Any clever tricks to deal with the OM-4 "battery eater"?

Andrew Patteson · Aug 18, 2020

Hello all,

I have an OM-4 I am getting to know, and I quite like it so far. It has a voracious appetite for batteries, as many of them do. I'm not interested right now in spending the money for a T/Ti version with the upgraded circuitry -- I'm fine with dealing with this one. So I pull the batteries each time I'm done using it, and load them back up the next time.

But this is kind of annoying, of course. I really like to just grab a camera and go. Has anyone come up with a neat little hack for this? Right now I have a piece of gaffer tape on the camera body to stick the button cells to while they're not in the camera (just so they're not rolling around in the bag). But it would be nice to have an easy way to insert something that breaks that battery circuit and then can be easily removed... not sure if this makes sense. Maybe a small disc of foam just inside the battery door?

Any ideas or experiences? Thanks!

-Andrew

albertphot · Aug 18, 2020

If I'm well informed, putting the speed selector on B is doing the job!

wiltw · Aug 18, 2020

Putting the speed on B unfortunately does NOT disconnect the battery from the circuit. I have an OM-4 from back in the late 1980s and know first hand.
If you put a small tab of Scotch Magic Mending tape onto the positive terminal of the battery, the mylar of the tape is a very effective electrical insulator. So the button cell is out of circuit and not depleting itself.

I use the tab of Magic Mending tape often to take AAA or AA battery out of circuit in low usage electrical devices (like emergency flashlights, or radio remote triggers for cameras) and that helps to prevent leakage of battery acid after a battery runs down.

Les Sarile · Aug 19, 2020

I suppose you could drill a hole in the baseplate and put a small switch?

I wonder if Olympus had an external battery adapter? With it you can more conveniently remove power or add an external power switch.

Pentax had the battery cord

Nikon had the DB2

Les Sarile · Aug 19, 2020

BTW, when you set your OM4 to battery test, does it automatically stop beeping after 30 seconds? If it stops then this would indicate you have the updated board that supposedly addresses the battery drain issue and perhaps something else is the problem.

Bill Burk · Aug 20, 2020

I carry a vial of six batteries in my pocket. (On backpacking trips I have another vial deep in the pack for a total of 12 for a week or two). I replace them as needed, typically when starting an adventure and twice on a cold morning. I have two “old circuit” OM-4 and have stopped worrying about it except when I am down to the last two.

Quendil · Aug 20, 2020

Les Sarile said:
I suppose you could drill a hole in the baseplate and put a small switch?

I wonder if Olympus had an external battery adapter? With it you can more conveniently remove power or add an external power switch.

Pentax had the battery cord

Nikon had the DB2

Olympus did do an external battery holder but I have never seen one for sale.

I have an OM3 which is supposed to have the same battery drain problems. I always take spare batteries out with me and I never leave them in the camera when I am not using them.

M-88 · Aug 20, 2020

Les Sarile said:
I suppose you could drill a hole in the baseplate and put a small switch?

I wonder if Olympus had an external battery adapter? With it you can more conveniently remove power or add an external power switch.

Pentax had the battery cord

Nikon had the DB2

Good day Mr. Sarile!

There was somewhat similar accessory for Olympus as well, as shown on these two links below:

Holder 1 was exclusively for OM-2/2n
http://olympus.dementix.org/eSIF/om-sif/phototechnicalgroup/3v_battery_holder_1.htm

While Holder 2 seems to be made exclusively for OM-4 ("later models than the OM-1n and OM-2n, excluding the AF/PF models")
http://olympus.dementix.org/eSIF/om-sif/phototechnicalgroup/3v_battery_holder_2.htm

These were designed for extreme cold, but under normal circumstances I would personally prefer to put silver oxide cells into OM body. After all, what's the point in having a sleek, stylish camera, if one has to carry an external battery pack?

Quendil said:
Olympus did do an external battery holder but I have never seen one for sale.

To make the matters worse, the website above is the only source of information regarding that battery pack that I can find.

Sirius Glass · Aug 20, 2020

Remove the battery from the camera when not in use.

benjiboy · Aug 21, 2020

The original OM 4 drained batteries because of a fault in the central processing unit according to a letter I once received from Olympus U.K after I returned ten of them from my shop to them all with this fault. The best solution is rid of the camera and get a later model OM 4 Ti.

