Sony DSC-S30

I've got a Sony DSC-S30 and about 3 weeks ago it got so it would not
turn off and was in Demo mode. I was able to turn off the Demo mode,
but now the camera won't turn off and the only way to do so is take out
the Lithium battery and unplug the cammera.

Putting the battery back in turns the cam back on. I can't get the
battery to charge while the camera is on the plug.

Called Sony and they want $185 to take a look at it. Thinking it's
gotta be less than $185 to fix this thing.

Tried to "reset" to factory but sliding the on off switch to off and
holding it there does nothing (Sony's website says to hold the power
button down for 30 seconds. This camera does not have a button but a
slider switch with a green "nubby" in it. Pressed the "nubby" in as
well)

Anyone know what can be done? How can I get the internal battery out?

Thanks,
Chris J. Popp

www.9412.com
www.conxis.com
www.chrisjpopp.com

On 27 Aug 2006 21:39:12 -0700, Chris J. Popp wrote:

> Tried to "reset" to factory but sliding the on off switch to off and
> holding it there does nothing (Sony's website says to hold the power
> button down for 30 seconds. This camera does not have a button but a
> slider switch with a green "nubby" in it. Pressed the "nubby" in as
> well)
>
> Anyone know what can be done? How can I get the internal battery out?

I don't know what the DSC-S30 uses for its internal battery, but
according to the manual for the DSC-W5, the internal rechargeable
battery is probably soldered in and can't be removed, and the way to
discharge it is to remove the main batteries for an extended period.
Unfortunately this extended period is 30 days. And if the battery
would have taken 36 days to lose its charge and you put the main
batteries back in after 30 days, you'd lose and have to try, and
guess again. If it were my camera, I'd never pay $185 to have it
repaired, since the same problem could reappear. Instead, I'd get
another similar (or better) camera, and put the DSC-S30 aside, with
battery removed for 2 or 3 months. If that fixes it to the original
"factory new" condition, you'll have a useful backup camera. If you
can get by without needing the camera until the next traditional
photo shooting opp. (if you're in the USA, Thanksgiving is 3 months
away), you could put off getting another camera until you can tell
whether electrically starving the DSC-S30 for a couple of months
will do it any good.

If you can only charge the Li-Ion battery in camera, make sure
that it's charged before removing it for an extended period. While
Li-Ion batteries can easily survive 3 months away from a charger if
they're fully charged, they can be damaged if they're very low and
then they aren't charged for several months.