Electronics Repair (sci.electronics.repair) Discussion of repairing electronic equipment. Topics include requests for assistance, where to obtain servicing information and parts, techniques for diagnosis and repair, and annecdotes about success, failures and problems.

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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.

I have a 7 year old Maxxum 7 film camera. Intermittently, when the shutter
is depressed the shutter doesn't click though you here some softer noises
instead. It's almost like the mechanism is staging for fire but doesn't.
When this happens, the lcd data display (remember it's film so there's no
image display) goes dead. Then I have to power cycle the camera and it's
fine. Usually it never misfires two times in a row. The only drawback
besides the inconvenience of missing the photo and the time that is wasted
is that after the power cycling, the film automatically advances to the next
frame leaving one frame unexposed. I've found a workaround for this. This
camera has an individual frame rewind feature so I can actually rewind the
film one frame back to where it was before the shutter misfire. Of course
all of this is a big p.i.t.a. Swapping out batteries, lenses, or changing
metering, flash, or programming modes makes no difference.

I was considering disassembling the camera in hopes of perhaps finding a
simple electronic or mechanical reason for this intermittent failure.
Perhaps a loose connector, a bad capacitor, or something that should move
easily but has started to get sluggish. Camera stores really don't repair
these anymore so I don't have much to lose. Anyone have any experience with
this?

Thanks for your reply.
--

David Farber
Los Osos, CA


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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.


"David Farber" wrote in message
...
I have a 7 year old Maxxum 7 film camera. Intermittently, when the shutter
is depressed the shutter doesn't click though you here some softer noises
instead. It's almost like the mechanism is staging for fire but doesn't.
When this happens, the lcd data display (remember it's film so there's no
image display) goes dead. Then I have to power cycle the camera and it's
fine. Usually it never misfires two times in a row. The only drawback
besides the inconvenience of missing the photo and the time that is wasted
is that after the power cycling, the film automatically advances to the
next frame leaving one frame unexposed. I've found a workaround for this.
This camera has an individual frame rewind feature so I can actually rewind
the film one frame back to where it was before the shutter misfire. Of
course all of this is a big p.i.t.a. Swapping out batteries, lenses, or
changing metering, flash, or programming modes makes no difference.

I was considering disassembling the camera in hopes of perhaps finding a
simple electronic or mechanical reason for this intermittent failure.
Perhaps a loose connector, a bad capacitor, or something that should move
easily but has started to get sluggish. Camera stores really don't repair
these anymore so I don't have much to lose. Anyone have any experience
with this?

Thanks for your reply.
--

David Farber
Los Osos, CA
I have seen this problem in other equipment, in circuits that require a
large burst of current to operate. An open or failing electrolytic cap is
usually the problem. Trace the power distribution to the shutter release
circuit, you'll probably find it there. A thorough cleaning of the battery
contacts is also a good idea.

Good luck,
Tom


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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.

David Farber wrote:
I have a 7 year old Maxxum 7 film camera. Intermittently, when the shutter
is depressed the shutter doesn't click though you here some softer noises
instead. It's almost like the mechanism is staging for fire but doesn't.
When this happens, the lcd data display (remember it's film so there's no
image display) goes dead. Then I have to power cycle the camera and it's
fine. Usually it never misfires two times in a row. The only drawback
besides the inconvenience of missing the photo and the time that is wasted
is that after the power cycling, the film automatically advances to the next
frame leaving one frame unexposed. I've found a workaround for this. This
camera has an individual frame rewind feature so I can actually rewind the
film one frame back to where it was before the shutter misfire. Of course
all of this is a big p.i.t.a. Swapping out batteries, lenses, or changing
metering, flash, or programming modes makes no difference.

I was considering disassembling the camera in hopes of perhaps finding a
simple electronic or mechanical reason for this intermittent failure.
Perhaps a loose connector, a bad capacitor, or something that should move
easily but has started to get sluggish. Camera stores really don't repair
these anymore so I don't have much to lose. Anyone have any experience with
this?


cameras = serious PITA to fix. If it's not bad batteries, toss it. It's
not worth even looking at unless it has sentimental value or something like
that. You can probably get an exact replacement from KEH for like $50 or
something like that.
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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.