Andrew Patteson · Aug 21, 2020

Wow, sorry for being slow to come back! I only got a notification about the first reply and didn't realize there had been more! Thank you for all the responses.

Yes, it's definitely the kind that has a high drain even while not on. I haven't done real experiments but it seems like it might only be a week or three before the silver oxide batteries are toast.

I've been carrying extras and taking the batteries out after use, usually. That's an acceptable solution but not a great one (for the way I want to use the camera -- for others it could be totally fine). I was hoping for something I hadn't considered, and wiltw's idea might be just the ticket, so thank you!

Quendil · Aug 21, 2020

wiltw said:
If you put a small tab of Scotch Magic Mending tape onto the positive terminal of the battery, the mylar of the tape is a very effective electrical insulator. So the button cell is out of circuit and not depleting itself.

I use the tab of Magic Mending tape often to take AAA or AA battery out of circuit in low usage electrical devices (like emergency flashlights, or radio remote triggers for cameras) and that helps to prevent leakage of battery acid after a battery runs down.

Not sure I understand how this works. If it isolates the battery is this not the same as removing the battery? So you have to remove the tape when you want to use the camera? Thanks

wiltw · Aug 21, 2020

Quendil said:
Not sure I understand how this works. If it isolates the battery is this not the same as removing the battery? So you have to remove the tape when you want to use the camera? Thanks

Simply allows you to store the battery in the camera rather than needing to find and store a separate container.

Bill Burk · Aug 21, 2020

So does anyone have a list of the symptoms and remedies when the battery does die?

Last two times it happened to me mid shot. First curtain had opened but second curtain was still open. B or 60 had no effect, and you couldn’t wind on.

Remedy: Loosen, then tighten battery door. That reconnected the battery just enough to close the curtain. If battery check indicates weakness, then replace the batteries.

It was unnerving to have the camera temporarily “bricked” where I couldn’t even use 60 and the open curtain meant three ruined frames

darinwc · Aug 22, 2020

Too bad no one makes a battery cap with a switch installed.

mshchem · Aug 22, 2020

wiltw said:
Putting the speed on B unfortunately does NOT disconnect the battery from the circuit. I have an OM-4 from back in the late 1980s and know first hand.
If you put a small tab of Scotch Magic Mending tape onto the positive terminal of the battery, the mylar of the tape is a very effective electrical insulator. So the button cell is out of circuit and not depleting itself.

I use the tab of Magic Mending tape often to take AAA or AA battery out of circuit in low usage electrical devices (like emergency flashlights, or radio remote triggers for cameras) and that helps to prevent leakage of battery acid after a battery runs down.

That's a good idea, like pulling the factory tab of plastic to activate a new battery powered device

Bill Burk · Aug 22, 2020

darinwc said:
Too bad no one makes a battery cap with a switch installed.

You know, it might be possible to cut a slot, like you see in small toys and light strings, where you could put a tab of plastic to pull when you want to use...

Bill Burk · Aug 22, 2020

mshchem said:
That's a good idea, like pulling the factory tab of plastic to activate a new battery powered device

Exactly

Bill Burk · Aug 22, 2020

Les Sarile said:
I suppose you could drill a hole in the baseplate and put a small switch?

Maybe take advantage of the motor drive opening instead of drilling a new hole

neilt3 · Aug 22, 2020

wiltw said:
Simply allows you to store the battery in the camera rather than needing to find and store a separate container.

Minolta supplied a battery holder that fastened to the neck strap that held two batteries in .
Intended to hold a pair of spares for battery dependant cameras , they can just as easily be used to transfer the batteries into so their not separated from the camera .
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NECKSTRA...748572?hash=item1f0362201c:g:65AAAOSwwD1dob0o

crumbo · Sep 4, 2020

Use two silver oxide batteries ONLY -- NO lithium or alkaline substitutes. In normal use, these WILL die in 6-12 months, unless a dedicated flash is used. If a dedicated flash is left charging on the camera, it may drain the batteries very quickly.

Any clever tricks to deal with the OM-4 "battery eater"?

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