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05-27-2021, 01:57 PM   #1
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KS-2 battery dies after two weeks of no use

Hi, I'm new to the forum. I purchased a new Pentax KS-2 for my wife several years ago. She really likes the camera, but doesn't use it much because every time she pulls out her camera to take a picture, the battery is dead. We've tried new batteries, but result is the same. I have loaded the latest firmware on the camera. Every time the battery is dead, the camera was left in the off position.


Does anyone have any thoughts on what might be draining the battery?

Thank you,

Jim

05-27-2021, 02:43 PM   #2
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The first thing to do is to store the camera with the battery removed and see what happens, just to rule out a battery problem. It is possible (though unlikely) that all your batteries are faulty. I expect that if you end up sending the camera for repair this will be the first thing they ask or test, so try this first.
05-27-2021, 02:47 PM   #3
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I have 2 batteries and one is always left on the charger.
If the battery was fully charged I would expect it to be fine for 2 weeks in a camera even turned on as auto shut off happens.
05-27-2021, 02:47 PM   #4
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I usually keep my battery out of my camera unless using it that day. After any prolonged use I usually charge it also. I use Pentax brand batteries exclusively. I tried some off brand generic batteries near the time I first started using DSLRs and they would not hold a charge for any substantial time.

05-27-2021, 03:04 PM   #5
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Hi Jim: Welcome to the Forum. Lots of good people and advice here.

I find this problem creeps into my older cameras, and I shoot with both Pentax and Olympus. I have this problem on my K200D (10 years old) and my Olympus XZ-1 (8 years old). I own a Pentax K-S2, but it doesn't have this problem. In any event, this is usually a minor inconvenience and not something worth spending much money fixing.

First, I don't recommend storing anything electronic for long periods of time (months) with a battery inside. That goes for cameras, flashes, portable stereos, laser pointers, etc. All idle batteries eventually expire, and when they do, they can make a mess inside your gear. The minor hassle of having to reset internal clocks and dates is nothing compared to the huge hassle of cleaning out battery goop from a burst battery.

That said, leaving your camera with battery unused for a week or two ought not to be causing problems.

It is possible that the battery has a minor short. This is a best-case scenario, because you can replace the battery for about $50 (Pentax brand) or $10 (Kastar/ eBay generics). I shoot with Kastar generics in my K-S2 and I have had zero problems. I recommend you buy two Kastar batteries for your wife, as it's nice to have a spare. Label them with a white marker or a small sticker so you know how old they are. Time goes by faster than you think! My batteries all say "new April 2019" or similar.

If that doesn't fix the problem, then it's very likely you have a minor short in your camera. Most cameras have one or more small capacitors which serve as temporary "batteries." That's how you can swap out a flat battery for a fresh battery without your camera forgetting the time and date in the brief time the battery is removed. If these capacitors get old or short out, they will constantly discharge and draw new power from the actual battery. This is (usually) a tiny draw, but if done continuously for a week, it can be enough to drain your battery flat. Finding and fixing such a short is usually beyond what most camera owners are up for.

Your wife's K-S2 is almost certainly out of warranty, but Pentax will still repair it for you (at your expense). Pentax eventually stops making parts/repairs for discontinued cameras, but you always have at least 7 years by law since the date of manufacture here in the US. The KS-2 went out-of-manufacture around 2016, so you've got some time yet to weigh your repair options. I don't know what the cost of that would be, but it will be far higher than the cost of buying a few new batteries. Put a fresh one in, reset the time and date, and go on shooting.
05-27-2021, 03:07 PM   #6
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Is the problem being exhibited with Pentax original batteries or a 3rd party alternative?
I have a couple of 3rd party D-Li109s that exhibit similar symptoms, one of which is little more than a year old, the other is just over two years old. My Pentax batteries of a similar age still work perfectly reliably. I keep my cameras with batteries in all the time, if not used they will still work perfectly after several months, unless it is one of the batteries I have determined to be faulty.
05-27-2021, 04:19 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by swanlefitte Quote
I have 2 batteries and one is always left on the charger....
I wouldn't recommend leaving a battery always on the charger. Depending on the type of charger that could cause overheating or fast-track ageing. Remember, these are Li-Ion batteries which need to be treated with caution, plenty of examples of explosions or a house is burned down. The rule is: do not charge a Li-Ion battery unattended.

05-27-2021, 05:14 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Kobayashi.K Quote
I wouldn't recommend leaving a battery always on the charger.
Pentax battery and pentax charger. Put the battery on and it lights red, if low then green if charged then turns off unless you remove the battery and put it back on.
I just did this to see how long before it turns off again and if the battery warms up at all.

Edit. I missed it but it turned off and is cold 40 minutes later.

Last edited by swanlefitte; 05-27-2021 at 05:53 PM.
05-27-2021, 09:37 PM   #9
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Why NEVER leave your Pentax without battery in storage

There is a reason why one should NEVER leave one's Pentax without the main battery if stored over a longer period:

Every Pentax has an internal backup-battery for keeping all settings.
This is similar to the CMOS Battery of a laptop of personal computer.

