My Canon QL-17 Needed Air...

[Michael W]

...or more precisely, the Wein Cell inside the battery compartment needed air. When my battery check light stopped lighting, I suspected that my Wein cell had gone bad after only 3 months. Turns out it just needed some air. I removed it from the camera and let it sit out, and sure enough the voltage went up from .9 to 1.36 (checked with a meter) after about 30 minutes.

I know I've read on at least one other post that it's not necessary to drill a hole in the battery cover of the Canon QL-17, but maybe mine is tighter than the average? Any others have a similar experience?

All the best,

Michael

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

No, but thanks for the tip...when I get my Canonet QL17 III and I experience a similar situation, I'll remember that.

 

[Michael W]

Is a diode conversion something I can do myself? As I live in Israel, it's not so practical to ship the camera back to the states. Are there instructions somewhere on-line?

 

[Mark W]

As greyhoundman suggested doing a diode install (which in effect becomes a voltage regulator) is the single best option for those classic cameras that will accept this type of minor modification. I have had my repair guy (who's back ground was Military electronics circa Korea) do this to each of my cameras as they have gone in for CLA's and I can't tell you happy I am to not have to worry about finding Merc's (though I do have a small stash of them for those few cameras I have or would like to get that do not lend themselves to modification.

One thing my repair guy strongly suggests that once the conversion is done you try to use the Silver Oxide version of the battery your camera requires as the voltage curve with a Silver Oxide is the most like a the origional Merc's discharge curve.