Olympus Stylus 400 defect - anyone else?

[abassitt]

I am writing to see if I get any other posts about a defect that my Stylus 400 had.
My camera began to experience a problem with what I thought was the shutter/lens cover. When I would slide open the cover to take a picture, 80% of the time the lens would retract and the camera would power down. Eventually, my camera quit working altogether.
The repair bill was $169 and I was furious b/c I pd. $400 for the thing and only used it a yr. and a half! I decided to see what used ones were selling for on eBay and the third item I viewed - the seller was selling her Stylus 400 b/c she was having the same problem. Then, while reading posts on this site, another guy is having what sounds like this problem.
This leads me to believe this camera series has a defect that I feel needs to be recalled and made right. It could be the reason Olympus came out with a 410 series. I thought this interesting when no other Stylus has a _10 series(?).
Please respond to let me know. I want Olympus to be aware of their error.
One more thing, I bought Olympus b/c of their name, but now I realize that they don't even make the top 10 when I read reviews online about digital camera. Very disappointing. I will buy a Canon - they've treated me well in the past.

[JimC]

I found your post when doing a Google search for cover problems. I have the same problem with the cover/switch on my Stylus 400. I agree this is a systemic problem which should be fixed free by Olympus. Others ?

[Norm in Fujino]

I want Olympus to be aware of their error.
One more thing, I bought Olympus b/c of their name, but now I realize that they don't even make the top 10 when I read reviews online about digital camera. Very disappointing. I will buy a Canon - they've treated me well in the past.

Oly makes good products, just as do Nikon, Canon and the others. And all manufacturers have their share of lemons. If you think playing musical chairs with brands will solve your problem, good luck. You might do a search for Canon + E18 error, as found in THIS THREAD (http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3810&highlight=error+canon+code)

I agree that Olympus should be made aware of the issue if it's worthy of recall, and if you can find enough other people with the same problem, you might even start a letter-writing campaign or make a complaint with the competent authorities (FTC? BBB?, not sure, depends on where you live, I guess). Problem is, there are too many new models coming out onto the market with too little prep time--from all manufacturers, so there are bound to be some issues.

[dsierraji]

Not surprisingly, I have the same problem with my mju-300 Olympus camera. The cover slider has a design problem that makes the lenses hide at a slight touch of the cover. When I tried to fix the screws that guide the slider, the lenses retracted and they never came out any more.

Reparation costs are, in my case, up to 40% of a new (and better) camera price. And I guess Olympus knows this, because new models do not include the sliding cover.

Anyway, fixing it on my own appears not to be complicated, since the reason for the lenses not to come out must be some sensor indicating the cover is not open, although it really is; but, before I try to do it, has anyone tried before?

Thanks!

[olejk]

I am writing to see if I get any other posts about a defect that my Stylus 400 had.
My camera began to experience a problem with what I thought was the shutter/lens cover. When I would slide open the cover to take a picture, 80% of the time the lens would retract and the camera would power down. Eventually, my camera quit working altogether.
The repair bill was $169 and I was furious b/c I pd. $400 for the thing and only used it a yr. and a half! I decided to see what used ones were selling for on eBay and the third item I viewed - the seller was selling her Stylus 400 b/c she was having the same problem. Then, while reading posts on this site, another guy is having what sounds like this problem.
This leads me to believe this camera series has a defect that I feel needs to be recalled and made right. It could be the reason Olympus came out with a 410 series. I thought this interesting when no other Stylus has a _10 series(?).
Please respond to let me know. I want Olympus to be aware of their error.
One more thing, I bought Olympus b/c of their name, but now I realize that they don't even make the top 10 when I read reviews online about digital camera. Very disappointing. I will buy a Canon - they've treated me well in the past.
I have had the exact same problem with my stylus 400. The camera has had very, very little use and the lens will not extend. I was told by Olympus it would cost about $250.00 to fix. I now have a $550.00 piece of junk. What a sham on the part of Olympus. They are now in the process of destroying their brand image by refusing to help any of us that have been defrauded in my opinion.

[griffinj]

My Olympus 400 started doing this about a month ago. I recently had a chance to remove the lens cover and found that there's a rotary switch that's operated by the cover. When I operate the switch by hand with the cover off, things seem to be fine. However, when I replace the cover the problem returns.

