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ZITATTrouble Shooting an SRT
The Minolta SRT series of cameras are very reliable pieces of machinery. They are however around 30 years old as of this time and as with any mechanical device, they can wear out, be damaged or abused. If they have been constantly used since new, they sometimes are in better shape than ones that have been in a drawer for 20 or 30 years. Certain common problems have occurred with the SRTs over the years and I will try to cover some of them with explanations and possible fixes. All problems can be fixed, with the only limits being your skill level or courage. All fixes presented here are aimed at the hobbyist doing his/her own repair. Some repairs are best accomplished by a professional repair technician.
SRT Problems;
Sticking or Inoperable Meter:
The meter movements (galvanometers) on the SRTs rarely if ever actually fail. Always check the battery condition and connections for corrosion or dirt. Most common meter problems are caused by the needle stops that have degraded and turned to goo. The stops are made of a urethane foam material and after years of exposure to ozone or tobacco smoke, get real sticky and fall apart. The same material is used for the seals for the camera back.
Cause: Dirty Battery Contacts.
Fix: Remove the battery cap and clean the inside of the cap, the battery, and the battery contact spring. Use a Q-Tip moistened with alcohol. If any surfaces are corroded, try cleaning/polishing them with a pencil eraser.
Cause: Dirty or inoperable Switch in the bottom of the camera body.
Fix: Remove the bottom cover of the SRT and locate S-1. This switch should make contact when the camera is not firing. Inspect the switch contacts for dirt or corrosion and clean as necessary. Another area to check is the ON/BC switch assembly. All contacts are made of tinned brass, and if the tin coating is worn away corrosion can re-occur more frequently.
Cause: Sticky foam meter needle stops.
Fix: This repair requires the removal of the camera's top cover and prism assembly. It is best to refer to a copy of the SRT Repair Manual for the disassembly instructions. After the removal for the top cover and prism assembly, you can use a pin or similar instrument to gently move the needle away from the sticky stop. It may take some pressure to free it up, but be careful not to bend the meter needle. Once the needle is free, my experience is that it will stay that way, for how long, I can not say. A more permanent fix would be to replace the needle stops, but that is far beyond the skill level of most hobbyists. I have, on occasion, applied a very very small drop of silicon oil with a tooth pick, to the sticky foam stops and that seems to prevent further sticking problems.
Inaccurate Meter Readings:
Be sure to check the meter readings of the SRT with a known accurate external meter or other camera to determine if the fault is indeed the with SRT. It is useful is to know if you are getting over-exposed or under-exposed pictures.
Condition: Under-exposed pictures (meter readings too high).
Cause: The most common cause of inaccurate meter readings is the use of the wrong battery. SRTs originally came with mercury batteries that were 1.35 volt cells. Replacing the cell with an alkaline cell of 1.5 volt cell is a common error. See my "Mercury Battery dilemma" page for more information.
Fix: See "Re-calibrating a SRT"
Condition: Over exposed Pictures (Meter Readings are too Low)
Causes:
With the top cover off, Be sure to check all strings in the top of the body, to make sure that they are moving freely and haven't come off of one of the pulleys or broken/detached.
The Fixed Resistor may be completely removed to provide higher readings. This corrected the problem in one of my SRTs. (The Fixed Resistor is the small (usually gray) resistor near the two adjusting variable resistors. Try removing (unsoldering) just one lead of the resistor to see if that provides the desired result, if so, it can then be removed completely, or just laid aside, being careful not to let the free lead contact anything. Since this resistor is connected in parallel (shunt) to the meter, it effects the sensitivity of the meter movement itself. Removing it increases the sensitivity of the meter. Conversely, replacing it with a lower resistance lowers meter sensitivity. The value of this resistor is usually around 24K, but varies on different cameras. If the removal of the Fixed Resistor does not produce the desired result (higher meter readings), your problem is elsewhere.
It is possible that the CdS cell's or their small prism's cement has crystallized or darkened . The cement (balsam) originally used to mount these components, can crystallize and darken with age and eventually allow detachment. If one or both cells are effected, low light readings will result. To check the function of the cells, you need to check for two peaks in the meter deflection, one above the center of the focus screen and the other below.
