OP
OP
Thanks!
Assembling the two housing halves becomes exciting with the coupling of the mechanism of the shutter and mirror box ...
Nikon F-301: Shutter replacement
-
A
- Thread starter Andreas Thaler
- Start date
Recent Classifieds
-
For Sale Nikon 200-400mm f/4 AF-S Nikkor ED Lens
- Started by Barlow
-
For Sale Manfrotto 438 Leveling Base
- Started by djdister
-
For Sale Manfrotto 410 (3275) Junior Geared Head
- Started by djdister
-
For Sale FS: Schneider Lupe 4X MC
- Started by B.S.Kumar
Forum statistics
Thanks!
Assembling the two housing halves becomes exciting with the coupling of the mechanism of the shutter and mirror box ...
OP
OP
Check the shutter of the spare parts camera
The spare F-301 is in clearly used condition.
Corrosion caused by battery acid on the battery holder.
Using the stainless steel brush on the Dremel Stylo and electronics cleaner, I make the contacts conductive again.
I'll deal with the remaining corrosion later. Now I just want to quickly check that the shutter is working.
The camera works, the shutter releases.
To be able to observe the shutter with the back open, I hold down the frame counter switch.
Everything OK
Battery compartment and shutter removed as spare parts
Please see the thread for how to remove these parts.
Both parts are in very good condition.
The shutter curtains move perfectly.
There is no dirt or corrosion visible on the shutter unit.
There were some black sticky residues on the slats of the front shutter curtain, which I removed with benzinum. However, they probably did not come from the shutter.
Both contacts are in perfect condition, so I don't have to repair the damaged battery compartment of my repair candidate.
The spare F-301 is in clearly used condition.
Corrosion caused by battery acid on the battery holder.
Using the stainless steel brush on the Dremel Stylo and electronics cleaner, I make the contacts conductive again.
I'll deal with the remaining corrosion later. Now I just want to quickly check that the shutter is working.
The camera works, the shutter releases.
To be able to observe the shutter with the back open, I hold down the frame counter switch.
Everything OK
Battery compartment and shutter removed as spare parts
Please see the thread for how to remove these parts.
Both parts are in very good condition.
The shutter curtains move perfectly.
There is no dirt or corrosion visible on the shutter unit.
There were some black sticky residues on the slats of the front shutter curtain, which I removed with benzinum. However, they probably did not come from the shutter.
Both contacts are in perfect condition, so I don't have to repair the damaged battery compartment of my repair candidate.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Now I'm looking at Larry Lyells' instructions in the SPT Journal on how to connect the mechanics of the motor, shutter and mirror.
That seems to be the hardest part of the project.
We'll see
That seems to be the hardest part of the project.
We'll see
I hope you made notices where every coloured wire is to resoldered after assembling!
Nice that you got this far!
Looks like the shutter is not able to be disassembled further?
I noticed, even with the same camera model, somethimes the shutters could be disassembled to soak in the cleaner. Other times the blades were permanently rivited to the rest of the assembly, and could not be disassembled further.
Looks like the shutter is not able to be disassembled further?
I noticed, even with the same camera model, somethimes the shutters could be disassembled to soak in the cleaner. Other times the blades were permanently rivited to the rest of the assembly, and could not be disassembled further.
OP
OP
Rewiring the power supply
Since the plus and minus contacts of the power supply in the battery compartment are corroded by battery acid, I replace the cables and renew the soldering points.
Beforehand, I cleaned the area of corrosion residues using Durgol descaler and distilled water.
Removing the fastening of the old cables.
The new cables are secured with adhesive tape. The Spudger helps with this, as its flexible spatula allows for pressing even in tight spaces.
The cables are laid.
Since the circuit wasn't working, I started troubleshooting with the multimeter.
The operating voltage was present at the battery contacts in the battery holder, but it didn't reach the circuit board's terminals.
The negative connection in the battery compartment was broken, so I bridged it with wire.
Today I used the Soldering Splint from iFixit for the first time. It's ideal for securing cables when tinning their ends.
Cleaning
The fumes from the battery acid formed spots and patterns in the housing that looked like frost flowers. I cleaned them with Durgol descaler and distilled water.
Other residues and dirt removed a blower, brush and benzinum.
Mounting the shutter unit
The connection cables of the Copal Square Shutter are led out of the housing and later soldered onto the circuit board.
The shutter is inserted and screwed on.
When attaching the film advance unit to the top right side of the housing, a small spring fell out of its anchorage.
I have this part as a spare, I was able to reconstruct the position and reattach the spring.
Instead of using varnish like in the original, I fixed one end of the spring with epoxy.
Malfunction after assembly
To assemble the front panel and back and to couple the motor, shutter and mirror mechanism, I followed Larry Lyrlls' 17-point instructions in the SPT Journal.
