Hoo-boy. Another Question about SLX/6000 Batteries?

[manny_blacksher]

<p>I'm feeling acute frustration. The short of it is that I now have a 'functional' SLX I and a 'functional' SLX II body. I've got two used batteries, both of which were sold as 'functional'. I have an SLX/6000 "G" charger (sold functional-natch). I've got 80mm & 150mm HFT lenses.<br>

I've followed the film installation directions from the .pdf of the SLX II manual. Everything seems 'fine', but the batteries do not seem to have fully charged. Film will not advance to frame 1. When I press the L or R trigger, or the battery meter button, I get the soft click and red led in the finder.<br>

The charger doesn't seem to be 'quite' right. Sometimes when I plug one of the batteries in, all the lights go on as I would have anticipated: I got a new-used battery in the mail today, and upon plugging it, there was a red light for fast charge and a green light for the continuous charge. The red light went out, green remained, and I let it charge and heat for about an hour and a half. When I put the battery in the SLX II body, I got the red diode and no advance. Now when I reinsert the battery in the G charger, I get no lights with either battery. I have tried pressing them in quite hard, and there is a green light that appears for so long as I add pressure.<br>

A. I wonder if I need to spray contact cleaner on the battery and charger contacts.<br>

B. I wonder if I need to spray cleaner on the exposed shutter contacts as a precaution.<br>

C. I feel apprehensive that I might need to open the body and spray the contacts concealed in the housing.<br>

D. I've triple-checked that I put the 120 roll on the spool correctly.<br>

E. I fear that I may have to proceed to 'pick-a-remedy' from one of the many Nicad rebuild-your-battery threads (which I'm grateful are here).<br>

Help is gratefully received. Cheers! -Manny</p>

[User_3607948]

<p>Manny,<br>

Isolate the problem. Check the battery voltage. ( Here's an older post with the terminal connections: positive and negative.) Check voltage again after a short time or after applying a load to the battery. If the voltage drops considerably then the batteries haven't held a charge (replace battery) or haven't charged (bad charger).<br>

You can use another method to charge the batteries. Try a store specializing in batteries/chargers or try a hobby store that sells R/C cars, planes, etc. Either should have a charger capable of charging the battery. (You may even find a battery tester.)<br>

In summary: the battery/charger are standard items <em>intended </em>to fit into & work with the camera. You can consult any number of people about these items.</p>

<p>Joe </p>

<p><a href="../medium-format-photography-forum/00MEDz">http://www.photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00MEDz</a></p>

 

[manny_blacksher]

<p>Joe, thanks for your kind and thoughtful reply. I'm glad that you have encouraged me to focus on the issue with the batteries and charger before I reel off onto fixing other extraneous and, perhaps, non-existent problems.</p>

<p>I've noticed that the G charger and the battery charging get really warm. The charger seems to turn off then, and nothing will charge. Later, I'll stick a cold battery into the cold charger, and the lights come one for a little while. Still no signs beyond the 'low-charge' red LED.</p>

<p>Battery tech is not an area I'm familiar with. I think that I may have found a decently discounted deal for a Revolectric Multi4 universal charger, that somebody on one of the many SLX battery threads suggested, and as the Multi4 has the positive and negative pins to do the monitored charge process your link suggests, that might be a step forward. I'm really hoping that the answer isn't having to locate two of those Chinese cell-replacement packs to restore the original batteries. I'd have to dig up somebody who's handy with a soldering iron.</p>

<p>Thanks again! If any other ideas spring to mind, tell me more! -Manny</p>

[User_3607948]

<p>Manny,<br>

Look inside the camera and you'll notice four battery connections (gold pins) yet the battery case has six connections. The charger utilizes two temperature devices (positioned in between the internal battery cells) to avoid overheating during the charging process. So, a warm to hot battery will shut off the charger.<br>

Also check the battery fuse. The fuse protects the motor should something cause it to freeze; I <em>think</em> it allows the camera electronics to continue working.<br>

Joe</p>

[gabe_joynt]

<p>I thought I submitted a response earlier to this... I experienced I think everything you're describing when I got my used SLX II. Including trying to hold the battery down *just* the right way so the charger lights would come on. I bought two different chargers -- I actually think I bought 3 and returned one. </p>

<p>Anyway, nothing worked. I could sometimes squeeze a few frames out if I charged the battery by stacking heavy books on top to maintain charge, but I had a freak "race to the end of the film" auto-advance incident that ended that.</p>

