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Captainmexico
Tinkerer
Username: Captainmexico

Post Number: 1
Registered: 10-2008

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Posted on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 - 12:03 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

The clamshell cover has gotten stickier over the years. Anyone with the same experience? Any advice as to how to lubricate and at what points? Also, I recently had a problem with a stuck shutter which finally fixed itself. Is that a sign I need a new battery, or something else? Thanks
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Francis_otto
Tinkerer
Username: Francis_otto

Post Number: 27
Registered: 12-2006

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Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 12:55 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

... only guessing, but sliding the lens-cover activates a micro-switch and a temporarily stuck shutter might imply a dodgy switch at this - or some other! - point. I have a small heap of XA's, XA2's, and so on, some of which I bought blithely thinking,'Yes: I can put that right!'
No doubt more expert voices will be heard here shortly.
Regards.
FJRO
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M_currie
Tinkerer
Username: M_currie

Post Number: 136
Registered: 07-2006

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Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - 08:08 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

I have had a couple of XA2's, and the slide can get a little sticky as it wears or picks up dirt. You can try a swab with rubbing alcohol on the sliding portion, which sometimes helps, and then, if nothing else works, a very (very) small amount of some kind of silicone lube in the grooves it slides on. There is no major mechanism or linkage connected to the cover that needs lubing, so attention to the visibly sliding parts should be all you need. As the camera ages you might have to take care when opening it to pull the cover more evenly from both top and bottom.

A sticking shutter (either hanging open or not opening)is often a symptom of a low battery. The auto exposure system will pull the battery down a little, causing the problem, but when you close the case it can recover a bit, enough for another one or two shots before it misbehaves. New batteries are certainly worth a try. If you are unsure of whether or not the camera will work, get cheap alkalines. They won't last, but they'll be good enough for testing. Then you can get silver-oxides for actual use later.

I haven't had problems with the switch that is actuated by the cover, but it's certainly possible, and it's also not uncommon for the switch contacts under the shutter button to misbehave. But this usually results in a failure to fire, rather than a failure to close.

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