Thread also known as: NEVER let your girlfriend near your camera!
EOS 10D, compact flash card put in the wrong way, a little harder than one should (she swears there was no hammer involved!).
Three or four pins where the card slots in got bent. Two very minor, seemed to straighten back ok. The wother two, one in the middle, one at one end, snapped off completely.
Everything seems to still work fine, have taken a bunch of test shots, messed around with camera settings etc. I am assuming that any camera processing takes place before the pic reaches the card, although even with messing around with those I can not see a problem.
Obviously I want to get it fixed, but a) I bet it is going to cost an arm and a leg and b) I don't want to lose the camera for weeks with Canon. Also, everything actually seems to be 100%.
Does anyone know for certain if all the pins are used, or it is possible that the two missing pins may be redundant, as you get in many electronic items ... though I have no idea about compact flash.
Here is the pinout for the CF card. you can see that there are some pins that are certainly not necessary for proper functionality. Since you know which pins are missing, compare them with the table and then decide if it's worth getting it fixed.
BTW, I certainly agree, it is likely to cost $$.
theres several power source, it should be ok unless its a power-munching model, then you may damage the camera by causing too much current to go through some tracks, but I don;t know how "overdesigned" they are, it may be fine.
Well, natator, you appear to be one lucky Hombre. the designation "Vcc" means that this is the supply voltage, and as you've seen, it is duplicated. This is prolly partly for redundancy, but very likely also to increase the current carrying capability.
I have no idea what the !CD1&2 lines are. In either case neither one is crucial for 16-bit IDE operation which is the mode the camera uses to talk to the card. Your results (operation seems OK) seem to confirm this.
The only thing I'd be worried about is that you have certainly lost half your current capacity (like going from a 20-amp fuse to 10-amp). I don't really think this will have a great effect, but of course that's pure conjecture!
You can download the specs for the CF cards from Compact Flash Association with a quick registration.
I just checked it out... yes, pin 1 is bottom left looking into the card with logo on top. So, you've lost 13 and 25.
Pins 25 & 26 are 'detect', grounds - "These Card Detect pins are connected to ground on the CompactFlash Storage Card or CF+ Card. They are used by the host to determine that the CompactFlash Storage Card or CF+ Card is fully inserted into its socket." So, as long as you've got one, I think you're fine.
Pins 13 & 38 are power, "+5 V, +3.3 V power." Not sure if this is 'either/or' or 'respectively'. If 'respectively', then you've lost the +5V power - but the Canon uses the +3.3V, I think. So again, I think you're fine.
I've just run a heap more tests and all does seem ok.
I think I'll watch everything very closely indeed for a while, look for even the smallest abnormality, and if all continues to be ok I'll leave things as they are, as I really don't want to fork out potentially a heap of cash and lose the camera for weeks.
I guess the repair cost would depend on if the whatsit with the pins is a permanent part of anything expensive, like the ccd *shudder* or a cheap whatsit that they attach to the main parts, which I think it more likely. Not going to be cheap no matter what the option.
Moral of this sad tale is, and this goes along with her wiping out the contents of my PDA 2 weeks ago .... pick your favorite:
1) Don't ever never ever ever never let your girlfriend near your camera
2) Become gay so you never ever ever never have a girlfriend
3) Don't ever never ever ever never let your girlfriend near your camera
The camera murderer in question thinks you have the right idea.
Obviously we have to take anything she says with a spade full of salt though, as I am sure if I had asked her "Are you going to totally trash my camera, bend the pins, force in the memory card with a sledgehammer etc?" she'd had said she would not. Mind you, it is my own silly fault for not asking her I think.
