I would just like to thank Tedolf for their encouragement to have a go at fixing this myself, by implying it is an easy and cheap fix. I have never dabbled in electronics before. I searched and found 5 YouTube videos related to tear down and repair of this lens. One actually shows the reconstruction following the repair. Some videos were crappy but it was helpful to see the different approaches. I upgraded my 30 year old precision screwdriver set and got to work. SCARY … but having reviewed the videos I now had some familiarity. One very well lit and shot video of the tear down of my exact lens was a bonus. I have ordered the part - yes very cheap - and now waiting on the slow boat from China. Expecting a basic soldering kit to arrive in a few days.
Oops! Am I replacing the correct flex cable? I had not noticed any damage on both cables. So rechecked the most trusted video and also checked the cables with a magnifier. Sure enough a small crack in the cable detected affecting 2 wires - diagnosis confirmed!
Before going down this route I contacted a camera repairer recommended in another discussion forum. They would not give me any kind of estimate and wanted $85 just to have a look and quote. I have been down this route before with an old stereo and ended up wasting money I could have spent on a new one. So not this time.
This has been a great learning experience and confidence building. Cant wait for the part to arrive and get to the pointy end of the repair and reconstruction.
Thanks Tedolf!