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Curare
Tinkerer
Username: Curare
Post Number: 1
Registered: 03-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 06, 2013 - 01:30 am: | 
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I recently purchased my first real rangefinder after falling in love with the results my ricoh 35zf got me last summer.
But there seems to be a problem with the automatic mode.
It worked for a few hours yesterday, the aperture it gave me seemed allright according to sunny 16. But at the end of the afternoon it stopped working, after some mild shaking it worked again for a few hours, but now its broken again.
What could this be? To me it seems like a lose contact somewhere, but the camera is in very good condition.
Shutter blades are clean, film advance and focus ring is very smooth. Working this camera feels like operating a swiss watch instead of a run down machine like my ricoh.
Or maybe the wein cell is broken? But according to the manual the shutter should block with a dead battery.
Any help would be much appreciated, the ebay seller accepts returns so Im gonna have to figure this out soon. |
Curare
Tinkerer
Username: Curare
Post Number: 2
Registered: 03-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 06, 2013 - 10:49 am: |
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Forgot to mention what I mean by broken. The needle goes just below 1.7 but the shutter doesnt block like youd expect from broken wire/battery. |
Donnie_strickland
Tinkerer
Username: Donnie_strickland
Post Number: 163
Registered: 09-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 06, 2013 - 11:57 am: |
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I would send it back. Take the easy way! |
Curare
Tinkerer
Username: Curare
Post Number: 3
Registered: 03-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 06, 2013 - 12:28 pm: |
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Well i might even consider keeping it with broken lightmeter as i only paid 80 euros for it, which to me seems like a good deal.
As everything else is in perfect condition, thats why i was hoping for a easy fix |
Br1078lum
Tinkerer
Username: Br1078lum
Post Number: 496
Registered: 11-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, March 06, 2013 - 07:30 pm: |
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Loose wire to the meter? Something getting into the meter armature? The shutter blocks with a dead battery in Auto? Does it work in manual?
PF |
Curare
Tinkerer
Username: Curare
Post Number: 4
Registered: 03-2013
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 07, 2013 - 01:10 am: |
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1. Gonna check that saturday
2. Might als be worth checken although The needle doesnt get stuck or anything
3. According to the manual it should, but mine doesnt
4. Camera seems to work fine in manual |
Tomw
Tinkerer
Username: Tomw
Post Number: 26
Registered: 03-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, August 03, 2013 - 11:18 am: |
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I am curious if you were able to resolve this (or if anyone else has thoughts on this). I am having the same issue with an Oly 35RD I recently bought. The light meter worked fine at first. But I swapped the top plate and bottom plates with ones from a different, parts-camera (they were a little less scratched than the originals), and now I'm having the exact same problem with the meter. It's possible that I inadvertently did something else in the process, but I can't be sure. Nonetheless, in "A" mode, the needle in the viewfinder goes just below 1.7, but the shutter still fires (i.e., it's not blocked like would happen if the battery were dead and the camera were working as it should). Very puzzling... |
Neuberger
Tinkerer
Username: Neuberger
Post Number: 86
Registered: 01-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 03:15 am: |
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Olympus cameras from the end of the RF era like the 35RD/RC are differently constructed than other classical cameras as far as shutter and/or Auto mode mechanisms are concerned. The 35RD is dealt with in this forum's article section.
The shutter firing in Auto with no battery installed indicates the neddle-trap mechanism needs adjustment. Before fiddling with it make sure the camera is in fully functional condition, as it usually suffers from a number of other issues like gummed up shutter blades.
I feel it is not recommended to start tinkering with an RD, there are easier cameras more suitable for learning or taking first steps.
If you are still inclined of doing it, please note that reassembly is a lot more demanding than taking things apart. |
Tomw
Tinkerer
Username: Tomw
Post Number: 27
Registered: 03-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, August 04, 2013 - 11:12 am: |
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Thanks! The camera is actually in really good shape - the shutter blades are clean, it fires at all speeds correctly. I pulled the front ring around the lens off to check the CdS cell for resistance in both light and dark. It seems to be reacting as it should. The wire connections to the photo cell are new, indicating to me that this camera must have been CLA'd at some point in its history. Given that, i'd really like to get the meter sorted out so I will have a fully functional camera. I've tinkered with meters on a 35RC before, but given this camera's functionality (minus the meter in its current state), I want to approach this fix with some extra care. Are there other parts I can trouble-shoot before I adjust the meter itself? |
Neuberger
Tinkerer
Username: Neuberger
Post Number: 87
Registered: 01-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 05, 2013 - 04:57 am: |
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On inspecting mine I found the blades being gummed up again, so the shutter responds rather sluggisly and in its present condition the camera fails as a reference or role model.
The meter is in the bottom of the camera beside the tripod socket, also when you push the release button the movement of the linkage system that ends in the indicator needle you see in the viewfinder is partly visible. Be extra careful when you do anything to the meter, it is very delicate and the needle of the solenoid that sticks out to the needle catch system is easily damaged! When the bottom plate is off, it is not too difficult to check the small switchbord and the resistor, the battery holder plus the wiring for coninuity. It is not very probalbe, but sometimes the resistor has changed its resistance and needs to be replaced, for testing purposes it can be substituted by a variable type (potentiometer) to find the right value.
Maybe this link and the pictures there are of some help http://www.xitek.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=276083 |
Tomw
Tinkerer
Username: Tomw
Post Number: 28
Registered: 03-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, August 05, 2013 - 11:17 am: |
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Thanks for the info. I'll pull out the multi-meter this evening and start looking for continuity problems. Do you have any idea what the resistance should read on the circuit board? Or any other important reading, for that matter (i.e., the CdS cell, etc)? Thanks! |
Neuberger
Tinkerer
Username: Neuberger
Post Number: 88
Registered: 01-2010
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - 06:06 am: |
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The resistor on the small board is red-violet-red = 2.7 kohms, it is parallel to the LDR (CdS cell) and the resulting resistance of that combo varies with the incoming light. The cell alone will show values between several kohms in complete darkness and very low resistance when exposed to bright daylight. In other cameras however - even of the same type - the value of the fixed resistor may vary according to the desired effective resistance, that is why I suggested using a variable resistor for finding the "correct" size.
I remember that in my RD the white wire was broken at the soldering joint underneath the black plasic battery holder. Do not unscrew the small crosshead screw inside of that plastic cup, as the battery container is clipped with two protruding pins AND glued to the camera body, you have to pry it out carefully with a slothead screwdriver, with just enough effort to get it loose. Make sure you don't break it, the plastic may be brittle. When (re-)soldering do not apply too much heat to the end of aforementioned screw or the plastic will just melt away. |
Tomw
Tinkerer
Username: Tomw
Post Number: 29
Registered: 03-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, August 06, 2013 - 07:40 am: |
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Thanks for the help! I was able to diagnose the problem last night - just as you'd experienced, the solder joint of the white wire to the battery (-) terminal had broken. I was able to re-solder and it's up and running! I have a very ugly parts camera that I was able to pull apart first - not sure I would have figured out that the battery compartment was simply glued down otherwise. Interestingly, the circuit board in the parts camera (a later model, judging from the serial number) is screw-attached to the camera body, whereas the working camera (earlier model) has the circuit board simply glued to the camera body - in fact, the screw attachment point is non-existent in the earlier model. Funny the small changes you encounter when comparing "identical" cameras.
Now I just need to figure out how to darken the rangefinder patch.....
Thanks again! |