Mechanical Operation Test passed …
My F-301 passed Larrys „Mechanical Operation Test“ after assembly and without batteries.
The mirror and aperture lever in the mirror box moved as intended, but I couldn't observe the shutter curtains because I had to use a screwdriver to move a gear on the bottom of the camera against spring pressure. But the sound made it seemed plausible.
… but no success with batteries at the end
With inserted batteries light meter, mirror and film transport worked, but the shutter did not open completely. It seemed as if the front shutter curtain was not moving. The shutter speeds were also not plausible.
Possible error causes:
Conclusion
+++
All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.
Since the plus and minus contacts of the power supply in the battery compartment are corroded by battery acid, I replace the cables and renew the soldering points.
Beforehand, I cleaned the area of corrosion residues using Durgol descaler and distilled water.
Removing the fastening of the old cables.
The new cables are secured with adhesive tape. The Spudger helps with this, as its flexible spatula allows for pressing even in tight spaces.
The cables are laid.
Since the circuit wasn't working, I started troubleshooting with the multimeter.
The operating voltage was present at the battery contacts in the battery holder, but it didn't reach the circuit board's terminals.
The negative connection in the battery compartment was broken, so I bridged it with wire.
Today I used the Soldering Splint from iFixit for the first time. It's ideal for securing cables when tinning their ends.
Cleaning
The fumes from the battery acid formed spots and patterns in the housing that looked like frost flowers. I cleaned them with Durgol descaler and distilled water.
Other residues and dirt removed a blower, brush and benzinum.
Mounting the shutter unit
The connection cables of the Copal Square Shutter are led out of the housing and later soldered onto the circuit board.
The shutter is inserted and screwed on.
When attaching the film advance unit to the top right side of the housing, a small spring fell out of its anchorage.
I have this part as a spare, I was able to reconstruct the position and reattach the spring.
Instead of using varnish like in the original, I fixed one end of the spring with epoxy.
Malfunction after assembly
To assemble the front panel and back and to couple the motor, shutter and mirror mechanism, I followed Larry Lyrlls' 17-point instructions in the SPT Journal.
Mechanical Operation Test passed …
My F-301 passed Larrys „Mechanical Operation Test“ after assembly and without batteries.
The mirror and aperture lever in the mirror box moved as intended, but I couldn't observe the shutter curtains because I had to use a screwdriver to move a gear on the bottom of the camera against spring pressure. But the sound made it seemed plausible.
… but no success with batteries at the end
With inserted batteries light meter, mirror and film transport worked, but the shutter did not open completely. It seemed as if the front shutter curtain was not moving. The shutter speeds were also not plausible.
Possible error causes:
- An error in the coupling of the mechanics.
- Cable incorrectly soldered or shorted to ground (everything checked so far, therefore unlikely).
- Bad solder joint.
- The electronics of the shutter unit are not compatible with the circuit because a newer/older version.
- Damage to the circuit (ICs) due to electrostatic discharge (unlikely since I worked grounded).
Conclusion
- Replacing the shutter is a bit of work, but it is doable.
- Connecting the mechanics of the front panel and the back is a tricky process. Larry Lyells' instructions are indispensable for this.
- All soldering work was easy to do, a precise photo documentation of the many cable connections is important.
- The Nikon F-301 (N2000) is solidly made from a two-part die-cast housing.
- Even screws secured with adhesive could be removed without any problem.
+++
All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.
Last edited:
OP
OP
OP
OP
Last edited:
OP
OP
I could now move on to the F-301 and troubleshoot it.
With a third F-301, for example, the coupling of the mechanism could be examined without much effort.
But I would then have to disassembled and reassemble the camera every time, unless I find the fault under the top cover. A time-consuming and laborious affair.
I lack the ambition for that
With a third F-301, for example, the coupling of the mechanism could be examined without much effort.
But I would then have to disassembled and reassemble the camera every time, unless I find the fault under the top cover. A time-consuming and laborious affair.
I lack the ambition for that
OP
OP
New attempt to solve the problems
I'll give it one more try, but I still need to gather information.
Installing the replacement shutter worked, but the shutter isn't working properly.
The question is what state the Copal Square Shutter is in when it's separated from the camera.
That can only be the state after the second curtain has run down, i.e. triggered, because I can't detect any spring tension on the two curtains.
So the mirror should also be in the „triggered“ state when I couple the two parts.
Maybe I'll get further here.
I attribute the errors in the electronics - LED flashing, signal tone on - to either an error when soldering the cables to the circuit board or to a squashed cable with a faulty connection, or both when having mounted the top cover.
So let's move on
I'll give it one more try, but I still need to gather information.
Installing the replacement shutter worked, but the shutter isn't working properly.
