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Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 09, 2004 - 01:53 pm: | 
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This last Leica R3 was a real basket case. Not in the sense of it being in pieces when I got it, but rather it has many different serious problems. Most of which are now fixed!
But its most serious problem was a "creative" tinkerer,who had it before me,resoldering it up very creatively. This leaves me desparately needing a service manual...at least a comprehensive schematic.
So anybody have a service manual for a Leica R3? I'd even settle for a Minolta XE-7 service manual. It might be close enough to give me a couple clues.
Henry |
Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 10, 2004 - 08:41 am: |
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Just to show how desparate I am, here is the response Leica sent:
"Henry
Your email was forwarded to me in NJ. Germany does not allow us to sell manuals. We are the factory authorized repair facility for the US.
I will be happy to assist you with the purchase of spare parts, which can be ordered by description."
No help there...at least not in getting a manual. But without a manual it'll be hard to determine which board is bad. Oh well, tinkerers are resourceful. It'll get figured out.
Henry |
Peter Wallage
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 10, 2004 - 11:46 am: |
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Hi Henry,
I seem to remember in the car world there was an EU law passed which made manufacturers make repair manuals available to anyone except where they contained confidential information about warranty work or dealer pricing and discounts. The only thing the drafting of the law didn't mention was the price, so some manufacturers responded by making manuals available at hundreds of Euros so no-one bought them.
Probably EU law doesn't apply in the US, so the Leitz agents there can refuse to sell a manual. Maybe this is Leitz referred you back to the US.
Peter why |
Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 10, 2004 - 12:03 pm: |
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Yeah, I kind of giggled at it too. In the US, way back in the early 60's, there was a similar law suit. The car manufacturers lost. The basis was that manufacturers and their dealers were trying to corner the repair business. Not that I'm going to haggle over it. The manual would just have been a huge aid...there is always the long road.
Henry |
Robert
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 04:34 pm: |
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Tomosy has 6 pages on the R3 in his "Leica Camera Repair Handbook". |
Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 11, 2004 - 05:18 pm: |
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Yeah, I got that book. As good as it is...which is pretty good compared to his earlier books...it doesn't go into diagnostics. But I think I may have narrowed down the problem. The readings of the 14 pin chip on the wind side board don't make sense.
The mechanicals are working fine now, as well as the meter. What isn't working correctly is the shutter timing. It hangs with mirror up...for about 30-45 seconds...when batteries are installed. It defaults nicely to it's max speed (or maybe both curtains running together) with no batteries.
Wonder if a Minolta chip would work?? Anyone have a junker R3?
Henry |
Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 10:40 am: |
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A little update on my slowly progressive R3 project...
I bought an XE-7 service manual from Manuals2Go. Never bought from him before. He seems like a very nice guy. It is a very involved manual...160-some pages scanned into 50+megs. Then yesterday the guy I've been emailing at Leica New Jersey asked for my address. He is going to send me something. Not wanting to change his mind I decided to quietly give him my address and NOT ask exactly what he is sending. We talked about the full manual and about just copies of the schematic/wiring diagram. You know which I'm hoping for!
But the XE-7 manual showed me that the previous tinkerer had completely removed the C1 memory capacitor. Anyone have a 2.2 uF tantalum capacitor handy? :-) Have to try to find one locally next week. To bad Radio Shack has all but dropped their electronic component business.
Anyway, that is where I set at the moment.
These are great cameras. Hate to see any of them die!
Henry |
Jim Brokaw
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 11:27 pm: |
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Henry and all -- For electronic components of almost all types in small quantities try 'Digi-Key Electronics' and 'Mouser Electronics'. Both have web catalogs, and sell in smaller quantities for engineers and rocket scientists and camera repair people who need just a few bits and not a reel of 10,000 of something. Watch out for minimum orders, but other than that they have a good selection and fast service. |
Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 19, 2004 - 05:46 pm: |
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Thanks Jim, I checked out Digi-Key and Mouser. Mouser seemed high but Digi-Key was a cool site after I figured out the listings were alphabetical. Normally I use Jameco if I can't get it locally.
Locally, Radio Inc. (not Radio Shack) usually has most everything I've needed. To show my age, I remember when Radio Shack was a real electronic store.
Henry |
Winfried
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, December 20, 2004 - 06:05 am: |
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Many of us can remember the time when electronic components were available next corner, or even next door - for some time a small shop was on the same block as my appartment so I even did not have to get into my shoes for missing parts. But now even in Germany this has changed a lot. The only shop still selling components here in Frankfurt/Main now is an electronic junk megastore with a component counter in the highest floor. And this department looks pretty abandoned compared to the other floors. |
Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 10:48 am: |
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Procured the 2.2uF capacitor from Radio Inc. 17 cents apiece. I splurged and bought a dozen!
Then took great pains to clean up the other guys soldering mess. Soldered in the new capacitor, being careful with the polarity, and it still doesn't work! Guess it might be these three wires I broke loose moving everything around in the cleanup job.
Oh well, it's lunch time and I'm going to set it back for a few hours and tinker on that Auto-Reflex after lunch. It only has about four or six wires. The full/half frame model. Anyone interested in photos of this? Got the mirrorbox out already. The second curtain is auto releasing. I'll need to pull the shutter assembly too it seems.
Henry |
Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, December 30, 2004 - 10:11 am: |
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Another update... This may sound like I've got 300 hours invested in this camera. No, I'm not that masochistic. But I do have a few hours invested.
Leica did send me a xerox of the wiring diagram but still refuses to sell me a repair manual. But I found where I can purchase one...if I'm willing to spend the bucks! With the xerox, last evening I opened the mirrorbox back up and did some rearranging of a wire (that differs from the XE-7 manual). The manual speeds are now timing. The auto and meter are still not working properly. They aren't just inaccurate...that would be easy to fix...they are simply...weird.
I'll be studying that aspect of its circuit next. All in all this is turning into a fantastic learning experience. When done I'll be able to list another camera I know nearly like the back of my hands.
Henry |
Carlos Alberto Jorge
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 14, 2005 - 03:58 pm: |
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Dear Henry,I am so glad to meet you this way through Internet.I am writing from Tucumán-Argentina,and perhaps you can help me.My Leica R3Mot has the following problem:the ring that determines the aperture setting does not return to it´s position.It sticks.As I should like to do this repair by myself,would you be so kind to guide me bringing the steps I have to follow in order to arrieve to the problem?.I will appreciate so much if you can send me some kind of service manual in order to see where the ring cord must go.Thank you very much.- |
henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 15, 2005 - 09:44 am: |
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Carlos, I sent you a private email concerning the manuals but I'll comment on the aperture problem here:
The aperture ring has a spring-loaded string attached. If the string comes out of the rings grooved track you might be able to see it with the lens removed. Look between the ring of the body on the rewind side.
The string travels via two pulleys and a grooved pin to the aperture brush. If it is sticking the string may have jumped any of these components. Removal of the rewind side top cover should show you. I have some photos of the area. Want me to send them to this email address?
Henry |
