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Message |
    
Ismaelg
Tinkerer
Username: Ismaelg
Post Number: 81
Registered: 11-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 30, 2012 - 03:34 pm: | 
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Hello,
Just a funny anecdote from today.
I'm an electrical engineer and for years I was a technical trainer for an electronics company. I was always joking and saying "All electronics components are made out of smoke. You just don't let it out. If the smoke goes out you won't be able to get it back in"
Well, today I was curious about a Minolta Maxxum 5000 I got a while ago. This is a first generation autofocus camera so not exactly vintage in the context of this forum, but quite old by today's standards. The camera seemed to have been in storage for years. Some minor corrosion in the battery contacts. Minor disassembly, cleaned it and put fresh batteries.
So far so good.
Turned it on and it did turn on!
So far so good.
Snapped a picture, it worked!
So far so good
There was a roll inside, who knows since when.
Rewounded it and it works!
So far... so good!
Then.... (drumroll please) the dreaded smell of burn electronics and...
You guessed it: heavy smoke coming out of the camera!
I did some disassembly but having no schematics and no idea, closed it again. So this one will go in the "Show but no go" shelf.
Just wanted to share with you.
Thanks,
Ismael |
Brianshaw
Tinkerer
Username: Brianshaw
Post Number: 147
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 01, 2012 - 07:41 am: |
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Funny sad story. I can smell the smoke all the way over here. |
Finnegan
Tinkerer
Username: Finnegan
Post Number: 224
Registered: 09-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 01, 2012 - 10:55 am: |
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Same thing happened to a Nikon MD-14 motor winder I have. Fortunately for you, the Minolta is nearly worthless. I have lots of Maxxum bodies around here, most working, that I don't know what to do with them. I keep selling the lenses since people still want to buy them. If there weren't code enforcement around here I might try building a wall with concrete using the camera bodies as "bricks". |
Finnegan
Tinkerer
Username: Finnegan
Post Number: 226
Registered: 09-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 02, 2012 - 04:49 pm: |
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That also reminds me of a Minolta point and shoot AF that needed a minor repair (think it needed the viewfinder cleaned). It was not the best model but pretty nice. Anyway, my father wanted to discharge the flash capacitor for safety sake before I poked around in there but this camera wasn't built for standard operating procedure. It looked like a lightning storm got set off inside that camera. Needless to say, the camera didn't work afterwards.
Ismael: I found that Practica that I offered you last year. |
Frank Wilson (Wolfmancameras)
Apprentice
Username: Wolfmancameras
Post Number: 18
Registered: 05-2021
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 20, 2022 - 03:35 pm: |
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The tiny motors work for a very short time since sitting so long with moisture/corrosion in them. Once the voltage gets to the motor they will smoke and short out. I use to rebuild automotive starters and if any armatures sat for nearly a year we would go through them again to make sure they were still good to use. Moisture in the windings will destroy these armatures very easy along with high temperatures from stowage. The smaller the motor the quicker they will fry
FRANK
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