Bushnell camera problem

In my first post are 3 photos of the innards of a Bushnell trail cam. This is one of the many that the Red Squirrel Trust Wales owns .While they would normally be considered "throwaways" I do not work that way. This unit has working back light to the lcd screen but is showing none of the program info on the screen. I think that the CMOS battery is dead however I can't find anything on what I believe is the CMOS cell to give me anywhere to start looking for a replacement. What I believe to be the cell in question is the item on the flying lead in photo 1. It has dimensions of 6mm diameter x 5mm long. The socket on board is marked M- (black lead) M+ ( red lead) . Bushnell will not release any info/circuit diagram and I can't find any Bushnell sourced repair info online. I did find a youtube vid of someone repairing another make of camera but was not convinced of it's accuracy. In that video he was able to read a voltage of 1.2 volts on the battery case. My questions are A) can anyone identify the battery, and 2) should I try a 1.5 volt cell to see if it works? Thanks in advance, Nathan.

The thing shown on the flying lead over the keyboard in the first pic looks to me like a microphone rather than a battery cell. Are you sure is is a battery?

The connections on the PCB being labeled M- and M+ might indicate mic as well.

There may be a battery underneath the PCB in the upper part of the last photo.

Could Agree with Jeff - Does that 'battery' have a small hole, or gauze material, or some black cloth cover over the face opposite to the wires? It does seem to have such, in the very top photo?

On the other hand, the mic might be the item in the lower photo - the one with the black/red lead between the two halves, ending on the small PCB screwed to the lower half clamshell...

Where does that 'battery' sit? does it just hang in the breeze?

Nathan, we have many trail cameras out in the bundu here( Namibia northen desert regions) - they are in harsh conditions, desert sun, sand storms, etc - they are also carted off by hyena and chewed up...I inevitably end up being the one who (tries) to fix them - Not all have a backup battery - If there is CMOS backup, it is generally to save user specific settings ( photos interval, modes, etc) so that you don't have to re-enter all that guff when you change camera batteries. However, most of the later models use a serial data E*2 Prom - a form of non-volatile memory, and so no battery. So, in devices with backup battery, the failure of that battery normally does not prevent the device from starting up and showing user setup pages on the display...I would also suspect the display connections - some of the display have a silicon rubber/carbon graphite contact strip between the actual glass LCD contacts and the PCB and these have given me endless pain..

Hope you come right!

Joe

The dangly thing looks more like an Electret Microphone than a battery. The latter are usually a slim button cell held by a clip on the board. Maybe on the other side, or possibly the other black red wired thing marked F201...

I don't believe it's a battery problem though.

With LCDs I always suspect the connector, which is often a Zebra type. One edge of the LCD is just pressed against a kind of foam strip. They work well except for damp, dirt or being physically displaced. As no real power is needed to drive the display, a press fit is more than good enough and they're not brilliantly secured or water-proof. The backlight uses power and is probably wired. So it's possible to have a backlit LCD showing nothing because the zebra needs attention.

Find the LCD and lift or slide it off the connector. Often secured with plastic hooks liable to break, but could be an easy job. Make sure the LCD edge and spongy strip are both dry and clean. No guarantees, but I've used meths on them without doing any damage! Reassemble, cross-fingers, sacrifice a virgin and all will be well...

Dave

I had no idea that it had a mike but having looked again I can see that you are all correct. The other side of the board shows no sign of a removable cell.

Lcd connector is soldered so I don't think thats the problem. Perhaps this is a write off after all.

Thanks for your replies, Nathan.

I've repaired and modified several different trailcam's and although none identical to yours I would say 100% that it does not have a battery for the memory that retains the settings.

Like you I dont like to accept that some devices are throw away but probably even the manufacturer (or the factory making the PCB) would scrap it if it failed tests before it was even assembled into the product. It would only be re-worked if the fault was minor or the component cost warranted it.

One think worth trying (if the zebra strip solutions above dont work) is to minutely examine every component and soldered joint to see if the fault is visible. Surprising as in may seem the fault may not be electronic (as in a failed IC or faulty resistor) but may be 'mechanical'.

By mechanical I mean dry joints, cracked track, oxidised contact surface, connector contacts not making good contact because the plastic housing has distorted. A few minutes work examining a faulty piece of equipment can point to the likely fault even without connecting it to a power supply, traces of leaked electrolyte or even slightly discoloured resistors can be big giveaways. Not likely to be anything overheated in a battery trailcam but high humidity or dampness has killed several that I have seen.

Ian P

Hi Guys,

I find it very difficult to belive that this device doesn't have any power source !

Have you actually looked under the bottom of the casing ? There appears to be four screws holding a panel down.

A friend of mine has a couple and has to plug them into a charger when they stop working.

Disclaimer: I've never looked inside them !

Edited By John Baron on 16/11/2020 15:17:02

The battery mentioned earlier was was for memory retention. the trap itself has a bunch of AA cells (not visible in the pictures)

Ian P

Thanks Ian,

I had misunderstood ! All makes sense now.

The pod that you thought was a small battery may be as already suggested be a mic but also could be a photo sensitive cell for day and night filming IE normal colour during the daylight hours and some sort of infra red for the hours of darkness

Edited By Derek Lane on 16/11/2020 16:11:48

Edited By Derek Lane on 16/11/2020 16:12:13

Edited By Derek Lane on 16/11/2020 16:13:02

My initial thoughts were that is an electret microphone and that the problem might be with the multipole connector - try lifting the clamping clip, reseating the ribbon and clipping shut. Also check other end of the ribbon.

Also Dave's suggestion of a dodgy zebra connector is worth checking out - good way to check is press on the display and see if anything appears suggesting intermittent/poor connections.

https://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/threads/bushnell-trail-cam-problem-repairs.62689/

Good luck, Bear..

I have a couple of trail cameras - mine are LtlAcorn rather than Bushnell. However I often get similar symptoms to yours when the contacts on the on/off/setup switch get dirty/corroded. My cameras are not hermetically sealed so damp weather followed by cold nights causes condensation to form inside - that seems to eventually affect the switch. On mine the cameras still work, but the setup screens can't be accessed.

A blast of switch cleaner and a short rest (for the camera) usually restores the setup screen.

If that doesn't work, I noticed in the Bushnell manual that the setup screens "...can be accessed via an external monitor connected to the TV out jack...". Trying that may tell you if its the LCD itself or something more fundamental.

Thanks all. I'll put it aside for now and come back to it when I have time. Nathan.

Hi, I think that I might have to replace the camera sensor in a Trophy Cam. Anyone know what the part number is or whereabouts I might get one?