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John
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2004 - 08:32 pm: | 
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I have a Ricoh XR500 whose meter just stopped working. I found that the wire had broken loose from the underside of the battery case. The underside of the battery comprtment-including the solder point on the battery terminal- is neither visible nor accessible, of course. I'm hoping that someone who has successfully made this repair can give me some pointers.
It looks like one might gain access from the front, but I'm afraid that would involve dissassembly past the point of no return...for me, anyway. It looks to me like the black plastic base of the compartment (which the steel battery terminal sticks through) might even be able to be lifted out somehow. I have pried gently here and there, but have not seen any movement.
Anybody know whether or how it can be pulled out in order to get at the battery terminal? Pointers on dissasembling the front side of the camera?
thanks! |
Stuart Willis
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 07:49 pm: |
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There is an endemic chemistry problem for cameras deploying mercury cells - and I seem to recall you camera model is designed for such.
The battery wires do not "break" - as such - but rather the severance occurs as the result of corrosion. The wire would be incapable of resoldering in that its copper cores throughout the wire length will be black oxide (known as "black-wire corrosion".
I seldom encounter a mercury-cell camera which does not require the entire battery hot-lead replacing. With Ricoh SLR's the mirror-box will need to be pulled out in order to do that.
Irrespective of battery-cell type the mirror-box has to come out in order to access. |
Scott
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 11:59 pm: |
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Hi, I did finally solve the problem, and without having to take anything but the base plate off. I drilled a small hole through the body casting and into the side of the battery compartment (this one takes two LR44 cells), and then put a new copper contact inside to sit under the batteries. I spliced into the original wire as far up as I could get without dismantling the camera any further.
Anyway, the meter works now, but the winding mech. is jammed, with the mirror up. On mine, the shutter is mechanical, and the batteries are only for the meter. Let me know if you have any good advice! |
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