S40 only powers up if battery compartment is open

[kakoisle]

Wondering if anyone else has this problem. If I slide open the lens cover, the camera will not power on. But if I open the battery cover, then the camera powers on fine. Closing the lens cover shuts the camera down cold (lens does not retract). Taking pictures with the door open works fine. The same thing happens with any battery charged state.

I've stared at the compartment. Everything looks fairly mechanical and static. No real moving parts. The battery seems to be seated correctly. Memory card looks like it is seated correctly. Nothing seems to be broken. The parts all seem to be intact.

Obviously, something is being pushed or pulled incorrectly when the door is closed. The camera has been dropped a few times, so it's no wonder something might have been jarred. I'm a bit scared to start pulling on things or taking things apart without knwing what the heck I am doing. But I'd like to try before sending the camera off for repair. It works fine otherwise.

Any experience or thoughts?

[S45_fornow...]

There is a small switch that is activated by the opening/closing of the battery/CF door. The switch might be damaged/shorting-out.

[kakoisle]

Is the switch mechanical or electrical?

Can you please describe the location?

Thanks.

[S45_fornow...]

Its a mechanically triggered electric switch. Its around the edge of the compartment, toward the outside edge of the narrow side of the camera. It is recessed slightly. I believe there is a small "nub" on the door itself that engages the switch when the door is closed. I used to own an S45, but I cannot for the life of me remember the exact location...

[kakoisle]

Thanks, I'll check it out. But I am at a loss why there is such a switch on the battery compartment. The unit only works now when the door is open. Perhaps I'd understand if it did not work with the door open to prevent some harm coming to the comparment while in operation... what, I don't know... but if the lens cover is the true power on/off switch, why is there a second one?

I'll play with it a bit and see. Maybe as you say the switch is simply electrically damaged.

[kakoisle]

Hey, I think I found the switch you were talking about. It is right under the orange clip that holds the battery in place from the top. There's a post on the inside (top side) of the battery compartment door that seems to hit the switch when the door is closed. When the door is open and the camera is on, I can touch the switch with a paper clip and the camera shuts down.

So my question is again, what the heck is this switch for? I can file down the little post on the battery compartment door so that it no longer hits the switch, but what am I losing? It must have some purpose...

[S45_fornow...]

Every Canon digital camera has a switch in the CF compartment door. The switch is supposed to turn the camera OFF if the door is opened. I guess it is there so that the camera will finish writing to the CF card and then powerdown if that switch is activated. That way, you don't lose images that were being written to the CF card if you open the CF door and pop the CF card out of its slot while the camera is powered-up. Go figure....

Obviously, your switch is damaged in some way and is now working just the OPPOSITE of how it should work.

If you take the housing off the camera, you will see that the switch is connected to one of the electronic boards using a simple "post" style connector. You might be able to just unplug the switch to disable it. That way, you can replace it or have it fixed properly down the road.