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Anyone fixed a broken battery microswitch?

stargirl3
Contributor

Hi everyone. I'm new to the forum, so please forgive any wrongdoings. 

 

Last week, my trusty old Rebel T3i didn't turn it on. I Googled around and learned about the microswitch, and after poking it with a pencil, the camera turned on. It worked fine the next night. Over the course of the week, it's done different things. One morning, I thought it was working fine, but the photos didn't save to my card. Sometimes when I try to turn it on, the little red light flashes. A few times, the viewfinder worked but wouldn't actually take any shots. Now it's just dead, and I might cry. I'm in Ecuador until April, so I can't just hop over to Target and grab an upgrade.

 

The switch seems very flimsy. I can push it down with a pencil, but even when pressed down, the camera doesn't turn on. I've seen a lot of info about the switch, but none on how to fix it. Can anyone help?

micro switch.jpg

 

20 REPLIES 20

ebiggs1
Legend
Legend

Not wanting to make you cry but I fear the facts are not positive.  You are unlikely to fix or repair the switch yourself. Secondly the T3i may not be a good candidate for Canon repair either. It could exceed the value of a T3i but that you won't know unless you contact Canon.

The one thing you could try is a small drop of WD40 on the switch.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Yeah, Canon told me they no longer have the resources to fix it. There's a shop a couple hours from me that might be able to do something, so I'll look into that. 

Give the "small drop" of WD40 a try.  It may not help but hey go for it.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

What's the goal there? The switch seems to move fine.

Well if it moves freely than the WD40 won't help. I garnered from your replies it was sticking.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Do you have a similar camera? Could you post a pic of the switch? It must be missing a tiny piece, but I don't know how it's supposed to look.

Thank you so much for your help.

When I was active in the business I had many Rebels ( a dozen or so) and the T3i was one of them.  I no longer have any Rebels since I retired I sold or gave them away. If you find the repair cost run more than $200 I suggest you buy a used T3i.  That is about what I see them going for so don't spend that much. I don't know how much it costs to replace that switch but I suspect the lions share is labor. It might not even be the switch.

Might be a good time to upgrade. Canon has made some very nice new featuer sets in the newer Rebels.

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!

Thanks, man. I might give this repair shop a go or see if he's selling any good used cameras. I can't spend my 6 months in Ecuador without a good camera!

"I can't spend my 6 months in Ecuador without a good camera!"

 

I feel for you.  Are you a missionary?

EB
EOS 1DX and 1D Mk IV and less lenses then before!
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