Hasselblad 500 CM mirror stays up, upper barn door does not fully open

RezaLoghme

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Due to someone playing with my camera despite knowing that any kind of out-of-synch movement could be deadly, the mirror is now stuck in the "up" position. Camera fires as it should, but the upper barn door does not open fully (it should open in a 90 degree angle, just checked with my other cameras). I tried all sorts of professional remedies, but could not get the mirror/barndoor harmony reinstated.

Any ideas from the experts?
 

Sirius Glass

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Do not force anything and take it to a repair person. Not breaking it further will save you money.
 

Don_ih

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My current investigation into Hasselblad, which included sending a 500C to be repaired and actually repairing a EL/M myself leads me to agree with Sirius (a rarity). That the aux shutter is messed up is a sure fire sign the entire thing needs to be taken apart.
 
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RezaLoghme

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Yes, that is what I have done - sent it to someone who knows these cameras.
Still, what could it be?
 

4season

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RezaLoghme said:
Yes, that is what I have done - sent it to someone who knows these cameras.
Still, what could it be?
Click to expand...
I'm guessing that the immediate cause is that the gear train somehow lost it's tensioning. Jump to about the 11:00 mark to see how it's re-tensioned:
But note that the tech is only performing that operation after a CLA job as shown in Parts 1-4 of the 4-part video. And he does not replace any foam: Replacing foam could easily add another 2+ parts to the series!
 

Sirius Glass

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A good CLA or repair will cure many sins and be provide a better life.
 
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RezaLoghme

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The camera has been fully CLAd a few months ago. I have sent it back to them yesterday.
 

Philippe-Georges

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Well, these little beasts are getting old (mine is from 1981), and as with a lot of other things, not to mention humans, ageing doesn't always leads to improving...

Is there somewhere a thread about ageing eye sight?
 
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RezaLoghme

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Yeah, as I mentioned about a trillion times, mine is old but got CLA'd the hell out of it just a few months ago. I am not complaining, just wondering what the actual technical defect might be.
 
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RezaLoghme

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Techie already emailed me - he had to re-tension the main spring.
 

Sirius Glass

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RezaLoghme said:
The camera has been fully CLAd a few months ago. I have sent it back to them yesterday.
Click to expand...

A wise move. The closer to the original date the better. I wish you well.
 

MattKing

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RezaLoghme said:
By the way you do not have to quote a post when replying to it.
Click to expand...

I think, after over 48,000 posts, Sirius has probably figured that out.
 

Sirius Glass

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RezaLoghme said:
By the way you do not have to quote a post when replying to it.
Click to expand...

I do that so that others are sure to whose post I am referring. In the end it saves misunderstandings and unnecessary posts, whether or not they are about Hasselblads.
 

Don_ih

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It sounds like whoever serviced your camera did not do a great job - or simply missed something (totally possible). There's definitely nothing that can be done without major dismantling of the camera, so you need to decided whether to send it back to that person or find another place to get it fixed.
 
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RezaLoghme

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He said the main spring is weak and replacing it would cost more than replacing the boy with a newer one, after all.
 
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