Olympus C700 - Progress at last!

Why I oughta.....

"Jerry G." wrote in message
...
My vote is that the batteries are still bad, and there is nothing wrong
with
the camera!

--

Jerry G.
=====

"Fred" wrote in message
news:BEoAd.5574$Y57.1499@trnddc08...
"David Springthorpe" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 00:42:55 GMT, "Fred"
wrote:

Yes, sounds like it could be. One of these cold rainy weekends I'll
take
it
apart and check all the solder connections, etc. Thanks, Ken, for
your
correspondence and help!

Sounds very much like a Disaster Waiting To Happen.....

Well, we'll soon find out! I've already got the tools together -- let's
see.... duct tape, paper clips, sledge hammer, 24 ounce bottle of redskin
peanuts, TV Guide.... Yep! I'm all ready to go!

Now back to an update...

After using the AC adapter for awhile, I disconnected it and then ran it
on
batteries only. This time I took 4 or 5 photos before the "battery low"
warning came back up. Then plugged back in with the adapter and it work
fully again. Probably not a revelation to the more advance folks, like
David, but I like to double check things before pulling out the chain
saws.

Later,

Have a NICE DAY, David! Don't run out in front of any buses or anything.

Fred

That's right! Know where I can find a 500-ft extension cord?

"J. A. Mc." wrote in message
...
So now to use the Olympus, you're goping to have to tote an AC supply?

Figures from that company ...


On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 00:07:40 GMT, "Fred"
found these unused words floating about:

PS -- For others with questions or problems about the C-700, you can
subscribe to the yahoogroups email list. Lots of very helpful folks
there....

To subscribe, visit their homepage
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oly_C-700/

Fred again

"Fred" wrote in message
news:nnmAd.19488$rL3.1622@trnddc03...
Looks like we're making progress -- thanks to that real nice feller who
posted and suggested I try using the camera with an AC adapter.

[Note to the "try a new battery" crowd: No, it wasn't the batteries.]

I picked up an adapter at Frys Electronics for $19.99. I saw some on
ebay
and elsewhere online cheaper, but by the time you add the $5-10
"shipping
and handling" and wonder what kind of adapter you're "really" going to
get
and when.... I thought this one was the best choice. And it's a
universal
job - all kinds of voltages, and current up to 2500 mA, so that's fine
for
the C700 and my other junk too.

First I tried the camera as is - that is on good (new) alkaline
batteries
only - to be sure that it was giving the same problem. Sure enough,
same
problem - one shot or moving the zoom lever and "battery bad" message
pops
up.

Then I plugged the AC adapter into it and first time every time, the
camera
works again, just like it's supposed to, time after time, zoom in, zoom
out,
click, click, click, click, click....

Then I removed the AC adapter and used it with the same batteries only
again
and it worked every time, zooms in/out, etc. just fine and no battery
bad
message.

Someone also said that there might be charging problem -- might be it.
May
be still a partially open circuit, bad solder joint or failing
component
somewhere between the batteries and the power circuit. AC adapter may
have
temporarily charged up capacitors enough to get a few shots from the
battery-only.

Time will tell -- will see how many photos I get out of a new set of
batteries and report back.

Thanks again to all for all the dozen of constructive help! It took
several months, but saved me $155 in repair charges and I gain a great
deal
of knowledge about how these things work.

And a special thanks to all the whiners, complainers, know-it-alls and
the
"just buy another one" boys. Without your endless jabs and ignorant
comments, I probably would've dropped this months ago! B^)

Fred

Thanks for the good words, Jim! It's just a hobby camera and so I'm not in
a hurry to get if fixed or dish out a couple hundred $$. More fun for me to
diagnose it and hopefully fix the blasted thing .... and pass along what I
find out.

After a few plugging/unplugging, turns out there's no oxide build up on the
AC receptacle. Dang it, that would've been too much to ask!

"Jim Adney" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 28 Dec 2004 23:54:59 GMT "Fred"
wrote:

First I tried the camera as is - that is on good (new) alkaline batteries
only - to be sure that it was giving the same problem. Sure enough, same
problem - one shot or moving the zoom lever and "battery bad" message
pops
up.

Then I plugged the AC adapter into it and first time every time, the
camera
works again, just like it's supposed to, time after time, zoom in, zoom
out,
click, click, click, click, click....

Then I removed the AC adapter and used it with the same batteries only
again
and it worked every time, zooms in/out, etc. just fine and no battery bad
message.

Sounds to me like there is a contact in the AC adaptor jack that got a
little resistive from an oxide layer there. Just plugging and
unplugging the AC adaptor broke the oxide layer and made everything
good again.

