Olympus 35 sp "lazy needle"

[negativefunk]

Hi all,

I came round an Olympus 35 SP. It's pretty (inasmuch one likes a brick's ergonomy), shutter is good, and the meter works...up until 9 EV.
I think the problem is mechanical, as in: the needle of the galvanometer moves freely up until 9EV. from there it encounters some friction, seemingly, and do not progress further. I can gently push it onwards and I don't perceive any significant resistance, but it's as if it's touching on something in the mid section of the travel.
I can't say this second if the resistance is encountered by arm 1 or 2 of the contraption (pictured)

I did clean the parts I can get to with some alcohol without applying any serious friction, but the change is minimal, if any (I may be tricking myself in seeing the needle moving 1/3 stop more)

Questions
1. I thought of lubricating slightly whatever 1 or 2 rest on with some clock oil. I am wary of lubrication though and I'd rather not mess up. Would it make sense for those components?
2. Removing the galvanometer entirely would give me better visibility, but I did not find any service manual. Has any attempted the manouver to know if there are possible mess-ups waiting for the inexperienced?

Thanks

 

[Ian C]

The problem is likely not mechanical. Rather, the photocell may be getting weak after many years. Here is Ken Rockwell’s comments about the camera. He notes that even when new, the CdS meter is slow to respond in relatively weak light.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/olympus...Olympus 35,sharp, clear and perfectly exposed.

 

[negativefunk]

Thanks Ian. It is definitely possible, but I thought it could be mechanical as:

- it stops abruptly at 9ev without going any higher. It does respond differently in lower light (as in: it behaves as I'd expect it to)
- if I nudge it over physically, say, at 12: it stays there as if something is making contact. In the low-light area, it doesn't behave in the same way - it oscillates back to where it thinks it should be

Thanks for the link - I'll also check if the battery is running low of juice, maybe!

UPDATE
It seems I was using the wrong power supply and despite I hoarded batteries and adapters in quantity, I never seem to have the right one for the job. Let's see when the right ones arrive.

 

[negativefunk]

Turns out I was lucky

"2" was touching the wall on the left during its excursion. at the max extension between EV 9 and 10. I suppose a bump could cause that. I removed the two screws keeping the thing (the galvanometer?) in place, adjusted its position ever so slightly, and now it works splendidly. Also the spot button works, it was nigh difficult to assess it in the dark before, but it activates nicely

 

[awty]

Great work.

 

[Codeman73]

Hi, I have an SP I've been cleaning up and all is good with the lens and the fantastic viewfinder, but the meter doesn't work at all. Can you perhaps give me a trouble shooting path to take? There was some corrosion around the little screw that holds the negative contact strip but I turned it back and forth and it's now making contact, but I don't know what's going on underneath. I also don't know how to test the CDS cell which I assume is on the back of that little square circuit board directly behind the asa aperture "chamber". I checked the indicator needle on the meter and that moves freely but hasn't shown any sign of moving when I put the battery in and put the lens in AA mode. Steve.

 

[negativefunk]

I am really no expert at this, but the fact that you observe no reaction at all suggests that the circuit is broken somewhere. My sample had the needle somewhat responsive, so electricity was flowing. I was lucky.
You could try to check if there is power flowing up until the cell, and if so, then see if it the galvanometer is ship shape.
There is this blog post where the author explains it better than I could possibly do

Repair: Olympus 35 SP