Asahi Pentax ESII photometer stuck Repair

NirvanNa · Jan 20, 2014

Hello mates!!!
This is my first entry in this APUG forum, and I need your help to make my Asahi Pentax ESII photometer working again.

Its a old cam from my father, and wen the cam is gave to me the photometer are working with the proper battery for it,
and from one moment to the other didnt work no more until now. The pointer is stuck in upper measures when i look from
the viewfinder.

Can you help me do disassemble ESII and do one quick maintenance to prisms and because they have some particles and they
need to be removed.

best regards

NirvanNa · Jan 20, 2014

I have this link http://www.instructables.com/id/How...-Spotmati/step8/Step-six-Reassemble-the-body/ but i dont know where i need to start to get the photometer zone.

Bill Burk · Jan 20, 2014

You already checked the obvious? Do you have the orange/red triangles lined up? You will not see the needle move unless it is set to Automatic. Then the meter only operates when you press the shutter half-way.

NirvanNa · Jan 20, 2014

Bill Burk said:
You already checked the obvious? Do you have the orange/red triangles lined up? You will not see the needle move unless it is set to Automatic. Then the meter only operates when you press the shutter half-way.

Hi Bill Burk yes i tried to use in Automatic mode, with those two triangles pointing itch others, and nothing the photometer point is stuck up there, always above 1000.
I tried to use new batters too

Les Sarile · Jan 20, 2014

If you consider professional repair, in the USA, Eric is the Pentax wizard -> http://pentaxs.com

Bill Burk · Jan 20, 2014

And I assume the batteries are arranged with + and - up and down as needed.

Well, at least you can use the speeds 1000, 500, 250, 125 and 60, even without a battery.

NirvanNa · Jan 20, 2014

Bill Burk said:
And I assume the batteries are arranged with + and - up and down as needed.

Well, at least you can use the speeds 1000, 500, 250, 125 and 60, even without a battery.

Yes the cam works very fine, but im looking to resolve the photometer problem, and some particles i saw in view finder.

My needs are how i can open the cam to locate to those spots to repair

Tom1956 · Jan 21, 2014

The particles in the finder are just pieces of old foam and have nothing to contribute to the problem. Here is your problem: Possibly one or more of the battery contacts is dirty, or a battery has a fingerprint. On the ES II, there are 4 batteries in series. Anywhere in this Christmas tree (series) string could be a wire corroded in two or detached from the contact. Do not judge wire corrosion from the apparent condition of the battery compartment or contacts. Everything can appear clean as a whistle, and the actual wiring can be green, crusty, and corroded apart. It is unlikely you have a needle assembly problem. Also I have an ES (not ES II) right here with a circuit board problem. The needle on the models rests above 1000 with no batteries in camera.

jochen · Jan 21, 2014

Hello,
you can find a repair manual for the Spotmatic in the net. The body of the ES and ES II is very similar. You have to take off the upper body cover to get to the galvanometer. Did you try the battery check, does the needle move? Are the batteries (4 x V 76 PX or SR 44 or LR 44) o.k.? Do they have contact? Do not lose the battery cover, put a piece of adhesive over it, it is difficult to get a spare part and there are two versions of the cover who are not exchangeable.

Xmas · Jan 21, 2014

The debris in viewfinder won't get on the photo it is best to ignore.

Stripping a camera yourself for finder debris is just not a good idea unless you have done it before and have set of tools in which case you would not bother.

Try cleaning the batteries and all the battery contacts again with a cotton rag.

If there was a fault with the meter or circuit you may need spare parts.

John Koehrer · Jan 21, 2014

The needle may be stuck to the upper stop. Either from disintegrating foam or possibly magnetized(not likely).

NirvanNa · Jan 21, 2014

Les Sarile said:
If you consider professional repair, in the USA, Eric is the Pentax wizard -> http://pentaxs.com

I think it not a option a think with the right 'directions' a can get in the problem and resolve it. And one more problem im not from USA,
Im from Europe the shipping is so hard to support.

Bill Burk · Jan 21, 2014

So the advice to press the battery check, is a good one. And also to try changing ASA and/or the exposure compensation dial, maybe the problem is a dirty variable resistor there.

There is a lot of circuitry under the baseplate, and this is very easily accessed. Maybe opening the baseplate, removing and cleaning the contacts on the circuit board and replacing it will resolve the issue (without having to get deeply into the camera).

NirvanNa · Jan 21, 2014

Tom1956 said:
The particles in the finder are just pieces of old foam and have nothing to contribute to the problem. Here is your problem: Possibly one or more of the battery contacts is dirty, or a battery has a fingerprint. On the ES II, there are 4 batteries in series. Anywhere in this Christmas tree (series) string could be a wire corroded in two or detached from the contact. Do not judge wire corrosion from the apparent condition of the battery compartment or contacts. Everything can appear clean as a whistle, and the actual wiring can be green, crusty, and corroded apart. It is unlikely you have a needle assembly problem. Also I have an ES (not ES II) right here with a circuit board problem. The needle on the models rests above 1000 with no batteries in camera.

HI Tom1956 Thats the problem point, same problem you have in your ESII.
Without battery's the needle pointer is stuck above 1000, I try too meter the light with a low aperture lens, and with the obturation button semi press to meter the light, the needle bounce but stay always above the 1000.
I can take some fotos from the down circuits machine, its complectly clean, but just like you said, can be some ' Everything can appear clean as a whistle, and the actual wiring can be green, crusty, and corroded apart'

NirvanNa · Jan 21, 2014

Xmas said:
The debris in viewfinder won't get on the photo it is best to ignore.

