Here I’ve carefully lined up and applied the new glass mask to the LCD.

6. Peel off the protective backing and TA DA! A very professional looking final result for $8 total cost.