joe_degennaro Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Hi, opened up my sb800 to find a slightly corroded battery in one of the chambers , immediately took it out and cleaned the entire chamber as best as i could without dismantling it. I can see the contact at the bottom has some corrosion. I am not too good at that kind of thing and the flash is too expensive for me to be tinkering with it. Anyway it will not turn on even with brand new batteries. Has anyone used a reputable repair person in the north carolina area or elsewhere.. If i have to ship it I will..i live in the myrtle beach, sc/wilmington nc area...thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 A common suggestion is to use an eraser. Don't bother unless you can get the right kind. A pencil eraser will just smear a smudgy goo all over the contact. The right kind is an ink eraser from an old pen or, better yet, for erasing typing. However, these are very abrasive and may damage gold plated contacts. I reserve a few strictly for chromed contacts or others that are so badly corroded it can't do any harm. CLR (calcium, lime, rust remover) can be useful but should be applied v-e-r-y carefully and patiently. Just a wee droplet on a cotton swab. But, as you've observed, the SB-800 is expensive and should be properly repaired. I'd tackle it myself only on a 20-year-old SB-800, which means I'll hafta wait awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_ Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 Or a slightly damp Q-tip with baking soda to make the acid spot neutral. Then a bit of 'typing' eraser gently with care to get the debris out of the SB-800 battery compartment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_degennaro Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 thanks, think i will try the q-tip than if that doesn't work seek out pro help maybe even call nikon...thanks all of you foryour help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lex_jenkins Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Baking soda works for leakage from carbon zinc batteries (acid), not alkalines. For alkalines try distilled white vinegar or CLR. Either way, use it sparingly on several moistened cotton swabs rather than one or two soaking wet swabs. Finish up with distilled water. Scrape the bulk of the residue off with something like a popsicle stick whittled to a convenience point/edge. In the worst cases I've used brass tips I've shaped to suit, but that's a lot of hassle and not necessary for minor corrosion. If you even suspect the corrosion has extended inside the flash, send it off for servicing. Once it gets onto those fine wires and contacts it'll just keep eating away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_degennaro Posted January 20, 2008 Author Share Posted January 20, 2008 thanks lex, if i can't get it to turn on i will call nikon... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titospna Posted January 20, 2008 Share Posted January 20, 2008 You should think about submitting a claim with the battery manufacturer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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