Troubleshooting mechanical and electronic SLRs: Your approach and experiences?

[Andreas Thaler]

First a definition: There are no purely electronic cameras, as these always need mechanics to work.

For example, the shutter and mirror, but also the transmission of a motor are implemented mechanically.

So in my opinion, „electronics“ refers to the presence of magnetic switches that electronically trigger the shutter and aperture, i.e. electronically control them.

The electronically controlled vertical focal-plane shutter of a Nikon F4: every electronic camera also consists of mechanics.


This can also include advanced electronic functions, such as automatic exposure and programs, various measuring methods, control of the flash function, etc.

On the other hand, there are of course SLRs that do not require any electronics at all, although the presence of a light meter with selenium cells is already an electronic feature.


Your approach?

I'm interested in how you go about troubleshooting when you have an SLR with a problem and your experiences with it.

Do you have a systematic process for doing this or do you rely more on your own experience?

Or do you rely on instructions in the manufacturer's repair manuals or specialist publications?

I think everyone has their own method here.

---

Personally, I prefer cameras with electronics to those with mechanics.

If an electronic SLR doesn't work as expected,

• I first go through all the functions and see what works and what doesn't.
• If the camera doesn't seem to be working at all, I first check the power supply. If I can't find anything here,
• I use my experience so far and research the web and my specialist literature collection.
• I also look at the areas above the base plate and under the top cover to see if I see anything unusual. This is usually easy to do and shows part of the electronics and mechanics.
• Then I ask in forums whether anyone knows the problem and can say something about it.
• This way I can at least narrow down a problem and decide whether to continue with troubleshooting now or come back to the SLR later. Sometimes answers come by themselves if I don't actively think about the problem.

+++

All information provided without guarantee and use at your own risk.

 

[4season]

Do you have a systematic process for doing this or do you rely more on your own experience?

Or do you rely on instructions in the manufacturer's repair manuals or specialist publications?

I'm too impatient to methodically study service literature before taking things apart! Instead, I look for common failure points: Corrosion due to battery leakage, faulty capacitors, deteriorating synthetic materials, aged/dried/contaminated lubricants, and in the case of the Noblex 150 panoramic camera, defective MOSFETs. With light meter circuits, photocells (off-spec) and galvanometers (mechanism fouled with magnetic debris, or coils open-circuit) are common trouble spots.

While I did not have access to Noblex service literature, the camera's electronics were built using off-the-shelf components, and the circuitry looked less like a camera, and more like those used in robotics projects. I had a hunch that if any components were being stressed, it would be the pair of big MOSFETs, which are subjected to voltage spikes due to the motor's inductance. And in fact, the datasheet for the original parts revealed built-in zener diode protection. Original parts were obsolete, but with the aid of the datasheet, I was able to select suitable replacements. Camera worked beautifully with the new parts installed.

For me, newer cameras can be a mixed bag: I love the reduced weight, advanced features, and more "maintenance free" aspects (self-lubricating polymers!), but some of those very same modern materials have aged poorly, and I do not relish needing to unsolder 20+ wires in order to perform routine service.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

In his second book, Thomas Tomosy presents two approaches to troubleshooting cameras:

1. The visual method, which is based on experience and checks cameras for obvious problems.
2. And the systematic method with generic decision diagrams for the basic camera types, similar to the troubleshooting diagrams in repair manuals.

I am increasingly moving towards a systematic approach, as it can save me from making mistakes.

For example, I recently tried to remove the shutter release unit on my Nikon F-301 in order to be able to remove the top cover, until I saw in the repair manual that this was not necessary.

Here my experience led me to more work, as many SLRs are dismantled in this way.

But it is tempting to search for faults based on intuition and perhaps hit the nail on the head

---

Thomas Tomosy, Camera Maintenance and Repair, Book 2, Buffalo: Amherst, 1997