It definately seems like a design flaw and should be fixed by Olympus. Especially if it's just a simple replacement cover.

Additionally, the focus on this camera is a bit odd. Occasionally, it takes pictures slightly out of focus, or gets confused about what it should be focusing on. It's been like this since day 1.

I've owned many film and digital camera over the years. By far, I've been most disappointed with this Olympus.

[griffinj]

I am writing to see if I get any other posts about a defect that my Stylus 400 had.
My camera began to experience a problem with what I thought was the shutter/lens cover. When I would slide open the cover to take a picture, 80% of the time the lens would retract and the camera would power down. Eventually, my camera quit working altogether.
The repair bill was $169 and I was furious b/c I pd. $400 for the thing and only used it a yr. and a half! I decided to see what used ones were selling for on eBay and the third item I viewed - the seller was selling her Stylus 400 b/c she was having the same problem. Then, while reading posts on this site, another guy is having what sounds like this problem.
This leads me to believe this camera series has a defect that I feel needs to be recalled and made right. It could be the reason Olympus came out with a 410 series. I thought this interesting when no other Stylus has a _10 series(?).
Please respond to let me know. I want Olympus to be aware of their error.
One more thing, I bought Olympus b/c of their name, but now I realize that they don't even make the top 10 when I read reviews online about digital camera. Very disappointing. I will buy a Canon - they've treated me well in the past.


I just found this on Olympus's web site, a new lens cover kit can be purchased for $21.39

[david_caudwell]

Hi All,

I've had the same experience with my mju-300 Olympus camera. Once the lens cover is retracted, the camera turns on, then off, then on, etc. It is erratic and makes the camera unusable. I bought the thing in March 2005, took it back to the authorised dealer 2 weeks outside warranty, and they say Olympus has refused to correct the problem. I have now written to the parent company in Japan, and I'm awaiting thier reply. I figure if they don't fix it, I can influence the sale of about 10 - 15 cameras over the next 10 years amongst friends and family, and I won't be reccomending Olympus. On the other hand, if they agree to fix it, I'm likely to "sing thier praises". We'll see what happens!

[Peterlaver]

I have old Olympus C50= zoom. which has the usual slide lens cover.
After much use the lower guide rail became so worn that the locating pin ( a very small screw) on the cover would pop out and then shut off the camera.

It may be that this system is used on various cameras of Olympus.

However, all is not lost and it is not rocket science to repair it. I used a very thin sliver of aluminum (from a beer can) cemented in the guide rail with super glue.The idea is to repair the groove in which make the sliding pin move correctly again.

I do not know if your problem is similar but its worth a try, and my repair has lasted for over 1 year without problem.

Hope this may help.

[shanelf]

I am experiencing the same problem with my camera. When the lens cover is retracted, the lens doesn't come out and the camera is just blank. I had the camera for awhile, however, I used it only a few times. I think that there is truly a defect with this product and that there should be a recall. If anyone has any info, please post it. Meanwhile, I will research and post what I find. This camera is a piece of crap!!!

[capted]

My camera started the same scenario. Lens retracts a few seconds after cover is opened. Thanks to this forum, I discovered it is something in the sliding lens cover.
If I put pressure on it, the camera will stay on. It has been on over half an hour now since I read this forum.

[Beedee]

I had my Olympus C-50 not even for 3 years now and experience the same problem - the pin inside the sliding door pops out because a part of the plastic that guides it cracked.

I called Olympus and they say it will be about $125 to repair.
You can also order repalcement parts from their website, but not the one I need.
Pretty disappointing. I could get a new C-50 on ebay for half of the repair cost - but it would be nonsense to buy the same model again, knowing its flaws.

I'll try to repair it with one of your suggestions - beer can and superglue...

[maceo]

Just had the flash go out though. never had that happen before. This has been an awesome camera, my second olympus. It is heavily used, 5000+ pictures, and hopefully I will have a pleasurable repair experience. I also have a Fuji S2 Pro SLR in for repair, so this SUCKS... need a third back up I guess. Geez, when it rains, it pours...
Highly recommended... when it works. Like I said this has been my only issue come up. It still works great with available light, just no fill flash for indoors at the moment. I am online to find out wheere to send it to get the internal flash replaced.

