Futile repairs.

[KerrKid]

Why did I even try to troubleshoot and repair a dead-on-arrival $8 Kodak VR35 K12? I should have just accepted the fact that it was dead, take my loss, and thrown it away. I would have 3 hours of my life back.

I admit to being compelled to try to fix things, some of which are unfixable. I'm learning when to walk away, but I'm a slow learner.

 

[Sharktooth]

It's always a mental challenge and a learning experience. It's a good thing to be inquisitive. If you don't try, you don't learn. The next one will be easier.

 

[KerrKid]

Yes, nothing ventured nothing gained.

I’ve always had a fascination with how things work and I figure that if something is already broken and it ends up still being broken after my attempts to repair it I’ve at least gained some knowledge.

But I really need to draw the line on $8 P&S’s.

 

[armadsen]

There’s something to be said about learning on things where the stakes are low. I like trying to repair my own stuff too, and have had some success, but you won’t find me trying to repair my own Leica MP should it break!

 

[jwd722]

I sometimes enjoy the challenge of fixing but not if it looks too involved, I know my limits. I have been fairly successful...well at least occasionally.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

You must never give up trying to repair things, be stubborn, always fight against frustration when things don't work and sometimes let your hands run and not think too much when making repairs.

It's always a fight against yourself. Progress often comes as a surprise and every project takes you further.

I have now given up equating „success“ with „repair success“. Every experience is a win. I recommend documenting each project carefully. After a few days you forget the details.

Color codes for „completed“, „pending“, „dissection“, „technical article“ etc. on my iPhone with Notebooks.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

What I can't fix goes in the box. Suddenly there is a new idea as to how it could be done, or I take a closer look at a certain part, look for a replacement part ...

Nothing is without meaning and use when repairing and it was already broken before.

 

[Chan Tran]

Andreas,
I have a couple of the Yashica Lynx 14 (one is the 14E) the shutter speeds are slow. I wonder how hard it is to adjust the shutter speed. I can use it OK because I know what the speeds really are but it's nice if the speeds are correct. I really enjoy the camera.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Andreas,
I have a couple of the Yashica Lynx 14 (one is the 14E) the shutter speeds are slow. I wonder how hard it is to adjust the shutter speed. I can use it OK because I know what the speeds really are but it's nice if the speeds are correct. I really enjoy the camera.

I don't know the camera, but I found a report in German here, translated into English using Google Translate:

Yashica Lynx 14 - Lichtgriff

Die Yashica Lynx 14 ist ein Erlebnis. Was die Kamera ausmacht, verrät der Bericht. Analoge Fotografie, Messsucher, Kamera Reparatur Service

lichtgriff-de.translate.goog

If the light meter is the problem:

The exposure meter is adjusted mechanically and does not allow for any useful linearity. The result is not optimal, especially in low light. Together with the possible aging of the measuring cell, either the photocell needs to be replaced or it has to be re-soldered to suitable series resistors. Simply switching to 1.5V batteries, as you can do with many other cameras, is not possible with the Yashica Lynx 14.

But that shouldn't put anyone off, because the light meter is only a rough aid anyway. Sunny 16 , a handheld light meter or a smartphone app are a useful addition.

Ibid.


Original version in German language:

Yashica Lynx 14 - Lichtgriff

Die Yashica Lynx 14 ist ein Erlebnis. Was die Kamera ausmacht, verrät der Bericht. Analoge Fotografie, Messsucher, Kamera Reparatur Service

lichtgriff.de

But I think you should start a new thread about this

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Post note:

http://www.yashica-guy.com/index.html

 

[BrianShaw]

Only 3 hours wasted… perhaps you didn’t try as much as you could have tried!

 

[KerrKid]

Only 3 hours wasted… perhaps you didn’t try as much as you could have tried!

At least it kept me out of trouble for 3 hours.))

Once I got the thing mostly apart, I realized that even if I found what was wrong (which honestly would have been a stroke of luck) I wouldn't have the ability or tools to fix it. Especially if it was a circuit board issue. Since there was film in the camera when I got it with much of the film wrapped around the take-up reel, I figured the camera had died due to a film advance issue. Maybe too much tension on the film advance motor and it, or associated electronics, burned out. Oh well. It would have been cool to have triumphed in the repair. I would have stood up straighter and smiled at myself when passing mirrors.

I have done what I consider fairly difficult repairs on several of my Konica Auto S2's. That was rewarding. Too bad I can't figure out how to replace the meters, but at least I have two working cameras that were previously dead.

The repair skill that I really wish I had is soldering. I have been hit or miss with this and would love to be good at it. Especially when it comes to cameras. My Radio Shack Model 100 is sitting in pieces due to my inability to successfully solder three capacitors back on the motherboard. Rats.

 

[KerrKid]

You must never give up trying to repair things, be stubborn, always fight against frustration when things don't work and sometimes let your hands run and not think too much when making repairs.

