Selenium Cells

[1750Shooter]

Has anyone replaced a selenium cell in an older camera to get the meter working? Don't even know where to get a cell, but it doesn't sound too complicated. Thanks for any input.

 

[Dez]

The nice thing about selenium cells is that you can cut them to fit. I know of no reasonable source for them new, but I have found cheapie Russian Leningrad exposure meters, going for next to nothing on ebay, are usually working, and can provide a cheap source of material.

Cheers,
Dez

 

[Sarcophilus Harrisii]

It's more complicated than you might expect. For what I suspect are largely environmental reasons selenium cells are not generally manufactured any more hence it is not as simple as "getting a cell". It's a case of making the existing one work again if possible by remedying bad connectivity etc. or substituting eg a silicon cell in place of the selenium. This isn't as easy at is sounds either. It's not so hard getting a replacement cell to read the same as its selenium predecessor at a particular EV. Try getting it to respond in the same linear manner to the original from a low EV to say, 16 without deviating. Not so easy. Many selenium meters used a double calibration system for high and low range which had to be performed in sequence to assure accuracy across a range of EV so replicating this with a replacement cell type requires a degree of trial and error.
Cheers,
Brett

 

[Joao]

Yes, it is possible, at least for some cameras.
Look here
http://tomtiger.home.xs4all.nl/
Scroll lhe left side column until vou get lhe " Zenit Repair Project"
Once you open it, look for "Lightmeter repair"

He uses a solar poder cell from an ordinary Panasonic caculator . I don't know if lhe electrical specifications are precisely the same for other camaras...

I hope this helps
Joao

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Those little things you stick on windows with a little solar panel to drive a motor and a prism must be using them. And there's lots of silly toys like it that are solar powered and not so dear.

So a bit of cannibalism might just do the trick. Plus there's those science kits and so on...

Regards, David