Bronica SQ-i motor drive - problems

[spoilerhead]

I hope someone can help me with my SQ-i motor drive for the SQ-Ai.

My problem is that the drive stops mid wind, i.e The shutter gets released, then winds for a short moment. then the red light flashes up. I have to press the drive button to rechoke the shutter.
I thought that maybe the batteries are low, so i replaced them with some freshly charged eneloops, but still the same behavior. Do I just need to put in real alkalines? Can someone provide some experience with this problem?

thanks

p.s. if someone has a copy of the manual, could you check if it contains a troubleshooting guide or something similar please? I've been looking for hours, but i can't seem to find the motor drive manual online.

 

[Alex Muir]

Hi. I just bought a SQ-Am and put the first roll through it at the weekend. Although it has a built in motor, I had a similar problem. I loaded fresh alkaline cells for the motor. The ones it came with had some power, but were way out of date. I cleaned all battery contacts with electrical contact spray. I also took out the 6V battery for the shutter and cleaned its contacts. It ran through the second film without a problem. When it was causing problems at the weekend, I noticed that the shutter was half-closed when the power shut off. The shutter cocking and film drive mechanisms seem to be linked. I will replace the 6v cell soon, but I also noticed that the test LED was much brighter after its contacts were cleaned. I don't have the manual you need, but I have seen a number of Bronica manuals on the UK eBay site. I hope you get it fixed soon. Alex.

 

[Alan W]

Rechargeable batteries cause both winders for my OMs to malfunction-I thought they were broken,but they just didn't have enough power-regular AA alkalines solved the problem.

 

[Alex Muir]

Hi again. I have just looked at The Bronica Manual by W. Cheung. It doesn't cover the SQ winder, but has troubleshooting for the ETRSi version. It says that you must align two red dots on the winding linkage when attaching the drive. " For correct positioning, revolve the linkage past the point where the two dots coincide and then turn the linkage back clockwise until it stops. " if you don't do this, it seems to say that the shutter will fire, but winding stops midway. This info is under a section headed 'Practical hints for Motor-drive E use. I hope this helps. Alex

 

[spoilerhead]

@Alex
Thank you for the hint, but i can't find a single red mark on the whole winder

@Alen
Guess i got to try with some alkalines and hope that it will work then. At least it would mean that the motor isn't broken.

 

[Alex Muir]

The red marks are both on the face of the circular drive part of the winder( on the E model. )This is the bit that connects with the camera where the winding crank normally fits. My book was published in the late eighties, which must have been before the motor drive S became available. It may have had a different design, but the troubleshooting chart for the E model describes the same problem you had. Given my own experience, fresh alkaline cells may cure it. Alex

 

[spoilerhead]

FYI: I just tried with some fresh alkalines, but still the same behavior.

@Alex: You said you cleaned the battery contacts. Just those in the Battery holders, or the ones in the grip as well? (I don't want to risk killing the grip by flooding it with contact spray).

Also, maybe an other SQ-Ai owner can confirm that this is normal: when i use the manual winding crank, after shooting there is a bit more force needed from about 120° to 240° and even some more until 300-330. i.e. the needed winding force isn't constant for the whole 360° degree turn.

 

[Benoît99]

Use non-rechargeable alkaline batteries. The Eneloop AA is nominally rated at by the manufacturer at only 1.2v; the Energizer AA is rated at 1.5v. That's puts the Eneloop at 20% below the desired nominal voltage.

The motor grip powers everything on the camera; you can remove the on-body button batteries.

I find that AAs in the motor grip last for quite a long time before they have to be changed. The manual specifies alkaline-manganese or NiCd batteries with a total output of 9v (6 x 1.5).

 

[spoilerhead]

@Benoit99 as i wrote, i tried it with non-rechargeable alkalines today

 

[Alex Muir]

I cleaned all the battery contacts. Spray the product into the lid, or another suitable container, then apply it to the contacts with a cotton-bud or similar. I can't help with the manual wind as my camera is the SQ-Am. You can wind a frame on manually with the knob on the film back. You could try that to see if the resistance varies that way. I loaded a film today and wound it to the first frame that way. There was a distinct change in 'feel', but this was probably the start of the film feeding past the rollers. I hope you get it fixed, as it is a great camera. Alex.

 

[spoilerhead]

oh well, bad news. Contact spray didn't help. I guess i have to find an experienced camera repair man to fix it.