broken optio s5i

[godfather]

my beloved camera is bust i need help whilst on holiday this year in rhodes my camera decided to stop working i didnt get any error messages or the a90 message but the lens will not retract and the camera will not turn on at all if i try to acess the secret menu all that comes up on the screen is ver 1.00 the camera might have some condensation in it but i have had it in bits and dried it out for several days can anyone help or is my camera goosed had it about 2 years any help or advise would be greatly appreciated

[ajaynejr]

Twoi years old and it stopped working, it is probably not worth spending money to get fixed.

If ytou saw moisture inside it, you would have been very lucky if it had not died.

I had a Pentax film camera, my only zoom camera,die on me not too long ago (which prompted me to get a new digital camera, a Canon). That Pentaxwas largely electronic. It lasted 5 years but then started giving error codes and soon got stuck on an error code and that was it.

[yanbu]

When I went to Rhodes my OptioS5i faulted it was 5 months old and had taken around 20 pictures. the fault is in the forum. It would not maintain on position. Fault vanished when I got home and worked ok. After13 months I used it again and the fault came back. Permanent. Unfortunately it cost me £101 to repair. I only paid because otherwise all theextra's, batteries,case etc would be Useless. However the quote is free and port office special delivery is only£4.50. Oh consider the S5i is now only £160. Yanbu

[batteryboy]

Hi, I have an s5i and the same thing happened.4 beeps then shut down(lens will not come out)searched internet, no results. my camera is under 2 years.striped it down and found nothing obvious so put it back together.Bought new camera friday so had another go saterday and found the problem.From reading, most people have problems after going on holliday to a hot or cold climate.this takes its toll on small batteries.on th cicuit board to which the memmory card holder is attached a very small battery is spot welded to metal brackets and fixed to the board. this battery is not made to be replaced and when runs flat the camera dies. it is 1.5v but mine was .75v. size is 5mm x 1mm(very small) the nearest i could get is 6.8mm x 2.1mm.

I had to mount it away from its original position because of limmited space.i used the metal spring out of a button cell holder to press the cell down onto an earth track.

After assembling the camera it was like new and i had to set the date. I had to go into the tools menu and reset the software and now it works like new. I like fixing things but hate writing letters so please pass this information on to at least one other person as there are THOUSANDS of these cameras with the same problem.

Regards Andy

[batteryboy]

Almost certainly a button cell battery fixed somewhere inside the camera. Replace, reset the software and it should work OK. Button cells last about 5 years (if your lucky)

Regards Andy

[mr-smith]

batteryboy wrote:

Almost certainly a button cell battery fixed somewhere inside the camera. Replace, reset the software and it should work OK. Button cells last about 5 years (if your lucky)

Regards Andy

My S5i suddenly wouldn't switch on this week, charged battery with no sucess.

Gives 4 beeps and power stich lights up green, then switches off after a couple of secs, the lens doesn't move.

I take it this is the internal battery then? Any suggestions on where to get the replacement / specs for the battery would be much appreciated!

Thanks
Chris

[mr-smith]

Just to update, I have managed to update the firmware via "secret" menu (hold down menu then press power on). Not fixed the problem but didn't think it would, any info would be useful esp from batteryboy who has fixed the problem..cheers

[batteryboy]

Mr Smith

if you read my earlier post it tels you where the battery is and the size. You may not be able to get that size battery bu you will be able to get a n S621 (6.8mm x 2.1mm) you only need to take the back case of and the circuit board is right hand side next to the screen.it has the memmory card holder attached to it (do not remove card holder) i think there is only 3 or 5 screws holding this down. the cell is soldered onto the board and easy to remove.the board is now marked + & - underneath the cell.you can use an earth track about 5mm away (scratch of the green varnish and put a very small raised bit of solder for contact)and the spring clip from a battery holder can be soldered to the + track. you new battery should now fit under the clip and touch the eatrh track.put a piece of cellotape over battery to prevent it shorting then reassemble. charge the main battery then reset all in the settings and it should work.

Regards Andy

[mr-smith]

Thanks batteryboy, I'll gove it a whizz and report back...

[Eternalreturn]

Hi Andy,
I was excited to finally find some one who had the same problem with their optio s5i. I just got back from Mexico and my camera is acting exactly like your's did. I am not very technically savvy so I don't really understand what you did to fix your camera. Would you be interested in fixing my camera for a fee or possibly giving me more detailed instructions.
Thanks,
Rob