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Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement

What you need

  1. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Preparation: step 1, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the lens, battery, grip, and memory cards from the camera body. Put a body cap on to prevent dust from entering the camera body. Prepare an ESD safe work area to prevent damage to the electronics.

    • The screws in this are J00 but PH00 will fit, just use caution with the driver to avoid stripping them out.

    • There are multiple screw lengths and thread types involved in this repair. I strongly recommend a magnetic whiteboard/parts tray and vis a vis/dry erase marker to keep track of where every screw comes from. Damage to the camera can result from putting the improper screw back into the wrong hole.

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  2. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Remove the center cover: step 2, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the 7 J00 screws (circled in red) on the center baseplate cover on the base of the camera.

    • The center cover will come off easily. There are 4 rubber feet (circled in blue) that also fall off easily and may stick to the camera body. Push them back in their holes in the center cover.

    • There are several different kinds of screws throughout this repair so keep track of which ones came from where!

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  3. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Remove the baseplate: step 3, image 1 of 2 Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Remove the baseplate: step 3, image 2 of 2

    • Remove the 9 J00 screws holding the baseplate to the camera body

    • There are 2 sneaky screws under the battery compartment cover.

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  4. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Separate the baseplate: step 4, image 1 of 2 Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Separate the baseplate: step 4, image 2 of 2

    • Separate the baseplate from the camera body.

    • It can be a bit tricky to get off. Using the battery door, pull gently up from the front (lens side) of the camera body and it should lift off with almost no force. An opening pick or plastic opening tool around the opposite side of the bottom plate can help wiggle it out. If you are pulling hard, something isn't right!

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  6. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Unscrew the rear cover Pt. 1: step 5, image 1 of 3 Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Unscrew the rear cover Pt. 1: step 5, image 2 of 3 Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Unscrew the rear cover Pt. 1: step 5, image 3 of 3

    • Remove the 10 J00 screws holding the back case assembly to the camera body.

    • There is another sneaky screw under the right-side thumb grip. Use an opening pick or tweezers to get under the adhesive-secured grip to pull it slightly away from the body to access the screw. The adhesive should remain adhered to the grip, and it should go back in place without any marks.

    • The memory card slot cover will come off, separate from the back. This allows the mainboard to come out without catching anything.

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  7. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Unscrew the rear cover Pt. 2: step 6, image 1 of 2 Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Unscrew the rear cover Pt. 2: step 6, image 2 of 2

    • Photos. Continued

    • The screw next to the HDMI out port is connected to the mainboard and is unique.

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  8. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Unfold and remove the rear cover. CAREFULLY: step 7, image 1 of 2 Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Unfold and remove the rear cover. CAREFULLY: step 7, image 2 of 2

    • The rear case/display and card slot cover will come out at the same time. The rear case unfolds down, so watch those cables!

    • These connectors have a flip-up release on the back of them. The rear of the connector can be flipped upwards with a pick or opening tool to allow the cables to disconnect with little to no force. Once the cables are removed, set aside the rear case face down to keep dust out.

    • The cables don't have a lot of slack so taking an extra second to make sure nothing is hung up and pulling is worth it!

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  9. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Connector disconnection: step 8, image 1 of 3 Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Connector disconnection: step 8, image 2 of 3 Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Connector disconnection: step 8, image 3 of 3

    • Time to get the connectors off the main board!

    • All the connectors with red arrows are the same style as the rear cover connector. Flip up the latch at the rear of the connector and the cable will come out easily.

    • The blue connector is the main image sensor connector. It pulls straight up off the board "like a little lego".

    • The purple connector is easiest to remove by placing tweezers under the connector where the wires come out, and prying straight up. It comes out vertically but is "clipped" in.

    • These yellow guys are the dangerous ones. They press into the connector from the side without a latch. The cables have small "ears" on them to help pull them out and insert them but use extreme care removing these cables from the board. They require some force to remove from the connectors.

    • The connectors on the upper left and lower right are layered. Be sure to reconnect the new mainboard to the cables in the correct order!

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  10. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Mainboard Removal: step 9, image 1 of 1

    • Remove the 5 J00 screws around the edge of the mainboard. The mainboard will lift straight up and to the right out of the camera body.

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  11. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Reassembly tips!: step 10, image 1 of 1

    • Use care on reassembly not to catch any cables under the mainboard. I circled the ones that gave me problems.

    • On the connectors I earlier circled in yellow without release latches, I used soft-tipped tweezers to slowly wiggle them back into place. Be sure all connectors are fully seated!

    • The flip-up levers on the board need to be flipped up to insert the cables. Make sure the cables are fully seated before pushing the levers back down to secure the cables.

    • The main sensor connector (circled blue earlier) will snap down with some force into the mainboard. Make sure it is well aligned with the connector to prevent damage to either part.

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  12. Nikon D850 Main Imaging Board Replacement, Verify the repair: step 11, image 1 of 1

    • Reinstall any removed accessories and verify every camera button and function is working correctly. Update firmware if the new board doesn't have the latest version.

    • Old firmware versions did not support CFexpress, so double check your version if your memory cards aren't working!

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Conclusion

To reassemble your device, follow these instructions in reverse order. Use extreme care on the friction-fit press in cables!

Author

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Steve D

Member since: 04/07/20

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