MG-1 POD "plonk"?

[remegius]

Can any MG-1 users out there tell me if this camera is supposed to have the characteristic POD "plonk" that is present in other Electro models. I picked one up today and the "plonk" is decidedly not there, and the electronics appear to be dead also. No lights with a good Yashica-Guy battery and adapter installed. Looks like a job for Mark Hama.

Cheers...

Rem

 

[howpow]

Yes, the "plonk" as you call it should be there just the same as the normal Electro.

 

[remegius]

Yes, the "plonk" as you call it should be there just the same as the normal Electro.

Interesting. Well, it isn' there, but the camera seems to be functioning correctly in all other respects. What is the down side of having the camera operate without the missing POD sound?

Cheers...

Rem

 

[Harlee]

If the POD needs replacement, the camera should still function, but not properly. You say the camera is dead! Try checking the battery chamber to make sure the white lead is still soldered to the contact spring inside the battery chamber. The easiest way is to remove the bottom plate and if I recall there are two screws holding in the battery chamber. Remove the two screws and pull out the battery chamber carefully. A white wire should be soldered to the pigtail on the battery spring. If it's off or there isn't a good soldering connection, resolder it to the pigtail. Over the years I've had a few GSNs go dead because of this solder connection. It's a simple fix. Good luck. Also, replacing the POD on the MG1 is a little more difficult than the GSN, but I've done around three of them and it's not easy but possible. I do it with the top off, I've tried to dismantle the front of the camera and lens to get at it, but that's asking for trouble IMHO!

 

[remegius]

Thanks for the heads up. I hate to admit this but the reason that the camera was electrically dead is that I was testing it with the Yashica-Guy battery adapter installed, and I failed to see that the plastic label identifying the "+" orientation for the battery was still attached to the battery compartment cover:bang: Once I removed the label the camera functioned perfectly. Now, the question remains as to whether or not the camera will play without the pod noise. I'm just going to burn some film and see what happens.


Cheers...

Rem

 

[bgb]

I would be very interested in your opinion of this little camera especially in comparison to the normal Electro. I have spotted an MG-1 for sale and I'm tempted to give it a try 🙂 I have a early Electro and the results are very good despite the ugly front element. Good luck with the POD ...

 

[Harlee]

Try this before loading the camera up with film. Go into a room where you know that because of the lighting you should use a flash, i.e., semi-dark. Set the camera on auto, try F11 and snap the sutter - the shutter should stay open for several seconds before the shutter completes the cycle and closes. You'll hear the shutter close. If the POD is bad, the shutter may stay open for a fraction of a second and close, or in bright light it may remain open when it shouldn't. In other words, the shutter is act goofy. That's a brief test to see how the shutter is working before ruining a roll of film. Also make sure that the battery terminals, battery chamber cap screw and spring are clean - you can use alcohol or a pencil eraser to clean them. The metal ring under the battery cap should also be cleaned off, because moisture builds up and will bugger up the connection. I've had dead cameras come to life again just by cleaning the battery, adapter and battery cap, especially here in Florida where we have 95-98% humidity much of the time. Good luck!

 

[remegius]

Try this before loading the camera up with film. Go into a room where you know that because of the lighting you should use a flash, i.e., semi-dark. Set the camera on auto, try F11 and snap the sutter - the shutter should stay open for several seconds before the shutter completes the cycle and closes. You'll hear the shutter close. If the POD is bad, the shutter may stay open for a fraction of a second and close, or in bright light it may remain open when it shouldn't.

I did that test, and the shutter seems to be functioning normally. Still, I can't help feeling that something isn't right with this camera without the pod making its presence known by its distinctive sound. I'm trying to decide whether it's worth it to send the camera to Hama, or not. Mark charges $85 for a complete refurbish job, which is certainly reasonable. I just don't know if I want to spend the money on this camera now, especially since I have a perfectly functioning GS at my beck and call. I'll let you know what I end up doing.

 

[btgc]

That's strictly individual, though I wouldn't spend 85 on CLAing MG-1 having "perfectly functioning GS". But that is only me.

 

[b1bmsgt]

If the POD is deteriorated it will throw off the travel of the shutter electrical contacts. The POD has to be a certain thickness in order for the contacts to have their full range of travel. As the POD deteriorates, the thickness decreases and the contacts can't travel as far as they should. This can cause a number of different shutter problems. In addition, the shutter rod doesn't travel far enough to latch when the shutter is depressed to take a picture. It is this the release of the rod when the film is advanced that causes the clunk sound that is missing on your MG-1. If the rod doesn't latch down it can result in severely decreased battery life.

Russ