[mysterylady]

Yes, I have the same problem as does my son with his camera. I have talked with Olympus and they sure knew about my problem when I called them about it to see if there was a recall on this Stylus 400 shutter problem. The solution they offer is to send them the camera and expect a repair bill of $119.00. Or they have an upgrade program where they would take your camera, offer you a trade up, for instance, a Stylus 600 which they sell for $299, they will sell it to you for $240. Big deal!!!!

I think we are being taken advantage of and I am considering keeping this Olympus as a reminder and buying another brand and chalking this up to a bum deal.

[FLiPMaRC]

My first two digital cameras were by Olympus (D460Z and Stylus300). Both have the slider lens cover. I bought the D460Z back in 2000, and it's still in great working condition (but I don't use it anymore). I bought the Stylus 300 in 2003, and it's still in great working condition and I still use it along with my Canon S3.

Believe me when I say that my old cameras have gone through some abuse :p Olympus makes good cameras. So I'm not sure if the defects are isolated to certain models.

[betracq]

I read with interest the posts on this topic. There is absolutely no doubt that there is a defect with the on/off mechanism operated by the sliding cover. Occasionally this can be fixed by adjustments to the cover, but more usually the problem lies with a tiny switch inside the camera. I have now seen many of these where the (minute) operating lever for this switch has broken, and of course no amount of adjustment of the cover will fix that. It is necessary to dismantle the camera, and in a few cases I have managed to lash up a temporary fix with a bit of copper strip soldered to the circuit board. If you open up the camera be very careful to avoid touching the contacts of the capacitor which drives the flash unit; it holds its charge well, at around 300 volts, for several days and can give you quite a shock. I speak from personal experience!

I feel sure Olympus are very well aware of this problem; I have never contacted them since I feel it would be pointless, although if anyone out there can be bothered the threat of a law suit might wake them up. If you look on E-bay you'll see no end of these cameras with a similar fault.

[brycen]

Chalk up another three. Two with my bother, and my camera followed halfway during an overseas vacation. The cover was *always* finicky... closing unintentionally half the time. But now I have a perfectly good Stylus Zoom 300 camera, with no way to turn it on. !@#!@#!# defect.

I took the cover off, and the little black plastic switch does nothing.

[camera mom]

ME TOO!
Also having the problem with our olympus stylus 300- it won't open and start. It has already been repaired once by the company-
luckily paid by my visa charge company- as it elongated my guarantee. You may try that for a few more months of working.
Now it is not working again! So by searching here and other places i thought i'd try taking the front apart. We are also very disappointed in the Olypmus name and they still used that mechanism for years!
This was a gift for my daughter's graduation and she is not even using it.

I finally took the slider part off and turned the little black plastic circular thing with the point sticling up - and by taking the battery out and then inserting it- the camera will turn on and take pictures... have to take the battery out to stop the camera. THEN put the battery back in again and when the camera restarts close the cover on the lense thing and hold it down until it turns itself off-
- but i think i will try to just leave off that sliding cover and operate the camera by taking the battery in and out. Then i will have to leave the lense sticking out open - but-- that's the best so far.

The moving the lens of the camera did seem to work but when i put the slider back on- still didn't operate by itself. :(

[mjg]

I have dismantled my Olympus 400 to find out why my lense would not open.
I found a small piece of black plastic in the case that may have broken of the rotory switch actuator or the switch itself. Does anyone have a diagram, sketch, or picture of what these parts should look like? Thanks in advance
mjg

[lealice]

I have a problem with my camera too.

When I slide the lens cover across:

- Lens pops out (like normal),
- Screen comes up with 'Olympus' (like normal),

but then ...

- The screen goes black,
- The lens goes back inside,
- and the Green Lamp flashes and beeps about 9 times.

Sinse then it has worked normally. I have tried charging the battery and putting pressure on the lens cover, but nopthing works! The only thing I can do with the camera now is view the pictures (not that there's any on there because I've copied and deleted them).

I can't dismantle the lens cover (because I don't have a screwdriver of that small size) and I can't just go to a repair shop (1 because I'm only 14 and 2 I haven't told my parents yet). The camera is about 2-ish years old (I think) and it just stopped working one day. (It was in my bag, I got it out and it didn't work. Probably because it had been knocked around? IDK :confused: )

I need help urgently! Please!

