Hassy 553ELX jammed

ParkerSmithPhoto · Jan 9, 2016

So I was recently gifted (as in free) a minty fresh Hasselblad 553 ELX along with 50, 80 and 150mm lenses, all similarly minty and enclosed in a nice Pelican case. Sucks to be me!

This gear had not been touched for perhaps 10 years, maybe more. It really looks like brand new.

When I added the AA batteries the camera immediately sprang to life and I was able to fire the shutter about 20 times before it inexplicably jammed up. The rear shutter things were open and the lens is closed. The lens cannot be removed from the body.

I did try to turn the screw on the inside of the body, but after failing to reset the lens (or body) about six times I gave up. Only later did I see this note:

Note: Do not use this procedure with any motorized body or any body with a focal plane shutter curtain!

Any ideas, or do I just need to send this bad boy in for repair?

Theo Sulphate · Jan 9, 2016

I'm sure you tried new batteries again, right?

It almost seems to be in a pre-release mode (baffles open, mirror up, shutter closed). Is the selector on S or SR rather than O?

It may be time for a trip to the repair guy - sitting idle for 10 years is not good.

Congrats on a free camera and lenses though!

Theo Sulphate · Jan 9, 2016

Also check the fuse.

bdial · Jan 10, 2016

Check the condition of the batteries, the contacts on the door can punch through the insulation and cause the batteries to short, especially the lower one near the latch and fuse. If the battery check light doesn't show that the batteries are still good, a short may have expired them mid-cycle.

Other than that, given that warning you found, I'd probably send it to one of the repair folks, or perhaps Call someone like David Odess and see if they have any suggestions on what your next step should be.

Here's a link to my post about the shorting problem and my solution; (there was a url link here which no longer exists)

What you describe is more-or-less what happened with my camera. I bought it at a camera shop liquidation, it had been one of their rentals.
When I first picked it up, the body was pre-released, and it had batteries in it, but the cover wasn't fully latched. I got the cover latched, the camera cycled, I mounted a lens and made a few exposures. Then it stopped, with dead batteries. I replaced them and the new ones died before I got through the next roll of film. After another set of batteries I got to the conditions described in the post. After the fix it's been fine, though I've not used it as much as I'd like.

Congratulations, and good luck. At least you have a good budget available for getting it repaired, if it comes to that

Sirius Glass · Jan 10, 2016

You are in Atlanta to walk it over to KEH for a CLA.

Old-N-Feeble · Jan 10, 2016

Wha-a-a-a-t... a Hassy is jammed?? Really?? I've never heard of such a thing!! :devil:

Sirius Glass · Jan 10, 2016

I have been told by the Hasselblad repair man at Samy's that any lens that has not been fired, Hasselblad or other, should be fired several times every three months if it has not been used. Also a lens that has sat around for a while should be fired several times before putting on a camera to make sure that the lens will not damage itself or the camera.

Theo Sulphate · Jan 10, 2016

Old-N-Feeble said:
Wha-a-a-a-t... a Hassy is jammed?? Really?? I've never heard of such a thing!! :devil:

Heh. You try not using a body part for 10 years and see how well it works

Just one data point, but I've been using Hasselblads since 1994 and have never had a single jam or malfunction on a body, lens, or film back.

Luis-F-S · Jan 10, 2016

Sirius Glass said:
You are in Atlanta to walk it over to KEH for a CLA.

+1

Old-N-Feeble · Jan 10, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
Heh. You try not using a body part for 10 years and see how well it works

Just one data point, but I've been using Hasselblads since 1994 and have never had a single jam or malfunction on a body, lens, or film back.

I've done precisely that... and that part don't work for nothin'... at least as far as I know.

Sirius Glass · Jan 10, 2016

Theo Sulphate said:
Heh. You try not using a body part for 10 years and see how well it works

Just one data point, but I've been using Hasselblads since 1994 and have never had a single jam or malfunction on a body, lens, or film back.

My jam after many years was taking a EX+ 500mm lens and mounting it on the Hasselblad without test firing the lens first. I never fired the lens but it would not release from the camera. I had to take it to Samy's to get the lens off and then ship the lens back for a CLA. Now it works. I did not take a chance with the 2XE I just sent it back for a CLA without testing it.

film_man · Jan 13, 2016

If that Hassy has been sitting for 10 years then I'd get the whole outfit serviced because there's bound to be gummed up and dried lubricants and whatever

Sirius Glass · Jan 13, 2016

film_man said:
If that Hassy has been sitting for 10 years then I'd get the whole outfit serviced because there's bound to be gummed up and dried lubricants and whatever

Not just Hasselblad, but any camera that has sat for a long time needs a CLA.

