Need Help with Olympus C700 Power Problem

I would sure appreciate hearing from someone who had this problem and FIXED
it.

I have a C-700 which is about 18 months old. My problem isn't
ordinary battery drain, rather what I suspect to be some kind of short
circuit. Newly inserted batteries, alkaline or (brand new, fully
charged NiMH) re-chargeables only work for a picture or two. I can
open the compartment door, rub the contacts a bit, and get maybe one
more picture, maybe not.

I posted this query about a month ago, and got a suggestion clean the
contacts, check the springs, etc. I have done this and the contact points
are all good & clean. No change in performance.

Already checked the obvious -- tried several new batteries and all act the
same, batteries are not in backwards, etc. The problem is with the camera,
I know that for sure.

Thanks in advance!

Fred

 

Hi again, Fred...

Now that you've tried NiMh's you've kinda narrowed it
down a bit... don't know how much it helps, but perhaps
worth knowing anyway.

If you can deplete charged NiMh's in only one picture,
then when you removed the batteries they'd be blistering
hot. You'd probably also hear them sizzling.

If they aren't too hot to even think of touching, then
you've narrowed it down to the camera merely reporting
them useless prematurely.

It's a start?

Ken

 

Any electronics technician with a multimeter can clip-lead your batteries
thru the meter into your camera, and read the current drain the camera is
putting on them in a few minutes. This will tell you why your batteries are
running down. Then, you can send the camera in for repair, and tell the
repair tech that it is drawing "X number of amperes at idle, and you need to
get it fixed." If your batteries are 2000 milliampere-hour batteries, (for
example) and the camera is drawing 4 amps, then the batteries are only going
to last 30 minutes before they are stone cold dead. A camera should only
draw current when it is taking or displaying a picture. When it is idling,
or turned off, it should draw little or no current off of its battery
set.....

 

Thanks again, Ken. Yep, it's the camera that's the problem all right - not
the batteries. Batteries aren't being depleted. Camera sees "good"
batteries as "bad."

 

Are you guys not able to read????

1 - Batteries are fine! They check out fine with meter and other devices.

2 - Batteries are not being drained by camera. The camera circuitry is not
seeing the voltage from the batteries.

3 - Battery contacts are fine. Making good contact and they are clean.

4 - The problem is with the CAMERA -- not the batteries.

5 - Can we drop the "check the batteries" discussion now?

6 - Looks like I picked the wrong day to stop smoking!

B^)

Fred
One more time ...

 

Apparently you are the one with the reading problem.....I did not suggest
that the problem was not with the camera. I mearly suggested that you
measure the rate at which your DEFECTIVE CAMERA was draining down the
batteries, so you could tell the repair facility when you bring them the
camera. If nothing else, they will know that you have taken the trouble to
find out that the problem is really with the camera, and you are not just
trying to run it with bad batteries.

 

Sorry, I guess I misunderstood, what with the current preoccupation everyone
seems to have with checking batteries. Thanks for the suggestion.

You're not THEE Billy Graham are you? If so, can you heal my camera? (Don't
need to heal the batteries -- they're fine.)

 

No, not related to him or anyone famous.....I had a cousin who used to know
Clark Gable.........Does that count?

 

Heck yes!! That counts!!

 

Back on topic.....

I will pay $100 for a REAL service manual on the C-700. Photocopy OK.

If you can get your hands on one, send me an email at
.

Thanks.

Fred

 

Try this.
http://www.shortcourses.com/guides/pdf/c-700.pdf

 

Gerry Gibbs Camerahouse in Perth have one second hand in the box. You would
be better off buying that one considering al lthe time and effort you have
put into your old one.

 

try this one,
http://www.olympus.co.jp/en/support/imsg/digicamera/download/manual/

 

Holy smokes!! That's great, Ed! Excellent manual to have on hand. Didn't
see any troubleshooting or service info though.

Fred

 

Thanks. How can I get in touch with them?

 

Also a good one! But still only operator info.