Minolta Maxxum 5 Rewinding issues

groddoneright

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Hello all!

My Minolta Maxxum 5 that I just got and is in very good condition from what I can see, has been working perfectly fine for about 2 months now. Just today when it was trying to rewind the film after it hit 40 it did the noises and everything, but when I opened my film was still there exposed. Very depressing.
Anyway, I tried many times to manually rewind - it made the noise but nothing would happen.
I ended up manually rewinding in my darkroom bag to save what I could.

I tested it today with a test bulk load roll of 10 frames. The camera loads fine to frame 1, shoots all the way, makes the rewinding noises, but when I open the door the film is unwound. The battery indicator says the batteries are full. And I put in a new one along with a used one just to be sure. And it behaves the same.
I checked multiple times to make sure that I was loading correctly. All looked good.

Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong? I just restored a Minolta SRT 101, but have no idea if I can tackle a more modern af slr.
I’d be willing to send it in for repair if I had to and it wasn’t an obscene bill. I love this thing, and it’s pretty mint to be honest.

Thank you!
 

Andreas Thaler

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Unfortunately, I can't say anything specific about this, I can only make a general assumption.

It seems as though the motor for rewinding is running, but the power transmission to the spool that winds up the film isn't working, so it's a mechanical problem.

I'll look in the service manual to see how it's set up and get back to you.
 

Andreas Thaler

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I looked through the repair manual:
  • No information about the problem (troubleshooting).
  • The camera contains a capacitor for the built-in flash, there is a procedure for discharging it. Without more detailed knowledge of the circuitry of this capacitor, I strongly advise against opening the camera (risk of electric shock).
  • As with all cameras of this generation, the electronics dominate the field. Only the Minolta service could make settings. The inner workings are complex.
  • I therefore think it is not advisable to open the camera to look for problems.
Problems with rewinding are described on the web.

Here you can find a recommendation to clean the contacts that are accessible from the outside:

dynax film camera problem (film rewinds before ending): Konica Minolta Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Expert news, reviews and videos of the latest digital cameras, lenses, accessories, and phones. Get answers to your questions in our photography forums.
www.dpreview.com


I know that's not encouraging. But unfortunately these cameras are no longer suitable for DIY, they are too complex.

But maybe someone else has an idea to solve the problem?
 

koraks

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Andreas Thaler said:
It seems as though the motor for rewinding is running, but the power transmission to the spool that winds up the film isn't working, so it's a mechanical problem.
Click to expand...

Sounds like it, yes.

I'd open it up and see if there's a straightforward cause visible. And/or maybe start by attempting to verify the rewind procedure with the back opened; you may have to manipulate the camera a little so that it 'thinks' the back is closed. Perhaps with a toothpick etc.
 

koraks

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Andreas Thaler said:
I would not touch it.
Click to expand...

That's one way of dealing with the risk.

Another way is to not use the flash so the cap doesn't charge, leave the camera alone for maybe an hour or so and only then open it up.
Note the flash cap only charges when needed. Otherwise it would be a massive waste of batteries.
 

Andreas Thaler

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There is also the possibility of electrostatic discharge, which can damage components, and then you have to bring the system back up again.

But everyone has to know what they are doing as always
 

koraks

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Andreas Thaler said:
There is also the possibility of electrostatic discharge, which can damage components, and then you have to bring the system back up again.
Click to expand...

Yes, there's always this risk, and also of dropping the camera while working on it, not being able to reassemble things you take apart, damaging mechanical parts while working on them, etc. You have to balance all these things when deciding to pick up the screwdriver. I think we're all aware of this.
 

Andreas Thaler

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koraks said:
I think we're all aware of this.
Click to expand...

I don't think so, because it is already specialist knowledge and I assume that we have many readers here who would like to find out more about it.

It is therefore good to present all the options and discuss them.

What happens in the specific case is up to the person asking the question.

But then - hopefully - they will be better informed than before.
 

xkaes

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You mention this is bulk loaded film. Do you have the same problem with factory loaded film? If not, the problem might relate to your reloading process.

I assume you know how to open the back MID-roll.

Do NOT get it repaired. You can buy working bodies for under $20.
 
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groddoneright

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I want to say I’ve used a bulk load roll in it before. And I did a few tests with a roll of 10 frames to mess around with. It did rewind once, but after several tries it failed every other time.

