DP-11 Meter Issues

[Ariston]

I found some photos online. I tried to disassemble it, but could not get it apart. The instructions for the DP-1 have just four screws on the bottom for access. It looks the same, but would not come apart... maybe glued?

I will keep looking for resources. Thank you for the help!


EDIT: I think there must be additional screws under the leatherette, but I don't want to remove that just yet. There is no power switch - the film rewind disconnects power from the body to the finder.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

I found some photos online. I tried to disassemble it, but could not get it apart. The instructions for the DP-1 have just four screws on the bottom for access. It looks the same, but would not come apart... maybe glued?

I will keep looking for resources. Thank you for the help!


EDIT: I think there must be additional screws under the leatherette, but I don't want to remove that just yet. There is no power switch - the film rewind disconnects power from the body to the finder.

There are screws under the pleather, iirc. Google the service manual, it's there somewhere.
Edit try a tiny bit of acetone, much less than a drop, just a bit to moisten. Better to apply twice (or more) in tiny amounts, than flood and contaminate.
I'll look for a link to the service manual.

 

[George Mann]

This is not true.
I have: two LunaPros, an old LunaSix (which was checked over by QLM 2 years ago) a Gossen N 100, an F Ftn finder, two DP11s, two Nikkormats, several more cameras with CDS cells. All are accurate over their ranges within (at worst) a half stop.

Low light means beyond 1-EV, where this type of resistor becomes increasingly nonlinear.

Some meters have compensating circuits to - 2-EV, many (including the DP-1/11) do not.

Furthermore, uncompensated CDS circuits begin to show this nonlinear behavior at 1/2 a second in every camera I have tested.

 

[Tel]

Service manual:
https://learncamerarepair.com/product.php?product=434&category=2&secondary=8

 

[Ariston]

I got it apart, but it looks brand new in there. The ASA dial and indexing tab move the resistor smoothly. I guess, I'll try and clean it, but I don't think that is going to matter. I guess maybe the photocell has gone bad? I don't know how likely that is when it looks so unused. I know that the selenium cells had much shorter shelf lifes...

 

[BradS]

CDS photo cells do seem to degrade with time (this is controversial) but rarely fail completely.

have you checked for bad/cold solder joints and degraded wire ends?

 

[Ariston]

CDS photo cells do seem to degrade with time (this is controversial) but rarely fail completely.

have you checked for bad/cold solder joints and degraded wire ends?

I looked around and didn't see anything that seemed amiss. The battery check works, as I said, so there is power. I can feel that there was what felt like normal resistance, and the "brush" looked like it was touching the resistor, but maybe my bad eyesight fooled me.

This finder is in really good shape, so I am surprised.