<p>I was lucky enough to find an already-repacked battery (Sanyo kit) on ebay for $60. It is the dream. It is the battery your battery could charge like. No problems, and I think I charged it once a couple months ago and it still fires. (I have only put a few rolls through the SLX in this time). </p>

<p>The camera is worth it, especially with that 150 lens. I am sure you can find someone to do the repack job for you if you don't want to take it on yourself.</p>

[fwstutterheim]

<p>The cells in the battery are standard Sanyo cells. A good battery shop can test and replace them or supply the cells for DIY. Please note that the cells cannot be soldered. After soldering they will not fit in the case. It is a really tight fit. They should be spot-welded. I specialised battery shop can do that. Make sure they replace the heat sensor. I would not bother with it myself.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.batteryspecialties.com/">Battery Specialties</a> can do this if you cannot find a local shop.</p>

<p>Yes, the chargers shut off when overheating. Most likely the batteries are at fault.</p>

<p>I would not bother with buying used batteries, "functional" or not. </p>

<p>Ferdi.</p>

[manny_blacksher]

<p>@Joe: Thanks again for your reply. I have looked at both fuses, and they both seem to be intact and operable, but it would be no great investment to replace them. That's an idea. I went ahead and got a discounted Multi4 charger, just in case. At the least, it should give me more detailed information about the charge.</p>

<p>@Gabe: Thanks for your detailed account, Gabe. It just sucks to have pursued remedies that all end up pointing at the least convenient, least desirable, but definitive solution: replacing the battery cells. However, your report that a fully functioning battery would operate like the work-horse it's reputed to be sounds incredibly appealing. So maybe this would be worth the bother and investment.</p>

<p>@Ferdi: By preference, I would have gotten a new battery, but I've tried to outfit this camera on the cheap. 'Cheap' isn't the way that it has panned out, but then I've 'learned a lot', and that will add value to the investment over time--unlike a plan that goes without a hitch until the first problem occurs. --But thanks very much for the suggestion of contacting Battery Specialties. I think that I will inquire with them as to how much their refurbishing process will cost. I do know of two other outfits who will do SLX battery refurbishing, but one's in England, and the other is German. I cannot help but think that a service in-country would be less expensive.</p>

<p>Funny. I bought the original SLX I body, back, and viewer from a German seller when I was a grad student in Dublin four years ago. I *thought* that I was buying a complete set, and due to my naivety, I have had this incomplete camera stashed with my equipment for years. A few months ago, I saw an 80mm HFT MF lens up for auction on Ebay and thought, "I'll go for it. If I don't get it, I'll just sell the body/back and find something else to invest in." I got the lens, but little did I know that it would be the first of many incremental purchases. I think this is going to be a great outfit **as soon as the final component issues have been resolved.**</p>

[geoffrey goldberg]

<p>Outdated batteries: when I first got a 6003 in 1992, it ran forever on the battery. No AF, fresh batteries, etc. I used to take 2 batteries to travel for a couple of weeks and never run out - rolls of film later. Then.... time goes on, move to a 6008AF, and all of a sudden, battery life is lousy. Chargers, even Maya charger to get deeper charging (it worked well enough for a while), but then Graham told us all about fresh cells in the batteries, and using newer, more powerful cells. <br>

A new battery with those, and shazaam! Back to the good old days, where battery and charging was never an issue. Never even ran the battery down - it just went on and on. <br>

Moral of the story: get the new cells and put this problem behind you. You won't look back. </p>

[Tony-S]

<p>I just bought eight 2/3A NiMH 1400 mAh batteries (http://www.batteriesinaflash.com/assembly-cells/nimh/2-3a/2-3a-rechargeable-battery-1400mah-nimh-1-2v-ft-w-tabs) and will have my local Batteries Plus spot weld them to replace the near-dead NiCd in my SLX pack.</p>

[fwstutterheim]

<blockquote>

<p>Make sure they <strong>replace</strong> the heat sensor.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>English is not my first language. I did not mean to say "get a new one". I meant "put they old one back in place". Sorry.</p>

<p>Ferdi.</p>

[manny_blacksher]

