Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

ju1234

79

Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

« on: 09 / June / 2018, 09:21:21 »

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Hello, I am trying to install CHDK on my SX10 IS (made in 2008). The STICK method does not work. It gives

? when scan for SD Card. So I am trying the Method 2. I have extracted the appropriate build (101A) to the SD card. After putting the card in camera I am supposed to go to "firmware update" in the Canon menu. However I cannot find the "firmware update" in the menu. Thanks.

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ju1234

79

Re: Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

« Reply #1 on: 09 / June / 2018, 09:40:44 »

OK. I did find the "firmware update" but the next steps don't work. On this camera the button marked with an "s" appears to be the ALT button. So, I have the card unlocked in the camera. I turn the camera on with the "play" button. The CHDK logo info flashes and I press this "S" button and camera shows ALT in the bottom. Now I am able to open the ALT menu, go to misc stuff --- to sd card --- to make card bootable --- yes --- finished. Now shut down the camera. Take card out, lock the tab and put it back in the camera. Turn the camera on from play button. It turns on in normal mode. I understand that pressing the ALT button (which was the "S" button) should bring up the ALT mode. But it does not. I have tried all the other buttons too one by one. None work. What am I doing wrong? Thanks.

« Last Edit: 09 / June / 2018, 12:17:45 by ju1234 »

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srsa_4c

4451

Re: Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

« Reply #2 on: 09 / June / 2018, 16:04:11 »

Quote from: ju1234 on 09 / June / 2018, 09:40:44

So, I have the card unlocked in the camera. I turn the camera on with the "play" button. The CHDK logo info flashes and I press this "S" button and camera shows ALT in the bottom. Now I am able to open the ALT menu, go to misc stuff --- to sd card --- to make card bootable --- yes --- finished. Now shut down the camera. Take card out, lock the tab and put it back in the camera. Turn the camera on from play button. It turns on in normal mode. I understand that pressing the ALT button (which was the "S" button) should bring up the ALT mode. But it does not. I have tried all the other buttons too one by one. None work. What am I doing wrong?

On the SX10, this method is only usable for cards not bigger than 2GB (or for 4GB cards that were formatted on a PC as FAT16).
This camera (as it is pre-2011) can not autoboot from FAT32 cards.
You can use bigger cards with autoboot, but those cards need to be prepared specifically (with 2 partitions, using a PC) and are likely difficult to use under most versions of Windows.

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reyalp

14000

Re: Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

« Reply #3 on: 09 / June / 2018, 16:09:38 »

Quote from: ju1234 on 09 / June / 2018, 09:40:44

Take card out, lock the tab and put it back in the camera. Turn the camera on from play button. It turns on in normal mode. I understand that pressing the ALT button (which was the "S" button) should bring up the ALT mode. But it does not. I have tried all the other buttons too one by one. None work. What am I doing wrong? Thanks.

Does the camera show card locked when you do this?

A number of users of this camera have reported problems with the lock switch. If the camera doesn't detect that the card is locked, then CHDK won't boot. See https://chdk.setepontos.com/index.php?topic=3374.msg31113#msg31113

You can test this by locking a card that doesn't have CHDK installed. Just delete DISKBOOT.BIN, lock the card and put it in the camera. If the camera doesn't show "card locked", the lock detect isn't working.

Some have been able to fix this by manipulating the switch in the card slot, described in the thread.

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ju1234

79

Re: Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

« Reply #4 on: 09 / June / 2018, 16:16:52 »

Sorry, I should have given more info.

I am using 1GB card. I formatted (As FAT) it in the camera and in PC and using the utility EOSCard1.44. All lead to same result. I have tried using STICK which at the "scan for card" shows

? bootability unknown. I tired CHIMP, it asks for some microsoft download which I was unable to. I tried WICKS that gave similar problems.

With the Method 2 under the cameras prior to 2011, I get up to the point where the CHDK is installed on the card and I go to the step "firmware update" and then the steps of "make card bootable" son't seem to save the changes (not make card bootable).

Any other suggestions? Thanks.

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reyalp

14000

Re: Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

« Reply #5 on: 09 / June / 2018, 17:05:49 »

Quote from: ju1234 on 09 / June / 2018, 16:16:52

Any other suggestions? Thanks.

See my post above. Does the camera show "card locked" when you use a locked card without CHDK?

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ju1234

79

Re: Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

« Reply #6 on: 09 / June / 2018, 23:32:51 »

Reyalp, thank you. You are absolutely right. The sensing mechanism in the card slot is at fault. In fact I have two SX10s. The same card worked fine in the other camera. So, I looked inside the slot of the bad camera. Used a little common sense as to which way the pin should be bent and I did. It fixed the problem. I don't know if this fix will stay. Thanks again.

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ju1234

79

Re: Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

« Reply #7 on: 10 / June / 2018, 00:12:46 »

Just what I was afraid of. Once I took the card out and put it back in again, it stopped working. I tried to figure out the mechanism inside without opening the camera. I tried to bend the thing again. If I keep messing with it too much, i may cause more damage causing the slot to even stop reading the card altogether.

Any body has any ideas?

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waterwingz

12138

Re: Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

« Reply #8 on: 10 / June / 2018, 00:30:48 »

Quote from: ju1234 on 10 / June / 2018, 00:12:46

Any body has any ideas?

If I understand correctly what you have posted so far, the micro switch in the card slot fails to correctly detect the position of the lock slider of the SD card? As a result, it always shows the card as not locked regardless of the position of the slider?

That will make the SD card lock CHDK booting mode inoperative. But you can still use the "Firmware Update" method.

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Ported : A1200 SD940 G10 Powershot N G16

reyalp

14000

Re: Please help install CHDK on SX10 IS

« Reply #9 on: 10 / June / 2018, 01:14:26 »

Quote from: ju1234 on 10 / June / 2018, 00:12:46

Just what I was afraid of. Once I took the card out and put it back in again, it stopped working. I tried to figure out the mechanism inside without opening the camera. I tried to bend the thing again. If I keep messing with it too much, i may cause more damage causing the slot to even stop reading the card altogether.

Any body has any ideas?

The lock detect is just a mechanical switch engaged by the plastic tab on the card, so as waterwingz says the worst outcome is likely that the lock detect would stop working permanently. If it broke and fell into the camera, it could short something out, but that's about it.

Other alternatives:
If you are mechanically inclined or don't care much about the camera, you could disassemble it and rig the switch to always read "locked". The switch itself should be really simple, just a bit of spring metal that's either contacts another bit of metal or not. Getting the camera apart and back together may be less simple...

If you manage to get it working again by bending like you did before, never take the card out again. You can use USB to download images. Use chdkptp if you have trouble downloading raw with normal software.

Maybe the lock tab on the card is part of the problem, and using a different card or building it up with some epoxy or something would make it engage better.

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