I know this was a lot of work for you and you deserve a real "attaboy"
for your efforts. Even thought the solution seems to have been simple,
getting there was not. There are lots of people here who understand
and appreciate that.

If I ever have such a problem with my camera I hope I can remember to
just push a matching plug into it's adaptor jack a few times to see if
that helps.

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

Fred wrote:

Thanks for the good words, Jim! It's just a hobby camera and so I'm not in
a hurry to get if fixed or dish out a couple hundred $$. More fun for me to
diagnose it and hopefully fix the blasted thing .... and pass along what I
find out.

After a few plugging/unplugging, turns out there's no oxide build up on the
AC receptacle. Dang it, that would've been too much to ask!

Hi...

Dunno how much it matters, if at all... but not
on the ac receptacle.

Rather, there's a switch as part of that jack. When you
insert your plug, it physically pushes the switch open,
breaking the connection between the battery set and the
camera. So that the batteries and ac adapter aren't
paralleled. Naturally it follows that when you remove the
plug, the "switch" returns to its resting position, so
that the batteries are once again connected to the camera.

If you have a stereo and/or headphone set you'll get
the principle... plug in the headphones and the speakers
disconnect; remove the plug and the speakers are again
connected.

You might try inserting and removing it many times, slowly.
Perhaps rotating the plug a little while it's inserted.

I really, really hope that you don't even think about
dis-assembling your camera. Really. So, if all else
fails, you might try just a single puff of contact
cleaner. That jack is an enclosed assembly, spraying
into it won't be spraying into the camera unless you
"drown" it.

So, you might pick up a spray can of contact cleaner
(in Canada anyway, Radio Shack, about $10 CDN).
Then holding the camera so the jack is down, give it
just a single puff into that jack. A tiny, tiny
amount, a fraction of a second spray. And continuing
to hold it jack down, immediately insert and remove
the plug over and over. If the plug is at fault, this
should clean it up. Leave it air dry overnight, propped
somehow so it rests plug down. On a sheet of newspaper
just in case.

I'm writing from photo.digital, perhaps the sci.electronics
guys will have better/more advice.

Take care, and all the best in the new year.

Ken

Fred wrote:

Thanks for the good words, Jim! It's just a hobby camera and so I'm not in
a hurry to get if fixed or dish out a couple hundred $$. More fun for me to
diagnose it and hopefully fix the blasted thing .... and pass along what I
find out.

After a few plugging/unplugging, turns out there's no oxide build up on the
AC receptacle. Dang it, that would've been too much to ask!


Hi again...

Quickly added... for safety sake.

If you DO decide to do the spray cleaner suggestion,
then wear glasses while you do it. You'll
be puffing your shot of cleaner against a very very
small enclosure, and the risk of it blowing back against
your eyes is great.

Particularly holding the camera up so as to spray upward
into the jack.

Be cautious. Your eyes are worth much more than any
camera!

Ken

Thanks, Ken. I sure can't see a switch down in there, but will certainly
give the spray treatment a try.

Specially thanks for the safety warning.

And Happy New Year!

Fred

"Ken Weitzel" wrote in message
news:txLAd.618878$%k.493377@pd7tw2no...


Fred wrote:

Thanks for the good words, Jim! It's just a hobby camera and so I'm not
in
a hurry to get if fixed or dish out a couple hundred $$. More fun for
me to
diagnose it and hopefully fix the blasted thing .... and pass along what
I
find out.

After a few plugging/unplugging, turns out there's no oxide build up on
the
AC receptacle. Dang it, that would've been too much to ask!

Hi...

Dunno how much it matters, if at all... but not
on the ac receptacle.

Rather, there's a switch as part of that jack. When you
insert your plug, it physically pushes the switch open,
breaking the connection between the battery set and the
camera. So that the batteries and ac adapter aren't
paralleled. Naturally it follows that when you remove the
plug, the "switch" returns to its resting position, so
that the batteries are once again connected to the camera.

If you have a stereo and/or headphone set you'll get
the principle... plug in the headphones and the speakers
disconnect; remove the plug and the speakers are again
connected.

You might try inserting and removing it many times, slowly.
Perhaps rotating the plug a little while it's inserted.

I really, really hope that you don't even think about
dis-assembling your camera. Really. So, if all else
fails, you might try just a single puff of contact
cleaner. That jack is an enclosed assembly, spraying
into it won't be spraying into the camera unless you
"drown" it.

So, you might pick up a spray can of contact cleaner
(in Canada anyway, Radio Shack, about $10 CDN).
Then holding the camera so the jack is down, give it
just a single puff into that jack. A tiny, tiny
amount, a fraction of a second spray. And continuing
to hold it jack down, immediately insert and remove
the plug over and over. If the plug is at fault, this
should clean it up. Leave it air dry overnight, propped
somehow so it rests plug down. On a sheet of newspaper
just in case.

