I was taking pictures of some friends' graduation ceremonies today and tried to change my CF card because I had run out of space... but upon entering the second card, I ran into a slight resistance and (not thinking) ended up bending one of the pins in the CF reading slot. I have no idea how I could bend only one, given the shape of these things, but that's what happened.
Now I can't read any CF cards until I get the pin straightened out... but it's such a narrow slot, I don't know how to get it straight again. If you open up your rebels (maybe other cameras as well?), it's in the corner and looks as if it's slightly bent underneath that other metal piece that is on the side. Any tips or advice would be appreciated... I can't believe I did something so stupid!
Getting down to were the pin is from the card door will be tricky, so if you're adventurous enough (and I mean A LOT!) you'll want to see these step-by-step disassembly instructions
good luck anyhow.
Edit: Hey, I'm not the guy who did this, nor am I endorsing it in anyway, It's just informational FWIW. LOL
When I was an undergrad in the R/TV program, we used a lot of equipment with pins. One of the professors used to joke that "college students were very strong" and that we could bend those pins ONCE...not twice. ;) Be very careful. If your warranty is still good, I'd send it in for that. Yikes. Good luck! :o)
Getting down to were the pin is from the card door will be tricky, so if you're adventurous enough (and I mean A LOT!) you'll want to see these step-by-step disassembly instructions
good luck anyhow.
hahaha canon uses sony LCD screens
who'da thought?
Getting down to were the pin is from the card door will be tricky, so if you're adventurous enough (and I mean A LOT!) you'll want to see these step-by-step disassembly instructions
As Laurie said, you will be lucky if you can bend it back without it breaking off. I think your best bet is to get the slot assembly replaced by Canon.
I had the same thing when my rebel was less then one week old. I sent mine back to Canon and they replaced the assembly under warrenty.
I would not try and do it myself if I was you, even if its not under warranty its not worth the hassle.
Shucks :( - any idea how much this will cost? It's definitely not under warranty anymore.. I bought it used, actually - so I don't even have the warranty information.
Don't know if this is real great help or not, 'cause he's on vacation for a few days, but this member, my bud Toocool had the same problem with his rebel not too long ago. If you want to pm him, and havn't solved the problem, I'm sure he'd let you know what he had to go through exactly to resolve the issue.
Shucks :( - any idea how much this will cost? It's definitely not under warranty anymore.. I bought it used, actually - so I don't even have the warranty information.
Brian,
Your profile says you're getting out of school... Welcome to the real world - that's where the paycheck goes instead of keggers
Don't know if this is real great help or not, 'cause he's on vacation for a few days, but this member, my bud Toocool had the same problem with his rebel not too long ago. If you want to pm him, and havn't solved the problem, I'm sure he'd let you know what he had to go through exactly to resolve the issue.
I did have the same problem. I just took the camera back to CompUSA and they sent it in to their shop. Don't think they fixed it right though. I haven't swapped a card out of it yet for fear of bending the pins again. If they DO bend again, I'm gonna break 'em off so they HAVE to fix it right...
Don't know if this is real great help or not, 'cause he's on vacation for a few days, but this member, my bud Toocool had the same problem with his rebel not too long ago. If you want to pm him, and havn't solved the problem, I'm sure he'd let you know what he had to go through exactly to resolve the issue.
I did have the same problem. I just took the camera back to CompUSA and they sent it in to their shop. Don't think they fixed it right though. I haven't swapped a card out of it yet for fear of bending the pins again. If they DO bend again, I'm gonna break 'em off so they HAVE to fix it right...
Doh ! Sorry Dude, I thought you was up north right now...
Haha photo- that is true I suppose.. just wish my first expense didn't have to be on something as 'trivial' as this!
I may try to bend it back anyways, since it sounds like when they fix it they should just replace it. I hope this costs maybe $30 or so, but by the sound of it I highly doubt it. Thanks for the advice/comments everyone, I really appreciate it. I'll keep you guys updated on what I decide to do, so that everyone will know again for the future.
I've bent a pin similarly. The solution which worked for me was to get the pin generally in line by using a tweezer or hemostat, then carefully insert a CF card until it fully seats. The CF card actually straightened out the pin perfectly when it seated itself. Good luck.
There is a trick, depeding on the severity of the bend, that might help us straighten out this problem.
Sometimes a pin will bend on my monitor connection when I attempt to reconnect my monitor. The pins happen to be about the size of 0.5 lead in a lead pencil. I use a metal tipped leadpencil to place around the bent pin and bend it back straight. Pentel and Zebra lead pencils often have this extended(non retracting) metal tip.
I understand that the pin in a CF card may be significantly smaller and more difficult to access, but a 0.2 or smaller lead pencil may fix your problem.
You may need to sacrifice the $7 lead pencil to fix your $1500 camera. It appears that it would be tough to get the pencil into the cf slot. Flattening the pencil with vice grips or some other method may help fit the pencil into the slot.
I have not tried this with a cf card and you you may the damage the camera.
When the pin on my card reader bent, I slowly bent it back in place using my little swiss army knife keychain. Worked like a charm and the reader has worked perfectly since. Not sure if that'll be the same as the camera, but it's worth a shot if the warranty is up.
Try viagra! Powder it and disolve it in a little water till it is concentrated. Take a cotton bud and dip it in the mixture, then rub this gently but repeatedly on the bent pin.
I had a bent pin in my Canon A70 ince, and managed to straighten it with various tools including a surgical pair of long nose plyers.
Try viagra! Powder it and disolve it in a little water till it is concentrated. Take a cotton bud and dip it in the mixture, then rub this gently but repeatedly on the bent pin.
I had a bent pin in my Canon A70 ince, and managed to straighten it with various tools including a surgical pair of long nose plyers.
HaHaHaHaHa..... and I thought a bent one was normal..
I tried bending it back with some thin metal I had, and after getting it mostly bent straight, it appears that it broke off or something. I have found no trace of the pin, but it doesn't look like it's in the spot it should be anymore. I'm gonna call a Canon service center (nearest one is Irvine though) and ask if they can give me an estimate. Does anybody know if local camera shops can fix it as well?
Guess what just happened to me a few days ago? Doh!
I went into Jessops and they said it will cost anywhere from £100 to get it fixed. How sucky is that?!
I might try to do it myself maybe... and if I break it, then it'll still cost anywhere from £100 to fix, so no loss, right? Arrgg damn looks like I won't be using my 300D for a few months at least till I can save up some money.
I am confused how these things can get bent. I wonder if there is some deformation of the slot guides from use that eventually allows the card to not align correctly and the result is the bent pin in which case just fixing the pin will only temporarily fix the problem as the slot guides themselves are not repaired as well so a bent pin is again inevitable.
