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Dgo
Tinkerer
Username: Dgo
Post Number: 1
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 18, 2008 - 04:21 pm: | 
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Hi all. I have been lurking in the forums for a bit soaking up some great info. I haven't, though, been able to find a solution here or elsewhere on line to a problem with an Exa IIB that is vexing me.
When I got this Exa, I noticed cocking the lever took a bit more force than I expected and at about 1/4 turn I could hear something "pop" and then the cocking was easier. So, I took the top of and found the following. Just under the cocking lever is a small silver metal piece with a 45 degree bend in the end that points down. It is mounted with a single large screw and attached to a hair spring. When the mechanism is cocked, the part of this piece which is angled down is pushed upward by the a notched plate in the winding mechanism. Thus the difficulty in cocking. The "pop" is when the winding mechanism is far enough around that it pops back down and winding can continue normally.
I am able to move this piece with my finger and pull it back completely out of the way. When I do this, cocking is smooth and seemingly unaffected. I have tried for the life of me to figure out what this piece is supposed to do and if it is actually damaged, bent, or has slipped into the wrong place, etc.
Any thoughts?
I am attaching links to some pictures. Best I could do w/o a macro lens. It shows the part fairly clearly though.
Thanks everyone!
http://flickr.com/photos/stopmeowing/2274987379/sizes/l/
http://flickr.com/photos/stopmeowing/2274987359/sizes/l/ |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 283
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 18, 2008 - 06:40 pm: |
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I do not know this camera; but your metal piece with the 45 degree bend looks like it should have a 90 degree bend, so that the downward pointing 'leg' can actually fit into the notch in the plate.
If this is actually the cause of the problem, make sure that all the mechanism is free and properly cleaned and lubricated. Something must have caused the mechanism to jam and bend that lever out of true. |
Dgo
Tinkerer
Username: Dgo
Post Number: 2
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 18, 2008 - 09:30 pm: |
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Glenn - Thanks for the info. This was my immediate thought as well. I actually tried "straightening" (making the bend closer to 90 deg) the piece so it did fit better in the notch. The problem is that when this piece is engaged into this notch which is on the cocking mechanism, it effectively locks that mechanism and the shutter can not be cocked at all (lever is locked). There is no visible way to disengage this piece, unlocking the lever. I suspect this is what happened and someone forced it, as you suggest, putting it into the position it is in now.
However, the real mystery...assuming our assumptions are correct about its history...is where *should* it go, how should it be functioning (in order to disengage correctly). Thats the real kicker. |
Steve_s
Tinkerer
Username: Steve_s
Post Number: 106
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - 02:37 am: |
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As Glenn says, the lever should be bent down at 90 degrees. It lies on the outside of the part immediately below it, with the slot.
The part acts as a latch. When the shutter is cocked it engages with a hook on the black metal plate (you can see the point of the hook under the bend in the damaged part in your first picture). This prevents you winding again when the shutter is cocked. After you fire the shutter, the part below with the slot should lift this latch out of the way so that you can wind/cock the shutter again. Evidently this is what did not happen before, and is the reason the part was bent.
The slot in the part below is an adjustment to set the lift to ensure that the latch clears the hook. Don't readjust this unless you are certain this is the problem. It is a part of a long lever that pushes the cocking lever forward (immediately to the right of the prism). When you fire the shutter the cocking lever returns and brings this lever with it, which should lift the latch (your bent part) out of the hook. Make sure the cocking lever goes as far back as it should and that the long lever isn't bent. If you think a small tweak might be enough, it might be easier to re-bend your damaged lever a little, rather than adjusting the slot.
Hope this helps! |
Aford
Tinkerer
Username: Aford
Post Number: 37
Registered: 03-2007
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - 04:36 am: |
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This is a picture of my Exa 500 (first attempt at an attachment) |
Dgo
Tinkerer
Username: Dgo
Post Number: 3
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - 09:41 am: |
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Steve. Brilliant! Thanks for the detailed response. I will take a look at it when I get back into my studio. But, this sounds like the ticket. The latch (when bent at 90 deg) never clears the hook, which was my point of confusion.
Thanks again everyone. I will let everyone know how it goes. |
Dgo
Tinkerer
Username: Dgo
Post Number: 4
Registered: 02-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - 02:11 pm: |
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Many, many thanks to Steve and Glenn. My Exa now works like a charm. The secret was to bend this piece completely down to 90 deg. When I tried before, I hadn't quite gone far enough (under the addage of do no harm, I was afraid to bend it too far). The secret was in Steve's note that this piece should be making contact with the long lever below which acts to lift this out of the way. Once I really bent this down so it was making good contact with this lever, problem solved. Thanks again Glenn and Steve! Now off to shoot some pix! |
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