flat cable connector

I was experiencing the 'battery depleted' syndrome on my Optio 30 and so I opened it. I accidentally damaged the little black connector on the end of the tiny flat cable that connects to the back of the camera.
I just replugged the flat cable but I'm not sure whether it will stay in place. Does anyone have suggestions on how to fix this? Can I glue the flat cable into the connector or is this not a good idea?

Many thanks in advance
Chris

I don't know your particular camera but I am familiar with the type of cable that I think you refer to and it is not likely that it is damaged.

If it is a flat flexible 'cable' with what looks like gold or silver coloured plated connectors on the end, it is a push fit into the socket to which it connects. Often though, the socket has a mechanism for securing/freeing the 'cable', usually a piece of plastic surrounding the socket which you ease up and away from the socket.

This has the effect of opening the socket so that you can insert/remove the cable with little or no force required. Then you close the locking mechanism again to secure the cable.

No glue is usually ever needed, nor is it recommended.

Thanks for your reply.
It is not the cable itself that is damaged but the locking mechanism. The cable is seated in the slot but since it cannot be locked i think the cable will easily come out of the slot or lose proper contact.

Is the locking mechanism physically broken, or has it just been moved to its open position?

If the latter, with the cable in place, simply push it back down with a small non-metallic tool.

If it's broken, is it possible for you to secure it with a small (tiny) tie-wrap, rather than glue.

If you really do have to use glue, the hot-melt variety is probably best, if you can apply a small enough amount. To achieve this, I suggest shaving a tiny amount from a glue stick, place it in-situ, then melt it with a small tipped 60w soldering iron.

Problem is, if the locking mechanism is physically broken, the cable might not make proper electrical connection as it is the locking mechanism which provides the force necessary to make a good connection. Simply glueing the cable in place just to stop it falling out might not be sufficient, hence the tie-wrap suggestion, which will apply at least some pressure to close the connector.

Failing the tie-wrap idea, a small length of insulated wire (something like insulated 5 amp fuse wire - you can probably source it from a model or craft shop), twisted around the connector using snipe-nosed pliers might suffice, then glue that in place using the soldering iron method described above.

If all that fails, I suggest you send it for profesional repair.

The locking mechanism is indeed physically broken, so I opted for the tie-wrap solution. Everything seems to be ok and - what more is - the battery depleted probleem seems to have vanished (don't know whether thanks to or in spite of my manipulations)
thanks for your help

Maybe the broken connector was the cause of the 'battery depleted' problem in the first place. If that's the case, and you didn't break it yourself, then Pentax ought to repair it free of charge under warranty (2 years in EU).

Well done for fixing it anyway.

Regards,