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I have a Canon ELPH 300 HS, which turns off immediately (or within 10 seconds, it varies) after being turned on. The battery is fully charged and not at fault, as it was subsequently used in an ELPH 310 without a problem, and the 310's battery in the 300 resulted in the same problem.

I've been combing the net and have found that many others have had the same problem, but few have solutions. There is also this page which says that for the Powershot S3 IS this can be solved by replacing the date/time battery. I would try replacing it, but I'm not sure what kind it is, nor where in the body it's located.

Does anyone know how to replace the date/time battery, or alternatively have another idea what the problem might be?

I know I can buy a newer camera for less than what a repair would presumably cost (I already have). I'd still like to try and fix this though.

I've already tried:

  1. Changing batteries (original Canon ones)
  2. Leaving the freshly charged battery in overnight to charge the date/time battery as per the manual
  3. Cleaning the battery contacts
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4 Answers 4

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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.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ There is no slide out date/time battery, I was wondering if it's replaceable when taking the entire camera apart. Regarding the spring in the door, there is none. It's hard plastic. I did however leave the door open, hold down the switch the door presses when close, and push down the battery with my finger. No improvement. \$\endgroup\$
    – Avi Ginsburg
    Jun 6, 2015 at 18:00
  • \$\begingroup\$ @AviGinsburg Darnit. I'm out of ideas. Good luck! \$\endgroup\$
    – inkista
    Jun 6, 2015 at 18:41
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I'm having the same problem with "replace battery" messages on freshly charged battery. It does seem to be the battery compartment door not making sufficient pressure against the battery. So far, I just press the battery against the contacts and close the door and it recognizes the battery. I may have to bend the door spring or use some paper to increase the pressure in time.

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I dropped my 310 in a lake, at the dock. I pulled it out, extended the lens, removed the battery and card, left the battery compartment door open, and put it on my truck dashboard in a hot sun. It recovered its ability to take pictures but would not hold the date and time. I used the trick mentioned above. I put a small piece of folded paper between the bottom of the battery and the door and the camera is working. The paper tends to come out when ever I open the door so I may try putting some electrician's tape on the bottom of the battery to serve the same purpose. Hope it still fits into the charger. If not, I will go back to the paper trick. Try it.

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Paper and now cardboard (it's thicker) does the trick for me, but I would like to get it repaired. *I just found a USA service advisory update offering free repair or replacement with refurbished camera for the following Powershot models: ELPH 135, ELPH 150 IS, ELPH 340 HS, SX280 HS, S120, ELPH 140IS through the end of 2019.

It says:

Service Notice: Insufficient Contact to the Camera's Battery Terminal.

Update

Thank you for using Canon products.

The purpose of this announcement is to inform our customers of the details of the phenomenon described below, as well as of the actions Canon is taking to address this phenomenon. Because we value the trust our customers have placed in us, we are dedicated to delivering industry-leading service and support for our products. We offer our sincerest apologies to any customer who may be inconvenienced.

Phenomenon

In rare instances, it is possible that units of the Potentially Affected Products listed below may exhibit the following operation errors, depending on usage conditions, due to insufficient contact between the camera’s battery terminal and the battery, even when the battery has sufficient power remaining.

  • The message “Charge the battery” appears immediately.
  • The power sometimes does not turn on.
  • The power turns off during use.
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    \$\begingroup\$ The Canon ELPH 300 HS is not in the products list related to Canon's offer. \$\endgroup\$
    – Olivier
    Dec 17, 2017 at 13:03
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Olivier good point. I can go genericize the question's title to be a little broader than the single mode. The information could be valuable to a lot of folks googling this up. I'll also edit to list the models affected. \$\endgroup\$
    – inkista
    Dec 18, 2017 at 4:58
  • \$\begingroup\$ Canon will not extend repair/replace offer to ELPH 300 HS. Their "discount" for an upgrade 360 HS is only $10 less than the Amazon.com price. Guess I'll use the paper/cardboard shim until it won't work. Shame to discard such a nice little working (all but the battery contact) camera. \$\endgroup\$
    – Lee
    Jan 3, 2018 at 21:42

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