It's died....what can I do?

Al83

Al83

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7:29 PM
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Aug 15, 2013
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Hi All

My Electro 35 GS was working perfectly up to a few days ago. Now when I depress the shutter the meter lights do not come on. The battery check does illuminate so there is power in there somewhere. Is this the pad of death thing that I've heard about? How to check and how to fix? Thank you!
 
Check the battery terminals and battery first - clean with a small amount of vinegar and check battery voltage, which may not be enough even with a positive battery check. If still not working, POD may be the issue. There are many threads in this on the web and on RFF.
 
How many rolls have you exposed before it died? If one or just couple it easily can be POD scenario. If it has worked for years (supposedly POD were replaced) and suddenly died then probably interrupt in circuit or something else could also be suspect.

For myself I have found easiest way to overcome Electro GS/N issues is to buy Lynx 5000. Joke of course, but each joke is joke only partially.

Seems you'll have to remove top cover to inspect POD. As I remember bad POD affected only one light but I'd start with POD anyway. After battery check, of course. It can happen that battery is drained (normally after tens of rolls or suddenly mid first roll? reasons, reasons....).
 
There are many threads on RFF which cover this problem, so a search using keywords on this site might help. There are quite a number of knowledgeable people on here, who will probably join the thread, in time.

I'd suggest also looking here and here for some good information. Good luck.
 
The meter lamps should illuminate even if the POD is bad. The contacts may have gotten dirty or contaminated, wind the charging lever all the way, and hold it at the end of it's travel, then depress the shutter button as rapidly as you can for thirty seconds or so. This sometimes helps. If not, then it is hard to say what the problem is.
 
Since I doubt any repair would cost less than $100, and you can buy another one for $30 - $75, I would throw away the broken one and buy another Yashica.
 
goamules said:
Since I doubt any repair would cost less than $100, and you can buy another one for $30 - $75, I would throw away the broken one and buy another Yashica.
Click to expand...


...to eventually throw it away after couple of days/weeks of use and buy next $30 - $75 GSN? That's quite a luxury!
 
Run through $20 cameras till each dies?

OK, but I've taken a different approach: Spend the $100 with a good repairer, have a trouble-free no hassle dependable camera that will last a while. Seriously, these are good cameras that make good images. Why go through the aggravation?
 
Never invest in cameras prone to troubles. Throw it away and get a more robust camera that will serve you longer and make you happier. An all mechanical one with perhaps a match needle meter will keep you happy almost forever.
 
The POD is really easy to fix - the web tutorials are excellent. Replace it and see what happens. You've got absolutely nothing to lose by trying to fix it yourself.
 
Sorry, Al, you deserve a less flip answer.

There can be any number of reasons the battery test light works but the over/slow lights don't. The two circuits are separate, as you noted, so the first thing to do is take the bottom cover off and check the red wires soldered to the chrome ring at the + end of the battery well. The short wire that attaches to the little printed circuit board at the bottom of the camera is the power wire for the test circuit. The other red wire is the main power wire for the exposure circuit. Even a little bit of battery corrosion can do funny things, and one wire's joint can be broken while the other is okay. Make sure the solder joint there is good (best to resolder it afresh if you know how to use a solder iron) and that corrosion hasn't eaten away the power wire. Sometimes corrosion can travel quite a way up the wire into the camera.

If you're sure the exposure circuit power wire is good, the break or short is somewhere inside the camera, so you'll have to learn how to take it apart. The service manual is online at a couple of places, including http://www.scribd.com/doc/19302555/Yashica-Electro-35-Service-Manual. Also read as much as you can about working on these cameras: start with Yashica-Guy.com and http://feuerbacher.net/photo/repair/YashicaElectro/YashicaElectro.html. Read old threads on this forum and in the Classic Camera Repair Forum archives now here in RFF.

As others have said, you might want to get a qualified repair person to look at your camera. I've breathed life back into several dead or dying E 35s, but I'm not sure I'd want to try to track down a short or break if it's deep inside.

Good luck to you.
Noel
 
goamules said:
Since I doubt any repair would cost less than $100, and you can buy another one for $30 - $75, I would throw away the broken one and buy another Yashica.
Click to expand...

I could never throw away the GS I have for sentimental reasons. My dad bought it in England back in the early 1970's. Still have the receipt somewhere in my files....
 
I threw away or sold (for $20) my broken Zeiss Contina away after it broke, and it was from my late father. Do not do the same mistake.
 
Thanks,...but...

Thanks,...but...

Thanks everyone for your advice and comments. I've just performed the POD microsurgery and I'm now getting the right clunking noise when I wind on BUT still no life in the lights and the shutter only fires at 1/500 sec. I've put in new batteries too (yes, I know, they cost more than the camera did:)). I'm pleased I managed to change the POD but I now fear the worse with the electrics......:(
 
First thing to do with electrical work is to see where there's connectivity and where there isn't. If you've got a multimeter, start by checking for voltage at the battery housing terminals and work out from there. It could be deep in the camera somewhere, but the fact that you've got no voltage to anything as opposed to a single failed component suggests the failure is close to the source. I've seen cameras where everything in the battery chamber looked perfect but a slight warp to one of the contacts was preventing adequate voltage from being transmitted.
 
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