Minolta X-700: A renovation project

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Andreas Thaler

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1.jpg


When the time in the descaling bath is up, the brush is used to rework it.


2.jpg


Rinse with clean water.


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The greenish coating has disappeared, the place where it changed the surface remains visible. This doesn't matter here because it's the inside of the top cover.


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Then it goes into dishwashing detergent for about half an hour. If there are still dirt residues that did not come off in the descaling bath, they should be removed now. At the end, rework with the brush.

Here I use a soft, medium and hard toothbrush, depending on which grips better into the corners and joints of the parts.
 
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Andreas Thaler

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Rinse again with clean water.


F.jpg


Water is shaken off the parts. They are then placed on a cloth to dry.

If things have to happen quickly, you can speed up the process with warm air, for example from a hairdryer.


C.jpg


D.jpg


To get water out of the joints, I blow with extra strong compressed air.


E.jpg


After the drying process, I dismantle screwed parts or those where the water cannot dry and remove the moisture.
 
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Andreas Thaler

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External check

While the removed parts dry, I look at the accessible areas of the camera.

1.jpg


The black cable has come off here, which often happens at this point. I will probably swap it for a slightly longer cable as it is very tight and therefore subject to tension.

Let's see. Minolta must have thought something about this around 40 years ago 😉


2.jpg


The eyepiece is dirty inside and out, but it is easy to remove and clean. I have shown its parts here:

Post in thread 'Have you just purchased a Minolta X-700? Do a Check & Clean first!'
https://www.photrio.com/forum/threa...00-do-a-check-clean-first.202954/post-2741035


3.jpg


4.jpg


The main switch with its three positions is easier to turn here. This means that the detected heavy gear is due to the clutch in the top cover.

But that doesn't explain the fact that when in position ON/SIGNAL the camera obviously doesn't get any power.

I will disassemble the structure and clean wipers (violet arrow) and contact tracks there (circle).


5.jpg


The small cam on the number disk of the picture counter is intact. It can break off because it serves as a stop when the back door is opened and the spring driven disc snaps back to position S.


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Dirt and corrosion but not that bad.

The mirror shock absorber is crumbling and the light seals are no longer fresh either.


13.jpg


I will remove the fungus on the mirror with hydrogen peroxide 3 %.


7.jpg


It looks good on the board. No dirt, no corrosion, no abnormalities such as detached cables, cold solder joints, broken conductor tracks or other damage are visible.


11.jpg


12.jpg


Some dirt and rust on screws on the underside. The board on the left looks good. Likewise the plastic wheels.
 
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Andreas Thaler

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My two favorite tools for checking circuit boards are the Spudger from ifixit and my anti-magnetic tweezers from Bernstein, which are an all-rounder.

You can use the Spudger to push cables aside, wiggle components, scrape away light corrosion and dirt, or even lift circuit board parts. Since it is made of plastic and does not conduct electricity, there are no short circuits if power is on.
 
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Andreas Thaler

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We will soon move on to cleaning the inside of the housing and removing the main switch to solve the obviously contact problem.

Stay tuned - like I do! 🙋‍♂️
 
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Andreas Thaler

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And no, when I recommend products here, it's only because I enjoy working with them. I don't earn anything from it and I wouldn't want to. Also, I'm not a VIP and therefore wouldn't get a contract 😝
 
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Andreas Thaler

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Mini-Tutorial:

Disassembling/Assembling the ASA/Exposure Compensation Wheel


In order to dry all parts of the wheel, we have to disassemble it. Otherwise the metal parts inside can corrode.

Here is the disassembly process:

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Front and rear view


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The spring washer at the top right holds the ASA setting in position. To change it, you have to pull up and turn the outer ring. The spring works against this pull.

This system is also available on other SLRs.


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All parts in the rear view …


8.jpg


… and in the front view.


9.jpg


It was good to have the wheel disassembled.

Dirt has accumulated here over the decades and corrosion can also be seen. And the small transparent window for the ASA display also needs cleaning.

I will clean the parts at the next session.


20.jpg


The parts get their own bag so that nothing gets lost.
 
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forest bagger

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A very laborious undertaking, Andreas!
Do you think you can mount every piece togehther sometime?
 
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Andreas Thaler

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Assembly

10.jpg


11.jpg


12.jpg


The ASA scale is applied to the aluminum ring on the opposite side. For orientation, I rotate it here so that ASA 200 appears.


13.jpg


Here the groove on the spring is where the nipple of the aluminum ring engages.


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Here is the next groove where the nipple goes.


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These two recesses are aligned with each other. Then the four screw holes are on top of each other.


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Both gears only grip in the right position.


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The screws are in.


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Done


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From the Minolta service manual for the X-700.
 
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AC_NMC_1

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Nice work! I've been lucky, I've purchased two X-700's over the last 10 years from Goodwill, and one looked brand new the other looked pretty good, a bit dusty, but both have worked flawlessly without any effort. Thanks for sharing your process, it's really amazing to see how much goes into the assembly of a camera. This naturally leads me, as usual, to marvel at how these designs came together, the camera as a whole, and each individual part, all fitting perfectly inside the body. It's crazy to see how precise things were, without doing it all on computers before you manufacture anything. Anyway, looking forward to the rest of your restoration, and hope that you'll end up with a fully functioning camera that will last for many years.
 
