Minolta SRT 101 mirror problem

farlymac

farlymac

PF McFarland
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The mirror on my latest find will raise when the film is wound, unless the camera is pointing down at least 45 degrees. So something is not latching as it should (likely a spring out of place). My question is, do I go in from the top, or the bottom? I'm not a betting man, but the bottom makes more sense to me.

PF
 
Many times this problem is caused by the mirror kick gear. If you pull the bottom plate you will see either a plastic or brass gear near the electrical meter side. Place a drop of oil on the center and a small bit of grease on the teeth. Work the shutter a few times to see if that helps..
 
colyn said:
Many times this problem is caused by the mirror kick gear. If you pull the bottom plate you will see either a plastic or brass gear near the electrical meter side. Place a drop of oil on the center and a small bit of grease on the teeth. Work the shutter a few times to see if that helps..
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll give it a shot.

PF
 
I'm pretty sure a free pdf of the factory repair manual is available on the web. I reckon I have it. Pretty busy this week, but if you need it and have any trouble finding it, let me know, and I'll find the download link or arrange to get a copy to you. Although it stopped hosting the repair forum, I reckon it might even be found on the old KYPhoto that used to host the CCRF, so maybe try there first?
Cheers,
Brett
 
Thanks, Brett. Just getting into this one, so hadn't done a big search yet (of which KyPhoto is always the first stop), and was just looking for a pointer. Lots of other stuff to keep me busy for a while before I get to the SRT.

PF
 
Well, the kick gear is working fine, Colyn. That wasn't the original problem, as the mirror is rising on winding. The catch I need is located behind all the levers surrounding the tripod socket, and I may have to start taking things off one at a time until I get to the culprit. I'll have to study the drawings a bit first before I attempt that. Removing the battery well looks to be a promising procedure.

PF
 
I took a quick look at the camera last night, and a more detailed one today, so here are some photos.

The blue arrow points to the mirror control lever, and the green arrow points to its catch lever. The catch lever is what moves out of the way when it’s not supposed to, and I’ll need to remove the mirror box to fix it.

17434929646_b25639600e_z.jpg

Mirror Catch at Ready by P F McFarland, on Flickr


In this photo, the catch has disappeared behind the main sequencer, allowing the mirror control to move past. The magenta arrow points to the Mirror Kick lever that Colyn refers to, and the yellow arrow points to the dog on the Main Drive Gear that deflects the kick lever. Both working quite properly.

17273169628_9a0bfd3e99_z.jpg

Mirror Catch at Fault by P F McFarland, on Flickr

More photos at
https://www.flickr.com/gp/7699588@N07/178i6V

Oh, Brett: I looked at that "repair manual" from Kyphoto, and it's just the four sample pages from the 66 page one that Butkus sells. Not enough info there to make an informed decision on how to proceed with the repair. Don't think I want to try a search on the archive here to find where someone else has done this before. Bad enough I've got to spend time wiping out a bunch of auto-tagging on all my Flickr photos.

PF
 
This is very useful PF. I have one of these with the identical problem. I tried the "tried and true" oil the kick gear and found mine was working perfectly. I would love it if you keep posting as I am following your progress closely. I have resigned myself to having to tear it down but I am obviously far less skilled than you are.
 
farlymac said:
Oh, Brett: I looked at that "repair manual" from Kyphoto, and it's just the four sample pages from the 66 page one that Butkus sells. Not enough info there to make an informed decision on how to proceed with the repair. Don't think I want to try a search on the archive here to find where someone else has done this before. Bad enough I've got to spend time wiping out a bunch of auto-tagging on all my Flickr photos.

PF
Click to expand...
Sorry, PF. I definitely have the full 96 page repair manual for the SRT101. About 10.9mb. When I found the link I assumed I'd downloaded it from there, but obviously somewhere else. If it's not the one Colyn has linked you to, please let me know, and, if you can receive it as an attachment, I'll send it to you, or we can dropbox it.
Cheers
Brett :)
 
Last night I took a quick look at the repair manual. Today I did a more thorough assessment of the issue. I have definitely identified the culprit, but to get to it means having to tear down the camera to the shutter train.

I can live with having to hold the camera the proper way when winding on, so I just closed it up after cleaning the meter contacts, Dan. I then cleaned the mirror, groundglass, and exterior. It looks great with the 500mm mirror on it. I didn't see a difference in meter readings from a 1.4v or 1.5v battery. Since it's rated for 1.35v, I'm not wasting a Wein cell on it. The 1.4v's are cheaper by the dozen.

PF
 
Thanks PF.

I guess I'll be digging into my camera after I get my Compur Rapid shutter cleaned and working right.

I might drop you a note once I get things opened up, but I am a very slow repair man so it may take awhile. :)
 
Okay, Dan. I solved my problem by ordering another 101 today, this time with the 1.4/58. I was actually looking for a 201 body, but when I saw the price on the 101 combo, I just had to get it instead. It was cheaper even with the Canada Post than any other 101-1.4/58 I've seen. Or even just the 1.4/58 by itself.

I'm not the fastest repairer either, because I'm usually going in with no knowledge of the construction of the particular unit I'm working on. Some cameras just don't have a lot of information available on them. And then one has to take a photo of each step, to be able to find the way back out of the woods. The manual Colyn supplied the link for has good information, but nothing on repairs of specific problems.

I like my cameras older than me, so they aren't so complicated.

PF
 
Great solution PF! :)

I already have several Minoltas, 101s, 102s, 201s, etc. My 102 was worked over by John Titerington and it is smooth as silk. Truly one to compare with the best.

I knew this one had a problem but I decided it was a great excuse to tear down a Minolta and really learn how it works. I have the repair manual so when time permits I'll start systematically disassembling it, cleaning and oiling it if needed. I guess I should look around for an inexpensive sonic parts cleaner.
 
All mine had inside it were little crumbles, Dan, which I figure came from the mirror bumper. Didn't really see anything that could use a dunking. Minolta didn't use an exorbitant amount of lubrication on this model. I just used a fiberglass pen on the meter and battery contacts, and that took care of the needle jumping.

PF
 
One meter issue that is common to this model is the needle can stick to the foam bumpers in many srT's. I've brought many srT meters back to life by removing these pieces of foam which were never needed in the first place..
 
The foam bumper looks great so if their are pieces floating around they are from something else. I guess I will find out soon. I won't worry about a cleaner until I get into it and make a decision then.
 
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