It's always a fight against yourself. Progress often comes as a surprise and every project takes you further.

I have now given up equating „success“ with „repair success“. Every experience is a win. I recommend documenting each project carefully. After a few days you forget the details.

Good advice. Thanks. I am stubborn for sure and not at all comfortable with failure. At the least, I've learned some things that will come in handy down the road. One thing that I know for sure and that is there is no substitute for quality tools. I really need some camera-specific tools for those tiny screws. It was a royal pita getting those in and out.

 

[Sharktooth]

The repair skill that I really wish I had is soldering. I have been hit or miss with this and would love to be good at it. Especially when it comes to cameras. My Radio Shack Model 100 is sitting in pieces due to my inability to successfully solder three capacitors back on the motherboard. Rats.

I was in the same boat. Couldn't solder to save my life. I finally broke down and bought one of those thermostatically controlled soldering irons with a digital temp readout. Watched a lot of soldering videos, and did several practise sessions, and now can do some basic electrical soldering with reasonable success. Not to the level where I can do tiny surface mount components .... yet, but I can see where that may become feasible in the future. Best $50 I've spent in a while.

 

[armadsen]

I'm an electrical engineer, and was a serious electronics hobbyist starting as a kid, so soldering is the one part of camera repair I consider myself 100% comfortable with.

It's like any other skill: not quite as easy as it looks if you're watching someone else, but it just takes (proper) practice to get good. I also think good tools are quite important. I'd be frustrated were I trying to use a cheap, crappy, unregulated, large tip soldering iron. I have a decent (Hakko FX-951) adjustable temperature, regulated iron with a number of tips, including some for very fine work. Add in a stereo microscope (not as expensive as you might assume), and I can tackle basically anything short of a BGA (ball grid array) package with those tools. I've soldered 01005 (0.2 mm by 0.4 mm) parts before with little trouble, as long as I don't sneeze. Going a little further, hot air rework tooling lets you do even more tricky stuff.

The part I can't do at all and wish I could is fine machining. Anything beyond a dremel and a hand file and I'm beyond my ability.

 

[KerrKid]

I'm an electrical engineer, and was a serious electronics hobbyist starting as a kid, so soldering is the one part of camera repair I consider myself 100% comfortable with.

It's like any other skill: not quite as easy as it looks if you're watching someone else, but it just takes (proper) practice to get good. I also think good tools are quite important. I'd be frustrated were I trying to use a cheap, crappy, unregulated, large tip soldering iron. I have a decent (Hakko FX-951) adjustable temperature, regulated iron with a number of tips, including some for very fine work. Add in a stereo microscope (not as expensive as you might assume), and I can tackle basically anything short of a BGA (ball grid array) package with those tools. I've soldered 01005 (0.2 mm by 0.4 mm) parts before with little trouble, as long as I don't sneeze. Going a little further, hot air rework tooling lets you do even more tricky stuff.

The part I can't do at all and wish I could is fine machining. Anything beyond a dremel and a hand file and I'm beyond my ability.

Thanks for the info. I'm sure I'm not using the correct iron for the job. All I've ever used were unregulated irons.

I think what would help me more than anything is to watch and be taught by someone in person.

 

[Rayt]

I regret not learning how to solder in highschool. While in college I bought an Hafler amp and there was a misunderstanding on my part I guess because it arrived unassembled in kit form. A friend of mine spent all night soldering it together. He was an EE student.

 

[armadsen]

I think what would help me more than anything is to watch and be taught by someone in person.

I'd gladly offer to do that, if I were anywhere near you!

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Sometimes I think my soldering tip is a living being, with moods, stubbornness and never predictable. But after long observation you can cope with it.

What the many soldering instructions don't tell you is how much solder is needed, when the tip should be cleaned and re-tinned with an activator, how much temperature is right, which solder is exactly the right one, how long you should hold the soldering tip to the soldering point etc.

This means that these instructions explain things very precisely, but never in the way you need them for the project you have at the table.

It's exactly the same with desoldering. Especially soldering joints that are no longer fresh, difficult to access or very small.

Here you should remain the child you always are and experiment and practice without worry. The instructions show how it works in principle and you transfer this to your projects. But it takes a long time and you can swear while doing it.

Never give up!

 

[250swb]

Never give up, at least not until you've crawled around on the floor looking for that spring, or if you find it if you can't remember where it went.

 

[KerrKid]

Sometimes I think my soldering tip is a living being, with moods, stubbornness and never predictable. But after long observation you can cope with it.

What the many soldering instructions don't tell you is how much solder is needed, when the tip should be cleaned and re-tinned with an activator, how much temperature is right, which solder is exactly the right one, how long you should hold the soldering tip to the soldering point etc.

This means that these instructions explain things very precisely, but never in the way you need them for the project you have at the table.

It's exactly the same with desoldering. Especially soldering joints that are no longer fresh, difficult to access or very small.

