The Minolta 9000 AF/Minolta Maxxum 9000/Minolta Alpha-9000: The first professional camera with autofocus manufactured for the mass market, introduced in 1985.
We currently have several threads on the Minolta 9000, which deal with various topics.
Here I would like to focus on removing the mirror box in order to clean the shutter.
The infamous sticky shutter on the Minolta 9000
A problem that probably affects most 9000s is sticky contamination on one or both shutter curtains. This prevents the curtains from moving and results in incorrect exposures and even empty shots.
The cause of this is a damper on the base of the shutter for one of the shutter curtains, which is made of plastic and is decomposing.
Cleaning the shutter curtains from the outside is possible, but does not solve the problem unless the damper is removed and adequately replaced. For this the mirror box has to be removed.
Great pioneering work on PHOTRIO
Our member @ogtronix has done some great pioneering work on this topic.
He managed to remove the mirror box, replace the damper in the shutter and reassemble the 9000 in a functional manner.
The aim was to find a solution to another problem in this area, namely a defective aperture control, which is another typical problem with the 9000.
@ogtronix exciting report on this project can be read here:
Post in thread 'Minolta (Maxxum) 9000: Dissection and investigating the aperture issue'
https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...gating-the-aperture-issue.208476/post-2850057
Repair attempt and documentation
So I'm not bringing anything new here, but I will document my experiences in this project.
I have set myself two goals:
- to free one of my 9000 from the sticky shutter and
- to document my work in such a way that it is useful for others.
And of course the above mentioned report from @ogtronix as well as his helpful comments in the current Minolta 9000 threads, which encouraged me to start this project.
Thank you very much for that!
Plastic that detoriates over time into a sticky mass
I had previously disassembled a Minolta 9000 on my own without instructions, which is not recommended given the complexity of this SLR.
But I was able to take a closer look at the problem with the damper in the shutter:
Shutter unit removed, frontside.
Shutter unit, backside, partially disassembled.
On the underside you can see the damper, which disintegrates into a sticky mass.
This mass is absorbed by the rear shutter curtain each time the shutter is released, causing the curtain to stick together and no longer move correctly.
This project will take longer because the Minolta 9000 is one of the most complex and demanding electronic SLRs ever produced.
We start next week, stay tuned!
See also
Minolta (Maxxum, Alpha) 9000 AF: Removal of the mirrorbox/assembly, investigating the aperture issue, replacing the sticky damper in the shutter unit
An SLR from 1985 that is not only beautiful but also technically innovative, but which you don't read much about: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minolta_Maxxum_9000 Inspired by @Paul Howell in...
Minolta 9000: Examination of the sticky shutter and discussing solutions
Following these threads on issues with the Minolta 9000 https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/minolta-maxxum-9000-dissection-and-investigating-the-aperture-issue.208476/ https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/8-x-minolta-maxxum-9000-and-4-x-minolta-af-lenses-a-sample.210960/ I am starting a...
Minolta 9000: Checking shutter and focusing screen, adjusting the mirror, replacing parts, cleaning
In my inbox for defective/untested photo equipment there were still a few Minolta/Maxxum 9000s. Together with the others in the cupboard I now have eight of them. In terms of functionality - I quickly checked the AF, the aperture control and the shutter - the distribution is as follows: three...
Minolta AF 35-70/4, Minolta AF 70-210/4 and Minolta AF 35-105/3.5~4.5: Removal and cleaning of oily aperture registers
In my current thread on improving several Minolta/Maxxum 9000 SLRs, I had already introduced these four associated lenses: These Minolta AF lenses also come from the box of defective/untested photo equipment: 2 x AF 35-70/4 1 x AF 35-105/3.5~4.5 1 x AF 70-210/4 All four have lame apertures...
Minolta MD-90, BP-90 and AW-90: Test, troubleshooting contact problems, dissection
Today I achieved my goal of putting together two functional units, each consisting of a Minolta 9000 and a Motor Drive MD-90 with a BP-90 battery holder. It was also an eventful session: One of my six working 9000s failed. I was able to add a working Winder AW-90 to my ensemble and I...
Minolta 9000: Who uses a Program Back Super 90?
There is a multifunctional back for the Minolta (Maxxum) 9000 that probably puts everything comparable in the shade. The energy consumption alone with six SR-44 batteries is certainly a record: Program Back Super 90 Program Back Super 90 (PBS90) features: Seven exposure modes, including three...
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