Thanks to those that have been doing the modification and providing advice and suggestions on the instructions. Over time I will update the instructions with user suggestions. Here are some comments from those that have done the modification: (only one at this early time having done a similar mod)
Skyler - 4/20/08:
Hello Gary -
Good job outlining the procedure to mod the new 450. I mod'd my 40D and used some of the information from stargzr. <snip>
One thing I know that is very helpful is to use a set of surgical forceps. They have long thin noses and work great at grabbing those thin film conductors especially at long angles. Also helps to hold tiny screws in place before screwing them in with mini-screwdrivers. I could not have easily completed by upgrade w/o them. You can use the lesser version that come with many biology dissecting kits as well. Just need to be heavy enough so they don't bend under pressure - some cheaper ones will give way.
Also the other really handy item was Nitrile gloves. I keep the insides of the camera clean w/o leaving my finger oil marks on components and they were just great when I popped out the glass that you showed in your example. I could push on the filter from the other side with the gloves on - one or two fingers at a time and one side at a time with a gentle prying and pushing motion. Since you have more surface area with your fingers, the chance of the filter breaking is minimized. Could not have done that w/o breaking the filter otherwise.
Anyway, just a couple thoughts you can use if you choose but just some personal experience that helped a lot. I have a lot of electronics repair equipment since that is my back ground so that part is not necessarily fair.
<Gary Comment: Thanks Skyler, I'll add those recommendations to the instructions. The forceps should be a help for removing/inserting those tiny ribbon cables>
If you completed the modification and would like to let me know how it went for you, you can contact me at the following email address:
I will add any comments to the modification instructions that might be helpful to others and a link to your site if you wish.