[mysterylady]

You all need to bombard Olympus with letters, emails and phone calls to their 800 number. I wrote a letter, sent it to VP in Charge of Sales, VP in Charge of Customer Relations and to Customer Service. After a month I got a call from Customer Service with the same broken record reply: "Send your camera in and for $119.00 we will look at it and let you know the charges to repair it" After I challenged her on the fact this was a manufacturing defect ( I have cut and pasted all the negatives I could find on the Stylus 400 to Customer Service and have told them the 400s are being offered on EBay for $5.) she had the nerve to say I had probably broken it by trying to get it to work. I explained that I had seen where others had held down the door on the front and could take pictures so I tried it. She said I broke the camera at that point. This is an insult to all of us to have a camera we bought in good faith and now we can't use it. Get those cards and calls going!!!!!!!

[lealice]

Apparently, my camera wasn't charging properly ... it FLASHED red instead of a solid green light when charging.

[atrickpay]

Looking for help on how the switch on the inside works.
I've opened the camera but couldn't see what the "arm"
from the slide door was suppost to contact with.

Can anyone give me a lead?

[Eric A]

Hey All -

The best thing to do would be to contact Olympus. Walk up the ladder and ask for management. They'll work it out. I did it and got the results.

"Squeaky wheels gets the oil!"

Olympus is really a good company. They're fair.

Eric

[zeppe]

Just like all that have posted I to have a stylus 300 with a lens cover that closes as soon as it opens. I called tech support and the said they had never heard of this issue. Which leads me to belive that they are not recognizing it as a problem, or the are told not to say anything. Emails to complain only if they hit the right desks. So, the internal email domain for Olympus is first name period "." last name @olympus.com. Mark Gumz is the president (American division), Lawrence Wang is the CEO, and Tsuyoshi Kikukawa is the president of the entire corporation. If we hit these indivisuals with a mass amount of emails, we may make a dent.
P.S. I did ask about the trade up program they have, we can trade up for a stylus 710 (normally $299), and with trade in it would be $269 (woot $30). So, its good to know that Olympus cameras do not hold value for anything. Just in case you were wondering....

mark.gumz@olympus.com
Tsuyoshi.Kikukawa@olympus.com
Lawrence.Wang@olympus.com

[graymath]

I had the same problem where the lever that operates the switch that controls the on-off mechanism. I thought about soldering, but was unsure how this would effect the on-off mechanism.

Would you mind telling me exactly what did you solder to enable some on-off functionality? i have the camera open already, and thanks to your warning, I'll be careful to avoid the capacitor holding the charge for the flash (though the camera has been off for some time now).

-John

I read with interest the posts on this topic. There is absolutely no doubt that there is a defect with the on/off mechanism operated by the sliding cover. Occasionally this can be fixed by adjustments to the cover, but more usually the problem lies with a tiny switch inside the camera. I have now seen many of these where the (minute) operating lever for this switch has broken, and of course no amount of adjustment of the cover will fix that. It is necessary to dismantle the camera, and in a few cases I have managed to lash up a temporary fix with a bit of copper strip soldered to the circuit board. If you open up the camera be very careful to avoid touching the contacts of the capacitor which drives the flash unit; it holds its charge well, at around 300 volts, for several days and can give you quite a shock. I speak from personal experience!

I feel sure Olympus are very well aware of this problem; I have never contacted them since I feel it would be pointless, although if anyone out there can be bothered the threat of a law suit might wake them up. If you look on E-bay you'll see no end of these cameras with a similar fault.

[graymath]

The black lever operates a switch on the circuit board just above the red LED. It is at the lower-middle of the circuit board, approximately one centimeter into the camera above the location where the camera mounts to a tripod.

Any luck on finding a replacement lever would be much appreciated...

-John

Looking for help on how the switch on the inside works.
I've opened the camera but couldn't see what the "arm"
from the slide door was suppost to contact with.

Can anyone give me a lead?

[Madsen]

I had the door of a Stylus 300 pop off, and now it doesn't turn on at all. I tried snapping the door back on and it didn't do any good.
Earlier in the thread I saw the tip about keeping the black lever in the "up" position and taking the battery out and in but that didn't work in my case.

When opening up the whole case was suggested, that seemed to be for the problem of the door being attached and just not working, as opposed to the door being off in the first place. Perhaps when the door popped off the switch was damaged?

