How to open-up Kopil Lightmeter?

[newfilm]

Hey guys,

I've got funny looking Kopil lightmeter, while open up the battery compartment there is some brown rubbery thing inside, so I scrap it out, I pop a battery in, and there is no needle movement, so I take out my multi-meter to probe the battery compartment, it appear that the "S" shape metal contact (see picture) is short with the round metal surrounding, makes no sense to me, I suspect the brown rubbery thing I scrap out might be some kind of padding to prevent short circuit.

1) Does anyone know how to take this thing apart?
2) If you have a similar kopil meter can you show me how your battery compartment looks like?

any pointer are welcome, many thanks guys.

 

[oftheherd]

Not to insult your intelligence, but are you sure it wasn't corrosion? If it was it may have traveled down wiring and broken a connection inside. And I can't help you with that since I never heard of that brand of light meter.

If you think it might have been a foam insulation (again worry about corrosion moving down wires), you might put some dry paper under the two prongs of the battery connector in an attempt to prevent a short.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Hey guys,

I've got funny looking Kopil lightmeter, while open up the battery compartment there is some brown rubbery thing inside, so I scrap it out............<snip>......,, I suspect the brown rubbery thing I scrap out might be some kind of padding to prevent short circuit.

Yes, you removed the insulator which isolated the positive and negative terminals of the battery compartment, and thereby rendered the meter inoperative due to the resulting short. A shame because it's a nice meter.

There are no external screws on the meter except for the two which attach the mounting plate to the bottom of the meter, so I have no idea how to disassemble the meter, unless there are other screws underneath the mounting plate. Wish I had better news.

 

[Mr_Flibble]

Would like to know how to open this meter up too. I need to tighten up or clean the contacts on the rotating switch at the back on mine.

And making a new insulator patch in the battery compartment shouldn't be that hard.

 

[newfilm]

@oftheherd you're right, I certainly think there must be some kind of corrosion behind that battery compartment as well, as I remove some of those familiar green stuff, that's why I'm scrapping the brown stuff too, thinking it must be some kind of rust.

@Mr_Flibble does your battery compartment has that brown patch inside?

I took the hot shoe off, no hidden screw under there. I wish there is a x-ray machine to give a hint how this little thing is put together 😀 , that or some one has a positively broken unit can take a hammer to it to see how this is actually assembled..... hhmm...

 

[Mr_Flibble]

I'll have a look when I get home after work. I recall there was a rough brown sort of paper insulator in the chamber.

 

[zuikologist]

From memory, one of the rings that shows the exposure scale has a screw and may be removable.

 

[newfilm]

From memory, one of the rings that shows the exposure scale has a screw and may be removable.

Ah, yes there is that big screw, but from what I read that screw is use for calibration to Zero the needle, that screw twist to the left and right, but I don't think it is mean to be remove.

Come to think again, my needle is a little above the Zero resting mark, twisting the screw left or right does not seems to do anything to the needle, does the meter need power before I can tweak the Zero resting mark?