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FM Battery Issue


exaktamoment

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I am the proud owner of e recently acquired Nikon FM. The first thing I did was to acquire some fresh batteries for the camera (Eveready 357) because I was sure the batts in the camera would dead. And they were. The problem arose when I went to check the operation of the light meter system (which is the only thing the batteries are used for) - it appeared not to work.

 

To make a long story short, I checked and double checked the batteries to make sure I had put them in properly, yet when the battery cover/holder is screwed in tight, the light metering does not work.

 

If I screw the cover/holder in LOOSELY, it DOES work. But tightened? No go.

 

Has someone had experience with this? And fixed it?

 

Help?

 

Lou

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Another possibility though at bit more expensive would be to find an MD-12 for it. For me it makes the camera easier to handle and the batteries in the motor drive also power the meter.

 

Rick H.

Not! The MD-12 doesn't power any camera. The only Nikon that can be powered by a motor drive is the F3 and the MD-4

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Really BeBu? I thought the MD-12 also powered the meter in the FM. Oh well, learned something new today. Wouter you are right, it is a personal preference. My hands are fairly big though and the motor drive and battery grips have always suited me, given the camera a better balance in my hands.

 

Rick H.

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Really BeBu? I thought the MD-12 also powered the meter in the FM. Oh well, learned something new today. Wouter you are right, it is a personal preference. My hands are fairly big though and the motor drive and battery grips have always suited me, given the camera a better balance in my hands.

 

Rick H.

 

I am not sure about the Canon as I am not a Canon user but I think the Canon New F1 motor drive does provide power to the camera. However, in the Nikon the MD-4 is the only one that does that. Nikon does it because at the introduction of the F3 so many people who were using F2 (including myself) dislike it because without batteries it simply not working (with 1 speed that's no good) so Nikon made the MD-4 that can provide power to the F3 so that pros wouldn't worry about dead batteries in the camera. The AA batteries in the MD-4 are easy to get. Nikon even made a battery pack the screw in to the F3 battery compartment so that you can have the battery pack in the pocket to keep it warm.

Over the years the F3 has proven it's reliability well and there is no longer a concern about a camera being battery dependent. The F3 is my favorite camera after getting to know it I love it. It's a simple camera and does its job well.

So for the OP buying the MD-12 isn't an option but I think since he moving the position of the battery cap can sometimes make it work then the loose connection is right there at the battery compartment so it shouldn't be difficult to fix.

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I am not sure about the Canon as I am not a Canon user but I think the Canon New F1 motor drive does provide power to the camera

 

The motor drive can only power the camera when used with the High Speed Power Pack FN(rechargeable NiCd) and the C-FN connecting cord. The latter replaces the "palm grip" on the right of the body that also serves as the battery door, and has a PX-28 shaped appendage to fit in the battery compartment. It connects to the high speed Ni-Cd via a short cable with a coax-type connector on the front. The standard pack with 12 AA cells does not have the connector, nor does the standar(not high-speed) Ni-Cd pack.

 

I have two functioning set-ups(one for each of my New F-1s) with rebuilt Ni-Cd packs(one rebuilt with NiMH, the other with NiCds-there are arguments for using both). At one time, I did a decent business on Ebay buying dead packs and rebuilding them-8 or 9 years ago I would pay $40 or so for a dead pack, charger, and cord, rebuild them, and get $100 or so for a working set-up.

 

I used New F-1s for quite a while and I think that a lot of my general dislike of the F3(which I've voiced here) comes back to my familiarity with the New F-1 and consequently a strong preference for its operation(the two did compete with each other when current). I think the F3/MD-4 combination is far superior, though. Aside from powering the camera without using a cable that looks like an afterthought, it also manages 5fps with 8 alkaline cells(the Motor Drive FN requires the Ni-Cd pack with 12 AA-sized cells to do 5fps-with the12 cell alkaline pack it can only do 4.5fps).

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The motor drive can only power the camera when used with the High Speed Power Pack FN(rechargeable NiCd) and the C-FN connecting cord. The latter replaces the "palm grip" on the right of the body that also serves as the battery door, and has a PX-28 shaped appendage to fit in the battery compartment. It connects to the high speed Ni-Cd via a short cable with a coax-type connector on the front. The standard pack with 12 AA cells does not have the connector, nor does the standar(not high-speed) Ni-Cd pack.

