Taping Teleconverter pins

[swamp_rattler]

Hello,

Just wondering if taping the three left-most pins on my Canon 1.4x II teleconverter (that hasn't yet arrived) on my Canon 40 and Canon 500mm f/4.5 (non-IS) might possibly harm either camera or lens. I heard something about the autofocus motor risking being fried (is this on the camera or lens??). Any thoughts? Any risk of that happening?

Thanks!

[QuantumTiger]

This topic was discussed (albeit somewhat inconclusively) in this thread (http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=131283&page=3). I don't think that there is any great body of evidence to encourage fears. For my part I have been using a 400mm f/5.6 autofocusing with a non-reportingt Tamron TC for a couple of years and have no issues to date.

[Roy C]

I have been using a taped tc with my 400/5.6 for almost three years now with no ill effects. The only thing that could do any harm is the lens 'hunting' that you some times get with a taped tc but I have never heard of a lens USM being fried (I read somewhere that this was an impossibility but could not confirm myself)
What you can do to minimise the hunting is to turn the focus search to 'off' this prevents the camera from becoming grossly out of focus as it attempts to focus again.
How well your particular combo will AF with a taped tc is another matter - I have never tried it with your lens.