Internal battery clock location on D1???

Anyone have a clue as to where the internal clock battery is on a D1?

Not a majoy issue, but just isn't worth the time and effort to send

back to Nikon to replace. I used to repair pocket watches so I

believe I have the tools and such to do the job if I could get pointed

in the right direction. Thanks for any info you can send my way, Bill

William,

I have asked about this before. I made a post about this in December of 2004. Here it is.

Charlie Johnson , dec 12, 2004; 02:57 p.m.

Here is something that I have not seen anyone address yet. It is that internal clock battery inside of the Nikon Camera bodies. I have a Nikon D1, probably built in 2000 judging by the serial number, s/n 5015624. I am the second owner of this unit. According to the owner?s manual, a separate internal clock battery that has a useable life of about 10 years powers the clock.

I would think that would really be shelf life, not useable life. So, for a body built in 2000, in 2010 this body would have to be sent to a Nikon Service Center to have the battery changed for a fee. OK, what is the fee for this change? How long can I expect to have my beloved Nikon out of my hands, i.e. how long will it take to change this battery?

Now here is why I ask this. I have had Timex watches with 5 or 6- year batteries only last 3 to 4 years. It does say in the owner?s guide, battery life is dependent on how the watch is used and cared for. Do you use the display light often and for how long? OK, lets apply this rule to the Nikon SLR or DSLR in your hands. If you shoot a few hundred frames a year, you should get a full ten years out of the battery if not longer. But lets say you shoot 10,000+ frames a year, your battery life could be shortened somewhat, all those time stamps saved to the Flashcard or Film file. Lets say that this cuts the life to 7 to 8 years.

Someone should have had to send their SLR or DSLR body in to have that battery changed by now, assuming this battery was put into bodies such as the F5, which came out prior to the release of the D1 in late 1999. Or lets look at it this way, your Nikon Body has been sent in for service, shutter or something else to be repaired or updated and you see a Battery Replacement Fee on the Invoice. What was the fee? And why make a battery that has to be changed at a service center?

I know that there are DIYs or Do-It-Yourself types on this forum. Who has tinkered with their Nikon and found a hidden compartment for the internal clock battery? Or, how far of a tear down was involved to get to the clock battery? I am very curious. For all we know, starting in the near future, there will be a thread about how long it takes to get your camera back from Nikon for a stupid clock battery change and the astronomical price they want for it. Lets say it was first referenced here. I thank all who respond in advance.

Shourya Ray , dec 12, 2004; 04:03 p.m.

Your camera will be due for a schedule repair/update well before 10 years. If nothing else, your shutter will probably die before then. Nikon will then replace your battery when you send it in for some other repair or a scheduled tuneup.

I know that when I send my DSLRs in to Nikon for repair (broken shutter, etc.) they will also fix anything else that may require a CLA (such as cleaning the sensor, etc.).

I believe the new DSLRS (D2 series) have the clock battery in a user accessible compartment.

Ilkka Nissila , dec 12, 2004; 03:15 p.m.

An F5 does not have an internal clock, so no battery either. A digital SLR body will never be used for 10 years so it's an academic point anyway. A D70 gives far superior image quality to the D1 and the difference will be much bigger in 2010 so that it is pretty much guaranteed that no D1 will need a replacement battery for the clock.

Darren Cokin , dec 14, 2004; 09:02 p.m.

> A digital SLR body will never be used for 10 years...

I think that's a fairly naive statement. Yes, something better will have come along by then, but that doesn't mean the current equipment will be working any worse than it is now. 6 megapixels is enough for quite a lot of uses. Even if a 60 megapixel camera is availble for two dollars, certain people will still be using and maintaining their trusty old 6 megapixel models for years to come.

If no useful answers turn up here, I suggest posting a Q on:<br>

<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NikonRepair">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NikonRepair</a>

Willam,

Good news. Yeah, there is a way to get to the D1 Clock Battery. Allot of it depends on how far you want to tear down your D1. The following link will get you a PDF file of a D1 Reapir/Parts Guide.

http://www.huroncamera.com/diagrams/nikon_digital/d1_Parts.pdf

This guide basically shows the assembly process of a D1 starting with the frame and putting together all the of pieces. Some of the pages are updated. The manual does go into sub-assembly details as well. HOWEVER, IT MUST BE NOTED: This guide contains DIAGRAMS ONLY, no text to guide you on your way. I have figured out, it is possible to get to the Clock Battery without totally dismantling the entire camera. You will need a controllable soldering iron. From what I can tell, the Battery is a Sanyo, MnO2-Lithium 2032 Battery.

http://www.batterystore.com/

Tab on to Sanyo, choose lithium, then choose promary coin cells with pins. the CR2032-T14-1 looks to be the closest variant to what is in the camera. Hope this helps.

<p>Hello Charlie Johnson,<br>

The link you put up to the repair guide desn't show any link to the PDF.<br>

I have the same problem with my D1 and I found a lot of sites on the internet for a free download,<br>

but they all require my credit cards details. I'm not getting there.<br>

Any hint?<br>

Thanks Mark</p>