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on Dec 16, 2019 3:24:23 GMT
Posted: Dec 16, 2019 3:24:23 GMT
Hello there! I nabbed myself an Electro GSN at an antique shop a year ago and it works, but it doesnt take batteries.
It has no cosmetic issues, everything that could be moved and fiddled with turned with ease, aperture blades arent extra greasy, no haze, fungus, or scratches on the lens and viewfinder, shutter fires, and the film advance works just fine. I didn't even need to replace the light seals and all of the film sprockets are still in tact.
However, despite having no visible corrosion in the battery compartment, the camera will not accept any batteries. In turn the meter doesn't work and the camera is defaulted at 1/500sec shutter. When I took it to a camera repair shop, 1) they didn't repair Yashica Electros in shop, and 2) a small metal plate about 1/4 in thick and 3/4 in long came out of the batter compartment. It has two cutouts of arrows pointing at each other.
I'm hoping this is just a simple fix, even if I have to take the camera apart and replace some electrical. It has no issues other than this peculiar situation with the batteries. Any possible ideas what could be wrong? Any advice for someone who has experience with building electronics (electrical engr major), but not film camera repair? I'm in Reno, NV during the school year but I'm originally from Vegas. Does anyone know of repair shops I can take my camera to near those areas without having to ship it? I'm willing to drive to Sacramento and the Bay Area if that's what it takes. Thank you so much!
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Status: Failed treatment for L.B.A. and G.A.S,
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on Dec 16, 2019 7:55:45 GMT
Last Edit: Dec 16, 2019 8:02:24 GMT by lumiworx
Hello tj ... Welcome to the forum! I've moved your question to the 'Repair' topic, where it can be kept in better context with other issues like it. There are a few places that may effect a repair on your Electro, although the remaining market for film camera repairs is shrinking and getting more costly than ever. It might be far more cost effective to acquire a known working body and replace any seals and buy or rig a battery replacement on your own. There's also the alternative as you mentioned of doing all the repairs on your own, and if electronic circuits, wiring, and soldering are in your wheelhouse already, you might find it's easily fixable - with one caveat. There may be times that you'd need donor parts or have a way of reworking bits and pieces to make your own parts. That said... If you're up for a little investigating, you can get a better idea of what's missing or broken, and if it's a good candidate for a DIY project. It's not uncommon to have a camera in hand with what appears to be clean battery contacts, where it's been cleaned of surface corrosion inside the compartment, but the damage is from the acid of the battery wicking up the wire to corrode and sever the interior wire. If the plate you mention is the yellow or white graphics sticker showing battery polarity, it's likely that a dissolving cleaner has removed the adhesive and it's masking the real cause, i.e., a corroded/detached battery wire. There's an online tutorial that will give you a step by step on popping off the top plate. Mike Elek has one on the 'Pad of Death' replacement operation that will help with videos and photos on what's where. The pad replacement may not be needed in your case, but it will show you the first steps to accessing the top and bottom wiring. If I can offer one piece of advice before jumping into camera repair... it will be extremely helpful if you have a really good set of JIS screwdrivers. They aren't terribly expensive, and they'll pay for themselves many times over. I have a list of tools I used for lens repair posted in an article on cleaning a ML 28-85mm lens, and Amazon is one source for a 6 piece JIS set that's under $15. |
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on Dec 17, 2019 7:38:53 GMT
Posted: Dec 17, 2019 7:38:53 GMT
Welcome to the Forum, tj! The reason you are having trouble fitting a battery to the camera is no one makes that size anymore. It was a 6vdc model, but there is a replacement available that while it is not the proper dimensions, with an adapter (either homemade or bought) you can fit it to the camera. What you need is a 4LR44 or equivalent.
You can make your own adapter out of plastic tubing, a dowel rod, and something to go through the center of the rod to make continuity with the battery well cap. The tube does not have to be much larger in diameter than the battery, but large enough so it's not loose inside the battery well. The dowel rod will need to be drilled in the center, then something like a small flat head bolt attached to make a conductor, and take up the length necessary to fill the battery well.
That plate you described sounds like it's part of the battery well. It's been a long time since I looked at one, and all my cameras are not accessible at the moment to check, but it is indicative of the old battery having corroded inside the well. This is not good as the corrosion has a tendency to travel up the wire to the back of the meter, necessitating replacement. It's not too hard to do, and you can find repair guides on the Internet. (I thought I had documented this repair in my Flickr pages, but apparently not.) The main thing is to replace the wire all the way to the back of the meter, or you'll either have a high resistance circuit giving you bad meter readings, or the wire will break later on at the most inconvenient time.
Good luck, and don't hesitate to ask any questions.
PF
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on Dec 17, 2019 19:45:40 GMT
Last Edit: Dec 17, 2019 19:47:48 GMT by xkaes
Welcome aboard. I won't repeat what others have said, but I have a question. When you say the camera "won't accept/take" batteries, do you mean that the batteries don't fit? Or do you mean that the meter appears not to work with a battery installed? I've had cameras and meters where the battery simply would not fit where it was supposed to fit. And then there is the matter of installing the battery correctly.
Before you try to clean/fix/change anything, can you see any obvious corrosion? Can you send us any pictures?
You may or may not have a simple problem, and the more information we have, the better help we can be.
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