The question is what state the Copal Square Shutter is in when it's separated from the camera.
That can only be the state after the second curtain has run down, i.e. triggered, because I can't detect any spring tension on the two curtains.
So the mirror should also be in the „triggered“ state when I couple the two parts.
Maybe I'll get further here.
I attribute the errors in the electronics - LED flashing, signal tone on - to either an error when soldering the cables to the circuit board or to a squashed cable with a faulty connection, or both when having mounted the top cover.
So let's move on
OP
OP
I am confident that I have found the cause of the shutter malfunction.
Currently the shutter does not run, while the mirror flap and film transport function.
The shutter charge lever must be positioned in front of the shutter set lever and not behind it, as I had assumed. Otherwise the shutter will not be tensioned by the motor.
Perhaps I can correct this without having to disassemble the camera by removing the battery compartment and moving the shutter set lever behind the shutter charge lever.
By doing this I should also tension the shutter at the same time so that the sequence is correct again when the camera is triggered.
Since the camera is motor-driven, the current status should always be "cocked - ready to release".
So everyone is waiting for the shutter to be cocked
In the next few hours I will know whether this solves the problem.
Then there is the malfunction of the electronics, here I suspect incorrect contact under the top cover.
We will see.
Currently the shutter does not run, while the mirror flap and film transport function.
The shutter charge lever must be positioned in front of the shutter set lever and not behind it, as I had assumed. Otherwise the shutter will not be tensioned by the motor.
Perhaps I can correct this without having to disassemble the camera by removing the battery compartment and moving the shutter set lever behind the shutter charge lever.
By doing this I should also tension the shutter at the same time so that the sequence is correct again when the camera is triggered.
Since the camera is motor-driven, the current status should always be "cocked - ready to release".
So everyone is waiting for the shutter to be cocked
In the next few hours I will know whether this solves the problem.
Then there is the malfunction of the electronics, here I suspect incorrect contact under the top cover.
We will see.
Last edited:
OP
OP
In the second attempt, I mounted the front panel of the other F-301 on the camera in progress and went through Larry Lyells' instructions for coupling, assembly and testing again.
But this time too, the shutter behaved the same way as before. One curtain does not open and the timing is not right.
Maybe I have fundamentally misunderstood something here or the circuits of the two cameras do not match, I don't know.
I'll leave it at that and this round goes to Nikon
Given up.
Last edited:
How can you be sure that the shutter itself would work correctly?
OP
OP
It was previously working correctly in the camera from which I removed it.
Then maybe you should transfer the surrounding mechanical parts from the former working F-301 to this one too.
OP
OP
To do that, I would have to take everything apart and remove the circuit board.
I no longer have the motivation to do that.
Some days ago you wrote somewhere that you won't take a completely functional camera apart.
I think that hinders you from learning how it works normally.
I think that hinders you from learning how it works normally.
OP
OP
I only do that if I don't feel sorry for the camera. And it depends on the defect in question what I use it for as a reference.
I do make sacrifices for nice cameras.
For example, a Leica R3 ELECTRONIC or a Nikon F3 Press, both of which were worn out but still worked.
I also had to sacrifice a working Nikon F4 with a defective program control in preparation for repairing the aperture function of an otherwise nice on.
But it would not make sense to open a nice, perfectly functioning camera so that I can get a broken one back on its feet.
It is important to distinguihs between two purposes: repair and learning. Learning is difficult when starting with something that is malfunctioning. Reverse engineering generally uses functional products to dissect as a way of learning how they work normally; that leaves one less assumption. Salvaging parts from a functioning camera that has no other practical value should be considered part of "repair". Both purposes have their role.
Last edited:
OP
OP
Even if I know how to disassemble a Nikon F-301 and reassemble it correctly, it is of little or no use to me with a Nikon F4 or a Canon T90.
At best, I can understand how the motor, shutter and mirror are basically coupled, but every SLR has a different solution. Not to mention the circuitry.
There may be similarities in the structure and arrangement of the controls in a camera series, such as the Nikon F3, F4 and F5, but otherwise every SLR is new territory.
Therefore, there is no advantage in practicing on just one camera, I would have to do it for each model. See exceptions above.
At best, I can understand how the motor, shutter and mirror are basically coupled, but every SLR has a different solution. Not to mention the circuitry.
There may be similarities in the structure and arrangement of the controls in a camera series, such as the Nikon F3, F4 and F5, but otherwise every SLR is new territory.
Therefore, there is no advantage in practicing on just one camera, I would have to do it for each model. See exceptions above.
| Photrio.com contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links. To read our full affiliate disclosure statement please click Here. |
PHOTRIO PARTNERS EQUALLY FUNDING OUR COMMUNITY:  |