I'm writing from photo.digital, perhaps the sci.electronics
guys will have better/more advice.

Take care, and all the best in the new year.

Ken

Fred wrote:
Thanks, Ken. I sure can't see a switch down in there, but will certainly
give the spray treatment a try.

Hi...

Send me an email if you like; and I'll send you back a small
picture of the switch idea.

Ken

Fred wrote:
Thanks, Ken. I sure can't see a switch down in there, but will certainly
give the spray treatment a try.

Hi...

Send me an email if you like; and I'll send you back a small
picture of the switch idea.

Ken

There are backpacks with solar cells maunted on them.

"Fred" wrote in message
news:6bLAd.10370$L7.3166@trnddc05...
That's right! Know where I can find a 500-ft extension cord?

"J. A. Mc." wrote in message
...
So now to use the Olympus, you're goping to have to tote an AC supply?

Figures from that company ...


On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 00:07:40 GMT, "Fred"
found these unused words floating about:

PS -- For others with questions or problems about the C-700, you can
subscribe to the yahoogroups email list. Lots of very helpful folks
there....

To subscribe, visit their homepage
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oly_C-700/

Fred again

"Fred" wrote in message
news:nnmAd.19488$rL3.1622@trnddc03...
Looks like we're making progress -- thanks to that real nice feller
who
posted and suggested I try using the camera with an AC adapter.

[Note to the "try a new battery" crowd: No, it wasn't the
batteries.]

I picked up an adapter at Frys Electronics for $19.99. I saw some on
ebay
and elsewhere online cheaper, but by the time you add the $5-10
"shipping
and handling" and wonder what kind of adapter you're "really" going
to
get
and when.... I thought this one was the best choice. And it's a
universal
job - all kinds of voltages, and current up to 2500 mA, so that's
fine
for
the C700 and my other junk too.

First I tried the camera as is - that is on good (new) alkaline
batteries
only - to be sure that it was giving the same problem. Sure enough,
same
problem - one shot or moving the zoom lever and "battery bad" message
pops
up.

Then I plugged the AC adapter into it and first time every time, the
camera
works again, just like it's supposed to, time after time, zoom in,
zoom
out,
click, click, click, click, click....

Then I removed the AC adapter and used it with the same batteries
only
again
and it worked every time, zooms in/out, etc. just fine and no battery
bad
message.

Someone also said that there might be charging problem -- might be
it.
May
be still a partially open circuit, bad solder joint or failing
component
somewhere between the batteries and the power circuit. AC adapter may
have
temporarily charged up capacitors enough to get a few shots from the
battery-only.

Time will tell -- will see how many photos I get out of a new set of
batteries and report back.

Thanks again to all for all the dozen of constructive help! It took
several months, but saved me $155 in repair charges and I gain a
great
deal
of knowledge about how these things work.

And a special thanks to all the whiners, complainers, know-it-alls
and
the
"just buy another one" boys. Without your endless jabs and ignorant
comments, I probably would've dropped this months ago! B^)

Fred

"Ken Weitzel" wrote in message
news:EDLAd.618890$%k.17674@pd7tw2no...


Fred wrote:

Thanks for the good words, Jim! It's just a hobby camera and so I'm not
in
a hurry to get if fixed or dish out a couple hundred $$. More fun for
me to
diagnose it and hopefully fix the blasted thing .... and pass along what
I
find out.

After a few plugging/unplugging, turns out there's no oxide build up on
the
AC receptacle. Dang it, that would've been too much to ask!


Hi again...

Quickly added... for safety sake.

If you DO decide to do the spray cleaner suggestion,
then wear glasses while you do it. You'll
be puffing your shot of cleaner against a very very
small enclosure, and the risk of it blowing back against
your eyes is great.

Particularly holding the camera up so as to spray upward
into the jack.

Be cautious. Your eyes are worth much more than any
camera!

I'd be a good deal more concerned about the camera itself, than my eyes.
Really, we've been spraying contact cleaner and other aerosols for years.
Surely we can do it safely.

OTOH, there are gears and optics inside there. Get some of that stuff on
there, and results are unpredictable at best.

I'd take the damn thing apart...damn the torpedoes. Use a maginfier light,
work slowly, carefully. Take pictures (with another camera of
course...maybe video) of the disassembly. Digicams are difficult, but not
impossible, to successfully R&R.

If I can do my Coolpix--much smaller, I believe than the Oly--he should be
able to dismantle enough to protect the rest of the camera from overspray
when cleaning the power jack.

Still, just cycling the power connector in and out may be all it needs.....

jak
Ken