I may test to see if the winder base is moving with the back open. Gonna have to figure that out first.
I know they’re cheap to get again, but I haven’t found a good working one below $50 in a bit. Not since mine which I got for $25 in almost mint condition (minus the obvious issue now lol). I’d rather keep the same one and send in to fix, unless it’s over $100 in which case I’ll gamble with another I guess lol
Thank you for the tips!
 
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groddoneright

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Thank you all for the help.
I’m sad that my new Minolta sht the bed, especially considering the excellent condition it’s in.
I may call a repair shop nearby to see what they think and what it might cost. I prefer to upcycle and keep something alive vs getting a new one. But of course if it’s pricey I’ll just start a Maxxum 5 graveyard I guess. lol

Trying to fix it or even just tinker with it to eyeball the mechanism a little closer seems to involve somewhat more specialty knowledge and tools around electronics and discharges, which I’m clueless to. I don’t want to ruin it with my ignorance any further lol

I’ll follow up when I get the chance to inquire or if I get a new one. If anyone sees a working one somewhere under $50 including shipping let me know!!!
 
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groddoneright

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Thank you so much for making me aware of the pitfalls and the additional specialty knowledge involved.
If I ever decide to venture into it I’ll come back to this! Thanks again!
 

Nicholas Lindan

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If it is like a lot of other "plastic fantastic" cameras then the same motor that winds the film is also used for rewind.

If the direction of this motor is reversed it decouples from the winding gears and engages a rewind gear train that runs from one end of the camera to the other. Often this gear train is accessible by removing the bottom plate of the camera. Assuming, of course, the camera has a removable bottom plate...

It is possible the problem is readily apparent and something can be 'clicked' back into place or a drop of oil is needed in some part of the reversing mechanics. Or it may be one of the plastic gears has stripped and you out of luck unless you want to do some 3D printing.
 

xkaes

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groddoneright said:
I want to say I’ve used a bulk load roll in it before. And I did a few tests with a roll of 10 frames to mess around with. It did rewind once, but after several tries it failed every other time.
Click to expand...

This doesn't answer my question. Does the same problem happen with a factory loaded roll or not?
 
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groddoneright

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Thank you, was about to undergo this procedure, and still might pending some more tests, until I tinkered with the actual winding wear today as someone suggested above.
 
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groddoneright

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So, I finally messed around with the actual winding gear that goes into the spool and holds it. I’m going to post pics and a video if it’s possible, but basically the film is held in place by the contours of the chamber and the winding gear at the bottom which the spool that sticks out of the film cassette accepts into it.
The gear has teeth that engage the spool which has two plastic ridges inside the tube.
I noticed that the gear pushes down with minimal pressure (spring loaded to press down and it comes back up), and suspected maybe I was putting in the film wrong and pushing it down. But after a few tests I’m confident rhat’s not it.
What I did notice was that when I ran the rewind function with the back open (i just used a thin piece if cardboard to mimic the door) it did in fact run well and didn’t seem to stall or struggle. I put the same roll in and I could see the gear hitting it but not winding it.
Looked at the ridges in the spool, saw that there are some visible marks on the very edge corners of the two ridges that are supposed to be engaging the gear teeth. I can tell there’s plastic missing from the corners.
So what I’m suspecting with pretty good confidence is that these bulk load cassettes are made with too soft a plastic and too short of ridges to the point that they get worn out quickly by the autowind until one day you just get dunked on for an entire roll’s worth of memories.
I’ll confirm but I’m pretty sure that’s the problem.
Glad I looked at it because I was 70% defeated and looking for an alternate.

Here’s the link to the product in question:



If there are no pictures or vid it’s because it wouldn’t let me. I had issues with it last time too. Thank you all for the help again! Especially the suggestion about mimicking the door closing and testing the motor!
 
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groddoneright

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Andreas Thaler said:
Great, thanks for the update!

Maybe you'll be our specialist for newer cameras and more repair projects will follow?
Click to expand...

Hahaha I sure would love to! We’ll see how much I can learn about them. If you know of any resources for more modern electronic 35mm slr’s send em over. I did my first restore with a Minolta srt 101 and that taught me/is teaching me a lot still. But I get the gist of how a camera is set up. I’m hunting for my next restore now. Trying to find another mechanical I’m super interested in for super cheap. Maybe a dusty F2 that needs a fix and some cleaning. Maybe a nice srt201.
 
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