- Joined
- May 23, 2011
- Messages
- 103
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Well, I had a Diana Instant back that I loved to use, but it gave up the ghost on me and stopped ejecting photos. I changed batteries, whacked it a bit, but to no avail. After hearing that others have had this problem, and no solutions, I decided to rip into it to see whats what (I was planning to buy a new back at that point..)
What I discovered is that the rollers had drifted a bit over time, and the misalignment was the culprit to the problem!
This is an easy fix, if anyone needs to dig into theirs. Sorry, no photos, but its pretty simple to follow.
1) Remove the batteries, and any film in the back, and remove the back from the camera.
2) Remove the 2 screws on the side of the back, and there is one screw on the front side (side that attaches to the camera) to remove as well.
3) Now you can see the rollers. Remove the springs by first removing the legs on the outside edge of the rollers (the loaded end), and then unscrewing the silver screw. The spring is wedged in a bit, so you may have to grab it and pull, but it will come out easily.
** Note! There is a little black piece that floats freely on the roller, right under the spring. Don't Lose This! This seats the spring on the roller.
4) Once you have removed the two springs and have the two black pieces out, you will see the roller is loose. Give it a wiggle, and you may want to roll them a bit and clean with a q-tip and alcohol if they are gunked up.
5)Reseat the black pieces using a pair of needlenose pliers, and reseat the springs by laying them in place, V-side down, and placing the silver screw back into place. Be sure to screw the silver screw in place just enough so that the plastic isn't bent! You can easily overscrew them and warp the body a bit! Once the screw is in place, you can push the two arms back into their notches. Once this is done, button everything back up, and give it a whirl.
6) Just for added measure, i slightly bent out the arm that advances the pictures as well. Why not, right??
What I discovered is that the rollers had drifted a bit over time, and the misalignment was the culprit to the problem!
This is an easy fix, if anyone needs to dig into theirs. Sorry, no photos, but its pretty simple to follow.
1) Remove the batteries, and any film in the back, and remove the back from the camera.
2) Remove the 2 screws on the side of the back, and there is one screw on the front side (side that attaches to the camera) to remove as well.
3) Now you can see the rollers. Remove the springs by first removing the legs on the outside edge of the rollers (the loaded end), and then unscrewing the silver screw. The spring is wedged in a bit, so you may have to grab it and pull, but it will come out easily.
** Note! There is a little black piece that floats freely on the roller, right under the spring. Don't Lose This! This seats the spring on the roller.
4) Once you have removed the two springs and have the two black pieces out, you will see the roller is loose. Give it a wiggle, and you may want to roll them a bit and clean with a q-tip and alcohol if they are gunked up.
5)Reseat the black pieces using a pair of needlenose pliers, and reseat the springs by laying them in place, V-side down, and placing the silver screw back into place. Be sure to screw the silver screw in place just enough so that the plastic isn't bent! You can easily overscrew them and warp the body a bit! Once the screw is in place, you can push the two arms back into their notches. Once this is done, button everything back up, and give it a whirl.
6) Just for added measure, i slightly bent out the arm that advances the pictures as well. Why not, right??
