FTN Battery Chamber Coil Spring

[ColColt]

I have a Nikon FTN Photomic that inside the battery chamber of the meter is a coiled spring that's come loose. If you turn the meter upside down it just falls out. It doesn't seem to affect the meter but I know it shouldn't be like that. There appears to be a tiny hole inside the chamber where the end of the coil goes. I tried using small needle nose pliers to hole the coil and get the end of it in that hole but no dice. Any suggestions?

 

[John Koehrer]

I thought the spring was on the battery cap. Been wrong several times today though.

 

[ColColt]

Nope, inside the battery chamber. It's a small coiled spring.

 

[shutterfinger]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...A0.H1.Xhemostats.TRS0&_nkw=hemostats&_sacat=0
Straight my best guess, curved 2nd.

 

[Xmas]

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...A0.H1.Xhemostats.TRS0&_nkw=hemostats&_sacat=0
Straight my best guess, curved 2nd.

Or even smaller pliers...

The Spring would normally be fastened to wiring termination, should not be loose, but putting it back should work.

 

[bdial]

What does the end of the spring where it would go into the hole look like? Is it square or jagged?
(you will probably need a strong magnifier).
I'm thinking the end where it enters the hole may have broken off from fatigue.

 

[ColColt]

The end looks a bit jagged. My suspicions are it broke off. The hole doesn't look large enough to accept the end of the spring and itself looks a little ragged. You can put the spring inside the chamber, add batteries and the meter works but that spring is not suppose to be loose. I guess the pressure of the batteries and the cap screwed down still makes enough contact to complete the circuit.

 

[Xmas]

Confirmed be careful not to lose the spring.
Report is as loose article at next service and pressure sensitive it with tape to the baseplate.

 

[ColColt]

OK-got her figured out. That coil spring in the battery chamber had gotten loose somehow and as the battery/adapter was pushed in and the cap screwed on, the bottom one or two larger coils of the spring being able to move about was making contact with the outside edge of the adapter, which is positive effectively shorting out the battery. That's why the meter wouldn't work and the battery was getting warm...dead short.

I managed to get the spring back in the grooves and pushed on it several times to be sure it couldn't move about and reinserted the battery/adapter, put the cap back on and now the meter works. don't you love it when things come together?

 

[John_Nikon_F]

OK-got her figured out. That coil spring in the battery chamber had gotten loose somehow and as the battery/adapter was pushed in and the cap screwed on, the bottom one or two larger coils of the spring being able to move about was making contact with the outside edge of the adapter, which is positive effectively shorting out the battery. That's why the meter wouldn't work and the battery was getting warm...dead short.

I managed to get the spring back in the grooves and pushed on it several times to be sure it couldn't move about and reinserted the battery/adapter, put the cap back on and now the meter works. don't you love it when things come together?

Good deal. Glad it's sorted out.

-J

 

[ColColt]

I was about to pull out what hair I have left but, it all came out fine.