Canon T90 and T70: Rescuing victims of leaked battery electrolyte

[Andreas Thaler]

Yes, for sure!

View attachment 375659

 

[koraks]

They are happy to accept the Olympic medal (in the middle) awarded by @koraks for their ingenious designers from Japan

Haha, nice touch!

 

[critterdoc]

Conclusion

• Even if it looks bad years later when batteries have leaked, the situation is not hopeless. As long as the battery contacts are not corroded by the electrolyte, you can carry on. This type did not attack the metal.
• It would be important to check behind the battery compartment to see if the electrolyte has reached the electronics. I will do this later.
• I don't know if it was a good idea to drill into the rotten battery, but nothing happened to me. Maybe someone can say something about this.
• In my experience, steel screws often cannot be drilled any deeper. The drill obviously rotates freely due to the bevel in the screw head. The only thing that helps is the diamond burr or tungsten carbide milling cutter.
• I am always amazed at what SLRs (have to) put up with

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All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.

Here's a tale to brighten your day: since the Defense Department bought all our still/ motion picture gear, the Army issued us brand new Nikon F photomic T cameras along with a small bag of spare batteries & a cleaning cloth, 36 rolls of film (Tri X & Kodachrome, and a basic owners manual.
Because the climate was , in general, not compatible with electronic devices, or finely made mechanical gear, along with non-existent repair facilities, meant we had a simple fix for stuck, rusty, corroded, or shorted-out photo equipment: in the field: toss it in the jungle undergrowth or just turn it in to supply for a new one! Average lifespan for non-Nikonos cameras? During monsoon season: a week or ten days, tops. 95 degrees & 100% humidity will do that! Salt spray/mist did the same thing to Naval equipment. Air Force reconnaissance & gun cameras faired better, actually, but they were great at setting up clean rooms/darkrooms right next to the tarmac.
Know this: You do good work. You have skills that you share with photographers the world over. I really appreciate my T90, and your writing is valuable. Like a wise man said:" Every picture you make is a lifetime, once."

 

[critterdoc]

Thanks Michael

Tell me, is it a good idea to drill into rotten batteries? I don't know anything about that.

Please get some good safety glasses or face shield! I noticed the gloves: good idea. I picked up a nice pair of shatter-resistant glasses that have close-up magnifying lenses in the lower border. Nice touch! Inexpensive, too.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Please get some good safety glasses or face shield! I noticed the gloves: good idea. I picked up a nice pair of shatter-resistant glasses that have close-up magnifying lenses in the lower border. Nice touch! Inexpensive, too.

I wear safety goggles over my prescription glasses for all my work without exception. I've gotten into the habit of doing this and you never know what you're going to encounter, as you have to be close for most work.

I also get used to it with nitrile gloves. I don't leave fingerprints with them, but of course they always have to be clean. They aren't tight-fitting gloves for surgeons and so some precision is lost when working.

The gloves also save me from getting dirt on my hands that is difficult to remove (oil, glue, grease) and of course they protect against solvents etc.

Nitrile is flammable but I also wear them when soldering because at 680 F/320 C on the soldering tip they don't start to burn after contact, at least it would take some time and my fingers would let me know beforehand.

When working with the Dremel I put leather gloves over the nitrile gloves. If they come into contact, the nitrile gloves could get caught up in the high-speed tool, which would be fatal.

When working with solvents for long periods of time, I wear a protective mask and for soldering fumes I have an extractor with a carbon filter.

Some things may be excessive, but minimizing risk always makes sense.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Here's a tale to brighten your day: since the Defense Department bought all our still/ motion picture gear, the Army issued us brand new Nikon F photomic T cameras along with a small bag of spare batteries & a cleaning cloth, 36 rolls of film (Tri X & Kodachrome, and a basic owners manual.
Because the climate was , in general, not compatible with electronic devices, or finely made mechanical gear, along with non-existent repair facilities, meant we had a simple fix for stuck, rusty, corroded, or shorted-out photo equipment: in the field: toss it in the jungle undergrowth or just turn it in to supply for a new one! Average lifespan for non-Nikonos cameras? During monsoon season: a week or ten days, tops. 95 degrees & 100% humidity will do that! Salt spray/mist did the same thing to Naval equipment. Air Force reconnaissance & gun cameras faired better, actually, but they were great at setting up clean rooms/darkrooms right next to the tarmac.

I'm trying to picture it all in my head, but I can't!

I know of gun camera footage of USAAF fighter-bombers attacking Germany and Japan in World War II. They strafed ground targets as low-flying aircraft; spectacular footage, apart from the madness of every war.

What was the purpose of these recordings?

Know this: You do good work. You have skills that you share with photographers the world over. I really appreciate my T90, and your writing is valuable. Like a wise man said:" Every picture you make is a lifetime, once."

Thank you!

Fortunately, almost all of the common problems of the Canon T90 can be solved.

It is a fantastic milestone of Japanese engineering.

 

[jaidank]

But something is bothering me.

I have restored a rotten T90 that was already destined for the garbage can.

The only feedback I have received on this, including on my detailed report, concerns a single solder joint.

That is not very motivating.

It makes me wonder whether I should even go through all the work of documenting it.

I have only today found this forum and this thread.
I also have a t90 with a rotten battery tray (not quite as bad as your examples).
Thank you for your detailed pictures; I feel I will be able to remove the battery compartment to clean the deep tray contacts and look for further damage to the camera.
This seems such a common problem that I am unlikely to be able to find a replacement tray, but, with your pictures, I may be able to repair mine (possibly not the latch).|
Cheers, Aidan