Nikon F2 battery contact

Phil_F_NM

Phil_F_NM

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My Nikon F2 positive battery contact is cracked so I can't use my DP-12 prism. First world problems, I know. I've been using a DE-1 prism for a couple years now instead. I really do love that sleek eye-level prism but I also really love the meter of the DP-12 and I'd like to use it.
I was on the waiting list for Sover to fully overhaul the camera and DP-12 but I had to pull the camera out of line due to finances. Anyway, I'm reasonably experienced in working on cameras but I've never been inside an F2 before and I want to do the job myself to get this beauty working again.
Has anyone had to do a repair this deep in a Nikon F2 and if so, is it overly complicated? I'm going to have to fashion a new tab out of brass then solder it in. Getting there will be the problem.
I checked the Classic Repair Forum archive and there is one short thread about getting to the side of the battery box by taking the whole mirror box off but the problem was not quite the problem I have.
Thanks to all for any help you can offer.

Phil Forrest
 
Fixed it!
So I took about a week to research this repair.
I found a photo-heavy detailed takedown from another film-centric forum and used that for the most part.
Getting the camera apart was stressful. This is seriously one of my dream cameras. A black paint user F2 in excellent mechanical condition, so doing my first work on this model camera on this particular body was stressful.
To help remove the front plate/lens flange I placed a lens on the camera and used it for some more controlled leverage. Front came off and then the mirror box came out with a little wiggling. If anyone tries this, be very careful because there are a few tabs that can be bent or broken.
Foam seals at the back top corners of the chassis and the back of the mirror box were replaced.
I found that the plastic battery box tab which holds the inner battery contact to the soldered copper tab was cracked. This was the whole problem. I removed the whole battery box, used a tiny amount of epoxy to fix the tab (I couldn't afford the new battery box,) let that cure then reassembled the contact with the box in the chassis.
Reassembly of the camera was not tricky but I was using the advice and photos in the other forum's DIY and found that it was wrong in one step. This misdirection leads to a locked up shutter which has to be tripped by removing the bottom plate and manually releasing the lever to ease spring tension. The incorrect instruction says to have the "boomerang" arm of the self timer sitting around the tab of the shutter plunger plate when it needs to be sitting ABOVE the tab. If I had known this, I would not have had to remove the bottom plate but in reassembly, I would remove it for function testing.
I got the whole camera back together, tested all the mechanical functions, shutter on all speeds including the self timer and B+self timer escapement for slow speeds from 2-10 seconds. Once all that was tested, I put the focusing screen back in, placed the prism on top, stuck a battery in and saw my beloved DP-12 light meter working fine.
I re-glued the leatherette and now I'm a happy camper. This contact has been broken for well over a year and I'm really happy to be able to use the camera again.
I will be sending it to Sover Wong one day for an overhaul along with the DP-12 to get a new ceramic resistor and metering mask for a tighter semi-spot metering area. I just don't have even $18 spare dollars, let alone $400. One day though.

Phil Forrest
 
That's great to hear. My chrome F2 that has no power to the battery is going to stay that way, and I'll just get a plain prism (to match my F), or use a DP-1 that has expired. I've a couple other bodies (S and AS), so there is no need to fix it. Have some good times with yours, Phil.


PF
 
shimokita said:
Congratulations... enjoy ; )
Click to expand...

Thanks! I went to bed last night feeling really good about getting this repair done.
Given Murphy's law, my spare batteries just died! 😱
I'll get a new set of batteries and be god to go.
Of course, now I need to afford some film! I've got five rolls of Plus-X left and a few random rolls hanging out. I really need to just get 400ft of XX 5222 and load my own. I love that film and need to completely switch to it for my normal 35mm use. Again, money... 🙁

Phil Forrest
 
Simon,
I'll post the link tonight when I get home.
It's quite easy though.
You'll want a decent blade handy for removing the leatherette. No need to remove it all on both sides. Most of the side with self timer stays on, the other side comes completely off. Also have a good chunk of grippy rubber near for removal of the winder lever cover.
You're going to want a few different thicknesses and sizes of foam.
Look down into the collar that surrounds the shutter button. There is a small lockring that needs to be removed. Source this tool before beginning the repair. Also look at the bottom plate and source a 2-pin spanner that will unscrew the tiny screw holding the motor winder lug in.
Finally, look somewhere online, eBay, wherever, for a genuine battery box replacement. They are cheap and my solution is only temporary, I know. Also be ready to chase down corroded wiring.

Phil Forrest
 
Here's the link to the repair with a bunch of photos.
https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/nikon-f2-diy-repairs-maintenance.148552/
I do not have any connection to the person who posted this and I'm only linking it here for personal use at your own risk.
Ok, that said, there are a few things that have to be paid attention to which this DIY repair didn't mention.

First, when taking the camera apart, scrape off the foam at the rear of where the prism sits, just under where the eyepiece is when the prism is on. Don't remove these screws until just before you are ready to take the whole front off.

Second, You will have to partially pull out the mirror box while attached to the face of the camera. Do not try to pry up the top plate to reach the screw in the top of the mirror box which attaches it to the face. You might as well give me your camera before destroying the top plate this way.
Don't yank on the face. Attach a sturdy manual focus lens that you can use for a bit of leverage as well as something to grab on to.
Use a firm but gentle tug on the faceplate until you get access to the two screws that hold the face to the mirror box. Remove these screws then lift off the face then rotate the mirror box out. If you yank it all out at once, you will bend one of the levers which makes the mirror box work.

Third, do yourself a favor and remove the whole battery compartment before doing any repair. If you use glue or tape without removing the battery box from the camera, you'll wind up with a mess and risk bonding the mirror box to the body itself or cracking the floor of the mirror box itself.

After you got your battery box repaired, cured and back in the camera, again, make sure the boomerang lever on the self timer is flipped all the way upright, kind of like a V not like >. It's more like an L but not quite 90 degree. Anyway, if it is not all the way out of the way, this will lock the shutter on reassembly.

You have to get the whole camera back together in order to test it (less the baseplate.) This is because if you leave any screws out, the mirror box will be out of alignment with everything and won't be tripped or it could just bind. Both happened to me. Don't panic.

Other than all that, feel free to post your progress here or ask if you have any questions.
Good luck!

Phil Forrest
 
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