NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Camera Talk => Topic started by: Kim Pilegaard on December 14, 2021, 18:46:22
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I have the MB-D17 battery grip for my D500. In the battery info the MB-D17 is recognised, but although I have chosen the camera to use MB-D17 batteries first, MB-D17 is not highlighted in the battery info, and no battery status is shown even with a completely charged battery.
I tried the battery pack on another camera, where it worked as it should.
Could someone point to a solution? Dirty contacts?
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It could be a power circuit failure in the camera.
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Which battery pack is being used in the grip? I have on some occasions noticed that EN-EL15 variants might not seat properly in the holder and have problems making contact. Does the camera power on at all without the main battery in the chamber?
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It seems to be the contacts in the camera itself. I tried to clean them with some contact cleaning liquid and had a temporary success. However, now it doesn't work again.
Does anyone have experience in how to clean the contacts?
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It seems to be the contacts in the camera itself. I tried to clean them with some contact cleaning liquid and had a temporary success. However, now it doesn't work again.
Does anyone have experience in how to clean the contacts?
I would try cleaning all contacts again. I had an MD-12 that failed to work. I cleaned the contacts and it still didn't work. It was a fairly simple device and I asked a camera repairman friend to buy me a main circuit board. My friend said, "Did you clean the contacts." I said, "Yes, but I'll do it again." I scrubbed the contacts with methyl alcohol and cotton swabs. The second more thorough cleaning did the trick. My guess is there was lip balm on the MD-12 contacts, waxy, and although alcohol is not a proper solvent for wax the second cleaning did the trick. One can hope. :)
Dave
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For cleaning electrical contacts an eraser (viskelæder) can work.
Lighter fluid (rensebenzin) is also good. Or a mixture between lighter fluid and alcohol.
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I am concerned about using erasers on plated metal contacts. If the contact is brass underneath and a plating such as gold is removed the brass will corrode quickly and need frequent or even very frequent cleaning. In my experience the device can become quite unreliable.
I damaged the plating, bright, perhaps thin chrome on brass in a Vivitar 285 (early Japanese model). This was probably done by a alkaline battery that leaked. I cleaned the contacts but the plating was stripped. To successfully continue using my Vivitar 285 I placed a drop of solder (lead/tin) on the contact. The solder also corroded but by simply spinning the battery in place reliable contact was established. I did this every time I installed fresh batteries. I intended to try silver solder but by that time high trigger voltage speedlights were considered a danger to SLR(s). My Vivitar 283(s) and 285 all had trigger voltages above 256V as measured by a multi-meter. I bought a Nikon SB-16B and gave away the Vivitar 285.
If the contacts in a device are plated I would never use an eraser. If the contacts are solid stainless steel as pressed from stainless steel sheets a new eraser on a lead pencil may be quite convenient. I would never under any circumstances use a ink eraser.
Dave