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Message |
    
Rasman
Tinkerer
Username: Rasman
Post Number: 1
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 07:55 am: | 
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Hello!
I recently bought a Electro 35 GSN on ebay and it seemed to be in great condition and i even asked the seller if the shutter mechanism works (since on my last camera it didnt). Well, upon receiving the camera it seemed to fulfill all the mentioned, except that it wasnt tested with a battery since the seller didnt have any.
So i got eager to try it out and finally bought the batteries and a batteryadapter from ebay. And boy did i get mad when i noticed that nothing happened. So basically i have two choices for troubleshooting; either the batteries dont work or the camera has busted it's electrical system.
The batteries are LR44 which i bought 4 of, and stacked them to get the needed 6V power. By all means they should work so im pretty sure it's something else.
Is there anything i can do about it, if it's the whole electrical system that's broken?
Any help and tips highly appreciated! Wouldn't want to give up and buy a third camera |
Charlie
Tinkerer
Username: Charlie
Post Number: 197
Registered: 07-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 10:40 am: |
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My GSN arrived with a corroded connection between the battery compartment and the battery test switch pad. If you are not getting any result from battery test either this may be the problem. I ran a new wire from that pad down to the battery compartment and it worked fine. I have ben using a small 6 volt battery from radio shack and it works well. |
Rasman
Tinkerer
Username: Rasman
Post Number: 2
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 02:38 pm: |
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Thanks for the answer Charlie.
Ok, so i need to run some wires inside the camera. Is there any link to some pictures about this? Im not sure i wanna open the camera without any detailed description, in case it gets more broken... |
Hobbes
Tinkerer
Username: Hobbes
Post Number: 1
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 04:55 pm: |
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Karen Nakamura at her classic camera site http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/index-frameset.html?Lens-LSM.html ~mainFrame
recommends the following for a GSN whose electrical system doesn't seem to work: "Put the batteries in, then turn the aperture ring back and forth, back and forth multiple times. Also many GSNs have a very strange shutter trigger where the meter only turns on sporadically when you're pushing the shutter down. Try pushing the shutter button down veeeeerrrrrryyy slowly and see if the meter turns on at any point (you'll hear it more than see it). Do this multiple times until the contacts have self-cleaned and the camera should be fine afterwards as long as you regularly use it."
Good luck. |
Rasman
Tinkerer
Username: Rasman
Post Number: 3
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, February 16, 2009 - 08:54 am: |
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well this must be my day. Nakamuras advice actually worked!!! wohoo! Didn't even had to turn the aperture more than maybe 5 times back and forth and then it started working!
Thanks a lot :-) |
Rasman
Tinkerer
Username: Rasman
Post Number: 4
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 01, 2009 - 01:47 pm: |
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well, after 3 days of not using it, it seems to have gotten back to it's recent state; not working 
tried to turn the aperture back and forth for quite some time, but it didnt work.
what should i do? |
Vinzenz
Tinkerer
Username: Vinzenz
Post Number: 20
Registered: 06-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 01, 2009 - 03:58 pm: |
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I just read above that you use four LR44 batteries in the camera. These are the alkaline version of the SR44 silver oxide. The alkaline battery drops its power rather drastically after some initial use and then steadily weakens at a slower rate. Could it be that yours are already too weak for the camera? The SR44 will last longer and is steadier.
As long as the exposure meter window is exposed to light it uses some current from the battery. You need to store the camera in a dark bag.
I am not sure if the lock on the release button switches the power off the exposure meter. It says so in the manual for the Electro GX, but what about the GSN? |
Nickon51
Tinkerer
Username: Nickon51
Post Number: 57
Registered: 05-2008
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, March 01, 2009 - 09:30 pm: |
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IHMO, There are 4 things that you should do with every GS/GSN and similiar when you get one.
1. Check the white wire from the top of the battery case to the meter board. It will most likely be corroded and ready to fall of.
2. Check and replace the shutter switch return pad AKA the "pad of death". These cause all sorts of weird and wonderful faults.
3. Adjust the release switch latch
4. Adjust the transport release lever.
The battery is turned off when the shutter release has returned to its normal postion.
The original battery was a large mercury battery. You can use a PX32 which is the same size as the original and doesn't require any spacers, a PX28 and spacers or 4 x LR44 and spacers. All are alkaline cells, the timing electronics is not reliant on the battery voltage being spot on.
Have fun
Greg |
Nickm
Tinkerer
Username: Nickm
Post Number: 6
Registered: 02-2009
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, March 02, 2009 - 03:10 pm: |
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rasman,
i recently repaired a very dead gsn, and have a few thoughts. first, make sure your battery wires aren't corroded. if they have issues, it's easy to buy a thrift store junk camera and replace wires.
on my camera, i reached a point where the battery check light worked but the metering did not. when the battery check button is pushed, it shortens the circuit, cutting off the metering system.
my issue was due to a disconnected shutter release wire that i only found after opening up the front of the lens. a little soldering and the camera is back in action.
although these cameras are filled with a veritable jungle of wires, disassembly and repair is not so bad when you have good diagrams. this document was a lifesaver for me... provins.org.uk, then go to instructions -> yashica.
best of luck. and greg's recommendations are all spot on. With the POD, it's much easier to open up the front of the camera as opposed to the microsurgery option. i used two squares of bicycle inner-tube superglued together with great results.
nick |
