99.9% of the time, this is not a problem. I just find it odd. If a battery doesn't work, I simply find one that does -- pretty much ignoring what my battery tester displays.
You have incredible endurance and committment. I would have given up on that specific camera a long, long time ago.
Faulty capacitors in TWO cameras -- probably more???
I use a Wein Safe Sync for this- no need to worry after it’s installed. I don’t want to take any chances.Not the answer to your problem, but take care if you use the Vivitar 283 flash on digital cameras.
Some have a very high trigger voltage and could possibly damage a digital camera.
Look for your flash in the following link.
Not all, but some could be harmful.
Worth a read.
Probably because typical lithium chemistry gives something like 3.2V/cell. This would take the power supply way over what the camera is designed for. There's also more modern 1.5V Lithium batteries (Li-FeS2), but I don't think they've been around for quite as long on the marketplace in any volume. So I suspect the warning is really with this issue in mind.
You sure your Minolta doesn't suffer from a leaky electrolytic capacitor somewhere? I can imagine this resulting in similar problems.
What I might try with some of the NEW 3.3v CR2 batteries is to fire off the built-in flash several times and see if a lower voltage (3.2v) solves the problem. Who knows? I have nothing to loose -- but I don't want to wear out those pesky capacitors.
Unfortunately yes - electrolytic capacitors are pretty commonly a limiting factor for the lifespan of electronics in general. For one, they have an absorbed liquid electrolyte inside which can dry out over time, changing the electrical characteristics; and beyond that there have been over the years a number of "bad batch" situations where specific manufacturing runs of them have proven to be especially short-lived.Faulty capacitors in TWO cameras -- probably more???
I'm not disputing that capacitors can go bad, but I've got lots of cameras from the 1970's with capacitors that are still functioning. And there are usually signs or symptoms of bad capacitors -- usually when the camera needs a lot of juice from the capacitor. I don't see that here, especially when the cameras work fine simply by changing the batteries. A "bad" capacitor will not start working by simply switching the battery.
a NEW CR2 (3.3v) in the camera with a USED CR2 (2.9v/3.0v/3.1v)
OK, don't keep this combination for long, though. You're recharging a non-rechargeable used battery with the new one. This will severely cut down the lifetime of the new battery. If you use this combination just to wear down a new battery enough to then pair it with an identically treated battery, that would be fine. A safer method (no risk of overheating the old battery and starting a fire) is to connect the new battery with an appropriate resistor and have it discharge to the desired level.
Those old Max 5s' are probably one of the most trustworthy cameras you can own.
I'd start poking around for faulty electrolytic capacitors.
In the 285/283 directions there is a section on forming the capacitor, even after long periods of sitting idle...
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