Date and time lost without batery

zambuno · 09-30-2012, 01:49 PM

Hi, if i put the batery to charge and left the camera without it for few days, it always looses the date and time.
Is this a characteristic or a problem

?

Its pretty annoying to put date every time you turn on the camera.

**jatrax** · 09-30-2012, 02:51 PM

What camera?

The date/time is retained in most cameras by either a small button cell or a capacitor, when the main battery is out. Depending on your camera model, if it uses a button cell then maybe that is going bad. AFAIK most Pentax cameras use a capacitor for this purpose. So, most likely you are exceeding the time available for the capacitor to retain the memory.

zambuno · 09-30-2012, 03:01 PM

Its a K-30, bought 2 months ago. I will do some tests, but i think maximum was like 1 week without main battery.

**patrick9** · 09-30-2012, 03:46 PM

I would think it is normal. The Dl I have the max time without a battery is roughly 12 hours. Then the capacitor runs down and I have to reset date and time. So when I recharge the batteries I put a set of old ones in till the others are recharged then swap.

**jatrax** · 09-30-2012, 03:53 PM

Originally posted by zambuno

i think maximum was like 1 week without main battery.

If you are getting that kind of time then there is no problem, that is functioning as designed. To be honest I was expecting you to say 5 or 6 hours not a week, the capacitor is just supposed to hold the settings while the battery is being charged not forever. Just charge the battery and then put it back in and all will be well.

zambuno · 09-30-2012, 10:09 PM

Thank you all, i will learn to live with that (order 2nd battery)

**Ex Finn.** · 10-01-2012, 03:53 PM

This is what is in the K-7 for memory back-up. The scary thing is the lack of cycle life at 100% discharge rate. The internal battery will be more or less shot after 50 cycles.TS Lithium Rechargeable Battery | Micro Battery | Seiko Instruments Inc.

SteveB · 10-03-2012, 11:30 AM

There's a lot of luck involved in how long a capacitor will stay charged up in a camera. Anything over a few hours I would call quite normal but that can be annoying if it's 2hrs and your only battery takes 3hrs to charge. It's really annoying if it's nothing at all, like my old otherwise perfect Olympus C750, all of which were fitted with faulty Chinese capacitors that died after a couple of years. I have to plug an AC adapter into this camera before changing batteries to keep settings.

**Ex Finn.** · 10-03-2012, 04:07 PM

I just looked at pictures of main boards of ist ds. ist dl, K 100D, 100D super and K-7. They all have batteries for memory retention.
Curious as to what models use capacitors for the job, anyone have any info on this?.

edit: add the K10D to the list.

**patrick9** · 10-04-2012, 07:00 PM

Where did you get the pics to look at? I had assumed ( I thought I remembered being told it was a capacitor) that the DL has a capacitor. If it truly is a battery I wonder how long it will last and how to change it when it no longer holds a charge.

**Ex Finn.** · 10-05-2012, 03:10 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by patrick9

Where did you get the pics to look at? I had assumed ( I thought I remembered being told it was a capacitor) that the DL has a capacitor. If it truly is a battery I wonder how long it will last and how to change it when it no longer holds a charge.

Pentax Hack Downloads "Older models service manuals". Also I have my old main board from my K7. The battery in K7 will die/not hold a charge, after about 50 complete discharges. TS Lithium Rechargeable Battery | Micro Battery | Seiko Instruments Inc.
edit: image of the battery in the K7.

Zafar Iqbal · 10-05-2012, 03:36 AM

My K-30 lost time and date as well. I have 2 and the second was sitting in my storage bag without batteries in it for a month or so - so, you're not alone

**patrick9** · 10-06-2012, 05:37 AM

Originally posted by Ex Finn.

Pentax Hack Downloads "Older models service manuals". Also I have my old main board from my K7. The battery in K7 will die/not hold a charge, after about 50 complete discharges. TS Lithium Rechargeable Battery | Micro Battery | Seiko Instruments Inc. edit: image of the battery in the K7.

Thanks makes for interesting reading.
A whole lot more complicated inside than most would believe . Now I think I will try to find a broken camera to take apart. I do need to practice my soldering first. I haven't done much of it for the past several years.

Hoggy · 10-07-2012, 10:19 PM

Has anyone been able to find a K-30 service manual yet?

Several google searches have turned up nothing so far.

**Ex Finn.** · 10-11-2012, 05:33 PM

Originally posted by Hoggy

Has anyone been able to find a K-30 service manual yet?

Several google searches have turned up nothing so far.

Don`t hold your breath, it could take a long time for it to show up. The latest thing I have seen is the parts breakdown for the K-7.

09-30-2012, 01:49 PM	#1
zambuno New Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 4	Date and time lost without batery Hi, if i put the batery to charge and left the camera without it for few days, it always looses the date and time. Is this a characteristic or a problem ? Its pretty annoying to put date every time you turn on the camera.

