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" ha scritto nel messaggio
...
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.

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...



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.

This seems to be an electronical fault instead...

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

Or some leaky zener diode...

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

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...

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

mike wrote:
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.

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.

I've got NiCd, NiMH in capacities up to 2200MaH.

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.

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.

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

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

spudnuty wrote:
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


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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spudnuty wrote:
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.

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
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




--
Return address is VALID but some sites block emails
with links. Delete this sig when replying.
..
Wanted, PCMCIA SCSI Card for HP m820 CDRW.
FS 500MHz Tek DSOscilloscope TDS540 Make Offer
Wanted 12" LCD for Compaq Armada 7770MT.
Bunch of stuff For Sale and Wanted at the link below.
MAKE THE OBVIOUS CHANGES TO THE LINK
htremovethistp://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Monitor/4710/