Minolta xg-9 power issues help

GregoryPaulson

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Hello! New here.

I recently acquired a “for parts or repair” Minolta xg9 on ebay with confidence in my skills because I got an old Argus working again.

I was wrong. The camera is very different from a 1940’s bakelite camera. The shutter is no firing and the batteries are not providing power. I opened the bottom cover and tripped the mirror opening button(??) so the film winder arm and mirror are working. My issue lies in the fact that the batteries flat out don’t work. The red light doesn’t go on. Nothing happens when flipping between the on, off, and battery check options.

I gave the battery cap a good scrubbing with vinegar and alcohol to get rid of any gunk that may be stopping whatever connection that helps with. Still no power.

I tried cramming a little piece of aluminum foil with the batteries in case they weren’t making full contact with both ends. Still nothing.

I am out of my normal options and know that this is probably an internal electronics issue, but am not sure what is causing this.

Any help would be nice.
 

koraks

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Hi, welcome to Photrio @GregoryPaulson !

GregoryPaulson said:
The camera is very different from a 1940’s bakelite camera.
Click to expand...

...he spoke with a distinct sense of understatement!

The first thing that comes to mind with Minoltas of this vintage is the two electrolytic capacitors that tend to be leaky. You will find several repair threads on cameras from the X-series if you search this site (and others).
 

ic-racer

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A variable power supply is nice for these situations. You can jumper right to the solderd contacts for the battery holder. You can get one for $25 on Aliexpress or other sites.
 
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GregoryPaulson

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ic-racer said:
A variable power supply is nice for these situations. You can jumper right to the solderd contacts for the battery holder. You can get one for $25 on Aliexpress or other sites.View attachment 391377
Click to expand...

What camera is that? And what kind of power supply? Do you have any tutorials or instructions you can link me to?

This is a very appealing option, because battery reliance is my biggest enemy. I'm reminded of my endgame computer mouse hunting where I was looking for ways to mod my mouse to make it rechargeable, because having something rechargeable is infinitely better.
 

xkaes

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Many Minolta SLR cameras have a reputation for dead capacitors. These tend to be the X-700 and later models -- X-570, X-370, etc.

The earlier cameras, like the XK, XD, and XG models don't seem to fall victim as often, but this might be your problem.

On the X-700 and later models it's easy to determine in the problem is the capacitor. Not so with the earlier cameras.

If it is the capacitor, it might be a relatively easy fix:

https://gregpak.com/i-did-the-minolta-x-370-capacitor-fix-and-then-i-discovered-the-real-problem/

The good news is that XG-9 bodies can be found for around $10 -- and normally are very reliable.
 

koraks

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xkaes said:
The earlier cameras, like the XK, XD, and XG models don't seem to fall victim as often, but this might be your problem.
Click to expand...

I think that's really a matter of time. About a year ago I did the replacement of one dead cap on my XG-M; they sure were as dead as a doornail and had started to leak.

Minolta XG-M: Replacing the electrolytic capacitors

For my planning: Are you interested in how to replace the four electrolytic capacitors on a Minolta XG-M? In my opinion, many specimens are likely to be affected by leaking electrolytic capacitors, including damage to the surrounding conductor paths caused by electrolyte. I have an older...
www.photrio.com

xkaes said:
If it is the capacitor, it might be a relatively easy fix:
Click to expand...

Depending on the camera type and the failure mode, more than one cap may have to be replaced.

Ask @Andreas Thaler about this end/or refer to his many excellently illustrated repair threads. The thread linked to above is one of his that I piggy-backed on.
 

Andreas Thaler

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I can only guess.

If one or more capacitors fail, the LEDs in the viewfinder on the X-cameras still light up but they don't trigger.

I believe that at least one of the capacitors briefly supplies the trigger solenoid with voltage so that it can disconnect. If the capacitor is defective, therefore the camera won't trigger.

I would check the battery contacts/battery chamber again for any battery electrolyte residue. The stuff likes to go through the connections towards the circuit board and destroys wires, conductors and connections there. The base plate can be removed for a check, but it may be that the battery chamber still has to be removed to be able to see the contacts. You can then use a multimeter to check for continuity.

If the battery contacts are not conducting, they must have a high resistance.

But that's just speculation.
 

xkaes

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The XG-M is one-half XG-9 and one-half X-700, so instructions for replacing the capacitor(s?) on the XG-M might be very helpful regarding the XG-9.
 

xkaes

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Andreas Thaler said:
If one or more capacitors fail, the LEDs in the viewfinder on the X-cameras still light up but they don't trigger.
Click to expand...

Is that true for the XG-M? If so, it's likely to be true for the XG-9, too.

All of my dead capacitors have been in Minolta SLRs made after they moved manufacturing to China. I've never had a problem with my XG-9/XG-M/XG-A/XK/XD cameras -- made in Japan.
 

ic-racer

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That is an OM-1 with 1.5v applied to the battery contacts. The camera is getting calibrated for a 1.5v battery in that case, but in cases of corroded battery box, the clips can be attached to the wires coming out of the battery box to power a camera for testing.

Thaler is the Minolta expert! Search for his threads!
 

Andreas Thaler

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xkaes said:
Is that true for the XG-M? If so, it's likely to be true for the XG-9, too.
Click to expand...

I believe there are four electrolytic capacitors installed in the XG-M. It will depend on which one is broken.

xkaes said:
All of my dead capacitors have been in Minolta SLRs made after they moved manufacturing to China. I've never had a problem with my XG-9/XG-M/XG-A/XK/XD cameras -- made in Japan.
Click to expand...

I also had X-700s made in Japan with defective capacitors. And the same goes for capacitors in the Auto Winder G.

These are electronic components with a higher risk of failure.
 

koraks

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xkaes said:
All of my dead capacitors have been in Minolta SLRs made after they moved manufacturing to China. I've never had a problem with my XG-9/XG-M/XG-A/XK/XD cameras -- made in Japan.
Click to expand...

If you look at the images of @Andreas Thaler of one of his XG-M's, you can see plenty of teardrop-shaped blue electrolytic capacitors. These are tantalum capacitors, and such tantalum caps from the 1980s are GUARANTEED to fail, regardless of where the camera was assembled. Those things are notorious for failing in an increasingly low-impedance state in particular.
 

Kenny Harrelson

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I had the same problem with a Minolta XG7 camera. Nothing seemed to work, new batteries, etc. I need to say that almost nothing worked. I tried the camera with the bulb setting and that allowed me to take timed exposure pictures at least. I picked up the camera in a lot of 4 cameras, all listed as not working, and only paid about $20 total for all four bodies. I collect cameras and then try to use every camera in my collection. I ran an expired 12 exposure roll of film through it and at least I can now say that I've used that camera. Here's one of the images it took, a view of my living room. (Notice the cabinet on the far right):
 

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