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Archive 2022 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

ljkamler
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

Has anyone experienced an issue with top display going out on their Z6 or Z7? Mine was working without issue about a month ago. Now, it's completely blank. I checked the menu setting for control panel brightness to make sure it was turned down or off, but that doesn't seem to be the issue.

Jul 13, 2022 at 07:34 PM

hans98ko
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

I remember putting up a warning about the e-ink display failure when Nikon first announced their Z6/7 based on our company's first two in the industry experience in using them. And is now finally happening.
The common failure of e-ink display failure is total blackout or retained the last information without it being reset even by removing all power.
Good luck with those owning the $8k Noct and other expensive lenses with one on it, which I also warned that the new Noct is not like the old Noct which last for decades.

I tried searching for those posts but is no where found because all my earlier posts are all missing.

Jul 13, 2022 at 09:33 PM

Buckeye2604
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

hans98ko wrote:
I remember putting up a warning about the e-ink display failure when Nikon first announced their Z6/7 based on our company's first two in the industry experience in using them. And is now finally happening.
The common failure of e-ink display failure is total blackout or retained the last information without it being reset even by removing all power.
Good luck with those owning the $8k Noct and other expensive lenses with one on it, which I also warned that the new Noct is not like the old Noct which last for decades.

I tried searching for that post but is no where...Show more →
E-ink, is that what’s used? Thought it was oled?
Electronic failures do happen, but I wouldn’t expect these screens to last any shorter than typical oled displays and probably no shorter than af motors or other electrical components.

Edited on Jul 13, 2022 at 09:54 PM · View previous versions

Jul 13, 2022 at 09:47 PM

hans98ko
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

E-ink is the mono or black display technology which will retain its display information without the need of draining power, while OLED is the back-lighting technology.

Edited on Jul 13, 2022 at 09:58 PM · View previous versions

Jul 13, 2022 at 09:53 PM

Buckeye2604
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

Oled isn’t back lit. It’s self illuminating / light emitting diodes.

Jul 13, 2022 at 09:55 PM

hans98ko
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

Yes, it is because the Organic Led Display (OLED) panel is assembled behind the e-ink panel in the thin module. There are 3 common forms of back lighting, light diffuser panel with light bars on either side, LED and the recent and most efficient OLED.
If there is no back lighting you wouldn't see a thing.

Edited:
Maybe I shouldn't have started it with "Yes, it is" but rather OLED is being applied as a light source to enable us to read or see in the dark. Without OLED as a light source the e-ink panel can still be seen in good light.

Edited on Jul 13, 2022 at 11:20 PM · View previous versions

Jul 13, 2022 at 10:01 PM

Buckeye2604
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

I’m not an expert in this but I was under the impression OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. Each pixel emits its own light and does not require any other type of backlight or LED lighting like lcd displays found on DSLRs. All that’s needed is an electrical charge on the organic layers, no charge = no light.

Jul 13, 2022 at 10:06 PM

hans98ko
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

Yes, you are right that Organic Light Emitting Diode is self emitting but is not lighted up in pixel form, it still needs the layer above it to provide you the display information and that is the e-ink panel with the pixelated format.

Jul 13, 2022 at 10:14 PM

ljkamler
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

hans98ko wrote:
I remember putting up a warning about the e-ink display failure when Nikon first announced their Z6/7 based on our company's first two in the industry experience in using them. And is now finally happening.
The common failure of e-ink display failure is total blackout or retained the last information without it being reset even by removing all power.
Good luck with those owning the $8k Noct and other expensive lenses with one on it, which I also warned that the new Noct is not like the old Noct which last for decades.

I tried searching for those posts but is no where...Show more →

Thanks for your input. That's a shame if these displays are prone to early failure. I've reached out to Nikon to see if this is becoming a common problem. I imagine they'll want a few hundred dollars to replace it. If this first one didn't even make it 4 years, I'm not sure if it's worth it.

Jul 13, 2022 at 10:33 PM

hans98ko
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

To our understanding the failure rates are random and we couldn't understand why at times the display information got corrupted with superimposed displays just like we are doing a multiple exposure.
Of course we are working with wireless communications so a lot of electric and magnetic fields are involved that can cause these problems.
Finally our company dropped the use of it to avoid liability and legal issues.

