Using the XD/SMC adapter with Olympus cameras

As anyone who has been trying to find one can tell you, SmartMedia memory cards are headed for extinction! If your work or studio environment permits, you may decide to extend the life of an older Olympus camera by using an adapter to allow the camera to accept xD mempry cards. (cheap and still in production)

Here is one idea for a simple modification that will work much better than wedging a match in the door sensor on these models.

To position things accurately, you will need to steady the camera on it's end. Often, when I need to hold something odd shaped, especially a delicate item like a camera, I use the rice bowl method

Find a suitable canister which has a large flat bottom. after wrapping the camera in something light to protect it, (produce bag) stand it on end in the bowl and fill the remainder with rice.

After the rice is in place, blouse the bag away from the camera and over the rim of the bowl. You now have a nice surgery table for the camera plus your 'patient' is protected from loose grains of rice!

By design, most Olympus 'C" models incorporate a switch to let the camera know if the memory door is open. This switch is actuated by a tiny strut molded into the door. (circled in photo #2)

Because the adapter will not let the door close normally, we'll need a faux strut to depress the switch. The one shown here is simply a tiny strip of aluminum cut from a scrap with wire-cutters and shaped with a pair of needle-nose pliers and a small file.

NOTE! The second lip of the 'Z' shape is not necessary for this to function but it is handy as a place to grab the piece with pliers or tweezers.

Construct the strip by bending and filing the metal until you acheive a fit for your particular model. Most of the 2000,3000, 4000 and 7xx models will be very similar to this illustration, but , since we don't have measurements for all models, just form your strip to fit similar to the one shown on this C-4000 camera.

The strut must protrude just far far enough inside the camera to actuate the switch. It must not push the switch beyond the normal travel or the circuitry inside may be damaged. The photograph shows the approximate travel (the metal piece is being held up by the spring in the switch)

Clean away excess metal to get a perfect fit. Check your fit often. The new strut must have the right travel and it must also provide clearance for the adapter to slide in all the way. (see photo #4 & #5)

Once you have perfected your strut, you are ready to attach. Choose an adhesive which sets hard! Plain super glue is best but you may be able to use an acrylic or epoxy type as well. Avoid contact cement or anything that remains flexible. (the pressure of the switch will eventually break the adhesive seal)

Clean or prime the area to be attached, then apply a very small amount of adhesive. If you follow our suggestion and use super-glue, you can use the pliers to position the strut for a few seconds, then remove them and allow things to cure the recommended time. If you use a slow setting adhesive, you may need to use tape or a weight to hold the strut in place while the adhesive sets.

There you have it! This might be considered a semi-permanent modification. If not accidentally struck with force, the strut will stay in place permanently. Still, if you redeploy the camera in the future, you can grab the strut with pliers, break the bond and return the camera to normal. (that's why you shouldn't use more adhesive than necessary)