Cydrome Leader wrote:
David Farber wrote:
I have a 7 year old Maxxum 7 film camera. Intermittently, when the
shutter is depressed the shutter doesn't click though you here some
softer noises instead. It's almost like the mechanism is staging for
fire but doesn't. When this happens, the lcd data display (remember
it's film so there's no image display) goes dead. Then I have to
power cycle the camera and it's fine. Usually it never misfires two
times in a row. The only drawback besides the inconvenience of
missing the photo and the time that is wasted is that after the
power cycling, the film automatically advances to the next frame
leaving one frame unexposed. I've found a workaround for this. This
camera has an individual frame rewind feature so I can actually
rewind the film one frame back to where it was before the shutter
misfire. Of course all of this is a big p.i.t.a. Swapping out
batteries, lenses, or changing metering, flash, or programming modes
makes no difference.

I was considering disassembling the camera in hopes of perhaps
finding a simple electronic or mechanical reason for this
intermittent failure. Perhaps a loose connector, a bad capacitor, or
something that should move easily but has started to get sluggish.
Camera stores really don't repair these anymore so I don't have much
to lose. Anyone have any experience with this?


cameras = serious PITA to fix. If it's not bad batteries, toss it.
It's not worth even looking at unless it has sentimental value or
something like that. You can probably get an exact replacement from
KEH for like $50 or something like that.




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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.

Cydrome Leader wrote:
David Farber wrote:
I have a 7 year old Maxxum 7 film camera. Intermittently, when the
shutter is depressed the shutter doesn't click though you here some
softer noises instead. It's almost like the mechanism is staging for
fire but doesn't. When this happens, the lcd data display (remember
it's film so there's no image display) goes dead. Then I have to
power cycle the camera and it's fine. Usually it never misfires two
times in a row. The only drawback besides the inconvenience of
missing the photo and the time that is wasted is that after the
power cycling, the film automatically advances to the next frame
leaving one frame unexposed. I've found a workaround for this. This
camera has an individual frame rewind feature so I can actually
rewind the film one frame back to where it was before the shutter
misfire. Of course all of this is a big p.i.t.a. Swapping out
batteries, lenses, or changing metering, flash, or programming modes
makes no difference.

I was considering disassembling the camera in hopes of perhaps
finding a simple electronic or mechanical reason for this
intermittent failure. Perhaps a loose connector, a bad capacitor, or
something that should move easily but has started to get sluggish.
Camera stores really don't repair these anymore so I don't have much
to lose. Anyone have any experience with this?


cameras = serious PITA to fix. If it's not bad batteries, toss it.
It's not worth even looking at unless it has sentimental value or
something like that. You can probably get an exact replacement from
KEH for like $50 or something like that.


KEH has one for $165. For that price I thought I'd at least take it apart to
see what was going on inside. The thing I am unsure about is ruining any
light seals or being able to put back cables in their correct positions so
that everything fits together nicely at the end.

Thanks for your reply.
--

David Farber
Los Osos, CA




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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.

David Farber wrote in message
...
Cydrome Leader wrote:
David Farber wrote:
I have a 7 year old Maxxum 7 film camera. Intermittently, when the
shutter is depressed the shutter doesn't click though you here some
softer noises instead. It's almost like the mechanism is staging for
fire but doesn't. When this happens, the lcd data display (remember
it's film so there's no image display) goes dead. Then I have to
power cycle the camera and it's fine. Usually it never misfires two
times in a row. The only drawback besides the inconvenience of
missing the photo and the time that is wasted is that after the
power cycling, the film automatically advances to the next frame
leaving one frame unexposed. I've found a workaround for this. This
camera has an individual frame rewind feature so I can actually
rewind the film one frame back to where it was before the shutter
misfire. Of course all of this is a big p.i.t.a. Swapping out
batteries, lenses, or changing metering, flash, or programming modes
makes no difference.

