CLEAN THE CONTACTS!!!!

[Soocom1]

So a while back I purchased a used 35-350 USM for the 1Ds.

HEAVY lens!

Anyway, I had noticed an unusual problem that kept creeping out on 5 different cameras.

The dreaded ERROR 01 and ERROR 99.


Yesterday I went to use the lens and it just flat out did not want to work. Everything went haywire and I simply could not get a good shot off.


I have trolled Google and other various search engines for months on this issue and never found ANYTHING!

Then last night a mis-match of words in Gooooooogle took me to a web page on Canon lenses and it talked about two things:
Cleaning gunk off the contacts in the camera and lens and then to GENTLY use a green scouring pad to GENTLY polish the contact points because if corrosion or patina builds on the contacts, the resistance on those contacts prevents a full voltage reaching in either direction.


So I GENTLY polished the contacts and VOILA!!!
It works!!!


Imagine that.... General maintenance and I saved about $150 in shipping and repair costs.

You ever have similar issues?

 

[smoke665]

Yup, had that happen a few times. A clean pencil eraser will work also.

 

[RVT1K]

This came up in a different post.

I had suggested using IPA (rubbing alcohol) and a Q-tip to clean the contacts (even vodka will work in a pinch). Also make sure that any spring-loaded contacts are free to move.
This doesn't only apply to your lenses, keep an eye on the contacts on the camera body where the lens mounts.

Personally I would stay away from anything abrasive unless a lot of vigorous scrubbing didn't work. I would also stay away from anything other than IPA for a couple of reasons. The first being that it evaporates with no residue, one of the reasons it is so common in my industry, electronics. The second is that any other solvent may attack the plastic on the lens or body. I accidentally destroyed a keyboard with a built-in track ball trying to clean it once.

And I will agree with using a pencil eraser for tougher jobs.

 

[Soocom1]

This came up in a different post.

I had suggested using IPA (rubbing alcohol) and a Q-tip to clean the contacts (even vodka will work in a pinch). Also make sure that any spring-loaded contacts are free to move.
This doesn't only apply to your lenses, keep an eye on the contacts on the camera body where the lens mounts.

Personally I would stay away from anything abrasive unless a lot of vigorous scrubbing didn't work. I would also stay away from anything other than IPA for a couple of reasons. The first being that it evaporates with no residue, one of the reasons it is so common in my industry, electronics. The second is that any other solvent may attack the plastic on the lens or body. I accidentally destroyed a keyboard with a built-in track ball trying to clean it once.

And I will agree with using a pencil eraser for tougher jobs.

If in electronics you know about the resistance build from the patina.
I agree that using something overly abrasive is not wise.
Done that before.
The real issue I found was that the contacts on the lens also had tiny black streaks telling me corrosion had set in on part of the contact.
if I remember correctly, you have physically remove that.

I did the alcohol aspect and it didnt work.

 

[Derrel]

"the contacts on the lens also had tiny black streaks telling me corrosion had set in on part of the contact. "


Sounds like you solved the problem.

 

[RVT1K]

This came up in a different post.

I had suggested using IPA (rubbing alcohol) and a Q-tip to clean the contacts (even vodka will work in a pinch). Also make sure that any spring-loaded contacts are free to move.
This doesn't only apply to your lenses, keep an eye on the contacts on the camera body where the lens mounts.

Personally I would stay away from anything abrasive unless a lot of vigorous scrubbing didn't work. I would also stay away from anything other than IPA for a couple of reasons. The first being that it evaporates with no residue, one of the reasons it is so common in my industry, electronics. The second is that any other solvent may attack the plastic on the lens or body. I accidentally destroyed a keyboard with a built-in track ball trying to clean it once.

And I will agree with using a pencil eraser for tougher jobs.

If in electronics you know about the resistance build from the patina.
I agree that using something overly abrasive is not wise.
Done that before.
The real issue I found was that the contacts on the lens also had tiny black streaks telling me corrosion had set in on part of the contact.
if I remember correctly, you have physically remove that.

I did the alcohol aspect and it didnt work.

Corrosion is quite different from dirt although both can effect electrical signals.

If things are well are truly corroded, then something abrasive will be necessary.

I often have to program PLCC's from our stock that is quite old. It is common for the programmer to complain about bad continuity at pin x-y-z. Using IPA is always the first line of attack but I have too admit that sometime the contacts on the chips are so bad I actually have to take the flashing off with very fine sandpaper and expose the copper. That is usually my last resort and only because we are keeping legacy products alive.

 

[Soocom1]

Corrosion is quite different from dirt although both can effect electrical signals.

If things are well are truly corroded, then something abrasive will be necessary.

I often have to program PLCC's from our stock that is quite old. It is common for the programmer to complain about bad continuity at pin x-y-z. Using IPA is always the first line of attack but I have too admit that sometime the contacts on the chips are so bad I actually have to take the flashing off with very fine sandpaper and expose the copper. That is usually my last resort and only because we are keeping legacy products alive.

The kicker on that is that the corrosion unless the metal is properly treated will start all over again and in a few years, its back.

 

[RVT1K]

Corrosion is quite different from dirt although both can effect electrical signals.

If things are well are truly corroded, then something abrasive will be necessary.

I often have to program PLCC's from our stock that is quite old. It is common for the programmer to complain about bad continuity at pin x-y-z. Using IPA is always the first line of attack but I have too admit that sometime the contacts on the chips are so bad I actually have to take the flashing off with very fine sandpaper and expose the copper. That is usually my last resort and only because we are keeping legacy products alive.

The kicker on that is that the corrosion unless the metal is properly treated will start all over again and in a few years, its back.

Yup.
But by then, it will be someone else's problem and not mine!

 

[smoke665]

On the rare occasion that a pencil eraser won't clean the contacts sufficiently then I dip the eraser in CRC 5103 electrical contact cleaner. You can find it at Wally World, auto parts, or hardware stores for about $5. WD40 Specialty also makes a contact cleaner but never tried it.