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Re: [OM] OM Battery Problems History....

Subject: Re: [OM] OM Battery Problems History....
From: clintonr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Thu, 12 Jul 2001 19:01:27 -0500

Chris Charlton wrote:

> > I want to make a question... From such a long time
> > I've been listen problems with batteries on the OM
> > group, specialy on the OM-2sp and the OM-4 (later
> > models)....
> >
> > somebody knows the real story ?
> >
> > Max
>
> To make it simple, OM2sp's and early OM4's have a
> fault which causes an endless drain on the batteries
> (when the camera is off) unless they are removed.

Actually, this wasn't/isn't a "fault".  In a properly working
OM-4 or 2s, PC, etc, 2 silver oxide batteries WILL die in 6-12 months --
to make
these cameras do what they do, using the technology available
at the time, that's the way they had to work.

Basically, Olympus' design
perameters were that the "professional" cameras _had_ to be
immediately operational the moment they were picked up (note
the absence of a shutter release lock).  In essence, an OM-4 or 2s is
always
"on", and ready to shoot -- replacing batteries every few months is
a minor inconvenience in exchange for this immense advantage.

While the OM-4t's current drain is significantly lower, we still
admonish users to expect no more than 6-12 months life per
pair of silver's -- if they last longer, fine.

One other circumstance is that battery drain is significantly
increased whenever a dedicated flash is attached to most of these
"new generation" cameras, and turned on.  The LED in the
finder is powered by the camera's battery (unless the camera
has been modified), resulting in an increased battery drain as
much as 10x or more over "normal".  Leaving a charging flash
on an OM-4, for example, is NOT recommended!  Also, if your
batteries are "marginal" to begin with, attaching a flash may be
enough to cause the camera to "lock up" -- take the flash off for a
while,
and the camera works fine, once battery power builds up again.

I suspect this was to prevent potential damage from "non-Olympus"
flashes, who's output was not under the control of Olympus -- excessive
output could have damaged the LED display, for example....




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