10-03-2012, 04:07 PM	#9
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	I just looked at pictures of main boards of ist ds. ist dl, K 100D, 100D super and K-7. They all have batteries for memory retention. Curious as to what models use capacitors for the job, anyone have any info on this?. edit: add the K10D to the list. Last edited by Ex Finn.; 10-03-2012 at 04:12 PM.

10-05-2012, 03:10 AM - 1 Like	#11
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	Originally posted by patrick9 Where did you get the pics to look at? I had assumed ( I thought I remembered being told it was a capacitor) that the DL has a capacitor. If it truly is a battery I wonder how long it will last and how to change it when it no longer holds a charge. Pentax Hack Downloads "Older models service manuals". Also I have my old main board from my K7. The battery in K7 will die/not hold a charge, after about 50 complete discharges. TS Lithium Rechargeable Battery \| Micro Battery \| Seiko Instruments Inc. edit: image of the battery in the K7. Last edited by Ex Finn.; 11-11-2014 at 05:46 PM.

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09-30-2012, 02:51 PM	#2
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	What camera? The date/time is retained in most cameras by either a small button cell or a capacitor, when the main battery is out. Depending on your camera model, if it uses a button cell then maybe that is going bad. AFAIK most Pentax cameras use a capacitor for this purpose. So, most likely you are exceeding the time available for the capacitor to retain the memory.

09-30-2012, 03:01 PM	#3
zambuno New Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 4 Original Poster	Its a K-30, bought 2 months ago. I will do some tests, but i think maximum was like 1 week without main battery.

09-30-2012, 03:46 PM	#4
patrick9 Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Murfreesboro Tennessee Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,458	I would think it is normal. The Dl I have the max time without a battery is roughly 12 hours. Then the capacitor runs down and I have to reset date and time. So when I recharge the batteries I put a set of old ones in till the others are recharged then swap.

09-30-2012, 03:53 PM	#5
jatrax Site Supporter Join Date: May 2010 Location: Washington Cascades Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,991	Originally posted by zambuno i think maximum was like 1 week without main battery. If you are getting that kind of time then there is no problem, that is functioning as designed. To be honest I was expecting you to say 5 or 6 hours not a week, the capacitor is just supposed to hold the settings while the battery is being charged not forever. Just charge the battery and then put it back in and all will be well.

09-30-2012, 10:09 PM	#6
zambuno New Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 4 Original Poster	Thank you all, i will learn to live with that (order 2nd battery)

10-01-2012, 03:53 PM	#7
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	This is what is in the K-7 for memory back-up. The scary thing is the lack of cycle life at 100% discharge rate. The internal battery will be more or less shot after 50 cycles.TS Lithium Rechargeable Battery \| Micro Battery \| Seiko Instruments Inc.

10-03-2012, 11:30 AM	#8
SteveB Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: U.K. Posts: 685	There's a lot of luck involved in how long a capacitor will stay charged up in a camera. Anything over a few hours I would call quite normal but that can be annoying if it's 2hrs and your only battery takes 3hrs to charge. It's really annoying if it's nothing at all, like my old otherwise perfect Olympus C750, all of which were fitted with faulty Chinese capacitors that died after a couple of years. I have to plug an AC adapter into this camera before changing batteries to keep settings.

10-04-2012, 07:00 PM	#10
patrick9 Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Murfreesboro Tennessee Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,458	Where did you get the pics to look at? I had assumed ( I thought I remembered being told it was a capacitor) that the DL has a capacitor. If it truly is a battery I wonder how long it will last and how to change it when it no longer holds a charge.

10-05-2012, 03:36 AM	#12
Zafar Iqbal Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,229	My K-30 lost time and date as well. I have 2 and the second was sitting in my storage bag without batteries in it for a month or so - so, you're not alone

10-06-2012, 05:37 AM	#13
patrick9 Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Murfreesboro Tennessee Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,458	Originally posted by Ex Finn. Pentax Hack Downloads "Older models service manuals". Also I have my old main board from my K7. The battery in K7 will die/not hold a charge, after about 50 complete discharges. TS Lithium Rechargeable Battery \| Micro Battery \| Seiko Instruments Inc. edit: image of the battery in the K7. Thanks makes for interesting reading. A whole lot more complicated inside than most would believe . Now I think I will try to find a broken camera to take apart. I do need to practice my soldering first. I haven't done much of it for the past several years.

10-07-2012, 10:19 PM	#14
Hoggy Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2012 Posts: 51	Has anyone been able to find a K-30 service manual yet? Several google searches have turned up nothing so far.

10-11-2012, 05:33 PM	#15
Ex Finn. Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Southern Maryland. Espoo. Kouvola. Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 7,975	Originally posted by Hoggy Has anyone been able to find a K-30 service manual yet? Several google searches have turned up nothing so far. Don`t hold your breath, it could take a long time for it to show up. The latest thing I have seen is the parts breakdown for the K-7.