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Message |
    
Mike
Tinkerer
Username: Mike
Post Number: 4
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 13, 2006 - 09:25 am: | 
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I've got a couple of minor probs with my XA. Can't imagine them getting better on their own, so need some advice. First is what seems like a common XA problem; won't fire, battery check doesn't light or beep. Undo battery cover, tighten up again and battery check works and shutter fires. Second is similar, shutter won't fire but battery check works. Closing and opening the cover once or twice cures this. Is there a switch I can clean somewhere? Any help appreciated.
Mike. |
Ethostech
Tinkerer
Username: Ethostech
Post Number: 28
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 - 12:12 am: |
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Tomosy has this to say on page 132 of his Book #1.
" If the shutter doesn't trigger or self-triggers, the combination magnet (bottom) may need cleaning. (critical for adjustment)"
He further states: "The bottom and front covers come off easily, There is one screw under the release button; Pry off the orange plastic cover".
You don't get a second chance if you break the polycarbonate covers - so given Tomosy's protrayal of the relatively simplistic, you might choose to have an Olympus Pro-Techie clean the magnet for you. The few dollars might be a good investment.
However - your comments re the battery-cover suggest to me that the battery-compartment contacts are dirty. Try the following:
With a cotton-bud moistened with alcohol, clean the single contact leaf which you see in the centre base of the battery compartment. Clean similarly the gold contact ring which sits in the compartment female threads. And finally clean the inside of the compartment cap AND the screwthreads on the edge of such.
It is also possible that centre leaf contact in the base of the compartment has lost some of its spring. Using tweezers You might pull it upwards a fraction so as to ensure the battery is held firmly in electrical contact. |
Glenn
Tinkerer
Username: Glenn
Post Number: 74
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 17, 2006 - 11:31 am: |
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It would seem that contact problems with the XA battery compartment/cap are well known. On a couple of Olympus XA sites, it is recommended that one switches on the battery check BEFORE inserting batteries and fastening cap. If battery check is still working when cap is fully fitted, all is OK. I suppose this method does save a bit of head scratching. Also I have come across overtightened caps causing bad electrical contact, do not know if this would apply to the XA. |
Mike
Tinkerer
Username: Mike
Post Number: 5
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 18, 2006 - 10:04 am: |
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Thanks for the info. I also saw the advice to tighten the battery compartment with the self test activated somewhere on the web. This works, but sometimes after a few days/weeks bouncing around in the glovebox it needs doing again. I'll get the Ronsonol out and clean everythin, though. As for the other problem, I might wait till it gets really bad. I can live with it at present, and it's playing backup camera at my daughters christening Sunday so I'll wait before getting the screwdrivers out!
Thanks again,
Mike. |
Mattblack
Tinkerer
Username: Mattblack
Post Number: 2
Registered: 10-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 - 06:54 am: |
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Hi Mike,
Check out Matt Denton's site "Classic cameras and rangefinders". He mentions a repair for the XA-2 that might be of some help.
Mike |
Mike
Tinkerer
Username: Mike
Post Number: 6
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 - 12:17 pm: |
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Is this the site? http://www.mattdentonphoto.com/cameras/olympus_xa.html
If so is it the deformed orange button? I haven't found any other tips yet, but I'm still checking his site out. Thanks very much for the info, I hadn't come across Matt Denton before.
Mike. |
Mike
Tinkerer
Username: Mike
Post Number: 7
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 - 12:19 pm: |
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Forgot to say, cleaning out the battery well with alcohol, as suggested by Ethostech above, seems to have cured the other problem. Thanks! |
Mattblack
Tinkerer
Username: Mattblack
Post Number: 3
Registered: 10-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 - 03:19 pm: |
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Evening Mike,
Ya,Matt D. rocks. A great guy who's more than willing to answer your questions.
He got me hooked on Russian rangefinders,the cad.
Mike |
Chenard
Tinkerer
Username: Chenard
Post Number: 2
Registered: 11-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, November 04, 2006 - 11:51 am: |
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Since the shutter release/self timer problem goes away after opening and closing the cover a few times, I would check the interlock switch, which turns the camera off when the cover is closed. You can see it poking through the front when you take the cover off, and you can acess it for a thourough cleaning by removing the top and front of the camera, which is easy to do. This is a fairly well know problem with the XA series. |
Mike
Tinkerer
Username: Mike
Post Number: 8
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, November 05, 2006 - 03:07 am: |
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Thanks, Chenard. I agree, if it doesn't fire, pressing the button once, twice, ten times doesn't do anything, but open and close the cover and it's firing again. I've got the repair manual, I'll be looking into cleaning that switch as soon as time allows. I'll post again when it's done. |
Scott
Tinkerer
Username: Scott
Post Number: 9
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, November 06, 2006 - 08:56 am: |
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With so many experienced XA users posting advice here, I'll take this opportunity to ask a question about the focus mechanism on my XA2:
I dropped it from a fifth-floor balcony and it landed on a tin awning on the ground floor. I had to carefully bend the door back in shape so it would stay closed and light-tight, but the shutter still works like it should. However, from the photos I later took, I can see that the lens is stuck in the close-focus position, regardless of which position the focus lever is set at.
Any idea what I should be looking for when I manage to get it open? Also, I need advice on getting it open, because last time I tried, I just couldn't see how to open it without breaking it. Thanks! |
Chenard
Tinkerer
Username: Chenard
Post Number: 5
Registered: 11-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 07, 2006 - 08:52 am: |
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You will probably only need to take the front off to see the focus mech. Start by removing the bottom, 5 screws, 3 long, 2 short, one hidden under the self timer lever. Then remove the sliding cover, tipping it up and back starting at the bottom. Watch for the short aluminum dowel to fall out from the detent spring. The front comes off with one bright screw from the front and one black screw from inside the camera near the film take up spool.
Once the front is off, you should be able to see the mechanism by which the focus lever is attached to the lens. Also remember that there is an additional lever whereby the closing cover bumps the focus back to the intermediate setting.
Good luck! |
Scott
Tinkerer
Username: Scott
Post Number: 10
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, November 07, 2006 - 11:13 am: |
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Thanks for the tips. I'm going to try again. I might have to ask for more advice! |
Mike
Tinkerer
Username: Mike
Post Number: 9
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 - 01:50 pm: |
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Finally sorted my XA. A trip to the beach the other day resulted in sand getting under the cover, resulting in nasty scaping noises whenever it was opened or closed. Took the five screws from the baseplate, removed it and the cover. On top, where the silver dowel sits, was a load of sand and nearly thirty years worth of dust and debris. Cleaned this out, all seems fine. Did the open-fire-close routine fifty times without fail. This was not possible before.
Thanks for all the help. |
