I checked the functionality of my XG-M to see whether replacing the four electrolytic capacitors was successful in the long term, see
www.photrio.com
After a few releases, the mirror remained up and the LED display in the viewfinder went out when the shutter was pressed, the well-known symptom of capacitor damage.
But it is a mechanical problem, the second shutter roller does not come back completely after the shutter is released, a gap remains open:
I used the tweezers to carefully pull the blind to the left, then the mirror folded down and the shutter was free again.
The LED displays in the viewfinder are also visible again, and they no longer go out as soon as I press the shutter button.
Shutter sequence and LED displays are otherwise ok.
There is a bit of a snag when you pull it up and you can also see a trace of abrasion on the metal bridge of the roller blind.
The problem occurs with the slow shutter speeds.
Everything was working again, only the second shutter curtain didn't close the image window completely, which is of course not good for a film that has just been exposed.
Armed with the tips from colleagues, advice from a friend, some reading, and a video from Fix Old Cameras on YouTube, I wanted to see if I could get the shutter to fully close.
I have to experiment
The base plate comes off quickly, the plate over part of the base mechanism needs to be unscrewed and the contacts from the battery compartment (which supports it) to the circuit board need to be unsoldered.
In order to be able to observe the shutter at work and what is happening in the camera base when it is cocked and released, I temporarily soldered the battery compartment to the circuit board:
Now I was able to look for the two small wheels that are responsible for adjusting the shutter tension.
Here they are:
The two each snap into a pawl and increase the roller blind tension when turned counterclockwise. If you loosen the pawls with a small screwdriver, the wheels turn in the opposite direction by themselves.
I played with it for a long time to understand the mechanism and effect.
Attention, this probably has an impact on the formation of the shutter speeds, see below.
However, this did not solve the problem.
The coupling plate for the winder is located in the base on the right side of the camera.
When unscrewed, you see a gear with an adjusting screw that meshes with another wheel.
Turning the screw creates an eccentric effect. This allows the distance to the neighboring wheel to be corrected minimally.
Here is the area with the clutch plate still attached:
Experiments with different settings of the three wheels followed.
In order to correctly form the electronically controlled shutter speeds, I clamped a cable to the plate with the battery compartment and connected the other end to the metal chassis, which forms the ground of the circuit. Otherwise there will be no return conductor in the circuit and strange things will happen.
And actually, after a long time I managed to get the second shutter to close completely.
However, after the shutter was released, the first roller blind peeped into the image window for the duration that the shutter was open. This was clearly visible with the shutter speed knob in position „B“.
Experimenting with different combinations of roller blind tensions also solved this problem.
See below
Everything done.
Conclusion
Here's a guide to adjusting the shutter on the Minolta X-700, what I found through experimentation for my (closely related) XG-M:
Original version in French
English version by Google translate
+++
All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.
Minolta XG-M: Replacing the electrolytic capacitors
For my planning: Are you interested in how to replace the four electrolytic capacitors on a Minolta XG-M? In my opinion, many specimens are likely to be affected by leaking electrolytic capacitors, including damage to the surrounding conductor paths caused by electrolyte. I have an older...
www.photrio.com
After a few releases, the mirror remained up and the LED display in the viewfinder went out when the shutter was pressed, the well-known symptom of capacitor damage.
But it is a mechanical problem, the second shutter roller does not come back completely after the shutter is released, a gap remains open:
I used the tweezers to carefully pull the blind to the left, then the mirror folded down and the shutter was free again.
The LED displays in the viewfinder are also visible again, and they no longer go out as soon as I press the shutter button.
Shutter sequence and LED displays are otherwise ok.
There is a bit of a snag when you pull it up and you can also see a trace of abrasion on the metal bridge of the roller blind.
The problem occurs with the slow shutter speeds.
Everything was working again, only the second shutter curtain didn't close the image window completely, which is of course not good for a film that has just been exposed.
Armed with the tips from colleagues, advice from a friend, some reading, and a video from Fix Old Cameras on YouTube, I wanted to see if I could get the shutter to fully close.
I have to experiment
The base plate comes off quickly, the plate over part of the base mechanism needs to be unscrewed and the contacts from the battery compartment (which supports it) to the circuit board need to be unsoldered.
In order to be able to observe the shutter at work and what is happening in the camera base when it is cocked and released, I temporarily soldered the battery compartment to the circuit board:
Now I was able to look for the two small wheels that are responsible for adjusting the shutter tension.
Here they are:
The two each snap into a pawl and increase the roller blind tension when turned counterclockwise. If you loosen the pawls with a small screwdriver, the wheels turn in the opposite direction by themselves.
I played with it for a long time to understand the mechanism and effect.
Attention, this probably has an impact on the formation of the shutter speeds, see below.
However, this did not solve the problem.
The coupling plate for the winder is located in the base on the right side of the camera.
When unscrewed, you see a gear with an adjusting screw that meshes with another wheel.
Turning the screw creates an eccentric effect. This allows the distance to the neighboring wheel to be corrected minimally.
Here is the area with the clutch plate still attached:
Experiments with different settings of the three wheels followed.
In order to correctly form the electronically controlled shutter speeds, I clamped a cable to the plate with the battery compartment and connected the other end to the metal chassis, which forms the ground of the circuit. Otherwise there will be no return conductor in the circuit and strange things will happen.
And actually, after a long time I managed to get the second shutter to close completely.
However, after the shutter was released, the first roller blind peeped into the image window for the duration that the shutter was open. This was clearly visible with the shutter speed knob in position „B“.
Experimenting with different combinations of roller blind tensions also solved this problem.
See below
Everything done.
Conclusion
- Obviously everything can be solved if you just focus on the problem long enough.
- Because I was tired, I lost respect for the camera in places and there were scratches on the two brass wheels for the roller blind tension from a screwdriver that slipped.
- But since the camera works now, I'd like to forgive myself for that.
- However, the shutter running times should also have changed due to the new settings. This means that the shutter speeds are no longer formed correctly. In order to be able to take photos with this XG-M, the shutter speeds would have to be measured and, if necessary, readjusted.
- So I recommend not touching the two wheels for tensioning the blinds and tackling the problem only using the eccentric effect.
Here's a guide to adjusting the shutter on the Minolta X-700, what I found through experimentation for my (closely related) XG-M:
English version by Google translate
+++
All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.
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