Here you should remain the child you always are and experiment and practice without worry. The instructions show how it works in principle and you transfer this to your projects. But it takes a long time and you can swear while doing it.

Never give up!

I really like the way you described your soldering tip as a living being. That was insightful and helpful.

Yes, they leave out all the things you need to know. I think the only way to fully learn is by trial and error. Like most things. But it sure would be nice to sit next to a pro and watch how it's done first.

I don't think I've ever been able to tin the tip of my soldering iron properly. So frustrating. I'm not even sure if I should touch the solder to the tip when applying the solder to whatever. Also, it seems that by the time the wires (let's say on a trailer loom) are hot enough for the solder to melt and flow into the union, the insulation on the wires is smoking hot and melting.

What is frustrating is that I have soldered one leg of a capacitor to a motherboard and yet cannot get the solder to flow on the other leg. Then there's the flux. That's a whole 'nother issue.

BTW...I looked up the Hakko soldering stuff. Really nice to say the least. I'd like to get one the stations when I get rich and famous.

 

[AC_NMC_1]

Why did I even try to troubleshoot and repair a dead-on-arrival $8 Kodak VR35 K12? I should have just accepted the fact that it was dead, take my loss, and thrown it away. I would have 3 hours of my life back.

I admit to being compelled to try to fix things, some of which are unfixable. I'm learning when to walk away, but I'm a slow learner.

That's better than getting a fully working Kodak Retina Reflex IV, and thinking I could follow along on a youtube video, tearing it down and cleaning it up. Three hours in, at one in the morning, I remembered the comment by the video creator that it was one of the most overly complicated cameras to take apart and reassemble, and wondered why I didn't take that as "Stop before you go any further and wreck your camera" advice. Ah well, live and learn. It was kinda fun taking it apart, but when you start seeing springs come out of the camera, that you can barely see, you know you're in over your head.

 

[KerrKid]

That's better than getting a fully working Kodak Retina Reflex IV, and thinking I could follow along on a youtube video, tearing it down and cleaning it up. Three hours in, at one in the morning, I remembered the comment by the video creator that it was one of the most overly complicated cameras to take apart and reassemble, and wondered why I didn't take that as "Stop before you go any further and wreck your camera" advice. Ah well, live and learn. It was kinda fun taking it apart, but when you start seeing springs come out of the camera, that you can barely see, you know you're in over your head.

Lol. A mans gotta know his limitations. I suffer from the same mentality, though. The warning that "There are no user serviceable parts inside" is an open invitation to see if that's really true. I'm looking at you Shark iron and Keurig coffee maker.

So...is your IV a III-1/2 now or did you get it working?

And, yeh, it's a whole lot easier to take something apart than to put it back together. I've kind of learned that my memory sucks and that when I've been sure I can remember how I took something apart, I can't. So I have these little plastic bags that I got from Hobby Lobby that I put everything in as I take it apart and I stick a little piece of paper in each one letting me know where it goes. I've also done something similar with a tackle box tray which lets me line stuff up in a linear fashion. First out, first in. Of course, taking digi pix as you go is very helpful, too.

 

[AC_NMC_1]

Lol. A mans gotta know his limitations. I suffer from the same mentality, though. The warning that "There are no user serviceable parts inside" is an open invitation to see if that's really true. I'm looking at you Shark iron and Keurig coffee maker.

So...is your IV a III-1/2 now or did you get it working?

And, yeh, it's a whole lot easier to take something apart than to put it back together. I've kind of learned that my memory sucks and that when I've been sure I can remember how I took something apart, I can't. So I have these little plastic bags that I got from Hobby Lobby that I put everything in as I take it apart and I stick a little piece of paper in each one letting me know where it goes. I've also done something similar with a tackle box tray which lets me line stuff up in a linear fashion. First out, first in. Of course, taking digi pix as you go is very helpful, too.

Ha, yeah, I tried to lay all the parts out in the same way the guy was taking it apart, but at some point there were like 20 little gears laying there, and practically invisible springs from where I couldn't tell, and it all started to become a bit confusing. Trying to route 60 year old pieces of string out of the camera was the last straw, I threw in the towel.

IV turned into a big 0, and is now in some landfill. Too bad, as I was actually interested in trying it out. I've loved my Retina IIIc/C's, and haven't dared do anything to them, in fact I just sent two of them off to get cleaned up by someone who knows what they're doing.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Ha, yeah, I tried to lay all the parts out in the same way the guy was taking it apart, but at some point there were like 20 little gears laying there, and practically invisible springs from where I couldn't tell, and it all started to become a bit confusing. Trying to route 60 year old pieces of string out of the camera was the last straw, I threw in the towel.

IV turned into a big 0, and is now in some landfill. Too bad, as I was actually interested in trying it out. I've loved my Retina IIIc/C's, and haven't dared do anything to them, in fact I just sent two of them off to get cleaned up by someone who knows what they're doing.

Welcome to Photrio. Good luck with your repair work. You have more patience and skill than I do.