Electro 35 Only at 1/500

[flyerathome]

Hi Guys,

I recently bought a nice Electro 35 GT, in what I would say 'mint' condition.
The Pad of Death was expectedly dead. (yellow light went on, camera sticked to bulb mode)
I repaired the pad sticking exactly to the Mick Feuerbacher manual, after the repair, the shutter went open - but did not close (until I turned the lever)
Suddenly, by some handling around with the camera, a 'cluck' happened, and the shutter finally closes.
Unfortunately, the shutter seems to be working only at 1/500 (about the same speed as when battery taken out). Battery seems OK, the battery test light lights up if I press the button.
I tried shooting with bulb setting, flash setting, and various apperatures and ISOs - all useless - shooting is only possible at 1/500

What could be the reason for that. Could it be the lightmeter? 🙁
Or is there another place I could check?

Just curious, just above the Pad of Death, there is a black knuckle, and on the knuckle there are two metal-strips. When I push the shutter, the connection between the two strips is stopped.
What is the function of the metal strips? Is it closing some circuit?
Ask me, if you need pictures.
When I got the camera, the metal strips were loose, because the socket where the strips are attached was loose. I screwed the socket back to the metal.
Is everything correct?

Thanks a lot for your help, guys.

Greetings from Germany.
Steffen

 

[flyerathome]

Maybe solved?

Maybe solved?

Hi guys,

I read a couple of threads and found, that the POD might be the reason (though I replaced it, and it goes "clunck")
I opened the case and saw, that I have cut a red cable. Damn!!! :bang:
The "missing length" (what has been cut) is about 4cm (1.57inch). The red cable is located below the two yellow cables below a bunch of other cables.
The camera is a Electro 35GT.

Please please tell me where to solder it to....
Thanks a lot!

Steffen

 

[flyerathome]

ok, I got one step further.
I figured out, that the red wire might go to the contact point just below the right end of the (in my picture) lower spring.
Putting all together, the overexposure light goes on when I press the shutter.
- But the shutter does not close, neither in Bulb, nor in auto or flash mode.
The shutter closes when I wind the lever. (in the same moment the "clunck" appears)
The pad is still in place, and it should be sufficient (~2.1mm leather)

Man, I starting to get baffled...

EDIT: When I take out the battery, shutter does close. So it is probably a problem with the POD/Springs/Contacts.... am I right?
EDIT2: Well, I turned the smaller screw on the bottom counterclockwise 1 turn, and the Bulb mode is working as it is supposed to.
Still the Staying open for Auto and Flash mode
EDIT3: Weird - now Bulb setting is not working again, though I didn't do anything to the springs. I give up for tonight, its 1 in the morning. Have a good night!
EDIT4: can't get to sleep, this electro is driving me crazy. Bulb is working again, due to another half turn ccw.
Found out, that I can get the shutter to shut by giving the lens a little push upwards. When I do this on f16 or so, I get strange noises coming from that camera...
EDIT5, the last one for today, really 😉

IT IS WORKING!

At least to a certain point.
In low light conditions, the shutter is about 2sec at f16, then the noise comes and the shutter closes
When I point the camera to the lamp, at low f stops the red arrow comes, and at f11 to f16, the shutter shuts quite fast.

Now the only -not working thing- is the shutter at Flash mode.

Can anyone please explain how to set the two screws on the bottom? Or is it just trial and error?

Good night, folks!

 

[flyerathome]

hi there,

I don't find the error in the system...
Sometimes, the overexposure light comes on and the shutter does not close.
Then, after some pusing to the lens, everything works out fine (mostly needing to push the lens a bit downward)

Could there be a loose soldering conenction? Or is this due to the contacts (at the springs). Or is this some problem within the lens?

Thanks for your help, I will appreciate it.

 

[b1bmsgt]

This is a new one to me...

