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Ciaran123
Tinkerer
Username: Ciaran123
Post Number: 1
Registered: 01-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 16, 2012 - 12:26 pm: | 
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Hi guys, long time lurker but do feel a bit cheeky my first post is asking for help but will start contributing now.
My A1 was shooting fine then the advance leaver jammed. Left it for a month as I went away, came back and noticed the battery had run out. Bought and replaced It with a new one (shop sold me an energizer 544 battery not an A544, not sure if that's relevant).
The battery check LED flashes normally however there is now no exposure/app led in the viewfinder even though this was working before I changed the battery.
When I took the bottom cover off I noticed the rewind button is Jammed (unstuck it but it keeps sticking when pressed down).
The advance lever is half stuck and cannot be pushed forward but can be pushed backward toward the film counter. I can then switch the camera to multi exposure mode and then advance the lever. This rotates the gears (although sticks slightly at the start of the movement) but the film loader doesn't rotate.
The shutter release wont release but can press down.
Know this is a lot of information but just wanted to be as detailed as I could for you lot. Anything I can do to fix it or will I have to get it repaired professionally?
Such a nightmare as I've got a deadline in two weeks and no shots taken yet!!
Cheers for your help |
Waynemel
Tinkerer
Username: Waynemel
Post Number: 135
Registered: 08-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 16, 2012 - 01:22 pm: |
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I am sure you have checked, but is switch for the LED display "on"? Also, if the battery drained while the camera was sitting (with everything "off"), you may have an electrical issue. This is common with this model. If you search this site for information you will probably come up with something. |
Ciaran123
Tinkerer
Username: Ciaran123
Post Number: 2
Registered: 01-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 16, 2012 - 03:33 pm: |
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Yeh, think your right, must be a problem with the electronics. Just looked at it again and the led came on for a split second as if something's loose inside |
Loosecanon
Tinkerer
Username: Loosecanon
Post Number: 27
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, January 16, 2012 - 09:43 pm: |
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First check the voltage of the new battery. The reason it "jammed" in the first place is because the battery was dead. The rewind button is not jammed, it is only released when the film lever is advanced. The double exposure switch is supposed to do what you describe. If the film moved, you couldn't expose the same piece of film twice. With the bottom cover removed (lens mount pointing towards you), you will see the first curtain release magnet on the left. To the left of the magnet, you'll see two blobs of solder right next to each other. Check voltage between either of these to ground. You should see around 5.8 and six volts here. If you push the shutter button while taking a reading, you should see voltage drop to zero. If everything is working properly, you should be able to jump from the solder connection to ground and trip the shutter. You can trip the shutter without a battery by simply pulling the lever with the chrome head that "sticks" to the magnet. |
Ciaran123
Tinkerer
Username: Ciaran123
Post Number: 3
Registered: 01-2012
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 17, 2012 - 06:43 pm: |
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Right got to the bottom of this so thanks guys (particularly the last poster).
It is the part that connects to the magnets that is sticking when the shutter release is pressed.
Have searched the forum gain but not found anyones thoughts on the cause of this and how I can fix this?
Don't really want to send the camera off as I have several very very important deadlines upcoming in the next few weeks and my other camera is a gonner after NYE 
So was thinking is it safe and does it work if I were to use the camera with the plastic coating off the magnets, manually triggering the shutter with my tiny screwdriver?
Will I have to shoot in full manual for this to work or will the sensors still do their job even though occasionally I get no reading on my LED?
(when I say safe I mean in terms of causing further damage to the camera, obviously being seriously careful nothing gets inside it) |
Loosecanon
Tinkerer
Username: Loosecanon
Post Number: 28
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 - 01:47 pm: |
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First of all, I must correct myself: voltage at the solder joints does not drop all the way to zero when shutter button is pressed (drops to around 5.5V). As for the magnet, it's not really "sticking', it's supposed to do that. The magnet is a rare earth magnet. When you press the shutter button, current from the battery travels through the coils around the magnet, "demagnetizing" it, and the shutter first curtain is tripped. Again, and I can't stress this enough, check the voltage of the "new" battery. Did you try jumping from the left solder joint to ground to trip the shutter? Just use anything metal (a piece of wire will do) and jump from the left solder joint to the screw head directly above it. If you're getting good battery voltage at the magnet, this will actuate the shutter. A-1's like very fresh batteries. I've had examples that refused to function when battery voltage was at or below 5.8V. |
Cooltouch
Tinkerer
Username: Cooltouch
Post Number: 205
Registered: 01-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 20, 2012 - 01:47 am: |
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Ciaran, whenever I have any mission-critical shoot, I never bring a single camera. You really want to have a backup just for the reasons you're having to deal with now. So, my recommendation is for you to go ahead and pick up another copy of the A-1, or perhaps another FD camera. A-1s can be found on eBay for pretty cheap nowadays, but there are other FD cameras that are just as good, if not better, that can also be obtained for very reasonable sums. Just my 0.02. |
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