[R. D. Bryan]

I have made it a project to identify the cause of this too often occuring problem.
The black knob in the center of the front of the camera is connected to an "L" lever that operates a micro switch on the main board. There is a pin sticking up on the perimeter
of the knob that rides in a slot in the cover. The assembly the knob is mounted in sometimes warps so the foot of the "L" lever hangs up on the micro switch and causes the operating pin to break off. The plastic assembly can NOT be repaired but must be replaced! The plastic assembly is not a switch but a connecting link between the cover and the micro switch. It is necessary to open the camera case to properly access this assembly. If Olympus would make this assembly available, any good camera repairman could replace it in less than one hour. The cost of having Olympus to replace a $5.00 part is only about $150. This "in my opinion" is unacceptable! Hundreds of the Stylus 300 and 400 series are inoperable because of the failure of this part. I would say this is a serious factory defect!! I have observed that the operating lever assembly
can be improperly mounted, causing the housing to warp and put the 'L' lever at an angle to the face of the micro switch, which causes it to hang up and break the pin. This may be the cause of failure on the majority of cameras.
Update: I have discovered the plastic operating assembly is glued into the front body of the camera. On the camera I am working on, the glue had begun to set before the assembly was installed and the assembly was not attached to the body. It is not necessary to dismantle the camera other than the sliding cover, this gives access to the assembly. The assembly can be replaced by removing it from the body and lifting it out. A new assembly could be installed by coating the edge with the proper cement and slipping it into place and securing it until the glue sets.
Farther Update: I have aquired a later model Stylus 300 to examine.
The plastic link assembly on this one has locating flanges on all four sides and the spring now supports the assembly. On this one the link operates perfectly and should give no problems. IMHO, Olympus should
be compelled to recall all of the cameras with the earlier assembly and update to the later one! This would appear to be the only method by which this problem can be rectified.

[AKAAB]

Keep the updates coming. Add my Stylus 300 to the list of flawed cameras with the sliding cover problems. I took my cover off and removed the mechanism with the little black actuating arm, but cannot see any microswitch inside.

Can you describe it a little better for me? There are no loose, i.e. broken off, parts inside the camera and I don't see where the arm on the back side of the mechanism contacts anything inside.

I'll drill a hole and mount a switch on the camera if I have to, but I'm afraid to start disassembling without a good diagram to work off of.

[R. D. Bryan]

The microswitch is mounted on the mainboard of the camera. The black actuating assembly slides across the microswitch and turns the camera on. There seems to be very few problems with the switch but a myriad of problems with the actuating assembly. The vent/actuating assembly is attached to the front case with silicone cement which does not bond to the plastic on the vent. In service, the constant pressure from the plungers and spring pushes
the assembly through the silicone into the camera body.
This causes the foot of the arm to hang on the micro switch body and break off the nib.
I have four (4) Stylus 300 here, one of which has been sent to Olympus for repair. Repair consists of replacing the front case half. The replacement case half contains an upgraded vent/link assembly which has heavier flanges and
a spring which extends over the case body. This replacement assembly SHOULD cure the recurrent failures.

Olympus refuses to sell the replacement parts and insists the camera be sent in for repair. Apparently the Japanese
consider the Americans too stupid to affect this repair! It is getting to the point that I would consider Americans stupid to keep buying products from this company. Any good camera repair facility should be capable or repairing one of these cameras in a few minutes if parts were made
available. These cameras can NOT be repaired without replacement parts! If an aftermarket supplier could be found to supply parts it would be a solution.

[R. D. Bryan]

Since my last post, I have acquired several more of these cameras to study the failure modes.
Three Stylus 410; one has a broken micro switch and will not turn on. Two have a failed flash and will only operate with the flash turned off.
Seven Stylus 300; Three have the vent/link ass'y pushed in and have been repaired. One has the link nib broken off.
Two have erratic view screens. One is non-operative because a shorted battery erased the memory.

[AKAAB]

Okay, without parts availability from Olympus is there any work-around for this microswitch. is there a good spot to mount an external slider switch and can the microswitch be removed without destroying the main board? I don't care if it's pretty, I just need to be able to turn it off and on.