The fact that pushing the lens down causes a change could indicate a problem with the contacts in the lens barrel.
You would have to remove the front lens element and then remove the three small screws closest to the shutter opening to access them. Shoot a bit of spray contact cleaner on the visible ones, which are for the B, Auto, and flash selector, and also on the ones hidden under the resistors, which are for the aperture. Do the same for the ones on the lens board if you haven't already. If this doesn't help, it might be time to take a look at ebay for another one... 😀

Good luck!

Russ

 

[flyerathome]

hmh, contact cleaner is possibly the best solution, thats true.
I just put it all together and got the first roll of film in. The good part is, that the camera shows me when to "push" (-> the yellow lamp comes on). Then, when pushing, it seems to me like a little 'click', but could not yet locate where it came from.

b1bmsgt, is it possible, that the pad is wrong thickness - and just too little, so that you need a little push to give it the rest?
And, how do I see, that the screws on the bottom are turned right - guess the "spring contacts" have to move over all contacts on the board. Guess, all contacts need to be connected at the right time (compared to each other) - therefore the POD is nessessary. Am I right? [and, one other question - why the heck made Yashica this construction...? A metal pad would not have rottened...]

Anyway, thanks for your answer!

 

[januaryman]

You are really brave to have carried on this long and tried many different things to get this working. Bravo! to you, but as the previous poster noted, it may be time to let this one alone and try for a better example somewhere. Electronic problems are a mess and this is why I gave up on them - I have only 1 Yash GT left, but had owned 2 other Electro 35's that just bugged me with their quirks. Good lenses, good cameras, but wires and circuits do not agree with me. Good luck. You really tried your best. I would never have had the patience.

 

[flyerathome]

hmh, after 16 images today, the camera is "stuck" again, no shaking and pushing helps.
I would love to open the lens, unfortunately it has a dent on the filter ring, and I can not unscrew this thing.
🙁

 

[mradams]

Hallo Steffen! Ich hab schon einige Electros repariert und 5 Stk. im Einsatz. Aber: Lass Dich von dem Ding nicht verrückt machen. Besorg Dir ne neue, es zahlt sich voll aus. Kauf Dir eine billige auf ebay und reparier gegebenenfalls das pad of death. im internet gibts genügend anleitungen, ich glaube 2 mm ist die richtige stärke fürs pad. Und nimm die kamera nicht total auseinander, die haube abnehmen reicht völlig! kannst mir auch mailen unter armin.adams bei gmail.com, wenn Du hilfe brauchst.

Lieben Gruß aus dem stürmischen Salzburg!

Armin

 

[flyerathome]

Hallo Armin,
die Reparatur des POD war ja nicht das problem, anders als in den Anleitungen (gerade von Eric Fiss), wo das Zusammensetzen als unglaublich schwer beschrieben wurde. Man muss ja nur ein wenig schauen wie die Kupplung ausgerichtet ist. Das einzig nervige war das Abziehen des Bezugs.
Immerhin kenn ich jetzt durch die Reparatur die Kamera in-und auswendig.

Mal schauen ob es in der Ebucht demnächst was vernünftiges gibt... Aber vielleicht schaff ich es ja doch noch 😉
Viele Grüße. Steffen

 

[mradams]

Mein Tip diesbezüglich: Vergiss ebay.de! Schau auf ebay.com und kauf ne günstige kamera und bezahl mit paypal. versand aus usa ist preislich meist ähnlich wie innerhalb europas. von der auswahl her ist es aber UNGLAUBLICH : )

armin

ps.: hast mein mitgefühl, ich hab 3 kaputte electros rumliegen. hab aber schon einiges an ersatzteilen verwenden können : )

 

[b1bmsgt]

b1bmsgt, is it possible, that the pad is wrong thickness - and just too little, so that you need a little push to give it the rest?

