[dhodgeh]

After upgrading the firmware on my K-3 to 1.03, I have to re-enter the date and time every time I change the battery.

I'm using genuine Pentax batteries, and none of the custom functions I have set seem to be affected.

I am also verifying that I do save the setting before exiting the date/time screen.

Anyone else seen this behavior or have any insight to this?

Thanks

[jhmos]

After upgrading the firmware on my K-3 to 1.03, I have to re-enter the date and time every time I change the battery.

I'm using genuine Pentax batteries, and none of the custom functions I have set seem to be affected.

I am also verifying that I do save the setting before exiting the date/time screen.

Anyone else seen this behavior or have any insight to this?

Thanks

I have not seen that behaviour.
Perhaps it is worth trying a camera reset (settings, screen 3) just in case something got corrupted during the update. You will lose all your settings, so note them down beforehand.

[aleonx3]

check your memory settings (2 tabs) to make sure the items are there...

[JimmyDranox]

Try to install the update again.

[Na Horuk]

Could it be the.. um, bios battery? Not sure if that is what its called, but i think these devices have a tiny battery inside responsible for keeping time and such, even when the main battery is removed.
But what I would suggest is this:
-reset camera to factory defaults
-remove the main battery, charge it, leave it outside for a day.
-put the battery back inside
-try again, see how it works.

Also, can you try another battery? Btw, back when it was new, my K-01 asked me for time and date a couple times, but that behavior stopped after the first month, now it keeps time perfectly

[dms]

I had similar problem w/ Q--every time I removed battery to charge it lost the time and date. After purchasing extra batteries and(thus) not having it sit w/o charged battery for hours it seemed to resolve this.

Shouldn't be but you may want to try removing charged battery and letting it sit few minutes versus hours and see if it loses date/time in the latter but not the former scenario.

[monochrome]

This may be really stupid - but - try removing your lens and remounting it. Try removing your card and reinserting it. Ensure the card door is closed and latched correctly.

My Pentax cameras generally are sensitive about the cards and the card door. The Q is quite sensitive that the electrical contacts between the mount and lens are correctly aligned. When things are amiss my Q behaves badly.

[dhodgeh]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I've tried them all, except re-flashing, which I intend to do when I return home.

Today for the first time, the camera appeared to lose the date\time during a shoot. Still, all the images are OK, just most of them recorded with the default date/time.

Puzzling. If the re-flash does not resolve this, I think it may be time to send it in to be checked out.

[dhodgeh]

Just talked to Ricoh/Pentax Customer Service, and the camera is going to the repair facility. Apparently there is a capacitor that provides the voltage to internal clock, and it seems as if that capacitor is not holding its charge. Bummer.

[robespierre]

Hello, I have the same problem on my new K-3 camera. You could solve the problem? It was necessary to send for service? Resetting the date and time was the only drawback or brought more? Unfortunately I am in Argentina. Here there is no service.

[stevebrot]

Hello, I have the same problem on my new K-3 camera. You could solve the problem? It was necessary to send for service? Resetting the date and time was the only drawback or brought more? Unfortunately I am in Argentina. Here there is no service.

Hi, welcome to the Pentax Forums!

This is an old thread and the user above may not respond.

• If your camera is newly purchased, you should work with your dealer to get a replacement
• If your camera is still under warranty, Ricoh Japan will provide service, but it may take time
• If it was purchased used, you might want to ask for your money back

Sorry you are having problems


Steve

[robespierre]

Hi, welcome to the Pentax Forums!

This is an old thread and the user above may not respond.

• If your camera is newly purchased, you should work with your dealer to get a replacement
• If your camera is still under warranty, Ricoh Japan will provide service, but it may take time
• If it was purchased used, you might want to ask for your money back

Sorry you are having problems


Steve

Hi, Steve. thanks for your answer. The camera is new. I purchase this in USA, B&H. If I have to send the camera from Argentina, maybe will be to expensive and will take time. If the problem is only that, I can survive. But I´m afraid, maybe its only a signal of something bigger.

thank you
Robes

[RGlasel]

maybe its only a signal of something bigger

Your camera needs to draw a tiny bit of power to keep the built-in clock running when your battery is out of the camera, and the capacitor that dhodgeh mentioned stores enough charge to run the clock for several days. Once the battery is back in the camera (assuming it isn't completely dead itself) it will restore the full charge to the capacitor. If that capacitor failed because of another problem with the camera, other camera functions wouldn't be working even when a charged battery was in the camera, and the failure of that capacitor can't lead to other failures with the camera (the clock just doesn't run when the battery is out of the camera). I don't know for sure, but replacing this capacitor probably requires the replacement of an entire circuit board (which can only be done by authorized Pentax repair centres and is likely to be expensive), so if you are still able to get the repair done under warranty, I would suggest getting it done now, otherwise decide if you can live with re-setting the time every time you take the battery out to charge it.

[robespierre]

Thanks RGlasel, if I change the battery quickly, in about 10-20 seconds, I do not lose time data. Is very complicate send the camera to USA... maybe I will coexist with this problem. I want to know if somebody had the same problem and if is only that.

thanks!

[bebotette]

I also have the same problem. Every time I change battery, this thing happens--always manually resetting time. Today again, I just set time, and less than 5minutes after, I changed a battery quickly. Again, I have to adjust the date/time. Very annoying. When I first got this camera, I didn't have this issue. But it's like two months ago since this thing happened. And I don't remember if it happened after an update or what. My camera was new when I bought it. Bringing it back for repair or warranty purposes would be very expensive both time and money. Official pentax people, where are you with this?