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Andreas Thaler

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Nice work! I've been lucky, I've purchased two X-700's over the last 10 years from Goodwill, and one looked brand new the other looked pretty good, a bit dusty, but both have worked flawlessly without any effort. Thanks for sharing your process, it's really amazing to see how much goes into the assembly of a camera. This naturally leads me, as usual, to marvel at how these designs came together, the camera as a whole, and each individual part, all fitting perfectly inside the body. It's crazy to see how precise things were, without doing it all on computers before you manufacture anything. Anyway, looking forward to the rest of your restoration, and hope that you'll end up with a fully functioning camera that will last for many years.

Thank you! 🙂
 
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Andreas Thaler

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I have described the basic check and cleaning for an X-700 here (PR on my own behalf 🙃

 
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Andreas Thaler

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Things get exciting when the electronics have a fault. Essentially only the troubleshooting routines in the service manual and specialist magazines help here. Unless it is a loose cable that you can see during the check 😉

I have rarely seen mechanical problems with my Minolta X.

Thank God, because that often means deep dissection.
 

Tomwlkr

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Hope you get it working, Used a X700 for years before being dropped at a wedding and the focus screen popped out. Still finished the wedding but local camera shop told me it couldn't be fixed, Wish I had went ahead and tried. Great camera!
 
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Andreas Thaler

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Hope you get it working, Used a X700 for years before being dropped at a wedding and the focus screen popped out. Still finished the wedding but local camera shop told me it couldn't be fixed, Wish I had went ahead and tried. Great camera!

Thank you!

An X-700 was my very first SLR in 1985 🙂
 
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Andreas Thaler

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Today I will test whether the camera triggers, this can also be done without assembly.

Was it wise to put the case in the plastic bag without a protective top cover? Electrostatic discharge could damage the ICs on top of the board.

We will see …
 
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Andreas Thaler

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Triggering and exposure metering work

Excellent news!

The camera can be wound up and released.

The operating modes P, A and M (program, automatic, manual) are displayed in the viewfinder, the shutter speeds formed are plausible.

This means that the camera is working so far and further work on it is doubly worthwhile.

Because it would have been enough for me to go through the individual steps. But if the X-700 still works, all the better 🙃


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To test the camera, I temporarily replaced the cable on the ASA/Exposure compensation wheel that had come off and attached a complete wheel from an abandoned 700. Also the operating mode selector, the trigger and the winding lever.


3.jpg


The construction is a bit shaky, but it works.

You should remember the position of the operating mode selector before removing it. But the correct position for putting it on can also be determined by trying.

The arrow points to the lock button for operating modes P and A. To release it, simply press it.


4.jpg


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Here you can see the lens/camera couplings that I had previously worked on (cleaning and replacing).

The red arrow points to the clutch for the program automatic. If the aperture ring is turned to the smallest aperture (the green 22), the internal switch closes.

The green arrow points to the aperture simulator clutch. Since all aperture settings are made with the aperture open, the camera is so informed of the set aperture.

Both clutches now work perfectly, and the times displayed in the viewfinder no longer jump around.


6.jpg


Press this lever down to release the lock and the lens can be removed. When the camera is mounted, there is a silver button above it that you press.


7.jpg


8.jpg


On the left is Spudger's brother. For example, you can use it to safely fold up the mirror.
 
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Andreas Thaler

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Next steps
  1. The next step is to dismantle the main switch to clean the contacts (ON/SIGNAL still does not work). Also I'm trying to make the associated switch in the top cover easier to turn. This switch couples with the main switch.
  2. I will also replace the temporary cable on the ASA/Exposure compensation wheel.
  3. Afterwards I will clean the case and the back door. Not to forget the mirror (fungus) and eyepiece. Since I don't want to work with liquids in the camera, I will remove the corroded areas using the Dremel Stylo with a brass wire brush. The dismantled ASA/Exposure compensation wheel comes last, cleaning again with Durgol descaling solution and dishwashing liquid.
  4. The hole in the top cover that I created when milling the rusted screw head will be a cosmetic job. I'll close the hole with Sugru. This means there is no mounting screw for the top cover, but it will hold.
  5. Then I will measure the shutter speeds with the Photoplug. Or maybe @ic-racer will help me with one of his professional shutter speed testers 🙃
  6. If everything works, I'll mount the camera again.
  7. Renewing the light seals and the mirror shock absorber are a follow-up project. For this I first have to get suitable material.
Stay tuned! 🙋‍♂️
 
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miha

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Andreas, I can only applaud to your knowledge and proficiency you demonstrate with every post! 👏
 
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Andreas Thaler

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A while ago I bought a batch of defective X-700s that already had parts removed.

I was no longer able to repair them, but they live on as a rich spare parts stock 👍
 
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Andreas Thaler

Andreas Thaler

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Renewing the light seals and the mirror shock absorber are a follow-up project. For this I first have to get suitable material.

The repair tutorials on high5cameras.com are excellent, exemplary in structure and attention to detail:



Here is a tutorial on replacing the light seals and mirror shock absorber on the X-700 and other cameras that I will follow:

 
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Andreas Thaler

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Thanks, so one more piece at the table 😉

I'm going to get the Dremel drill stand.

Amazon delivered quickly, the drill stand arrived yesterday.

Thanks again to @koraks for the encouragement!



I had thought about it before, but I thought I could do everything hands-free 😌

I still have to unpack the thing and will make a separate post about milling out screw heads.

I - hopefully - also found the matching small tungsten carbide cutter in my stash:

 
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