Dead G1 power unit.

[Boyd]

While on holiday in Greece my G1 died. I bought the camera in December and have put several thousand shots through it since then.

Before it died I noticed that I was getting some hot pixels that were never there before. I actually don't think these two problems are related though. My guess is that the heat (40 degrees) may have had more to do with this but, like I say, I am just guessing about this. Anyone else had sudden appearance of hot pixels?

I have had the camera repaired and Canon reported that they replaced the power unit. Anyone else had a power unit die in their camera?

Just wanted to add this experience to the collective knowledge of the group.

Oh, and I still love my G1. :-)

[Skuzzi]

Yah, I've had the "dc/dc" converter spontaniously die on my camera, there was no reason for it... I had just shot some photos at one site.. moved on to the next one and set up my camera.. turned it on and... nothing happens.. I changed the battery.. nothing happens.. plug it into the wall.. nothing happens

This was two days before I had to leave town on a buisness trip that involved my camera.

Canons service was good however, managed to rush it and get me my camera back the next day.. I inquired about what would cause this and the service tech didnt have any idea at all.. just one of those mysterys.. odd for an already burned in peice of electronics to die..

Oh and I wasnt getting any hot pixels before it sudenly died (I just went back and checked the photos from the first site) so that might just be coincedence.

[GenDEM]

My DC converter went dead when my Camera was *on*! I had to ship it back with the lens hanging open!!

[Boyd]

Yeah, mine died mid shot too. And BTW, the hot pixels have gone away too.

Seems like there could be a problem with this power unit methinks.

[rider]

I had about 1,000 shots on my G1 (it was about 6 months old) when the DC-DC converter went out. I had taken a picture, flipped the dial to review the pictures, and it went dead. No display, and connecting the charger did not light it up either. Canon had a decent turnaround time and sent it back FedEx 2nd day air. Pretty disappointing, as my Kodak DC265 took over 10,000 pictures without a hitch, until it was run over.

[odeon8]

Boyd wrote:
While on holiday in Greece my G1 died. I bought the camera in December and have put several thousand shots through it since then.

Before it died I noticed that I was getting some hot pixels that were never there before. I actually don't think these two problems are related though. My guess is that the heat (40 degrees) may have had more to do with this but, like I say, I am just guessing about this. Anyone else had sudden appearance of hot pixels?

I have had the camera repaired and Canon reported that they replaced the power unit. Anyone else had a power unit die in their camera?

Just wanted to add this experience to the collective knowledge of the group.

Oh, and I still love my G1. :-)

[odeon8]

Hy Boyd,
this message reply comes from bavaria/west germany. I just have the same problem - my G1 is "dead". Even the connection to the charger has no effects like LED blink...
Thanks a lot for this forum and your entry - i will tell what my dealer suggests to solve the problem. Besides - i´m an electronic engineer: so what is the part number of the defective DC/DC converter? Could it be changed by myself ?

Thanks in advance - Thomas

[LBarber]

Hi Boyd;

Love this camera. But just had it go dead for the 2nd time. Was working good. Next time went to use it. Dead. 3 weeks later it was returned. They said nothing wrong with it. Did cleaning and firmware upgrade. Worked great from Nov 2001 to July 2002. Just had the exact same thing happen again. Have sent it to Canon and will see what is said about this. Have not had any other symptoms that others have posted. Just goes dead.

[IainB]

When my 6 month old G1 suddenly 'died' (showed no signs of life on battery or when connected to the charger), Canon suggested I had let the battery discharge too much (!!). After examining the unit, they replaced the firmware (to 1.0.0.3) and 'restored' the battery. Seems they were not willing to admit that the firmware controlling the power was at fault. Check what firmware you have and either download the latest (1.0.0.3?) from Canon's website or have them do it for you.

[Hillbilly]

While in Las Vegas this past week, I walked out of an a/c controlled environment into 110F heat. When I turned on my Canon G1, the lens extended, and then the unit went dead. Guess I have the same problem as all of the aforementioned. Had to buy a cheap disposable. And, alas, upon checking my receipt, my camera is out of warranty!

[IainB]

I'm curious to know how you get on with this. I would be interested to know how many 'dead' G1s were sorted with an upgrade of firmware to 1.0.0.3 (see my earlier post on this. How old is your camera? Is the battery still comfortably within its 'expected' life span? Do you leave the battery in the camera for several days when not in use?
Good luck!

[blue]

Just new to the forum.
I also had a similar problem with the g1. My camera went dead while I was travelling in Chile and just a few weeks after the warranty expired (was charged 200 USD by Canon UK). Problem was said to be the power converter unit. Normally leave the battery in the camera at all times. My camera was bought in April 2001. I am very concerned with the reliability of this camera.

[tceelin]

Hi,

I have the same problem when I have my G1 for about 6 mths. It just 'died' on me but the lens retracted automatically. The technicians told me that the fuse in the camera blew.

It seems to me that this is a production flaw.