This tiny Seiko MS414 battery is a Lithium-type and drains some energy all the time.
If depleted, it is finished and needs to be changed:
Tutorial: Change Back-up Battery Pentax K-30, K-50, K-500 - PentaxForums.com

The problem of the TO could be no-name batteries.

If the first one is an original Pentax battery this could mean the battery is at its end,
if the new one would be an original, there is another problem unknown to me.
If a no-name, it could be that it was stored over a long period or anyway is bad.
I never recommend any no-name batteries! Even the better ones go weak after 1 yr or so.
05-28-2021, 01:15 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by jimkari0727 Quote
Hi, I'm new to the forum. I purchased a new Pentax KS-2 for my wife several years ago. She really likes the camera, but doesn't use it much because every time she pulls out her camera to take a picture, the battery is dead. We've tried new batteries, but result is the same. I have loaded the latest firmware on the camera. Every time the battery is dead, the camera was left in the off position.


Does anyone have any thoughts on what might be draining the battery?

Thank you,

Jim
Only other thing I can think of is that the wifi is on. Do not know how it works in the K-S2, but sometimes in devices the wifi is idle when not turned off, even if the device is turned off. Wifi is then constantly scanning to establish a connection.
05-28-2021, 05:23 AM - 1 Like   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by photogem Quote
There is a reason why one should NEVER leave one's Pentax without the main battery if stored over a longer period:

Every Pentax has an internal backup-battery for keeping all settings.
This is similar to the CMOS Battery of a laptop of personal computer.

This tiny Seiko MS414 battery is a Lithium-type and drains some energy all the time.
If depleted, it is finished and needs to be changed:
Tutorial: Change Back-up Battery Pentax K-30, K-50, K-500 - PentaxForums.com

The problem of the TO could be no-name batteries.

If the first one is an original Pentax battery this could mean the battery is at its end,
if the new one would be an original, there is another problem unknown to me.
If a no-name, it could be that it was stored over a long period or anyway is bad.
I never recommend any no-name batteries! Even the better ones go weak after 1 yr or so.
+1 to this.

I changed the backup battery of mine k-r and now no more main battery drain and no more 10 shots then empty. I followed this guide:
Fix a forgetful Pentax K-r
05-28-2021, 10:40 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Andrea K Quote
+1 to this.

I changed the backup battery of mine k-r and now no more main battery drain and no more 10 shots then empty. I followed this guide:
Fix a forgetful Pentax K-r
This is a very important information!

You were lucky that it hit (only) your K-r, the MS414 backup battery there is the easiest to change.
K-30 and others much more difficult as the soldering points are tiny and close to critical parts.
05-28-2021, 11:08 AM   #13
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Thank you all for such a quick response and for the great tips. I was not aware that there is an internal battery in addition to the removable one. Ever since we had this problem, when the main battery is dead, we lose the date and time. I will look at changing the internal battery and also picking up a Pentax battery. I'll also check the wifi setting.


Thanks again, you've given me renewed interest in getting the camera working for my wife.
05-28-2021, 11:45 AM   #14
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The only time I take the battery out of my K-S2 is when it is empty or nearly empty, or when I want to have a set of full batteries for a possibly more demanding photo outing I might even take out a barely used one to give it a full charge (I know, not the best battery hygiene). I immediately pop in a fully charged one. I have only got one genuine Pentax battery, the one that came with the camera, and now 2 third party batteries. It can be weeks or even up to 1 or 2 full months of the camera sitting on my shelf unused, but I've never had an empty battery when picking it up again after a longer time of me not using it. When you say this happens with multiple batteries, there must be something askew with the camera, some kind of leak or short that drains the battery. I'd have a look into the battery compartment with a flashlight to see if there's anything obviously not as it should look like. If that looks good I'd ask the Pentax authorized repair facility in your country to check it out.
Could the camera have suffered from some kind of water damage, was it exposed to much water or high humidity for longer periods of time? Has it taken a fall or did you bump into something with it? Could it be an attached lens that somehow manages to drain the camera's battery?
05-28-2021, 10:24 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by jimkari0727 Quote
Thank you all for such a quick response and for the great tips. I was not aware that there is an internal battery in addition to the removable one. Ever since we had this problem, when the main battery is dead, we lose the date and time. I will look at changing the internal battery and also picking up a Pentax battery. I'll also check the wifi setting.
Try one thing:

1. in the menu, set AUTO-Power to OFF
2. insert a fully charged battery
3. leave it for several hours like this
4. change AUTO Power to your liking again

this might do it

The repair is pretty expensive, expect $ 250 or even higher:
The backup battery is on the backside of the mainboard as on the K-70:
Here you can see the photo of the K-70 mainboard.
Repair of the solenoid is usually around $ 250. But repair of the backup battery involves more work.


I have heard that WiFi can drain but never used it so I have it switched off anyway.

@ehrwin: Andrea's experience with his K-r indicates that a depleted backup battery drains the main batteries.
Could well be.
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