How NOT to kill my Oly?

[Forrest41926]

I'm about to give the 2100 a third and final try. I really like everything about the camera except that the other two stopped working...

What can I do to keep this one alive? It sounds like a lot of the trouble is in the USB power delivery. Sounds like turning both divices off first might help, but there will always be a point when electricity is flowing to the camera when it wasn't just a second before...

I'll be getting a laptop in a couple months, and a pcmcia smartmedia adapter. Until then I plan to use the USB download cable and rechargable batteries. ( NiMH ranging from 1200 - 1600 mAh. )

Should I try to find a serial download cable? I know this will be a LOT slower, but if it might make the difference between a camera and an expensive paperweight, I can do the patience thing...

 

[Roy F.]

Should I try to find a serial download cable? I know this will be
a LOT slower, but if it might make the difference between a camera
and an expensive paperweight

Much more practical and not much more expensive would be to
get a SmartMedia reader for your computer. Examples:

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=69&manufactory=1341

Roy F.

 

[cdreid]

Did you always have the ac power cable hooked up before this hapened?

I have no idea what the real fault is but it sounds like a surge is zapping your system. Maybe just enought to wipe the camera's rom.. which would mean it wouldnt know how to do anytying.

This is what i do.. and i HOPE it helps and i dont have the Awful luck you did.

cut camera off
run camedia
hook up usb cable

turn camera on after about 5 seconds (should get you past the surge EVERY electrical device gets when it is turned on)
download pics
cut camera off
disconnect usb cable

I'm about to give the 2100 a third and final try. I really like
everything about the camera except that the other two stopped
working...

What can I do to keep this one alive? It sounds like a lot of the
trouble is in the USB power delivery. Sounds like turning both
divices off first might help, but there will always be a point when
electricity is flowing to the camera when it wasn't just a second
before...

I'll be getting a laptop in a couple months, and a pcmcia
smartmedia adapter. Until then I plan to use the USB download
cable and rechargable batteries. ( NiMH ranging from 1200 - 1600
mAh. )

Should I try to find a serial download cable? I know this will be
a LOT slower, but if it might make the difference between a camera
and an expensive paperweight, I can do the patience thing...

 

[JLI]

This is what i do.. and i HOPE it helps and i dont have the Awful
luck you did.

cut camera off
run camedia
hook up usb cable
turn camera on after about 5 seconds (should get you past the surge
EVERY electrical device gets when it is turned on)
download pics
cut camera off
disconnect usb cable

thats exactly how i download from my UZI charles, and have not had any problems (KNOCK ON WOOD)... hope u get a good one forrest..... GOOD LUCK!!!

I'm about to give the 2100 a third and final try. I really like
everything about the camera except that the other two stopped
working...

What can I do to keep this one alive? It sounds like a lot of the
trouble is in the USB power delivery. Sounds like turning both
divices off first might help, but there will always be a point when
electricity is flowing to the camera when it wasn't just a second
before...

I'll be getting a laptop in a couple months, and a pcmcia
smartmedia adapter. Until then I plan to use the USB download
cable and rechargable batteries. ( NiMH ranging from 1200 - 1600
mAh. )

Should I try to find a serial download cable? I know this will be
a LOT slower, but if it might make the difference between a camera
and an expensive paperweight, I can do the patience thing...

 

[Eric19506]

Forrest -

at the risk of sounding like a broken record....Buy a card reader......eliminate the potential for a problem. Quicker, faster, easier.

I also not sure why people seem to want to use the camedia software interface to download the pics, either. (or maybe thats the only way the 2100 can dload images via USB?)

Buy a card reader. Leave it plugged in your USB port. To download images, create a new folder on your hard drive, remove media from Camera, slip into card reader which becomes a new drive letter and DRAG AND DROP in to your new folder! No muss, no fuss.

Best of luck
EP

I'm about to give the 2100 a third and final try. I really like
everything about the camera except that the other two stopped
working...

What can I do to keep this one alive? It sounds like a lot of the
trouble is in the USB power delivery. Sounds like turning both
divices off first might help, but there will always be a point when
electricity is flowing to the camera when it wasn't just a second
before...

