Broken Battery Tabs, Now What?

bikefilms

bikefilms

Well-known member
My HVX200 has been great. But a tab has broken. Just one, and it's still attached. My batteries are held in place just fine.

Anyone recommend superglue?

My camera stats:

HVX200 (out of Panasonic Warranty)
Mack 3-year warranty (Kind of worried they'll hold my cam for months, after reading)
Homeowners insurance covering Valuable Property.

If this is something I can fix on the kitchen table, I'm all for it. What do you guys think?

-Andrew
 
I'm not sure on this topic, but you should ask Panasonic first if it is covered, depending on your S/N. Certain things are still covered out of warranty.
 
Just got my HVX200 back for battery tab repair...$366.00. I think that's high but OK I paid it. Then I looked at the tabs and they look exactly the same as the old ones (I have a second camera and it looks identical). I thought they were going to replace this part with a sturdier metal tab. Any thoughts on this. And couldn't Panasonic give us a break on the repair price? It seems like this has been a problem for a lot of users. Not griping just asking politely.
 
If it were me, and as you said, the broken part is still attached, I'd try the superglue thing first. If it doesn't hold, then go the repair route, which I assume would replace the whole part.

Superglue is tricky though - I've seen it work beautifully and I've seen it break again immediately, even after drying all night (forget the "instant boding" thing - always let it dry overnight). Seems to have to do with the exact amount used (not too much, not too little) and the amount of pressure the parts are held together with after gluing (plenty = better). And subsequent tries are progressively less successful than the first.

It might be worth paying a skilled repair person a few bucks to glue it for you...
 
Hi guys,

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. It definitely helped me to decide what to do with my predicament.

Dick Campbell- Thanks for the S/N info. I didn't know that Panasonic was dealing with certain serial numbered HVX200's out of warranty. I will PM Jan to find out.

ksteiger- It looks like Panasonic has changed the battery position from horizontal back to vertical on their newest cameras. I used a DVX100 for a while, with vertical battery, and the tabs seemed to hold up fine.

Ted- Yes, I think I'll pay someone to superglue the tab in place. They'll likely have the proper "pincers" to hold things tightly, too. I have much experience with JB Weld and Gorilla Glue. Neither sound like solutions for the Battery Tab repair.

Postmaster- The external battery is an excellent suggestion. Hadn't thought of it ! Looks like the Panasonic battery adapter I purchased with my VidLED light may just come in handy!

Thanks to all again. I'll post a follow-up soon.
Andrew Burke
 
If the tab is just cracked and still there, but threatening to break off, I would mix up
some epoxy (clear) an put a drop ON the crack. This should reinforce the tab and should
hold up fine to anything but a dropped camera.
 
mainstreetprod said:
If the tab is just cracked and still there, but threatening to break off, I would mix up
some epoxy (clear) an put a drop ON the crack. This should reinforce the tab and should
hold up fine to anything but a dropped camera.
Click to expand...

mainstreetprod,

Thanks for your reply and the epoxy tip. I did end up choosing superglue, as I found a special applicator bottle that helped make the repair really easy. I also used a c-clamp to nestle the tab into place (half a millimeter, maybe).

To all who responded, thanks for the advice. I'll let you know how the results are when the glue is set. I have shoots all next week in Portland, Oregon, so I gotta make it solid!

-Andrew Burke
 
To prevent future damage to the tabs, add wide velcro strips to the top/bottom of the battery compartment to keep the battery snugly supported. I can't remember if curly or fuzzy side of velcro tape is prreferred, but I think fuzzy which doesn't attract as much lint debris.
Try to remove battery from camera while in transit; that is when broken tabs usually occur.
 
I had a broken tab as well and used superglue to fix it. It's held up fine since then and it's been 4 months. I just always use care taking the battery off and putting it on, making sure I push it it while sliding so the weight is off the tabs. Oh yeah...I also never let anyone mess with batteries on my camera...that helps too ;-)
 
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