 

I have two functioning set-ups(one for each of my New F-1s) with rebuilt Ni-Cd packs(one rebuilt with NiMH, the other with NiCds-there are arguments for using both). At one time, I did a decent business on Ebay buying dead packs and rebuilding them-8 or 9 years ago I would pay $40 or so for a dead pack, charger, and cord, rebuild them, and get $100 or so for a working set-up.

 

I used New F-1s for quite a while and I think that a lot of my general dislike of the F3(which I've voiced here) comes back to my familiarity with the New F-1 and consequently a strong preference for its operation(the two did compete with each other when current). I think the F3/MD-4 combination is far superior, though. Aside from powering the camera without using a cable that looks like an afterthought, it also manages 5fps with 8 alkaline cells(the Motor Drive FN requires the Ni-Cd pack with 12 AA-sized cells to do 5fps-with the12 cell alkaline pack it can only do 4.5fps).

 

Well while I like the F3/MD-4 a lot but giving credit where credit due the MD-4 only capable of 3.8fps with 8AA. To get 5.5fps you have to use the MN-2 battery pack (of course it fit in the same place as the 8AA holder) but inside are 14 NiCad batteries that deliver 16.8V.

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It's the battery compartment issue that when tightening the button battery in holder to camera body plus and minus contacts actually shorten by the holder internally so battery will die quickly and meter won't work as a result, solution, cut a piece of thicker regular paper in round shape about same diameter as the holder (inner) and place it btw battery and holder then screw it back in tight, all done.
workonit
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Original battery cell from Japan was one piece (not confirmed but I do see one) instead of two button cells stacked together, then there's a small chance of battery dimension deviation from batch to batch time to time that the one on bottom not sitting perfectly to cause shortening as found out myself over years (not on one body) that only one of two cells gone dead zero and the other still full. In another word, it may be of "defective" battery not the holder.
workonit
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Original battery cell from Japan was one piece (not confirmed but I do see one) instead of two button cells stacked together, then there's a small chance of battery dimension deviation from batch to batch time to time that the one on bottom not sitting perfectly to cause shortening as found out myself over years (not on one body) that only one of two cells gone dead zero and the other still full. In another word, it may be of "defective" battery not the holder.

1 piece or 2 pieces I have used them on the FM2, FM, FE, F3, F2 without any problem. There must be something wrong with the cap if that is the case. You can buy the 1 piece battery if you want.

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Silly question... is this the right size for the hole reinforcers you can get for ring binders? If so, they're an easy source of circular bits of paper with a hole in the middle. Just in case that saves effort.

 

Just checked, and the hole reinforcers I have are too large in diameter to fit in the battery holder. It's close, but not quite right.

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There is a little bump in the bottom of the battery holder (that goes through the hole in the paper).

 

That, and the shape of the battery itself, where the button part sticks out just enough,

should keep it from shorting.

 

http://data.energizer.com/pdfs/a76.pdf

 

or the one I usually put in the FM:

 

http://data.energizer.com/pdfs/2l76.pdf

 

The design of the FM is that if the meter works, it is correct.

When the battery voltage is too low, it turns off.

(With no warning.)

 

The fast drop-off of the 2L76 doesn't help, though.

-- glen

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Hey Y'all. I found an elderly 2L76 in the package, in a drawer. I tested it for voltage and it read 3.25 volts, so I put it in the FM and by goodness it worked. I set it down and walked away to do something else, came back a half hour later and it didn't work. BUT. I checked the voltage again and it was down to 1.2 volts. I'm putting that down to age of the battery. I'll replace it tomorrow and try again, but i think the 2L76 is the answer. Of course, if it pulls down again in an hour or so (an hour with the metering system shut off) then I'm going to have to look toward a short in the system.

 

Lou

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FWIW, I was a bit skeptical of the short circuit comments earlier, but I've been fighting a bit with an FM lately.

 

I had put two Duracell silver LR44 equivalents in it, and when I went to play with it the other evening I found both batteries dead and the lower one swelled(making me think it had indeed shorted). I'm going to try the suggested paper ring trick also in this camera, although I have a BIG stash of these Duracell batteries and they have served me well in F2s, F3s, and a few other cameras.

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FWIW, I was a bit skeptical of the short circuit comments earlier, but I've been fighting a bit with an FM lately.

 

I had put two Duracell silver LR44 equivalents in it, and when I went to play with it the other evening I found both batteries dead and the lower one swelled(making me think it had indeed shorted)....

 

Ben, is that the FM I recently sold to you? If it is, send it back for a full refund.

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