I'll be getting a laptop in a couple months, and a pcmcia
smartmedia adapter. Until then I plan to use the USB download
cable and rechargable batteries. ( NiMH ranging from 1200 - 1600
mAh. )

Should I try to find a serial download cable? I know this will be
a LOT slower, but if it might make the difference between a camera
and an expensive paperweight, I can do the patience thing...

 

[buzzy2]

I'm about to give the 2100 a third and final try. I really like
everything about the camera except that the other two stopped
working...

What can I do to keep this one alive? It sounds like a lot of the
trouble is in the USB power delivery. Sounds like turning both
divices off first might help, but there will always be a point when
electricity is flowing to the camera when it wasn't just a second
before...

I'll be getting a laptop in a couple months, and a pcmcia
smartmedia adapter. Until then I plan to use the USB download
cable and rechargable batteries. ( NiMH ranging from 1200 - 1600
mAh. )

Should I try to find a serial download cable? I know this will be
a LOT slower, but if it might make the difference between a camera
and an expensive paperweight, I can do the patience thing...

 

[MikeA]

The first time I read Olympus' recommendation to have both the camera AND the CPU powered off before attaching USB cables, I thought: something is just not right about that. So I bought a ZiO reader and decided never to connect the camera to the computer. Once the ZiO becomes "known" as an addressable drive, I do all of my file-copying at the command line -- no Camedia need apply, as it were.

Eric wrote:
Forrest -
I also not sure why people seem to want to use the camedia software
interface to download the pics, either. (or maybe thats the only
way the 2100 can dload images via USB?)

 

[Holland]

Buy a card reader. You will throw away that USB cord that connects the camera to the computer. Go to buy.com, search on ZIO.... $21+5 shipping. You will be much happier.

Holland

I'm about to give the 2100 a third and final try. I really like
everything about the camera except that the other two stopped
working...

What can I do to keep this one alive? It sounds like a lot of the
trouble is in the USB power delivery. Sounds like turning both
divices off first might help, but there will always be a point when
electricity is flowing to the camera when it wasn't just a second
before...

I'll be getting a laptop in a couple months, and a pcmcia
smartmedia adapter. Until then I plan to use the USB download
cable and rechargable batteries. ( NiMH ranging from 1200 - 1600
mAh. )

Should I try to find a serial download cable? I know this will be
a LOT slower, but if it might make the difference between a camera
and an expensive paperweight, I can do the patience thing...

 

[Forrest41926]

Did you always have the ac power cable hooked up before this hapened?

To the computer? It's always plugged in, and I would connect the USB while the pc was on. I've always powered the camera with batteries.

turn camera on after about 5 seconds (should get you past the surge
EVERY electrical device gets when it is turned on)

Very good to know. I'll count Mississippis whenever I use the USB from now on. Thanks.

 

[Forrest41926]

Forrest -
at the risk of sounding like a broken record....Buy a card
reader......eliminate the potential for a problem. Quicker, faster,
easier.

I've already bought the camera, filters, memory, batteries and a charger ( okay, that was for the 490, but still... ). I'll have a laptop in two months and will buy a pc card adapter then. This stuff adds up quick, and I'm not about to spend another $30 on a reader that will be worthless to me in two months.

If USB is the culprit here, I'm sure I can find the serial cable for a reasonable price somewhere in the city.

 

[Forrest41926]

Why does the capacity of the battery matter? Is a fully charged set of 1200s worse than a mostly depleted set of 1600s? Olympus says the camera can run on alkalines ( ha ha ), which are plenty high mAh capacity, but can't deliver it for more than a few shots in a row.

Does it REALLY damage the camera to use 1200 or 1400 mAh batteries? Should I pull them out of the camera before they start getting low?

 

[Marty Schultz]

Forrest -
at the risk of sounding like a broken record....Buy a card
reader......eliminate the potential for a problem. Quicker, faster,
easier.

I've already bought the camera, filters, memory, batteries and a
charger ( okay, that was for the 490, but still... ). I'll have a
laptop in two months and will buy a pc card adapter then. This
stuff adds up quick, and I'm not about to spend another $30 on a
reader that will be worthless to me in two months.