That is entirely possible. The correct thickness is 2mm or .080 inches. If it is too thin you will not get enough travel for the rod to latch at the bottom of the shutter release action. If you get a "clunk" when you start to wind the film, then the rod is latching and your travel is correct. With the proper travel dimension, your contact brushes can reach all of the areas that they need to in order for the camera to work properly. If all of the above is proper, then there is another, deeper problem.

I can't say why they designed the camera this way, but I guess they didn't realize that the material they were using for the POD would deteriorate over the years. They probably never expected the cameras to still be in use this far down the road...

Cheers!

Russ

 

[flyerathome]

Hmh, it does clunck. Well, I will check in the lens compartment in the next couple of days - but before, I still need to figure out, how to open this freaking thing. I have moved it a couple of degrees, but can't get further. Probably need to go to a watch repair to have it unscrewed.

Life is not always easy 😉

 

[januaryman]

hmh, after 16 images today, the camera is "stuck" again, no shaking and pushing helps.
I would love to open the lens, unfortunately it has a dent on the filter ring, and I can not unscrew this thing.
🙁

That is probably where the problem lies - a long drop onto the lens at an angle. My rule is NEVER to buy a camera with a dent or even big ding that signals a fall. At best, it will result in a bad rangefinder alignment, at worst, it's headed for the trash. This really seems an effort in futility, and I suggest getting an unmarked copy for cheap and play with it. This one seems to be on life support and currently in a coma. Let it expire with grace and dignity. You can easily find a replacement. IMHO.

 

[b1bmsgt]

I'm beginning to think that maybe Januaryman is right...

Might be time to pull the plug. :angel:

 

[btgc]

ty, and I suggest getting an unmarked copy for cheap and play with it. This one seems to be on life support and currently in a coma.

you know, it's kinda hard.....when one has invested hours of labour stolen from bedtime. I had this problem with KAS2 and learned same lesson - camera had bent lens and aperture couldn't keep together because metal back part keeping it together, were broken. Next copy were brought to life in a breeze, compared to bummer.

flyerathome has demonstrated good amount of will, though I have a word of warning - all this night time labor makes impact on eyesight and I hope you have good vision and strong eyes. No any camera is worth starting to wear glasses or regress to stronger ones. I love to fix cameras, but at least finally I have learned to mix work with resting eyes. I hope you learn from other's lessons.

Well, I'm not your mutter, just I know this things well.

 

[flyerathome]

Well, you are probably right. For now, I'm shooting one or two AGFA APX films, but check the internet for another one. We'll see, how the pictures come out.

It is probably a good idea to keep this one as a organ donor, and for 'experiments' when I got a new one. And for looking where the red wire goes 😉
I mean, at least I have quickly learned the whole interior of the electro (except for the lens, which I cannot open), and POD replacement is no big hassle anymore (it's not that difficult to put it back together, the hardest thing is removing leathering, which I messed up completely)

The only hassle are the "lost" 50Euros (got a flash to it, but that ain't working either due to failure of the flash bulb).
I just can't explain, why Electros are generally cheaper in the US... (while shipping from the US and paying tax generally is not worth the moneysaving)

Well... as soon as I got the first images, I'll post them. Thanks for the help!

 

[btgc]

The only hassle are the "lost" 50Euros (got a flash to it, but that ain't working either due to failure of the flash bulb).
I just can't explain, why Electros are generally cheaper in the US... (while shipping from the US and paying tax generally is not worth the moneysaving)

Yeah, they tend to be more expensive on ebay.de, though I managed to buy beater GSN for 6eur - standard POD issue, some corrosion in battery compartment, bent lens rim, cracked RF window - initially thought it as fun/donor camera, but after some touch it works very well.

 

[sevo]

I just can't explain, why Electros are generally cheaper in the US...

That's easy - fixed lens RF were most popular in the late sixties, when the Japanese camera industry had already taken over much of the US market, while the German industry still was dominant on the home market. By the time the Japanese had similar market shares here, entry level SLR were the rage, and bulky fixed-lens rangefinders had already been superseded by more compact ones.

Sevo