An Embarrasing Confession. Bent Pin

[swamprot]

I searched all the forums and not surprisingly could only find one thread that compared with my problem. But at least I found one. Don't make me feel a whole lot better though.

Here is the thread:Posted by Honger on 6/01. I searched his name and only found two posts although his post count is 4.
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18102#99249
Supposedly his wife did it. I can't blame it on my wife since I don't have one of those.

Anyway to make a short story long I only had my 10D 3 daze. I have had two digicams prior to this one, both using Smart cards. Smart cards you just grab them and pull them. So my brand new 10D I unthinkingly pull it without using the ejector, several times as matter of fact. Each time thinking (if you can call it that) Gotta remember to use the ejector.

So on one attempt to re-insert the card it don't go. I pull it out and try again. Nope won't go. So okay just push a little hard (wrong). I immediately realize I probably did really dumb thing. I put light down there and sure enough I bent a pin. Try to figure out a way to straighten it. Then I'm thinking no, I've already done enough damage. this thing is new and I'm taking back to dealer and sending it to Canon to fix it right.

So it is with Canon and been there for going on four weeks now I think, lost track of time, and I'm losing my mind too. Not that I have much to lose.

Here is picture of it it. Not that great but it is a little hard to get both the lens and the flash down in that little slot.
http://photos.imageevent.com/swamprot/swamprotstuff//eos-cfpins.jpg

My question you might ask? Well I have often wondered about those tiny pins, seems like they could be a problem. Maybe not because I don't see much on the subject here. So I guess it's just us dummies. All two of us it seems at this point.

The Lesson for any that don't know. If at first it don't go, don't try again. Pretty damn simple huh?

So what have I been doing these past weeks? Reading the forum and trying to learn a little something. Oh and working on my studio lighting.

Maybe someday I will have the recent love of my life back in my trembling sweaty hands.

If anyone has any feedback on this problem on what caused the bent pin I'm listening.
It is hard for me to understand why just pulling the card would bend a pin. Sure don't want it to happen again. I know one thing for sure I'll be looking in the slot and checking the pins. Seems like a weak link to me. But I might be wrong most likely.

[GenEOS]

I guess it could be operator error, but I don't know. I have never tried pulling the card out without using the eject button. Maybe that pic was a little off to begin with? It looks like another on is a little out of line too.

I can't believe you did not try to straighten that pin out? I mean, what could it have hurt to try? If you coudn't straighten it, then you have to send it in anyway. Canon is going to replace it, right? Not just straighten it??

I hate to hear that you had this problem though...

It is mighty noble to admit you screwed up, I got to admire that.

[DonCoon]

Are you sure you didn't put the card in backwards. That is, with the proper side in but reversed?

To insert a CF into my wife's Nikon 995 I have to remember to have the front of the card facing forward whereas the Canons must face back. I really have to pay attention or I'll be in the predicament you are. (Just hope it's the 995.)

FWIW, I understand the CF card readers on the Fuji machines at Wal-Mart suffer this problem all the time.

[midmadn]

There have been a few others that have done that. For that reason I try to be very careful when inserting my MD. I also try to always push in on the middle of the card and not off to one side.

I'm guessing that there is just a little bit of slop and if you push off to one side of the card, you could bend a pin.

Look at the bright side. I bet you won't do that again. LOL

Sorry to hear about your misfortune though. You must be going insane. :(

[Motorsports Photo]

It wouldnt hurt to try to bend the pin back. Depending on what alloy Canon used for the pins, it will either bend back easily and you're all set, or the dreadful result- a VERY hard alloy could break when bent back.

Be careful to BEND it back into place and not squish it with a mean pair of pliers. As a watch maker I have tried in the past to straighten out pivots on watch balances that measured around .08 mm and has sucess in some, but usually the steel breaks. Brass is SOOO much easier.

-Pete

[Ballen Photo]

swamprot wrote:
If anyone has any feedback on this problem on what caused the bent pin I'm listening.
It is hard for me to understand why just pulling the card would bend a pin. Sure don't want it to happen again. I know one thing for sure I'll be looking in the slot and checking the pins. Seems like a weak link to me. But I might be wrong most likely.

I agree, this by design seems to be a very weak link indeed with compact flash. I had this same problem with a card reader. I was able to straighten the pin myself with a thin straight blade screwdriver. I figured, why not? the card reader was only around $20, and I'm a retired slot technician, so it's not like I havent done this sort of thing before. It worked, but I wouldn't want to make a habit of doing this, especially if it was in my 10D.
What did I learn here? To make sure the card is square with the opening first, and to shove it in by placing my finger in the center of the back of the card, to give even pressure across the card as I seat it. Get used to the feel of the card as it seats so you can feel if there is a problem.
Lastly? Make sure to hold your mouth just right as you insert a card.

One more thought; ask them to check to make sure the pin block is straight and square with the slot in your camera, as this could be another suspect area.

I'm glad I had the chance to learn this procedure on a fairly inexpensive card reader instead of my 10D. I would not have been happy.
Good luck with yours.
..........Bruce

[theoldmoose]

I second Motorsports Photo's remark. My experience has been, once a pin has been bent more than a few degrees, it will quite likely break if you attempt to straighten it.

Unfortunately, the design of CF slots is to put the pins in the socket, which means that if you break a pin, you damage the equipment, instead of losing a CF card. On the other hand, if the pins were on the card, you'd have to design some kind of shroud to protect the pins from static, or just plain being bent themselves.