Stripping a camera yourself for finder debris is just not a good idea unless you have done it before and have set of tools in which case you would not bother.

Try cleaning the batteries and all the battery contacts again with a cotton rag.

If there was a fault with the meter or circuit you may need spare parts.

Hi Xmas, the debris in viewfinder stay in foto to. I think they came from the parched foam. I need to remove that, some people tell me its the cam 'finderprint' and its aesthetic from those older cams.
But in high quantity contribute to a bad photography.

The battery's contacts are clean, with the battery's in, the pointer needle bounce a little bit, but don't get low meters.

jochen said:
Hello,
you can find a repair manual for the Spotmatic in the net. The body of the ES and ES II is very similar. You have to take off the upper body cover to get to the galvanometer. Did you try the battery check, does the needle move? Are the batteries (4 x V 76 PX or SR 44 or LR 44) o.k.? Do they have contact? Do not lose the battery cover, put a piece of adhesive over it, it is difficult to get a spare part and there are two versions of the cover who are not exchangeable.

I just try the batteries check button to give some more power, but the needle remains stubborn in upper values, its moves but is significantly.
The batteries are LR 44

NirvanNa · Jan 21, 2014

jochen said:
Hello,
you can find a repair manual for the Spotmatic in the net. The body of the ES and ES II is very similar. You have to take off the upper body cover to get to the galvanometer. Did you try the battery check, does the needle move? Are the batteries (4 x V 76 PX or SR 44 or LR 44) o.k.? Do they have contact? Do not lose the battery cover, put a piece of adhesive over it, it is difficult to get a spare part and there are two versions of the cover who are not exchangeable.

Hi jochen again, can you post a video ou some manual photography's from how i need proceed ? Im searching to on web but i found few problems just like my cam problem.

Bill Burk · Jan 21, 2014

Who cares about the needle... Does the shutter slow down when you go in the dark??? (Of course I know you want the whole camera working but maybe it works right now).

Maybe it is not electrical at all. Maybe that foam is blocking the needle... and the camera operates anyway.

NirvanNa · Jan 21, 2014

Bill Burk said:
Who cares about the needle... Does the shutter slow down when you go in the dark??? (Of course I know you want the whole camera working but maybe it works right now).

Maybe it is not electrical at all. Maybe that foam is blocking the needle... and the camera operates anyway.

Bill Burk I care about the needle! :munch: if it dont work i can Meter the light. No In darkest areas and low light the pointer needle don't F* moves!

NirvanNa · Jan 21, 2014

I found a video with a guy closing the cam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQL097ZDCLg

but is completely insane!

Bill Burk · Jan 21, 2014

I get that you want it all working... I fixed a wire on an old Mamiya 35mm meter circuit and fixed it last weekend despite the fact I will never use the meter, because I had to have it working.

But is the camera working despite lack of needle movement? It's an automatic camera after all, and so the needle is just a display. As it gets darker the shutter should sound like it makes longer exposures up to a few seconds.

Trail Images · Jan 21, 2014

I'm not sure if this user guide is of help. I'm not familiar with this camera at all so I looked at this site and found the Pentax ES listed. There are two parts to the PDF.
I've used this site for other user guides and when I downloaded them I did donate according to the suppliers request.

Pentax ES

Tom1956 · Jan 21, 2014

Presuming the configuration under the bottom panel is somewhat like the ES, I believe I would remove the circuit board and clean the contacts. Then I'd consider whether the switch which is actuated by partial depression of the shutter release; is dirty.

NirvanNa · Jan 22, 2014

Trail Images said:
I'm not sure if this user guide is of help. I'm not familiar with this camera at all so I looked at this site and found the Pentax ES listed. There are two parts to the PDF.
I've used this site for other user guides and when I downloaded them I did donate according to the suppliers request.

Pentax ES

hi Trail Images i have the original cam manual. But in there do not say how to dismount the cam.

I think it can be resolve if i can get trough, upper plaque into the view finder zone, to clean the deputes and give a small push into needle to unblock it.

NirvanNa · Jan 22, 2014

Tom1956 said:
Presuming the configuration under the bottom panel is somewhat like the ES, I believe I would remove the circuit board and clean the contacts. Then I'd consider whether the switch which is actuated by partial depression of the shutter release; is dirty.

hi Tom1956 did you saw this video to how dissemble the upper plaque ESII http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQL097ZDCLg it such a anagram! wow it needs some really patient and time.

Tom1956 · Jan 22, 2014

NirvanNa said:
hi Tom1956 did you saw this video to how dissemble the upper plaque ESII http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQL097ZDCLg it such a anagram! wow it needs some really patient and time.

Yeah I clicked on it for a couple seconds, but I've popped the top on so many cameras, I can't count. I just don't think that's where your problem is. I think you have a continuity situation somewhere more related to the bottom end of the camera. I suppose a piece of trash can be blocking your meter movement, but I'd satisfy myself on any continuity or intermittent possibilities first. I've only ever seen one galvanometer gone bad, on a Mamiya, I believe.

Asahi Pentax ESII photometer stuck Repair

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