Memory back-up battery problems

I agree with the comments from the majority of reviewers on the S3800 Fuji Finepix camera. While a good camera for those starting into digital picture taking, its reputation has been ruined by a poor design decision to incorporate the memory back-up battery into the 'innards' of the camera, rather than making it accessable from the outside. This decision has meant that the camera becomes virtually useless over a 2 to 4 year period, depending on use. Perversely, those that used their cameras frequently were rewarded with extended life out of the camera, as the internal back-up battery was being frequently recharged - hence the glowing reports by those that were taking hundreds if not thousands of pictures from their sturdy little cameras. However, if the user was, like me, using the camera infrequently then the internal battery would eventually discharge beyond the ability of the camera's internal circuitry to recharge the battery during the small periods it was actually turned on. Hence the battery fails after 15 months to a couple of years or so depending on the frequency of UNUSE! Paradoxical, I know, but that's the way of it. To think the designers at Fuji, and other manufacturers of early digital cameras didn't spot this one beggars belief, but I 'spose you can't win 'em all the first time around. What concerns me is that they don't seem to have provided as yet in their new designs is a little screw release button cell like one had on the bottom of the old film cameras like the Pentax or Canons. Its got to happen as, from what I see here, the complaint level is rising rapidly.

One way that you may be able to restore this battery, and this is just a guess for me, is to get a mains adapter DC plug in for the camera, so that it can be fed from the mains and not the internal main AA cells - in fact take the cells out before continuing. Then turn the camera on to camera, not playback, mode and just leave it there for a couple of days. Hopefully this will recharge the internal memory back-up button cell enough so that it starts supporting memory again.

The other way, which is what I have adopted, is to remove the screws which hold on the back of the camera and then gently remove the screws holding on the top two circuit boards. Don't actually remove the boards as they are still connected by thin film connecting strips, but now they are loose enough to allow the third board to be revealed. On the bottom left hand side of the board one will see a small button cell with tabs attached. This is the memory back-up button cell. Using my trusty old 25W soldering iron with a 3.2mm tip (any tip between 2mm and 5mm width ought to do)I removed this battery.
It measured about 1.12V on removal. But I am pretty sure it is a 3V lithium cell. It showed the brown corrosion deposits on its outside indicative of a totally discharged and damaged cell. In short anything that knackered probably started out at 3V full charge - and that means lithium for a single button cell.

Where to get a new one? I read that these can be obtained directly from Fuji as a spare part. Although I am seriously thinking of putting in a tabbed CR2016 lithium cell. Its twice the diameter and holds about five times the charge of the little 10mm diameter cell taken out. In short, if I can fit the CR2016, and there seems room enough to do this, then I'll never have to worry about a dud memory back-up again.

This is a project in mid-swing as it were and I'll write and let you know how it turns out.
G.M.