DISABLING THE THE CANON EOS A2E BEEPER

Background Information: Like many cameras, the Canon EOS A2E (and it's variants, the EOS 5 and A2) has a beeper used for audible alerts. To some users, this may be a useful feature but to others, it may be distracting to both the shooter and subject. Although the beeper can be turned off in the A2E menu, it resets back to the default "On" setting anytime the camera loses power, such as when the battery door is opened. Since I never use the beeper, I disabled it by disconnecting it from the camera's electronics. If you are looking to do the same, the following tutorial will outline the steps necessary to make this modification.

 

1) Disassemble the A2E.

2) Locate the round gold colored disc which lies behind the lower port side of the faceplate. This is the beeper.

3) Instead of wires, the beeper is connected using Kapton flexible circuits with one strip being soldered to the outer ring and one to the center. Tuck a small flathead screwdriver under the strip running to the center. This will pop up the strip when the solder is melted.

4) Heat up a soldering iron and melt the solder connection at the center of the disc. Do it quickly to minimize the chance of the heat damaging the beeper or any surrounding parts. The strip should be lifted by the screwdriver and allowed to cool.

5) Take cellophane tape and wrap the exposed end of the flexible circuit to insulate it. Take another piece of tape and fasten the loose strip down to secure it.

6) Reassemble.

The beeper is now disconnected from the camera's electronics.