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on Dec 29, 2018 19:30:00 GMT
Posted: Dec 29, 2018 19:30:00 GMT
I got this AX from Ebay and it's in perfect physical condition. Functionally maybe not. No matter the shutter speed selected including AUTO and B, the timing all sound the same to me. I've tried cleaning the contacts in the shutter speed dial but no change. Can't find a camera shop who would try a repair. I'm looking for tips or suggestions? I'd like to really get this thing working.
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on Dec 30, 2018 10:47:43 GMT
Last Edit: Dec 30, 2018 11:36:22 GMT by lumiworx
I'd hesitate to guess what it might be that can be fixed by cleaning or adjustments alone. As far as repairs go, what country are you in? There are a couple of places that might be able to help, but where you are might be a deciding factor on who could do the work, who has the parts, and at what cost.
I'm assuming you've found a suitable battery to use in place of the old 5.6V PX32 mercury battery. I pulled out a couple of its kin to test shutters - an Electro X, and an Electro X ITS. If their batteries are dead, too low in voltage, or missing, they will only fire at one speed. Checking the manuals I have on hand didn't provide any answer to what that speed might be, but I'd assume it would be similar to other camera manufacturers of the day, and it would be whatever the body's flash sync speed would normally be. For the Electro X series it was 1/90th of a second, so I'd presume the AX would be the same or at 1/60th.
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on Dec 30, 2018 18:25:14 GMT
Posted: Dec 30, 2018 18:25:14 GMT
As it's electronically controlled it needs a good battery to work. Apparently they will work with 4xSR44 (maybe 4xLR44 as well) in an adaptor. Are you getting any lights in the viewfinder? Does the green light on the top come on? If you're not getting any lights then power is the problem. Often the wires of these cameras that one time used mercury batteries become corroded (something to do with the fumes from the battery I think). I've seen the problem in a number of Minolta Hi-Matics that used to use mercury batteries.
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on Dec 30, 2018 22:43:50 GMT
Posted: Dec 30, 2018 22:43:50 GMT
Thanks for the reply's. First to "lumiworx", I am located in the US, east coast. I bought a battery adapter with a battery from the "yashica-guy" and it reads 6.0 volts. It works well in my Electro 35 GS. Second to "peterr", I get the red arrow in the view finder pushing partially down on the shutter release and if I push a bit more the yellow light will flash on and off and the red goes out. Adjusting the aperture full open or closed the arrows seem to work the same. The green shutter indicator lamp on top does flash when slower, 60 or less speeds are selected. Of course the battery check light comes. It would seem the power circuits are working. You know I sitting here putting this thing through its paces while I'm writing this and it seems like it starting to work better. Randomly but better. I can here differences in the shutter speeds now but a couple settings like 1 and 2 will hang open and then sound fine the next cycle. I just tried this in AUTO looking at varying light sources and can here the difference in shutter speeds. Perhaps some more cleaning of contacts or shoot a roll of film and see how it goes?
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on Dec 31, 2018 1:54:25 GMT
Posted: Dec 31, 2018 1:54:25 GMT
A few thoughts, but I have no idea if they might apply. - Using 6 volts vs. 5.6... There might be enough of a difference that an AX might be less tolerant than an Electro 35 GSN. I looked on Yashica Guys site to read if he still uses a diode in his kit (to lower the voltage), but it wasn't mentioned, nor was the output voltage when used on his current version. The page I got that 'diode' info from was Karen Nakamura's battery info page on photoethnography.com. If he no longer uses a diode, and as it's not used in an Electro 35 camera, it might exhibit your symptoms.
- There might be some additional info in one of the Electro family PDF manuals that are available online. There's one for the AX, X, and the TL series from Lynn Butkus's site.
- I have experienced power issues on vintage cameras that were due to corrosion 'wicking up' the wire from leaked batteries, although in my cases, it's shown up as an all-or-nothing power result. It's either there despite the corrosion, or absent because of it - but - it could certainly become intermittent with heat/cold expansion/contraction. It can be repaired by replacing the wiring, but be prepared for it to be a PITA to actually do it.
- There are maybe 3 places in the US that 'might' be able to effect a repair that I'd recommend without hesitation. I doubt if any of them would agree to sell just the parts needed without doing the repair work too. You can probably get the work done for you - at a price - if they have the parts, or they can salvage something to do the job. In no particular order: Greg Webber (webercamera.com), Mark Hama (markhama.com), or Nippon Photo Clinic (nipponphotoclinic.com). Personally, I'd only consider this if the body was a museum quality example. These bodies are probably cheaper to replace than repair... and these guys rates may not be the lowest, but their reputations and their results are great.
- Lastly... I've lost count of the number of times I've purchased something as parts-only, to have it working again after some repetitive 'exercising'. Something dislodges, or is cleaned by abrasive action to remove oxidation layers, or just some friction heat on old dried-up lube. It's easy to do, relatively quick, and best of all - it's non-invasive and absolutely dirt cheap.
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on Jan 1, 2019 17:03:56 GMT
Posted: Jan 1, 2019 17:03:56 GMT
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on Jan 1, 2019 20:21:34 GMT
Posted: Jan 1, 2019 20:21:34 GMT
Thanks to you both for your input. The battery voltage difference, 6 vs 5.6 did cross my mind too. I have read that this can affect light meter accuracy in some cameras. Not sure what I can do about this just yet. As far as battery corrosion goes, this camera is clean. Inspection does not show and corrosion in the battery compartment or on connections under the bottom cover and no wicking. I tried webercamera.com and markhama.com for repairs and they would not, stating parts are no longer available. I offered them my parts camera too. I have not tried the nipponphotoclinic, thanks. And thanks peterr for the repair manual link.
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on Jan 2, 2019 17:33:29 GMT
Last Edit: Jan 2, 2019 17:43:34 GMT by Deleted
What battery are you using? I know you said it was supplied by Yashica Guy but that's no guarantee it's going to work - been there, done that. Just because it's 6V doesn't mean it has the power to supply the camera the current that it needs. When those lamps in the viewfinder come on, chances are the battery voltage will drop considerably. Sometime ago I had problems with an Electro 35GT using one of Yashica Guy's batteries. After some emails back and forth, it was clear he knew nothing about batteries so I did my own tests. You can read the results at sites.google.com/site/k8019416/electro-35-batteries. The GT is pretty tolerant of voltage but the circuit shown in the manual I have for the X is different so I don't know how tolerant it is. So I think I would try a different type of battery before anything else. As I said before, I found a reference that said the camera works with 4xSR44 so I would try that first. The battery that Yashica Guy used to supply is basically 4xLR44 which, if you read my write-up, isn't as good. |
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on Jan 11, 2019 23:21:27 GMT
Posted: Jan 11, 2019 23:21:27 GMT
Many thanks, @peterr, for providing that service manual!  |
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