The cells and prisms can be removed and cleaned with acetone and then re-cemented with clear epoxy. The repair requires removal of the top cover and the pentaprism. The crystallization or darkening will only be seen after the pentaprism is removed. Looking at the bottom of the pentaprism, if you see a brown or yellowish area where the small prisms are attached, you have a problem with crystallized cement. (while the prism is off the camera, this is a good time to blow out any dust in the view finder)
If you see no crystallization or darkening, I would check the cells themselves with an ohm meter, to see if one of them has actually failed (rare). Resistance readings vary with light around 5K (light) to something like 150K (dark). Minolta used different value CdS cells and the actual values are not what is important, variations with light are a sign that the cell is ok.
To remove the small prisms or cells, apply acetone to the junction a couple of times, letting it soak in. Then lightly tap on the cell or prism and they should separate. Be careful since the prisms can break or chip. Apply more acetone of they are stubborn. Once removed, use more acetone on a q-tip to clean up the surfaces and re-cement them with clear epoxy. Once the epoxy has setup you can paint the exposed areas on the outside of the area with black model enamel. Be careful to not get acetone on or around any plastic parts, especially the Fresnel focus screen, they will melt!
Sticking Shutter Curtains, If the shutter curtains stick or hesitate at any speed, a CLA (Cleaning, Lubrication and Adjustment) is needed. The shutter curtain bearings can become dry or the springs for them can lose their tension.
Sticking or Stuck Mirror, The SRT series has a foam stop or cushion at the top if the mirror chamber to lessen the noise produced, and the shock to the delicate mirror when it closes. This foam cushion can become sticky with age and cause the mirror to stay in the up position or delay return. A clue to this condition is foam residue on the forward part of the mirror. Repairing this condition is a simple process of replacing the foam. The foam is available from suppliers and not a difficult repair for the mechanically adept. Believe it or not, SRTs have been taken to the shop with a "stuck mirror" when all that was wrong, was the mirror lock lever was on.
Dirty Mirror, Seeing a big fingerprint or other debris on the mirror, looks easy to clean off. It is not that easy, since the mirror is the "front surface" type. This means that the front surface of the mirror is coated with a very thin aluminum deposit. If the smudge has been there a long time or someone tried to clean it with a rag, it's probably a hopeless condition. Careful cleaning, using a Q-tip moistened with Denatured Alcohol and light pressure, can bring most mirrors back to near original condition. Use very light pressure and repeat as needed. Most of the debris on the mirror will probably be degraded foam from the mirror cushion. Repace the cushion first. If the mirror is not too dirty, it is hardly noticeable in the view finder. It can make the image appear a little darker. The mirror, regardless of condition, of course has no effect on the image on film.
Shutter Does Not Fire, This can be caused by bent or broken linkage in the release mechanism. Since the SRT is a totally mechanical camera, electronics are not an issue, as they are in later models. It may fire at some speeds and not others. Most qualified technicians can repair this condition but not cheaply.
Light Leaks, Most light leaks on a SRT are from degraded foam light seals in the back of the body. A clue to this problem is sticky residue on the camera back where it seals with the body. Again this seal material is available and not too difficult to replace. See this article, "Light Baffle/Seal Installation" in PDF format, from Micro-Tools.
Film not Advancing, This problem can be as simple as a bent linkage or a failure of the film transport clutch mechanism. SRTs with this problem are best left alone or purchased only for parts.
Missing Film Advance Lever Tip, Missing this part is strictly a cosmetic issue and in no way harms function. I am not aware of replacement parts of this type being available except from a "parts camera". It is best to replace the whole advance arm but you can glue (epoxy) a tip on if you have the black body SRT. US Camera has a repro lever tip for $4.75 plus shipping. They also have a brass replacement mirror lever kick gear for all of the SRT series, which replaces the original plastic one that often breaks and jams the camera.
Aperture Ring Loose or Jammed, The ring around the lens mount with a pin on it is the way that the camera communicates the lens opening to the metering system. This is done by a cord and series of pulleys. The cord is attached to the ring at one end and the meter movement at the other. The cord can be broken, or off of one of it's pulleys or separated from the ring or the meter itself. Sticking or jamming of this ring can be because dirt has made it's way into the ring recess and would need a simple cleaning and very light lubrication.
[To Be Continued][/quote]