Noblex Pro 175-U: Lens stopped turning...troubleshooting/fixing advice needed please.

Hello all,
I'm not sure what's going on. I have a Noblex 175-U, that looks in MINT condition. When I first got it, worked perfectly. I have only run I think 3 rolls of film through it. First two, no problem.
I seem to recall last one and this was awhile back, seemed to have some sort of problem with last 1-2 shots. I figured at the time it was user error....

Anyway, I dug the camera bag out and opened it up. I put fresh new batteries in it. And was wanting to test out the lens before I put film in it.

I had another thread to learn a bit on how after you put film in, you have to hit the shutter button to let it know to advance the film and start.

I was testing dry runs, no film....and now, no matter what I try, the turret will not spin.

It releases when I trip the shutter button. I can move the turret manually and it rotates and will click stop at the end of the spin and lock properly.

I can hear the motor trying to run.

I've tried this with regular and the multi-exposure switch set.

I had screwed on a arca Swiss plate on the bottom to use on a tripod...I thought maybe I"d over tightened it....I took that off, no...that didn't make a difference.

There's precious little info on this camera I can find on the web....

I got good response before on here on questions....hoping someone sees this one and can maybe help me troubleshoot the problem here. The camera has been cared for carefully....never banged around, etc....keep it in a nice padded bag. It just seems to have stopped for no good reason.

Any ideas on what might be wrong? Troubleshooting ideas?

I know the company is out of business basically...is there ANYONE in the US that could possible service this unit? I really want this thing to work...the few pics I got out of it were beautiful.
I bought this from the B&H Used camera dept..I think last year some time?

Anyway, any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance,
cayenne

cayenne said:

It releases when I trip the shutter button. I can move the turret manually and it rotates and will click stop at the end of the spin and lock properly.

I can hear the motor trying to run.

Click to expand...

You might contact these folks for assistance:
https://www.precisioncameraworks.com/noblex

I've serviced the Noblex 150E but did not examine the rubber idler wheel, and I've a hunch that's at fault with your camera. Mine had problems with the electronics, and while exact replacement parts were obsolete, they were generic enough that I was able to use modern substitutes.

Aside from the shutter speed control (don't lift the camera via this knob!), it's a robustly-built thing, and beneath the acrylic covers lies one of the stoutest die castings that I've ever seen in a camera. Unlikely that you caused any damage with that QR plate.

4season said:

You might contact these folks for assistance:
https://www.precisioncameraworks.com/noblex

I've serviced the Noblex 150E but did not examine the rubber idler wheel, and I've a hunch that's at fault with your camera. Mine had problems with the electronics, and while exact replacement parts were obsolete, they were generic enough that I was able to use modern substitutes.

Aside from the shutter speed control (don't lift the camera via this knob!), it's a robustly-built thing, and beneath the acrylic covers lies one of the stoutest die castings that I've ever seen in a camera. Unlikely that you caused any damage with that QR plate.

Click to expand...

Thank you for the link, I'll give them a try.

@Citsmith - Hello, you gave me some good advice in a previous thread about this camera, do you have any further suggestions for a fix or somewhere to get this serviced?

Thank you in advance...and for anyone that has suggestions.

cayenne

Hello.

I am new here. (sorry for digging out an old thread, but I had recently the same problem as described and found a quick fix).

Noblex not spinning anymore

I had a similar problem recently on my noblex 150. I unscrewed the little screws at the bottom, accessed the driving mechanism. There is the small axis of the motor touching a rubbery material attached to the large dark plastic wheel that makes the barrel turn. The rubbery material ages and turns brittle. and if a piece comes off, the driving mechanism can no longer spin the lens.

I removed the rest of the rubbery material with a tiny screwdriver, and replaced it simply with an o-ring of the right size bought on amazon for a few dollars. I was scared that there would not be enough friction for the motor axis to drive the big wheel because the o-ring is not as sticky as the rubbery material.
I was surprised and happy to see that it works well so far.

Hope this helps

Contact https://www.tempecamera.biz/REPAIR_DEPARTMENT_s/17.htm and see if they can service the Noblex, they do my WideLux servicing work.

If the motor runs and the lens drum does not turn it certainly sounds like the rubber drive wheel. Mine was replaced by Precision Camera before I bought it so I haven’t had this problem (yet). I would try them although they seem to be hard to get in touch with these days. I would also contact B&H about this. They are a very reputable firm and may be able to assist you.

Time2tic said:

Hello.

I am new here. (sorry for digging out an old thread, but I had recently the same problem as described and found a quick fix).

Noblex not spinning anymore

I had a similar problem recently on my noblex 150. I unscrewed the little screws at the bottom, accessed the driving mechanism. There is the small axis of the motor touching a rubbery material attached to the large dark plastic wheel that makes the barrel turn. The rubbery material ages and turns brittle. and if a piece comes off, the driving mechanism can no longer spin the lens.

I removed the rest of the rubbery material with a tiny screwdriver, and replaced it simply with an o-ring of the right size bought on amazon for a few dollars. I was scared that there would not be enough friction for the motor axis to drive the big wheel because the o-ring is not as sticky as the rubbery material.
I was surprised and happy to see that it works well so far.

Hope this helps

Click to expand...

Welcome - and thank you for reviving an on-topic thread!
We hope you can find what you need, and will consider staying and participating.

MattKing said:

Welcome - and thank you for reviving an on-topic thread!
We hope you can find what you need, and will consider staying and participating.

Click to expand...

Thank you. I look forward to participate when time allows.

Time2tic said:

Hello.

I am new here. (sorry for digging out an old thread, but I had recently the same problem as described and found a quick fix).

Noblex not spinning anymore

I had a similar problem recently on my noblex 150. I unscrewed the little screws at the bottom, accessed the driving mechanism. There is the small axis of the motor touching a rubbery material attached to the large dark plastic wheel that makes the barrel turn. The rubbery material ages and turns brittle. and if a piece comes off, the driving mechanism can no longer spin the lens.

I removed the rest of the rubbery material with a tiny screwdriver, and replaced it simply with an o-ring of the right size bought on amazon for a few dollars. I was scared that there would not be enough friction for the motor axis to drive the big wheel because the o-ring is not as sticky as the rubbery material.
I was surprised and happy to see that it works well so far.

Hope this helps

Click to expand...

Welcome to Photrio. I am looking forward to seeing your panoramic photographs when you get it fixed.

Another vote for Precision Camera Works - Noblex Service. I had Bob work on two Widelux as well as an overhaul of my Noblex 135U.