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Diagnosign Digital Camera AA Battery Problems (not life issues)??

I have two digital cameras that use 4-AA batteries. A Fuji 2400 Zoom and an Olympus D510.

The Fuji has trouble getting started. If it tries to open the lens and run the display and startup the system, It shuts down. I can cycle power a few times and eventually get it to stay on. When it's on it works great. Never taken a lot of pix at one sitting, but battery life is not the issue.

The Olympus also has startup problems. It can't recognize the smart media card, on startup. Wants to format the card, then gets an error and trashes the format. Once it gets past memory test it works fairly sell except it has transient memory write problems sometimes.

Doesn't have these problems on external power. Sounds to me like transient load problems. High esr caps?

I've done the usual external things like clean the battery contacts, make sure the batteries are fully charged, tried different brands 'till I'm blue in the face. I've got NiCd, NiMH in capacities up to 2200MaH. Some batteries are decidedly better than others. Problem is that when I try to measure the internal resistance of the cell, I get about 60-80milliohms/cell. It's in the same range on all the cells from the ones that work fairly well to those that won't start the OLY at all. I was hoping for a definite clue. Didn't get one.

Is there a common fault that I can fix? Like high ESR on particular caps? Maybe should add some caps in a particular place?

I took apart a Fuji 1400Z for practice. There's NO chance I'll be able to power it up when it's far enough apart to probe. 'bout the only hope I have is to find out what's likely the problem and check part by part...or "shotgun" it and replace all the suspect parts.

I expect I could fix the Fuji with a cap on the line that senses low battery voltage...If I could find it. The Oly has more serious problems with failure to perform memory operations. It's gonna need something to keep the volts up where it's drooping.

Advice to trash the cameras won't be helpful. But I'd appreciate advice on how to go about diagnosing and fixing them.

One more time: Battery life is NOT the issue. Soundness of the logic of trying to repair them at all is not the issue. Failure to initialize and random memory errors are the issues. I wanna make these cameras work and learn something in the process. Thanks, mike

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mike
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Maybe the mechanism which opens the lens protection is dirty... Cycling power could make the dirty off the guides o rulers. Maybe you can fix it cleaning the lid internally where it slides... In short, seems to be a mechanical problem...

This seems to be an electronical fault instead...

Or some leaky zener diode...

You can service these cameras, but keep in mind you'll work with smaller pieces and microelectronical equipments, thus a knowledge on handling is required to prevent damage...

Reply to
Fulcro

The AA batteries: buy a charger with a IC that measure the voltage mouvements. It will stop the charging automaticly, or it will discharg the AA first and than make a charging. It can also make 3 cycles discharge-charge. or it make a regenartion cycle. This is a slow discharge down to a lower voltage and than a slower charging (t=4 h). Use the NiMH = 1.35V (NiCd =1.2V) . Change the 4 AA all together or check each voltage. Greetings

Reply to
electron

Tried a different smart media card? Try a different memory device (smart media or whatever it needs) on the Fuji too. Perhaps the memory devices are failing and drawing too much current.

Have you tried some plain old alkalines? It "should" work on the rechargeables, but it might be interesting to know that it works at 6.0 V and doesn't work at 4.8 V. Or, if the cameras only use the ends of the string of cells, hook up a variable DC power supply and twiddle it while you try to start up the camera. Doing this also lets you measure the current.

Was either camera dropped or handled roughly? You might get a magnifier and inspect the circuit board in the area of whatever you decide is the power supply - perhaps close to where the batteries or external power connect to the board. Maybe you've just got a broken trace or loose component.

You're in the right group for repair, but you might also ask over on the rec.photo.digital newsgroup; someone there might know of a common fault with these particular cameras.

Matt Roberds

Reply to
mroberds

I've been fixing a lot of Fuji 2600s and 2650s. Very nice cameras and easy to work on as the boards are very modular. The 2600 for instance has a power flash board, a read/write board and a CCD/lens module. There are a few other sub boards and the LCD. If your 2400 lens is anything like these there could easily be small pieces of grit in the ways. That might account for the irregular operation. Taking these apart is a major pain since there are 3 small return springs and if you mess one of these up it can be very hard to put right. Plus the guide pins seem to be glued in place once the lens is assembled. My tactic is to find a parts camera with a working lens and swap it in. Same with the other boards. I have found broken traces and loose SMT as above but don't have the micro irons or the jigs to fix these. Did you check the 1400's boards against the 2400's? The cameras seem very simular. I'm sure the CCD boards are different but some of the others can be simular. I have a Oly D520 that I got to work using the same technique. There are 2 more in my "waiting for parts" file. Richard

Reply to
spudnuty

Thanks for the inputs guys... I took apart the D-510. I'm impressed. I could take off both the front and back halves and it would still power up. Every other camera I've disassembled had multiple cables to disconnect before you could get at the board that had to be removed to get at the board that covered up the board you needed to get at ;-)

Seemed to be too little solder (almost none) on the socket for the SmartMedia card. Touched up the solder joints. Camera seems rock solid now. But I've said that a dozen times this last week. Been chasing ghosts. Maybe this was the one... mike

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Reply to
mike

That was the problem with the 1400Z. Looks like it had jammed open and the previous owner took pliers to the lens to try to get it back in. Of course, I didn't find this out until after I'd bought it. Oh well, I got a buck's worth of education taking it apart. The pins had fallen out and I neve did figger out how to put them back. And I broke some of the plastic tabs trying. As long as the 2400 keeps powering up after some power cycling, I'm gonna leave it alone.

mike

My tactic is

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