If you still have the D490 the serial cable works on the 2100. But if you used it on the D490 you know how slow it is, I got my card reader right after getting the D490. A USB reader will still plug into your laptop, it would be pretty hard to find a laptop with no USB ports these days. But a PCMCIA reader will be easier to leave in the laptop.

If USB is the culprit here, I'm sure I can find the serial cable
for a reasonable price somewhere in the city.

I think that is a big "IF", some people have reported their camera died and they never connected it to anything (AC or USB).

 

[Forrest41926]

If you still have the D490 the serial cable works on the 2100. But
if you used it on the D490 you know how slow it is, I got my card

I gave it away with the camera. I had a feeling I should keep it, but I didn't want to give an incomplete birthday present... But I'm thinking they should be $5 at Radio Shack or some such place.

reader right after getting the D490. A USB reader will still plug
into your laptop, it would be pretty hard to find a laptop with no
USB ports these days. But a PCMCIA reader will be easier to leave
in the laptop.

Bingo. A lot easier to carry around. I do a lot of landscape photography and I'm planning some trips to the Sierra and southern Utah. One less thing to carry ( and loose or break ) is a big deal.

If USB is the culprit here, I'm sure I can find the serial cable
for a reasonable price somewhere in the city.

I think that is a big "IF", some people have reported their camera
died and they never connected it to anything (AC or USB).

I've never plugged any of my cameras into an AC adapter. When I got my 490 I used alkalines until my charger arrived in the mail, and ever since then I've been using NiMHs and not worrying about power.

My first 2100 died before I got a chance to download the two or three pictures I'd taken. But then it was the store's demo model. It was the only one they had, and they weren't planning to buy any more. The salesman assured me it was in perfect shape, and I could get a replacement if a problem ever came up. An hour later it was dead. I don't know what might have happened to it in the store, although I can't imagine they would let people abuse them too much...

 

[Albert S]

Forrest,

I started a "Hot Swappable USB???" thread last week and got mixed feedback regarding whether or not the USB connection actually caused any problems (outside of bad house wiring). I'm just starting to believe there are QA problems (seems more so with the 2100 then 3000/3030 then 3040). So far my new 3040 hasn't hiccuped.

First of all, if you only use batteries in your camera (completely isolated from the real world except for the USB connection) then you should be OK.

This is as opposed to using an AC adapter although technically they are suppose to be fully isolated as well.

Second, I F the USB was the cause of some sort of damage, the same possible reasoning could be used that the serial connection could also cause damage. So don't use the serial cable with some false feeling of security.

Hey, whats a $30 for a reader for your desktop PC? Listen to these guys - there's a lot of experience out there. This would compliment the PCMCIA reader for your proposed laptop.

Also I don't think lower rated batteries would (maybe I should say SHOULD) cause damage. You just may get more time out of higher mAh batteries. Seems like I read where someone increased their size and got a much higher percentage return in longevity.

Good Luck on your 3rd time around. Please keep us posted on the outcome.

Albert

 

[Forrest41926]

Hey, whats a $30 for a reader for your desktop PC? Listen to these
guys - there's a lot of experience out there. This would
compliment the PCMCIA reader for your proposed laptop.

But then what's $30 for a circular polarizer, $10 for a UV filter, $50 for a memory card, $40 or $50 for five sets of batteries, plus the camera itself, a soft bag... And then transportation to Utah, Colorado and the High Sierra for interesting pictures... Once I get the laptop, I'm going to give the desktop -- and the desk it sits on -- away. Rent isn't cheap in San Francisco, and every square inch counts. I'm not going to carry a card reader around unless it fits inside the pcmcia card. The neighbor I'm giving the PC to doesn't have a digicam. So it really doesn't make sense for me to spend $30 on a clunky reader. Especially since USB might not be the culprit, I should be okay using batteries ( exclusively ), and the fact that if a SM card is going to die, it's most likely to happen when being handled. ( Those guys aren't cheap, either. ) I don't want to buy a reader just for the sake of spending money...

Good Luck on your 3rd time around. Please keep us posted on the
outcome.

Thanks. I'll let you know once I've had a few days to play with it. Hopefully this rain will stop, and I'll get to take it out on the town.