I was considering disassembling the camera in hopes of perhaps
finding a simple electronic or mechanical reason for this
intermittent failure. Perhaps a loose connector, a bad capacitor, or
something that should move easily but has started to get sluggish.
Camera stores really don't repair these anymore so I don't have much
to lose. Anyone have any experience with this?


cameras = serious PITA to fix. If it's not bad batteries, toss it.
It's not worth even looking at unless it has sentimental value or
something like that. You can probably get an exact replacement from
KEH for like $50 or something like that.


KEH has one for $165. For that price I thought I'd at least take it apart

to
see what was going on inside. The thing I am unsure about is ruining any
light seals or being able to put back cables in their correct positions so
that everything fits together nicely at the end.

Thanks for your reply.
--

David Farber
Los Osos, CA




So you need to take pics before dismantling ;-)


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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.

On Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:14:17 -0800, "David Farber"
wrote:

I have a 7 year old Maxxum 7 film camera. Intermittently, when the shutter
is depressed the shutter doesn't click though you here some softer noises
instead. It's almost like the mechanism is staging for fire but doesn't.
When this happens, the lcd data display (remember it's film so there's no
image display) goes dead. Then I have to power cycle the camera and it's
fine. Usually it never misfires two times in a row. The only drawback
besides the inconvenience of missing the photo and the time that is wasted
is that after the power cycling, the film automatically advances to the next
frame leaving one frame unexposed. I've found a workaround for this. This
camera has an individual frame rewind feature so I can actually rewind the
film one frame back to where it was before the shutter misfire. Of course
all of this is a big p.i.t.a. Swapping out batteries, lenses, or changing
metering, flash, or programming modes makes no difference.

I was considering disassembling the camera in hopes of perhaps finding a
simple electronic or mechanical reason for this intermittent failure.
Perhaps a loose connector, a bad capacitor, or something that should move
easily but has started to get sluggish. Camera stores really don't repair
these anymore so I don't have much to lose. Anyone have any experience with
this?

Thanks for your reply.



A hobby of mine is repairing 35mm slr cameras. I have seen on camera
sites that there are 2 electrolytic caps that need to be replaced to
repair this problem. The Yahoo group"Camera fix" has threads on this
issue. I don't repair Minoltas so I don't know exactly where they are
located. I think one is under the top cover and one is under the
bottom. Chuck
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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.


"N_Cook" wrote in message
...
David Farber wrote in message
...
Cydrome Leader wrote:
David Farber wrote:
I have a 7 year old Maxxum 7 film camera. Intermittently, when the
shutter is depressed the shutter doesn't click though you here some
softer noises instead. It's almost like the mechanism is staging for
fire but doesn't. When this happens, the lcd data display (remember
it's film so there's no image display) goes dead. Then I have to
power cycle the camera and it's fine. Usually it never misfires two
times in a row. The only drawback besides the inconvenience of
missing the photo and the time that is wasted is that after the
power cycling, the film automatically advances to the next frame
leaving one frame unexposed. I've found a workaround for this. This
camera has an individual frame rewind feature so I can actually
rewind the film one frame back to where it was before the shutter
misfire. Of course all of this is a big p.i.t.a. Swapping out
batteries, lenses, or changing metering, flash, or programming modes
makes no difference.

I was considering disassembling the camera in hopes of perhaps
finding a simple electronic or mechanical reason for this
intermittent failure. Perhaps a loose connector, a bad capacitor, or
something that should move easily but has started to get sluggish.
Camera stores really don't repair these anymore so I don't have much
to lose. Anyone have any experience with this?

cameras = serious PITA to fix. If it's not bad batteries, toss it.
It's not worth even looking at unless it has sentimental value or
something like that. You can probably get an exact replacement from
KEH for like $50 or something like that.


KEH has one for $165. For that price I thought I'd at least take it apart

to
see what was going on inside. The thing I am unsure about is ruining any
light seals or being able to put back cables in their correct positions
so
that everything fits together nicely at the end.