[cwxmas]

:mad: I am so disgusted with this Olympus camera. I've only used it a few times and have invested so much money in additional xD memory cards and accessories for it that can't be used with the next camera I buy since I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER OLYMPUS. As so many have detailed before me, the lens cover will not retract anymore. I have tried the trick of removing the AA batteries but the built-in battery never drains, even after several days; the clock date and time remain set correctly even after I left the batteries out. I'm not sure draining the built-in battery would fix the lens cover problem anyway, after reading the posts. I get the flashing red and green lights and the dozen beeps and the camera turning off whenever I try to close the lens cover which won't close. Only the playback button works, not the OK button. I can't take any pictures. I will let Olympus and everyone else I can think of know how many of us have had to junk this camera and buy another brand rather than paying Olympus to fix what they should have made properly to begin with. I'm mostly disappointed in Consumer Reports since I bought the Olympus based on their review.

[Dobbo in Aus]

Please add my Olympus Stylus 400 to the list of faulty cameras. Great just purchased 2 new batteries to take on overseas hoildays next month and the camera does not switch on when the cover is retracted. Looking a solution I found this forum.

Annoyed or what the camera was from memory over A$700.00 when new and was chosen after many years on owning numerous SLR film camera which were of extremely high quality.

Here's hoping to a a prompt and favorable response from Olympus.

[dsierraji]

One year after my first post (see quoted), I decided to re-call de tech service to know about reparation costs. They lowered the price to just 60 €, when a year ago it was over 100 €.

I decided to say yes to the reparation, in order to have a usable camera instead of an old gadget resting on the shelf. But also, to test how long the camera will resist... I promise I will report!!

After my Stylus 300 was broken in August 2006, I bought an Olympus SP 510 UZ. It has been working fine since then, I'm glad I could use the xD's!!!

Not surprisingly, I have the same problem with my mju-300 Olympus camera. The cover slider has a design problem that makes the lenses hide at a slight touch of the cover. When I tried to fix the screws that guide the slider, the lenses retracted and they never came out any more.

Reparation costs are, in my case, up to 40% of a new (and better) camera price. And I guess Olympus knows this, because new models do not include the sliding cover.

Anyway, fixing it on my own appears not to be complicated, since the reason for the lenses not to come out must be some sensor indicating the cover is not open, although it really is; but, before I try to do it, has anyone tried before?

Thanks!

[Eric A]

That's really great to hear, dsierraji. I know the Stylus 300, 400 and 410 have their quirks but a simple phone call to Olympus tech support obviously got you back on track again. As I mentioned before, Olympus is a good company. I don't understand why anyone else can't just pick up the phone and work with their people on this. All these enraged posts are getting ridiculous.

Eric

[rmw]

I experience the same problem with my Olympus Stylus 400 and another friend did as well. Initially the camera would power down when trying to take a photograph. The camera was used very little before it stopped working all together. I received the camera as a gift and Olympus stated the camera wouldn't be repaired under warranty and the cost of repair would be some amount in excess of a minimum $100 fee, which they would tell me after I sent in the camera.

They acted like there was no problem with similar cameras and no recall would be made. I have repeatedly seen this same problem for olympus cameras with sliding on. As the original poster, I can still review my photos taken but the camera won't engage on to take photos.

[meshell5579]

I'm on hold right now..grrrr The previous person who I had spoken with told me that I would have to send in the camera and be charged $100. BUT if I want I could by a repair kit for $25. The kit included 2 screws and a new slider. I told her that I don't believe it's the slider itself, but maybe something under it. She then transfered meto someone in Tech support. The tech support person ot nasty with me b/c I did not want to give her my lastname. She then cut me off when I was in teh middle of telling her my problem and told me that I would HAVE to send it in for repair and that was that. She was very rude. (I just hung up)

Arround 3 years ago 5 people in my famliy (including myself bought this camera. 3 out of the 5 have this problem. Sooo Shady!

[fronc]

Hey I was wondering, since I have a camera with the same problems, do you have a detailed description of how to access these vent/link assemblies? I was hoping mine could just be pushed back in, but don't want to waste time disassembling if I don't know what I'm looking for.

Thanks,


Since my last post, I have acquired several more of these cameras to study the failure modes.
Three Stylus 410; one has a broken micro switch and will not turn on. Two have a failed flash and will only operate with the flash turned off.
Seven Stylus 300; Three have the vent/link ass'y pushed in and have been repaired. One has the link nib broken off.
Two have erratic view screens. One is non-operative because a shorted battery erased the memory.