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Message |
    
paul archer
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 03:35 pm: | 
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hi,
i did something stupid:
i cocked my Pentax ME, set the timer, let it go off, but cocked it again before the timer fully came to a stop. now the mirror is stuck up.
the battery is good.
i have tried putting it to auto, 100X and Bulb.
no go.
i have had this happen (though not from the same reason) to another Me that i brought in and the technician came back out in 30 seconds with it working, telling me that there's a trick that one can do (can either fix it or damage it if you don't know what you're doing). needless to say, he didn't tell me.
any tips?
thanks,
-paul- |
paul archer
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, May 12, 2004 - 10:23 pm: |
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hi,
i have since looked at the camera closer and noticed that not only is the shutter stuck in the up position, but the curtain is on its way up. (the winder is able to go half way, so i guess it is cocked half way right now but stuck, while the mirror hasn't fallen down yet)
so i guess the winder was one step ahead of teh mirror!
man! double wammee!
if anyone has ideas about this before i bring it in to the shop it would be appreciated.
thanks,
-paul- |
Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 08:06 am: |
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First, remove the bottom cover and reset the wind mechanism. If you don't know how, just do a search of the archives.
Since the curtain is only half way it'll need to be fully cocked to have enough inertia to trigger the mirror release.
Henry |
paul archer
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, May 13, 2004 - 05:28 pm: |
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problem solved.
luckily i didn't have to open it...i read other sites and decided to lightly 'encourage' the shutter to fully drop down. the mirror let go right away and it's fine now.
thanks for the reply, henry.
a brief note to others:
don't force a camera to do things beyond it's secefications....ie: winding again before the timer is fully through moving....ha ha.
-paul- |
Alex
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, May 23, 2004 - 04:55 pm: |
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I think I have a similar problem with my ME Super. The mirror won't come down.
After several years of storage I took it out and attached its motor drive. I don't know whether the mirror locked up before or after I took it out of storage because I didn't look in the viewfinder before I pressed the release on the motor drive (not a smart thing to do in hindsight). All I know is that when I pressed the release on the motor drive, it made a nasty sound, like a motor encountering resistance. Then there was no sound or action.
I took the lens off and pulled the lever to move the mirror. When I pulled the mirror down, the shutter fired. But the mirror spring kept pulling it back up. Even after the shutter had fired, the film advance lever feels as if it was cocked. Now when I press the shutter release on the camera, I feel no resistance and the camera does nothing other than turning the LEDs on in the viewfinder.
The batteries are new and the light meter seems to be working because I can see the LEDs blinking in the viewfinder.
I tried reading the ME Super repair manual as Henry had suggested but I need help to find the specific instructions for resetting the winding mechanism.
I'd really appreciate your help and advice.
Alex |
Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 06:51 am: |
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Resetting on an ME Super is fairly easy and straight forward.
First remove the bottom cover. On the wind side there is a hook-like lever that latches as the wind shaft is advanced. There are photos of it in my ME Super ramblings article. Simply hold this lever dis-engaged as you wind.
Often this is all that it takes.
Henry |
Henry
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, May 24, 2004 - 06:56 am: |
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Having a couple minutes before leaving for the day, I went to the article. Look here: https://kyp.hauslendale.com/classics/pentaxmeproblems.html
In the second picture it is shown in the released position. Hold it in this position while winding.
Remember! Don't force anything. |