Thanks for your reply.
--

David Farber
Los Osos, CA




So you need to take pics before dismantling ;-)


Yes, of course I need pictures. So I have to reassemble the camera every
step of the way, put the film back in, take another picture, then take it
apart again. I should be an expert by the time I'm done with this job. (-:

Thanks for your reply.
--
David Farber
Los Osos, CA


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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.

chuck wrote:
On Sun, 26 Feb 2012 11:14:17 -0800, "David Farber"
wrote:

I have a 7 year old Maxxum 7 film camera. Intermittently, when the
shutter is depressed the shutter doesn't click though you here some
softer noises instead. It's almost like the mechanism is staging for
fire but doesn't. When this happens, the lcd data display (remember
it's film so there's no image display) goes dead. Then I have to
power cycle the camera and it's fine. Usually it never misfires two
times in a row. The only drawback besides the inconvenience of
missing the photo and the time that is wasted is that after the
power cycling, the film automatically advances to the next frame
leaving one frame unexposed. I've found a workaround for this. This
camera has an individual frame rewind feature so I can actually
rewind the film one frame back to where it was before the shutter
misfire. Of course all of this is a big p.i.t.a. Swapping out
batteries, lenses, or changing metering, flash, or programming modes
makes no difference.

I was considering disassembling the camera in hopes of perhaps
finding a simple electronic or mechanical reason for this
intermittent failure. Perhaps a loose connector, a bad capacitor, or
something that should move easily but has started to get sluggish.
Camera stores really don't repair these anymore so I don't have much
to lose. Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks for your reply.



A hobby of mine is repairing 35mm slr cameras. I have seen on camera
sites that there are 2 electrolytic caps that need to be replaced to
repair this problem. The Yahoo group"Camera fix" has threads on this
issue. I don't repair Minoltas so I don't know exactly where they are
located. I think one is under the top cover and one is under the
bottom. Chuck


Hi Chuck,

I removed the bottom cover today. There are no visible electronics there.
Just the plastic transport gears there that probably advance the film. There
is a small pc board off to the right side but it's buried in the chassis.
There appears to be a rather large capacitor on that board, perhaps for the
flash. When I turned the camera right-side-up with the bottom removed, some
gears fell out. You'd think they be fastened in there with a clip or
something. Anyway, I did notice that the hinged battery cover contains the
contact plate for the positive battery terminal. This terminal however is
not hard wired to the inside of the camera. There is a small copper wiper
which looks like what you'd find in an old vcr mode switch (the movable
part) that transfers the current from the battery plate to another part of
the camera and then there is yet another one of these copper wipers pushing
against the next conductive track. I used some alcohol to clean up the
contacts and then used a burnishing tool to hopefully improve the
connection. I'll load up a roll of film and see if that helped at all. I
don't look forward to taking the top part of the camera apart looking for
more failed electronics while springs, gears, and whatever else pops out.

Thanks for your reply.
--
David Farber
Los Osos, CA


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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.

When I turned the camera right-side-up with the bottom removed, some gears
fell out.


BAZINGA! David.. not as easy to remember as cuss words (if you've practiced)
, but like getting an unexpected tickle/zap, it tends to focus ones'
attention on what they're doing.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, as they say. Good luck with the
camera repair.

Life Of Brian.. Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.

--
Cheers,
WB
..............


"David Farber" wrote in message
...

Hi Chuck,

I removed the bottom cover today. There are no visible electronics there.
Just the plastic transport gears there that probably advance the film.
There is a small pc board off to the right side but it's buried in the
chassis. There appears to be a rather large capacitor on that board,
perhaps for the flash. When I turned the camera right-side-up with the
bottom removed, some gears fell out. You'd think they be fastened in there
with a clip or something. Anyway, I did notice that the hinged battery
cover contains the contact plate for the positive battery terminal. This
terminal however is not hard wired to the inside of the camera. There is a
small copper wiper which looks like what you'd find in an old vcr mode
switch (the movable part) that transfers the current from the battery
plate to another part of the camera and then there is yet another one of
these copper wipers pushing against the next conductive track. I used some
alcohol to clean up the contacts and then used a burnishing tool to
hopefully improve the connection. I'll load up a roll of film and see if
that helped at all. I don't look forward to taking the top part of the
camera apart looking for more failed electronics while springs, gears, and
whatever else pops out.