Jul 13, 2022 at 10:52 PM

Vinnie_VdB
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

No need to dramatise the e-ink display and writing: it is finally happening.
The Kindle for instance is using the e-ink display and that reader would not have been around if the screens "finally" fail in masses after 1 year.
Just return the camera to get it repaired.

Jul 14, 2022 at 12:43 AM

hans98ko
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

Yes, Amazon Kindle is the other company that uses it since the beginning. But they too have display failures just like the one my son was using.
Another thing is Amazon is a big company compare to Nikon, and they use it to sell electronic books as well as a way to advertise their products. So in a form: a pay as you use type of business, and replacing defective units might not eat into their profit as much as a camera costing hundreds of dollars for each repair when Amazon can replace a brand new unit at a fraction of the cost.
Here in this case if the camera is out of warranty the user has to pay for it himself, or unless you want to step in to help to foot the bill.
Dramatize...🙄

Jul 14, 2022 at 12:56 AM

Buckeye2604
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

Vinnie_VdB wrote:
No need to dramatise the e-ink display and writing: it is finally happening.
The Kindle for instance is using the e-ink display and that reader would not have been around if the screens "finally" fail in masses after 1 year.
Just return the camera to get it repaired.
Monochrome OLED screens can be bought online for a few dollars. Hopefully Nikon doesn’t charge an arm and leg since it should not be an expensive fix.
A google search didn’t find any other instances of top screen failure. Hopefully it’s a fluke, just bad luck and easily resolved.

Jul 14, 2022 at 02:33 AM

hans98ko
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

Here I am not going to speculate what the repair cost will be, but the replacement screen from Shenzhen China is around $45.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/353998040352
But the servicing will require the dismantling of almost the whole camera to get to the top display as in the video at 11:53

What do you think Nikon will charge for a part that is not rejected and ending up in the largest spare parts outlets in Shenzhen? And what do you think the labor cost will be? An hour or two or three together with final assembly and testing. What is the technician cost per hour at your location?
👀
Even Buckeye2604 can get the part for a few dollars, I don't think it is going to be cheeeap.

Jul 14, 2022 at 03:48 AM

hans98ko
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

After re-watching the video a 2nd time, I noticed that it might not require to remove as much parts to get to the top cover with the top display under it as he did when he was dismantling the camera up to the point where the top cover was removed at 11:53. Comparing it to when he reassemble the camera starting from 19:58 up to completion. How much less I am not sure because he did interrupt the video in between for whatever reasons. This is obvious when he started the disassembly with his white gloves on and when he was reassembling the camera, his gloves were removed with his sleeves rolled up.

Edited on Jul 14, 2022 at 10:32 AM · View previous versions

Jul 14, 2022 at 10:20 AM

RoamingScott
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

It is what it is. Get a quote from Nikon, no one here has an answer for you. Even if someone got it fixed a while ago, costs could be different because of rising labor and parts costs.

Jul 14, 2022 at 10:21 AM

hans98ko
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

I think he already said that he has contacted Nikon on this issue and is waiting for their reply. Now is the time to keep the fingers crossed and hope for the best with a reasonable quote.

Jul 14, 2022 at 10:27 AM

Desmolicious
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

Vinnie_VdB wrote:
No need to dramatise the e-ink display and writing: it is finally happening.
The Kindle for instance is using the e-ink display and that reader would not have been around if the screens "finally" fail in masses after 1 year.
Just return the camera to get it repaired.

Let's be honest about Kindle expectations. If one fails after a couple of years, the user is just going to toss it and replace it with the latest version. There is no expectation of consumer electronics like that lasting, which of course is a sad reflection.
A Kindle is $100-$150.

Jul 14, 2022 at 11:56 AM

ljkamler
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

I appreciate everyone's input. I am waiting for a reply back from Nikon, and once I have a quote from them, I'll be sure to share that here. I was just curious to see if anyone as had heard of others with the same problem because I couldn't find any other posts about this via a simple google search.

Jul 14, 2022 at 01:37 PM

DiscoShrew
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Z7 Top Display Stopped Working

Did you receive a quote for the repair?

Aug 02, 2022 at 11:20 AM

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