Sand in digital camera

[Targarama]

My Casio 10MP camera has got sand in the lens mechanism somewhere. It won't open any longer and says 'lens error' and shuts down again. Is it possible to take these things to bits? I'm sure its just a few foreign bodies in the mechanism as it happened on the beach when everything got covered in sand, even in our bag.

Thanks.

[zax]

Same thing happened to my old Fuji digital camera. Dropped on the beach, lense cover & zoom mechanism got full of sand and wouldn't open any more. Asked at the local camera place how much to fix it, they quoted more than it was worth. Never having been one to let lack of knowledge get in the way of some fun I got the screwdrivers out and stripped it down. Blew as much of the sand out as I could then put it back together again.

It still works to this day

Just remember to discharge the flash before you start the surgery. Or you will end up with loud popping sound, a sore finger and a surprised expression