Thanks for your reply.
--
David Farber
Los Osos, CA




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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.

David Farber wrote:
Cydrome Leader wrote:
David Farber wrote:
I have a 7 year old Maxxum 7 film camera. Intermittently, when the
shutter is depressed the shutter doesn't click though you here some
softer noises instead. It's almost like the mechanism is staging for
fire but doesn't. When this happens, the lcd data display (remember
it's film so there's no image display) goes dead. Then I have to
power cycle the camera and it's fine. Usually it never misfires two
times in a row. The only drawback besides the inconvenience of
missing the photo and the time that is wasted is that after the
power cycling, the film automatically advances to the next frame
leaving one frame unexposed. I've found a workaround for this. This
camera has an individual frame rewind feature so I can actually
rewind the film one frame back to where it was before the shutter
misfire. Of course all of this is a big p.i.t.a. Swapping out
batteries, lenses, or changing metering, flash, or programming modes
makes no difference.

I was considering disassembling the camera in hopes of perhaps
finding a simple electronic or mechanical reason for this
intermittent failure. Perhaps a loose connector, a bad capacitor, or
something that should move easily but has started to get sluggish.
Camera stores really don't repair these anymore so I don't have much
to lose. Anyone have any experience with this?


cameras = serious PITA to fix. If it's not bad batteries, toss it.
It's not worth even looking at unless it has sentimental value or
something like that. You can probably get an exact replacement from
KEH for like $50 or something like that.


KEH has one for $165. For that price I thought I'd at least take it apart to
see what was going on inside. The thing I am unsure about is ruining any
light seals or being able to put back cables in their correct positions so
that everything fits together nicely at the end.

Thanks for your reply.


The light seals would tend to not be a problem, but 1980s japanese
electronics wiring probably will be. Stuff is crammed so tight into those
cameras that unsoldering all sorts of stuff tends to be a must.

I love fixing stuff, but the challenge of messing with a camera is pretty
up there. I've done work on cameras that belonged to dead folks so the
owner wanted to not toss it, and it's quite doable, but not easy, and can
require strange tools.

If you're just curious and don't mind just tossing the pile of parts you
end up with, it can be fun.


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Default Maxxum 7, 35mm film camera shutter repair.




"David Farber" wrote in message
...

Hi Chuck,

I removed the bottom cover today. There are no visible electronics
there. Just the plastic transport gears there that probably advance
the film. There is a small pc board off to the right side but it's
buried in the chassis. There appears to be a rather large capacitor
on that board, perhaps for the flash. When I turned the camera
right-side-up with the bottom removed, some gears fell out. You'd
think they be fastened in there with a clip or something. Anyway, I
did notice that the hinged battery cover contains the contact plate
for the positive battery terminal. This terminal however is not hard
wired to the inside of the camera. There is a small copper wiper
which looks like what you'd find in an old vcr mode switch (the
movable part) that transfers the current from the battery plate to
another part of the camera and then there is yet another one of
these copper wipers pushing against the next conductive track. I
used some alcohol to clean up the contacts and then used a
burnishing tool to hopefully improve the connection. I'll load up a
roll of film and see if that helped at all. I don't look forward to
taking the top part of the camera apart looking for more failed
electronics while springs, gears, and whatever else pops out. Thanks for
your reply.
--
David Farber
Los Osos, CA


Wild_Bill wrote:
When I turned the camera right-side-up with the bottom removed, some
gears fell out.


BAZINGA! David.. not as easy to remember as cuss words (if you've
practiced) , but like getting an unexpected tickle/zap, it tends to
focus ones' attention on what they're doing.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy, as they say. Good luck with the
camera repair.

Life Of Brian.. Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.


Thanks WB. I'll use it until I've used up the rest of my slide film mailers
which have expiration dates. Then, there's no rush and I can take my time to
dismantle it if need be.
--
David Farber
Los Osos, CA


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