 

[Ed Pearson20652]

Forrest,

I started a "Hot Swappable USB???" thread last week and got mixed
feedback regarding whether or not the USB connection actually
caused any problems (outside of bad house wiring). I'm just
starting to believe there are QA problems (seems more so with the
2100 then 3000/3030 then 3040). So far my new 3040 hasn't hiccuped.

A serial cable might be worse. There can be a voltage difference between the computer frame and the camera frame when both are powered by line voltage. When you plug in a usb cable there's a good chance the shell will contact first and short out this ground loop voltage and eliminate the problem. With a serial cable, the tip of the plug at the camera end will contact the shell first before the barrel touches. This puts the ground loop voltage on the serial port input and possibly the camera signal pin. This will definitely kill one or both objects. As many have said on this subject, get a card reader. The usb version made by SCM has software that might fix corrupted cards if the need arises.

 

[Lester Helmus]

Eric,
How do you FTP?
Lester

I also not sure why people seem to want to use the camedia software
interface to download the pics, either. (or maybe thats the only
way the 2100 can dload images via USB?)

Buy a card reader. Leave it plugged in your USB port. To download
images, create a new folder on your hard drive, remove media from
Camera, slip into card reader which becomes a new drive letter and
DRAG AND DROP in to your new folder! No muss, no fuss.

Best of luck
EP

I'm about to give the 2100 a third and final try. I really like
everything about the camera except that the other two stopped
working...

What can I do to keep this one alive? It sounds like a lot of the
trouble is in the USB power delivery. Sounds like turning both
divices off first might help, but there will always be a point when
electricity is flowing to the camera when it wasn't just a second
before...

I'll be getting a laptop in a couple months, and a pcmcia
smartmedia adapter. Until then I plan to use the USB download
cable and rechargable batteries. ( NiMH ranging from 1200 - 1600
mAh. )

Should I try to find a serial download cable? I know this will be
a LOT slower, but if it might make the difference between a camera
and an expensive paperweight, I can do the patience thing...

 

[Albert S]

Hey Forrest,

You're starting to lose a lot a "sympathy" when you talk about
(uh, getting lost in) Utah, Colorado and the High Sierras.

Just kidding.......I understand where you're coming from.

Some of us are older farts....who have forgotten about the value of a buck.

Send us some pictures....that is if you don't give your laptop to your other neighbor

and forget the serial cable.

semi-trashed from frozen margaritas on Friday night in Atlanta.......
Albert

Hey, whats a $30 for a reader for your desktop PC? Listen to these
guys - there's a lot of experience out there. This would
compliment the PCMCIA reader for your proposed laptop.

But then what's $30 for a circular polarizer, $10 for a UV filter,
$50 for a memory card, $40 or $50 for five sets of batteries, plus
the camera itself, a soft bag... And then transportation to Utah,
Colorado and the High Sierra for interesting pictures... Once I
get the laptop, I'm going to give the desktop -- and the desk it
sits on -- away. Rent isn't cheap in San Francisco, and every
square inch counts. I'm not going to carry a card reader around
unless it fits inside the pcmcia card. The neighbor I'm giving the
PC to doesn't have a digicam. So it really doesn't make sense
for me to spend $30 on a clunky reader. Especially since USB might
not be the culprit, I should be okay using batteries ( exclusively
), and the fact that if a SM card is going to die, it's most likely
to happen when being handled. ( Those guys aren't cheap, either. )
I don't want to buy a reader just for the sake of spending money...

Good Luck on your 3rd time around. Please keep us posted on the
outcome.

Thanks. I'll let you know once I've had a few days to play with
it. Hopefully this rain will stop, and I'll get to take it out on
the town.

 

[Forrest41926]

You're starting to lose a lot a "sympathy" when you talk about
(uh, getting lost in) Utah, Colorado and the High Sierras.
Just kidding.......I understand where you're coming from.
Some of us are older farts....who have forgotten about the value of
a buck.
Send us some pictures....that is if you don't give your laptop to
your other neighbor

How do you post pictures here? If you don't have your own web space so you can post links, I mean. I have some pics from my last trip through Utah and Colorado ( November/December '00 ) that I'd love to share. As a matter of fact, that was the last time I used film. ( Gasp! )