Shopchicly
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posted on June 18, 2006 03:15:37 PM new
Hi! I cannot find the manual and the "zoom" mechanism on my camera has become stuck "locked?". Could I have done something to cause this and, if so, how can I undo it? Any help will be appreciated.
Camera is about 4 years old and works great except for the stuck zoom.
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max40
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posted on June 18, 2006 03:40:18 PM new
Someone posted a question a while back about a stuck zoom SWITCH. Can you depress the switch, or is it just that the lens doesn't zoom when the switch is depressed?
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stonecold613
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posted on June 18, 2006 08:19:21 PM new
Is your zoom switch stuck to one side or the other? Or does it move and the zoom isn't working?
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roadsmith
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posted on June 18, 2006 08:37:19 PM new
Perhaps someone can find the old thread, posted about a month ago or so. I *think* I remember that someone used a drop of ?water? on the zoom.
I had the same problem a few months ago, but after a day or so it seemed to heal itself and would slide back and forth just fine. No further problems. It really worried me there for a few hours.
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sparkz
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posted on June 18, 2006 08:57:01 PM new
You CANNOT eat caramel corn, fudge, cotton candy or barbecued ribs while trying to operate your Mavica. Get a can of T.V. tuner cleaner (NOT the lubricating type) and shoot it into the switch. Much safer than water and it'll clean the gunk that came from your fingers as well as the oxidation to the contacts. Keep the rest of that can of cleaner handy. You may need it for other things later. You should be able to get it at Radio Shack, or a T.V. dealer can order it for you. If you can't locate tuner cleaner, VCR head cleaner will work just as well. Get the stuff in the spray can.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
[ edited by sparkz on Jun 18, 2006 08:59 PM ]
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Shopchicly
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posted on June 18, 2006 09:05:22 PM new
Hi......There's no indication of any type spillage having gotten near the area. It is stuck in the middle. It will not depress or move from side to side. I'll try the remedies suggested and see what happens. If anybody remembers that old thread, pls let me know what was said there
and thanks to all for responses.
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Shopchicly
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posted on June 18, 2006 09:10:24 PM new
Well, I'll be darned!!!! Cannot believe it but I put a tiny drop of water on each side of the switch and it moved almost immediately! I had pushed on it with a LOT of pressure and it would not move, but a tiny bit of water did it. THANKS!
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sparkz
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posted on June 18, 2006 09:16:26 PM new
Take the battery out and give that water a chance to evaporate completely before you use the camera. The damage a speck of water can cause if it works its way down to an energized PC board is too terrible to even think about.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
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stonecold613
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posted on June 20, 2006 12:48:22 PM new
Yes, I have had that problem as well. Mine actually did get some sticky stuff in it. Two drops of water fixed it.
I wouldn't worry about taking the battery out. That is why you only use two drops of water. That trivial amount won't go into your camera and cause other problems.
Glad things worked out.
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on June 20, 2006 01:07:48 PM new
Water!!! You people use water to clean electronic swith's!!! No offense but are you nut's? Maybe you should try sulfuric acid or oven cleaner next time (just kidding). The last thing you should be using to clean a switch is water. Do what sparkz suggested, go to Radio Shack and buy a can of tuner cleaner. It will last you the rest of your life and is the proper way to clean electronic contact's. You will thank yourself in the long run, unless of course you want to buy a new camera. I have a good bit of experience with electronics reair and trust me when I say in the long run using water to clean your switch contacts will cause worse problems in the long run then it's worth.
 1 out of 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Take a look at your 3 closest friends. If they seem alright, you're the one! - Kyle Stubbins, CMS
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sparkz
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posted on June 20, 2006 01:20:34 PM new
If you can't locate tuner cleaner, isopropyl alcohol can be used in many instances. NOT the 70% stuff you find on the shelf. It's 30% water. Ask the pharmicist for a bottle of Technical grade alcohol. It's 99% pure. Mike, I also have seen the results of moisture in electronic circuitry. In fact, one instance occurred earlier in the day when I originally signed up with Auctionwatch. It helped me come up with a username to sign up with.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on June 20, 2006 01:33:38 PM new
sparkz - LOL, I alway's wondered where you got the name. I have done quite a bit of "sparking" myself over the years. The worst is the numerous times I have been bitten by the still charged flyback transformer's in TV's. Damn that hurts. Amazing how much bite that little 10-15,000 volt spark has.
1 out of 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Take a look at your 3 closest friends. If they seem alright, you're the one! - Kyle Stubbins, CMS
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stonecold613
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posted on June 20, 2006 01:42:31 PM new
The thing is Mike, it's not the electrical part that is jamming. It is the plastic slide button on the camera. Problem is, if you use a contact cleaner on plastic, it will gum it up worse than if you did nothing at all. Thus, the reason for only using two drops of water. Enough to remove the gunk, but not enough to actually get at the switch.
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irked
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posted on June 20, 2006 09:21:28 PM new
I suggest a screwdriver remove all screws and take sliding switch out and clean all parts with WATER! LOL KIDDING! You would have fun putting it back together though. I suggest alcohol the 99% stuff. Hopefully my Mavica won't do that but you never know.
Glad it worked for you the water that is hope you were very careful it still can get into the circuitry even 2 drops
**************
I married my wife for her looks...but not the
ones she's been giving me lately!
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on June 20, 2006 09:44:28 PM new
I have numerous cans of tuner and contact cleaner setting around and all of them are safe on plastic. They are plastic safe because most switch's and tuners are manufactured with plastic components in them as insulators.
1 out of 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Take a look at your 3 closest friends. If they seem alright, you're the one! - Kyle Stubbins, CMS
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sparkz
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posted on June 20, 2006 09:54:26 PM new
Irked...The method you describe is actually the correct way to do it (except for the water) and is the way I would most likely do it. However, I would never recommend that anyone else try to take a digital camera apart. Those screws are extremely small, and easy to lose. Also, the static buildup on your fingers can do more damage to an IC than water. And when you get ready to button it up, you discover those tiny screws for the case don't match your fat fingers, so it takes a trip to a jewelry store or watch repairman to put it back together. Unfortunately, the best cleaning agent (a kissing cousin of Freon) has been outlawed in most of the world so we now have to use tuner cleaner, vcr head cleaner or alcohol to do the job.
If Murphy's law is correct, everything East of the San Andreas Fault will slide into the Atlantic
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mikes4x4andtruckrepair
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posted on June 20, 2006 10:43:19 PM new
I still have 2 55 gallon drums of Freon 21 cleaning solvent if you need some.  It's great for cleaning gun parts in ultrasonic cleaners.
1 out of 4 people are mentally unbalanced. Take a look at your 3 closest friends. If they seem alright, you're the one! - Kyle Stubbins, CMS
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irked
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posted on June 21, 2006 03:41:51 AM new
Sparkz, I know that is part I was kidding about, the water. I have taken many electronics apart and just hate those tiny screws too. I found that jewelers tools work real well for picking them up and getting them into the holes. I just have not taken a digital camera apart yet and would only do so if it was last resort and just really wanted to see how it worked or didn't work.. Someday I will get my chance but only if it might be a total loss either way. If ya know what I mean.
**************
I married my wife for her looks...but not the
ones she's been giving me lately!
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