Nikon F3 with jittery LCD display.

[Marco Gilardetti]

I have an F3 with an LCD display behaving in a strange way. It's not the "classic" failing, weak or bleeding LCD, actually the LCD looks allright. When the meter is turned on, sometimes it works just all right, but other times all or most of the segments are activated (it reads +-M8888, if you get what I mean). If short shutter times are displayed, like 4 or 8 or 15, it usually works fine. If shutter times with more figures have to be displayed, like 250 or 1000 or 2000, it is prone to fail (but sometimes it works fine instead).

In this old thread a very similar problem was discussed ten years ago

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/nikon-f3-meter-problems.55844/

and addressed by suggesting to disassmble the LCD / pilot lamp assembly, "clean the contacts" (SIC) and reassemble tightly. This doesn't make much sense to me as there are no "contacts" at all as far as I know. Or does the LCD sit on a plug-in base, quite like an IC chip?

Is this a more or less common problem, and how was it addressed in your case? I don't want necessarily to deal with it in first person, but I would like to understand first what has to be done and eventually give hints to my trusted mechanic (I phone called him and he said he would check the camera but he also admitted he didn't know what to do in this specific case).

Thank you.

 

[jim10219]

All anyone can do without having the camera in their hands is guess. It's like going to an auto mechanic and saying "my car won't start, what's wrong?" It could be any number of things.

Usually, and I don't have experience with an F3, LCD's aren't soldered into place on a board. There's usually a ribbon cable that comes off of them and connects into a slot. An F3 might be different, and that wouldn't surprise me. So it's kind of like some IC chips (though most are soldered directly to the board and not plugged into a socket for cost and reliability reasons, but it's not unheard of to see a socketed IC). Anyway, that's as good of a place as any to start looking for problems, mainly because it's easy to access and easy to clean. But that's not only thing that could be causing your problem. Also, there's a good chance that if that isn't the issue, something will need to be replaced. Which is another reason why it's the first place to look.

In other words, I wouldn't worry about telling your tech what you think is wrong. That's kind of like going to the doctor and telling him/her what disease you have based on your WebMD discovery. It's not going to help them diagnose your problem, and may even make them upset. You're best off just telling them all of the symptoms and let them go from there. Besides, any tech with any electronics experience will know to look for the contacts first on any nonworking LCD, for the reasons I mentioned above.

 

[trendland]

I have an F3 with an LCD display behaving in a strange way. It's not the "classic" failing, weak or bleeding LCD, actually the LCD looks allright. When the meter is turned on, sometimes it works just all right, but other times all or most of the segments are activated (it reads +-M8888, if you get what I mean). If short shutter times are displayed, like 4 or 8 or 15, it usually works fine. If shutter times with more figures have to be displayed, like 250 or 1000 or 2000, it is prone to fail (but sometimes it works fine instead).

In this old thread a very similar problem was discussed ten years ago

https://www.photrio.com/forum/threads/nikon-f3-meter-problems.55844/

and addressed by suggesting to disassmble the LCD / pilot lamp assembly, "clean the contacts" (SIC) and reassemble tightly. This doesn't make much sense to me as there are no "contacts" at all as far as I know. Or does the LCD sit on a plug-in base, quite like an IC chip?

Is this a more or less common problem, and how was it addressed in your case? I don't want necessarily to deal with it in first person, but I would like to understand first what has to be done and eventually give hints to my trusted mechanic (I phone called him and he said he would check the camera but he also admitted he didn't know what to do in this specific case).

Thank you.

How is your batterie power in volts ? A typical failure of F100, F80, F5 in the manner you described indicates " electronic damage due to overload " I guess with to much volts you can destroing every camera electronic also the one of F3.
The next your display will show is still "noting" - so when did you noticed your failure?
Has it happened just a short time from jet?
If it is a failure for a longer while it has other reasons.

with regards

 

[Scott Micciche]

You can try cleaning the contacts with Deoxit spray, on a cotton bud. You don't need much, but even if you cannot see anything on the battery contacts or the finder contacts, cleaning can make a huge difference.

 

[Chan Tran]

What about when you switch to manual? Is it OK? I guess not.

 

[shutterfinger]

Go to http://arcticwolfs.net/ and download the appropriate repair manual for your camera. Look through the manual at how the display block is connected and what's involved to access it.
I suspect cold solder, dirty power switch contacts or a failing display.

 

[AgX]

....
and addressed by suggesting to disassmble the LCD / pilot lamp assembly, "clean the contacts" (SIC) and reassemble tightly. This doesn't make much sense to me as there are no "contacts" at all as far as I know. Or does the LCD sit on a plug-in base, quite like an IC chip?

Even if so, contact issue with an LCD-display can make figures or figure-segments vanish, but not add them.

 

[shutterfinger]

In test mode all segments are active. The only question is it internal of the display or external or the display.

 

[AgX]

A display is steered externally. All segments or so being active means a respective switching at the CPU.

 

[shutterfinger]

There are two version manuals at articwolf's site. V1 the LCD diagram is on page 144, V2 its on page 129.
The power on switch, mode switch and shutter release switch are all involved in the display circuit in both versions..
Additionally I would check the motor drive contacts on the body for corrosion.

 

[AraldoJanes]

Hi...an F3 might be different, and that wouldn't surprise me. So it's kind of like some IC chips as most are soldered directly to the board and not plugged into a socket for cost and reliability reasons, but it's not unheard of to see a socketed IC.Its good of a place as any to start looking for problems, mainly because it's easy to access and easy to clean.

 

[KN4SMF]

Anywhere there's a socket in something that old would mean oxidized contacts. At the voltages and amps these types of things run at, it would take only a few molecules of tarnish to foul up the works. I highly suspect this being the situation. It is for this reason my F3 is an F2, the last and best of the great Nikons.

 

[Marco Gilardetti]

Just in order to prevent other people kidding themselves by thinking that an LCD issue on the F3 might be solved just by cleaning few contacts or resitting a chip on a socket, this story came to an end by purchasing a second F3 camera beaten up but with working LCD display and flexible PCB to be swapped with the "good" camera by a professional. Useless to say, this whole thing cost me a fortune.

First but most of all last camera with LCD-anything that I will ever buy.

 

[choiliefan]

Oh brother...

 

[Chan Tran]

I can say it's not the power problem.