<p><strong>ANOTHER SOLUTION TO THE ROLLEI SLX/6000 BATTERY PROBLEM</strong><br>

Well, one might observe, there are almost as many solutions to this issue as there are threads asking about it. What compels you (me) to throw another up? I would answer that all of the solutions have been very useful to know about, but due to the materials I had at hand and my location, nothing that any one of the brilliant photo.net correspondents offered delivered by itself a complete fix. I tried to follow directions: mistakes were made. Now I've got the battery situation licked, and I'll offer up my own problem/solution to the next luckless joe or jolene who's desperate to get a working SLX/6000 battery. [The following screed is related with nothing but gratitude and admiration for all of the other knowledgeable and well-meaning photographers who have answered my questions and have responded in other threads.]</p>

<p>The Problem is that the older, used SLX/2000 batteries have short charge-lives. Many are sold on Eb** with comments like "Cannot Test" and "Don't Know How to Work" and arrive at your doorstep with dead cells.</p>

<p>As many have suggested (and rightly so) the solution is to get your old Rollei battery repacked with new NiCd or Nimh cells. This is problematic inasmuch as the cells must be spot-welded (I think that's the term) in order to be compact enough to fit in the original case.</p>

<p>Problems I encountered: 1. The Chinese purveyor of conveniently packaged Nimh batteries on Eb** sells them for about $40.00 shipped, but they take ages to arrive, and the directions included are so minimal as to be enigmatic. If you are proficient with electrical soldering and repair, this may not be an issue for you. I have no experience with an iron, so I got a pretty talented friend to haul out the old cells, solder the connections to the new Chinese pack, and then 'stuff' it all into the case (a very tight fit). He had no multimeter, and I eventually discovered that there had been some error in the soldering. The Chinese replacement was a no-go (it may well have been user-error).</p>

<p>Solution 1: It was much easier than I could have imagined. The Batteries+ chain stores will provide as well as install Nimh and NiCd replacement packs, check their functionality, and guarantee their working (for a limited time). The cost for a battery replacement has been $39.00--less than the cost of ordering one of the Chinese replacement packs. So if you can't solder and do a voltage check, just the old pack to Batteries+.</p>

<p>Problem 2: There are excellent directions for using a universal charger in the many threads on battery replacements. The capacity to perform trickle-charge is an especially useful feature not available with either of the original Rollei chargers. I forget the names of the two different models of universal chargers that were recommended, but I could not find either. Even my local Radio Shack techs looked at me with suspicion and hostility when I tried to explain what I needed. Moreover, the holes on the battery are smaller than the tips of any of the meter probes they had.</p>

<p>Solution 2: The Cellpro line of universal chargers, designed for radio-controled vehicle enthusiasts, works a treat. The basic Cellpro Multi4 charger comes with two basic wire probes: a positive and a negative. If you carefully fold-back or crimp each exposed tip into a V, you can carefully insert them into the appropriate holes of the re-packed Rollei battery. Usually, they'll make contact and stay.</p>

<p>Hole 2 - Negative</p>

<p>Hole 4 - Positive (Info unattributed but provided by another superb Photo.net member in another thread)</p>

<p>Cellpro sells its own dedicated power sources. I went the hard way and purchased a used power supply for ham radios from EB**. That didn't seem to work, so I got another cheap one. . . The third one worked--or I finally managed to set everything up right. The lesson is, if you think you might buy three used ham radio power supplies, go ahead and purchase the Cellpro power source instead and save yourself grief. If you have some experience with this kind of electronics (or, like me, you crave grief) go get a used power supply for ham radio operation.</p>

<p>It has been an adventure and a process of personal enlightenment that has given me true grit and put hair on my palms. I can cross the street unassisted now, and, lacking a multimeter, I no longer essay to test a working circuit with my tongue. </p>

<p>Having said all this in recounting my comedy of errors, there was an immense--almost foolishly happy--delight to be had in hearing the old SLX clacking away with the benefit of a newly restored battery. For all the information that was necessary to point me in the right direction, and for the sympathy and generosity with which members have responded to queries, I'm truly grateful to the participants in Photo.net's Rollei forum. Thanks to all!</p>

[Tony-S]

I did the same thing but bought a Tenergy universal smart charger for US$22. I am MUCH happier with the performance of the battery

pack. I did a full charge about 2 months ago and shot one roll of film. I removed the pack and stored the camera after that (If I leave the

pack in the camera it drains the batteries in about 3 weeks). This weekend I put the pack on the charger and in about 2 minutes the

charger reported it as fully charged (the drained pack takes about 8 hours to fully charge).

 

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