Some number of years ago, I had a running battle with some hardware developers over whether a 9-pin D shell connector that was chassis-mounted should have the pins or the sockets. They wanted to put the pins on the cable, so that if someone broke a pin, all they would have to do was replace the cable. The EIA standard (it was for a serial port), though, required the DCE end of the connection to have the sockets. I lost the battle, and we then ended up having to supply a 9-pin male to male adapter to all the customers that couldn't understand why they couldn't use an IBM PC-compatible AT-style modem cable on our equipment. Every cable they came up with that had a 9-pin male connector on it, was wired bass-ackwards, for a null modem.

Sometimes you can't win. You can look at the CF connector situation another way, though. The alternative is to use (shudder) board edge connectors, like some other media does. Those kinds of connectors are notorious for being mechanically wimpy, and not gas tight, to boot. There is something to be said for euro-style gas tight pin-and-socket connectors, for making reliable connections. That's why VME bus cards sport the same style of connector (except the board has the pins, and they are shrouded properly). VME systems are used in military applications, where they can't afford to have loose cards in sockets, like PCs can get with their board-edge connectors.

[gsmx2]

DonCoon wrote:

Are you sure you didn't put the card in backwards. That is, with the proper side in but reversed?

To insert a CF into my wife's Nikon 995 I have to remember to have the front of the card facing forward whereas the Canons must face back. I really have to pay attention or I'll be in the predicament you are. (Just hope it's the 995.)

I don't think that is possible. I have three card readers and the Rebel. I tried various cards in various readers and none of them would fit more than 2/3 of the way before coming to a stop. This was a long way from the pins.

But thanks for giving me a chance to test it. If there is a way to get a square pin into a round hole, I'll figure out how to do it wrong.

Scott

[swamprot]

I admit I was not particularly careful but I also don't think I was doing anything wrong necessarily. Other than not using the ejector ever single time. But I was pulling the card more often than normal because I was testing shots in the studio and close to the computer.

If it was the card reader pins I would certainly have went all out to repair it. Not much to lose. Also if I hadn't made the dumb mistake of thinking a little more push might do it. If I would have just looked in there at the first sign of problem I might have been able to fix it.

Thanks for you understanding and your interest. I'll let you know the end of the story. If their is one.

[scottbergerphoto]

"If anyone has any feedback on this problem on what caused the bent pin I'm listening. "

When you pulled on the card a couple of times and it didn't come out, you still may have moved/deformed the card enough to slip it or a part of it above the pin/pins. Tugging on the locked in card may have resulted in lateral as well as upward forces. When it went back down it bent the pin because it was not aligned properly. Alternatively, you may have bent the pin out of alignment removing the card, and finished the deed when you inserted the card on a misaligned pin.
Scott

[Longwatcher]

I am still trying to figure out how you got you fingers to pull it out, I'm not sure I could do it even if I tried. I have to use the eject button to get my fingers on the card. I could see if you loaded it backwards first as I have tried that a couple of times.

Just my curiousity,

[swamprot]

Well I'm reasonably ready to accept that pulling the card without the ejector was the problem. I'm not sure why. But my excitement and enthusiasum must have just been my problem. I know that I didn't try to insert the card wrong way however. Don't recall any particular getting hold of the card to pull it out either.

Thanks again and I hope this helps others to be more careful and observant than me.

[cmattdvc]

Ok I hate to admit that I know about this, If you know somebody in the medical field, get them to get you a 18gage IV cath. (they will know what it is) pull off the plastic sheath and then slip the hollow needle OVER the bent pin (the pin will be inside the needle), carefully ease the pin back into position. I would not like to do this more than once or twice but it has worked (once) for me as a quick field repair.
If you don't know anybody, stop buy an Ambulance station or a Paramedic Fire house. Show them what you are trying to do and they most likely will give you the cath.

Stay Safe,
Matt Lowery FF/NREMT-P

[swamprot]

That is a great tip. Unfortunately in my case having got over impulsive and pushed it beyond reasonable limits as you can see in the pic. Not sure anything could have been slipped over the pin. However had I stopped at first sign of resistance it would have been quick fix most likely. Wouldn't mind having one in my kit though cuz I know I ain't going to do that heavy handed crap again. What was I thinking?

[shmelive]

I put a broken memory card in my powershot a95 and it bent a pin. Should I try to bend it back with a small screwdriver, or buy a new cf card slot? If i need a new card slot, how do i install it in my camera?

-Shimmy

[skyphix]

Working with computers, this has happened to me multiple tiems in multiple places and on multiple things... its no fun. Generally, very carefully bending it back with some needle nose pliars wrapped in electrical tape is ok... but for this I'd send it to Canon.

Oh, and Canon should've emailed you a confirmation on whats going on with it if you provided them an email... if not, give them a call. they should be able to look it up. I got mine back in ~1 week from when they said they got it.

[shmelive]

I bent the pin back with a small flat-head screwdriver and it worked!

[CyberDyneSystems]

Congrats! :)

[Jraun]

Well, when all else fails -- you can't straighten the pin out or broken three off. Does any one know what the bottom line to replace the male end of the CF card reader inside my EOS 300D might cost $$$$ - ouch, yea!

Also, what techinical term or part would this part be known as?????