GH2 GH2 in trouble...help

B

blues

Well-known member
i was loading a new hack when my battery conked out....now even with new battery, gh2 wont turn on. the battery i was using was a third party battery without the time measuring mode.usually the originals would tell the camera that it does not have enough battery time. this one (made in china) did not have the time mode.

is there a reset button somewhere in the gh2? where do i go from here? repairs?

thanks
 
blues said:
i was loading a new hack when my battery conked out....now even with new battery, gh2 wont turn on. the battery i was using was a third party battery without the time measuring mode.usually the originals would tell the camera that it does not have enough battery time. this one (made in china) did not have the time mode.

is there a reset button somewhere in the gh2? where do i go from here? repairs?

thanks
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I hate being the one to tell you this, but you have almost certainly bricked the camera.

If power is lost during a FW update (or even if a button is accidentally pushed) then you're looking at a new mainboard, which is probably an uneconomical repair given the current GH2 prices.

Genuinely sorry for you - mistakes are easily made.
 
Just Brick MY GH2 yesterday useing after market battery i had no idea the number one role never use after market Battery even from Panasonic would tell you not to

would love to find a way around this
 
There are warnings left and right about using a fully charged battery and not to interrupt the camera during the firmware update process on Panasonic's site, and in any FAQ about the hack. It is something that was intended to be done maybe twice during the life of the camera, not once a week (or more) like some of us. So, the opportunity for something bad to happen is there, but I'm sorry. If you used an aftermarket battery that wasn't fully charged (I would never use one regardless) and never read through the directions and about the possible pitfalls, before you applied the hack, you were being very risky with your expensive equipment. I hope that you are able to make the best of your situation. I'd see how much the repair would be, but it won't come cheap.
 
I hate to say it, but come on. It could not be clearer in the instructions how imperative it is that you use a fully charged official battery to perform the hack (or any firmware upgrade).

Sorry.
 
Send it to Panasonic for an estimate before you do anything hasty. It may need nothing more than to have Panasonic "reflash" the ROM themselves. You need tell them in the letter you include nothing about aftermarket batteries. Just that the battery "died" in mid process.

I have two aftermarket batteries I'll never use again after seeing how sudden they quit without warning. And the potential for "bricking" the camera (slight though it may be with the Panasonics) is why I "make do" with the official firmware in both this and Canons.
 
Panasonic has a flat rate to fix GH2's. It's $325.00 If they try to tell you different, don't believe it. After you submit your repair request, you'll be asked for a credit card and told it's $275. After the get your camera, they'll tell you it's a LOT more ($450+). Call the repair center until you find someone who knows what they're talking about. Eventually they'll tell you that both the online repair site and the email they send you are wrong, and the right amount is $325.

I just went through it myself. What a pain. But they did fix it.
 
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Paid $ 250 and they told me it takes 40days. Still waiting....the lesson is never use other batteries during any firmware update or suffer the pain of bricked gh2
 
blues said:
Paid $ 250 and they told me it takes 40days. Still waiting....the lesson is never use other batteries during any firmware update or suffer the pain of bricked gh2
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That's not at all right. I would call them. It took them 9 days from receipt until they put it in the mail back to me. I'm guessing you paid when you first sent it in, and then they sent you a quote for a higher amount and are waiting for payment. That's what happened to me. And as I've said, the higher amount is probably wrong, so definitely call them.
 
While performing firmware update, never use 3rd battery batteries AND never use a power supply.
Always use a fully charged original Panasonic battery.
This is stated in the firmware upgrade instructions.
 
Bruce Foreman said:
Send it to Panasonic for an estimate before you do anything hasty. It may need nothing more than to have Panasonic "reflash" the ROM themselves. You need tell them in the letter you include nothing about aftermarket batteries. Just that the battery "died" in mid process.

I have two aftermarket batteries I'll never use again after seeing how sudden they quit without warning. And the potential for "bricking" the camera (slight though it may be with the Panasonics) is why I "make do" with the official firmware in both this and Canons.
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Same here, Canon user, and never even seriously considered Magic Lantern. Maybe in the early "We don't even have 24p without Magic Lantern" days I would have, but not now.
 
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