ParkerSmithPhoto · Jan 19, 2016

Fixed it!

The battery light would not come on, so after checking the fuse and looking for any potential shorts in the battery cover as suggested by BDIAL, I finally (duh) looked down into the battery cavity, and spotted some significant corrosion. Chipped it away with a small screwdriver, then polished it up with some sandpaper taped to the end of a pencil. Works like a charm.

Bye Bye Bronica!

Sirius Glass · Jan 19, 2016

I am glad that you fixed it!

yashima · Jan 21, 2016

Hi ParkerSmith and bdial,

I came across your thread on google, and just registered to ask for some more help (great forum by the way!)

I had exactly the same problem with my 553ELX. I took it out for a spin the other day, having not used it for a while. The camera fired perfectly, until the next day, it just suddenly stopped working. The camera jammed, the batteries came out very hot. I did all the standard check, replaced fuse, new batteries etc.. nothing worked. Then I came across your thread.

Initially I thought the problem is in the battery cover. However I borrowed another 553ELX from a friend, and it worked well with my cover. Seeing Parker last post, I looked down the battery cavity, there's no corrosion either. However the batteries get hot up so it must be due to a short, is that correct?

How could I identify where exactly the short is at?

Many thanks for your help.

Sirius Glass · Jan 21, 2016

Welcome to APUG

bdial · Jan 24, 2016

On mine the short was at the terminal nearest the cover lock, marked with an arrow in this pic.
I verified that it was shorted by using a multi meter. You need to press down on the terminal fairly hard with the meter's test lead (as if the cover is locked into place with a battery pressing on the terminal).
On my camera the short did not prevent the camera from functioning while the battery at that position still had some charge. My fix was to use a paper punch to make some small vinyl circles which I slipped under the terminal.
Even though the other terminals didn't show any problem I put vinyl under all of them.

The foam that's under the black plate is fairly soft, and the ends of the terminals are kind of pointed, so after a while the terminal punches through the foam and you get a short circuit. In general, we all think highly of Hasselblad but it seems they made some poor design choices here (IMHO).

ParkerSmithPhoto · Jan 24, 2016

bdial said:
On my camera the short did not prevent the camera from functioning while the battery at that position still had some charge. My fix was to use a paper punch to make some small vinyl circles which I slipped under the terminal.
Even though the other terminals didn't show any problem I put vinyl under all of them.

The original insulation will obviously fail at some point and need reinforcement. Mine clearly showed a deep emboss on the insulating material, but they way the contact is designed I don't think I ever would have noticed if you hadn't mentioned this.

bdial · Jan 24, 2016

In addition to the reinforcement, I ran some fine sandpaper under the tip of the contact to blunt the somewhat pointy end that presses into the foam. When I discovered the problem, the battery at that position was too hot to touch, and the shrink-wrap label had split. I don't care to think about what the battery chamber and motor would have looked like had the battery exploded.

yashima · Jan 31, 2016

Hello Parker and Barry,

Here is an image of my cover plate with where I find the contacts are short-circuited (beep with continuity check), illustrated with a green line, including the contact for the fuse and contact for the little yellow dot sitting between the batteries. All other contacts connection are not.

Please let me know if these are indeed the problem. Its puzzling to me because this cover plate works on another 553ELX, however when putting on my camera the batteries do get warm, and of course doesn't work. So I start to think the problem might be elsewhere,

Thank you.

ParkerSmithPhoto · Feb 29, 2016

yashima said:
Here is an image of my cover plate with where I find the contacts are short-circuited (beep with continuity check), illustrated with a green line, including the contact for the fuse and contact for the little yellow dot sitting between the batteries. All other contacts connection are not.

Did you ever figure this out? I would suggest anyone with an ELX take BDIAL's advice and add extra insulation under the contacts. I don't think it's a matter of if it will fail, but when.

benjiboy · May 12, 2016

ParkerSmithPhoto said:
Fixed it!

The battery light would not come on, so after checking the fuse and looking for any potential shorts in the battery cover as suggested by BDIAL, I finally (duh) looked down into the battery cavity, and spotted some significant corrosion. Chipped it away with a small screwdriver, then polished it up with some sandpaper taped to the end of a pencil. Works like a charm.

Bye Bye Bronica!

Sandpaper is too abrasive to remove battery corrosion because it also removes the plating on battery contacts the best way to do it is to use a cotton wool bud ( Q Tip ) and electrical contact cleaner.

Hassy 553ELX jammed

Attachments

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency