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Fraser Riddell

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Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 01:04 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

My camera works perfectly but the exposure counter does'nt move. Can I fix this myself ? What's causing problem ? Thanks
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Sean OKeefe

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Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 02:00 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Several possibilities. On a Pentax P30t that I had, the notch in the back had broken off. This notch locks the mechanism that ratchets and counts up the exposures when the back is closed. On my camera, I needed to rebuild the notch using expoxy putty. I think your Pentax has a metal back, but check the notch is there.

The notch pushes against a lever. Sometimes gooey rail light baffling gets the mechanism sticky. Sometimes a small spring gets undone. On some cameras there is an eccentric adjustment that may need tweeking to allow the proper ratcheting mechanism operation.

Generally the repair is simple but requires the top coming off the camera and for you to observe the counter/ratchet mechanism and diddle with it to see what may be keeping it from working.

Sorry I can't be more specific on your camera.

Sean
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Fraser Riddell

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Posted on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 11:53 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

Thank You Sean, after just paying $69 Cdn to have a 55mm lens professionally cleaned I'm willing to give camera repair a try, Look for the guy with the hammer and chisel !
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Haig Hovaness

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Posted on Tuesday, July 13, 2004 - 07:48 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Moderator/Admin only)

The ME film counter is rather delicate and has close tolerances. One cause of sticking can be the piece of metal that shows the reference mark rubbing against the counter disk. You really have to open up the beast to see what is going on. Unfortunately, Pentax put a fiendishly smooth cap on the wind lever, so you need to experiment with appropriate rubber tools (and possibly clamps) to get this left-threaded cap off without mangling your camera. After this cap is off the wind lever, the top comes off fairly easily, and you can see what's up with the counter. Bear in mind that you can probably buy a replacement ME body on eBay for $60.

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