The Super Pilot seems to be a very simple meter.
The meter is allways "on", there is no "on/off" switch, instead the cover/case is the switch itself and the meter should react inmediately to average daylight upon opening the case.
To read low lights, you should press the button halfway until you feel some resistance, and seconds later to the stop, where it locks the needle to allow you to read the scale.
What IMO is most important is to check if the needle moves freely or not.
If not, the repair won´t be worth I guess, unless the reason why it is locked is that the needle locking mechanism is jammed in any way. This isn´t quite complicated but maybe a bit tricky. The other reason why the needle shouldn´t move is that the moving coil has been (due to a severe shock) taken off from its original position under the pivots which hold it in position within the galvanometer assy.
The other reason(s) why the meter would be dead is just a matter of electrical continuity: loose wires (really unusual) corroded battery contacts (internally), or worst of all, if the meter was stored for long time in an extremely humid environment, the meter itself is defective.
Other thing you can check is: with a good magnifying glass check if the springs that forces the needle to move back to zero are in good shape or not. There are two, one on the upper side of the moving coil, the other one in the underside of it.
If they look distorted, or the spiral, mounted over itself, try with a very thin sewing needle to bring it back to shape (or position).
If nothing of all this works You didn´t loose too much anyway.
Hope this helps!
Ernesto
