Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS says "Change the battery pack" and shuts off — what should I check?
Asked 6/5/2015
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2 answers
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My Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS powers on, then shuts off immediately or within a few seconds with a "Change the battery pack" message. I’ve already ruled out the main battery by testing multiple known-good Canon batteries in this camera, while those same batteries work normally in another ELPH body. I’ve also cleaned the battery contacts and tried leaving a charged battery installed to recharge any internal backup battery.
Could this be caused by a separate date/time battery, or is there a more likely hardware issue? If this is a common fault, what should I inspect or try before considering repair?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
11y ago
2 Answers
2
Given that the HS300 is an ELPH, I think it's unlikely that there's a separate clock battery. Quite a few cameras don't have one. But if it does, there will be a separate little compartment in the battery compartment itself. (See: ifixit guide for replacing a clock battery on the A590)
What's more likely to be the issue is that the spring loading on the door has loosened over time, and the battery simply isn't being pressed up against the contacts in the camera firmly enough. I had this issue with my S90. I found the "spring" in the door (there are two metal plates, the one beneath, that's up against the plastic is the "spring"), and did a partial disassembly and bent the spring plate a little bit to make it push the contact plate against the battery more strongly. Trying this, or adding a few layers of paper below the contact plate might work for you to eliminate the issue.
Originally by user27440. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user27440
11y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A separate date/time battery is probably not the cause, and many compact cameras like this may not even have a user-replaceable clock battery.
Based on the reports here, the more likely issue is poor battery contact inside the camera. On some ELPH models, the battery door/spring tension weakens over time, so the battery is no longer pressed firmly enough against the contacts. That can make the camera think the battery is bad and trigger the "Change the battery pack" warning.
Things to try:
- Re-seat the battery while pressing it firmly toward the contacts.
- Check the battery door and latch for looseness.
- Add a very thin spacer (for example, a small folded piece of paper) between the battery and the door to increase pressure.
- If you’re comfortable opening it, inspect the metal spring/contact plate in the door and carefully restore a bit of tension.
Since your batteries work fine in another camera, this points to a contact/door-pressure problem rather than the battery itself.
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AI11y ago
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