Flash: PCB Replacement v. New Bulb!?

Has the camera been dropped at all? It may need a new bulb. Most camera stores replace them rather cheap.. But if you want to do it yourself..
How to Replace Your Digital Camera Flash Bulb Like any light bulb, your camera flash bulb can blow at any time. The rest of your camera might be state of the art, but the flash bulb itself is relying on some pretty old fashioned technology. Unlike a light bulb, however, replacing a flash bulb can be a little difficult. Depending on the type of camera or flash you have, some dissection might be required.
Step 1: Choosing the Bulb There are literally dozens of different shapes, sizes and connectors used for camera flash bulbs. These will typically vary depending on the manufacturer. However, be warned, many manufacturers will use different types of bulbs in different cameras. Just because you have a Fuji camera, for example, doesn't mean you can buy any Fuji flash bulb.
Step 2: Safety First Camera manufacturers will never advise you to replace the camera bulb yourself unless you know exactly what you are doing. This is because your camera's flash uses very high voltages. A capacitor will be charged up in order to fire the flash. This capacitor can stay charged for months, if not years. If you're not confident doing this job yourself, then you will need to take it to a camera repair shop.
Sometimes if the camera is too old, you might consider using it as an excuse to upgrade it for a newer model rather than repairing it.
Step 3: Dismantling the Camera Now, you will need to dismantle the camera carefully so that you have access to the flash bulb itself. This may be time consuming and nerve-wracking. One false move could end up breaking the delicate plastic case of your camera.
Once the camera is dismantled, you should then discharge the capacitor safely so that you can continue to work on the camera.
Step 4: Removing the Old Bulb Most bulbs are soldered directly onto the circuit board. In this case, you will need to use a soldering iron to heat up the solder at the back of the bulb and carefully pull it away from the board. This can be difficult, as you need three hands to do it properly. With the old bulb removed, try to clean up the solder pads as much as possible so that the new bulb can fit properly.
Step 5: Replacing the Bulb Push the legs of the replacement flash bulb in position through the holes in the circuit board. Then, using a soldering iron and some solder, fix it in place. Be as accurate as possible to prevent shorting out the circuit. With the bulb in place, cut back the legs of the flash bulb so that it doesn't stick out too far from the board.
Step 6: Reassembly With the replacement flash bulb fitted in the digital camera, you will then need to reassemble your camera. This will be easier if you kept all of the screws in a safe place.This is the one occasion where it's a good idea to assemble before testing simply because of the high voltages involved.
Step 7: Testing Now, put the battery back in the battery and try taking a photo with the flash. Check whether it works; if not, you will need to investigate the cause of the problem

Hi,

If it clicks when the flash is already open, it seems there would be a problem with the flash open sensor. The camera thinks the flash is closed, so it tries to open it again and it refuses to fire, because firing in the closed position would blow the bulb.

The D40 flash is a bit different, but if you open it (just unscrew the two little screws in front) you'll recognize the sensor clips. Open and close the flash and see if the make contact when open.

(And DON'T fire the flash when open, or at the very least don't touch anything in there when firing or you'll get zapped.

Goodluck..

Use manual shutter speed is 80 n apptur is 5.6 ok...

How to Replace Your Digital Camera Flash Bulb Like any light bulb, your camera flash bulb can blow at any time. The rest of your camera might be state of the art, but the flash bulb itself is relying on some pretty old fashioned technology. Unlike a light bulb, however, replacing a flash bulb can be a little difficult. Depending on the type of camera or flash you have, some dissection might be required.
Step 1: Choosing the Bulb There are literally dozens of different shapes, sizes and connectors used for camera flash bulbs. These will typically vary depending on the manufacturer. However, be warned, many manufacturers will use different types of bulbs in different cameras. Just because you have a Fuji camera, for example, doesn't mean you can buy any Fuji flash bulb.
Step 2: Safety First Camera manufacturers will never advise you to replace the camera bulb yourself unless you know exactly what you are doing. This is because your camera's flash uses very high voltages. A capacitor will be charged up in order to fire the flash. This capacitor can stay charged for months, if not years. If you're not confident doing this job yourself, then you will need to take it to a camera repair shop.
Sometimes if the camera is too old, you might consider using it as an excuse to upgrade it for a newer model rather than repairing it.
Step 3: Dismantling the Camera Now, you will need to dismantle the camera carefully so that you have access to the flash bulb itself. This may be time consuming and nerve-wracking. One false move could end up breaking the delicate plastic case of your camera.
Once the camera is dismantled, you should then discharge the capacitor safely so that you can continue to work on the camera.
Step 4: Removing the Old Bulb Most bulbs are soldered directly onto the circuit board. In this case, you will need to use a soldering iron to heat up the solder at the back of the bulb and carefully pull it away from the board. This can be difficult, as you need three hands to do it properly. With the old bulb removed, try to clean up the solder pads as much as possible so that the new bulb can fit properly.
Step 5: Replacing the Bulb Push the legs of the replacement flash bulb in position through the holes in the circuit board. Then, using a soldering iron and some solder, fix it in place. Be as accurate as possible to prevent shorting out the circuit. With the bulb in place, cut back the legs of the flash bulb so that it doesn't stick out too far from the board.
Step 6: Reassembly With the replacement flash bulb fitted in the digital camera, you will then need to reassemble your camera. This will be easier if you kept all of the screws in a safe place.This is the one occasion where it's a good idea to assemble before testing simply because of the high voltages involved.
Step 7: Testing Now, put the battery back in the battery and try taking a photo with the flash. Check whether it works; if not, you will need to investigate the cause of the problem

flash bulb could be burnt out...if it doesn't fire when when you push test, that's my guess as to the problem. Another possibility (although unlikely) is a loose connection in the flash.

Try pushing the flash forward just a tiny bit. this model of Nikon has a built in problem with the flash popping up too hard. You can also try to "soften" the pop-up action with your finger instead of just letting it snap up into position.

good day,

it seems that your built-in flash is busted. you can go to your nearest nikon service center and have it replaced. or you can purchase an external flash that you can attach to your unit. when looking an external flash better use a nikon flash, however if you are looking for other brands/manufacturers, just check if it is compatible with your unit.

i hope this will help

It may be broken/blown, but there is a way to toggle the flash. There is a button located on the left-front of the camera , just left of the flash and above the lens. Hold it while scrolling the wheel on the right.

Best way to find out if it's broke or not: put your camera on Auto, go into a dark room, and take a photo. If the flash pops up and takes a shot w/o firing, you know it's broke. If it doesn't pop up at ALL, you've probably got a bigger problem

Those Xenon flash tubes last for a long time. You likely need a new flash PCB (printed circuit board). Typically, the trigger coil is at fault when you get the ready light but no flash

I have the same problem on my D50. I found this forum, which sounds like it may fix that problem. I am going to try it out. http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=22761542