OM-10 troubles

Xmas · Oct 28, 2014

tkamiya said:
I had a OM10 bought brand new decades ago. After about 2 years or so, shutter timing went way off, like few seconds when it really should be 1/60 or faster. I also bought one second hand. Same problem in few weeks.

So.... with nothing to lose, I took it apart. I've also taken apart Mamiya 645Super, as well as few other.

I hear so much about this "cheap internals" of OM10 but as far as I can tell, it was a regular construction common to that period. Thin flexible circuit boards, flex ribbon connections, individual wires, and very commonly available components. (I used to be in electronics) Switch contacts looked common as well. OM10 wasn't any "cheaper" made than Mamiya that I took apart. Soldering looked OK too, and I am able to discern bad soldering job easily. (I looked at it with 40x stereo microscope)

So.... anyone know exactly what component is failing so commonly?

I love that camera and I'd like to get a working one again some day....

http://olympus.dementix.org/Hardware/

battery, battery contacts, or battery wire
electromagnet controlling shutter contimated with lube waxed

talk baseplate off in Ziploc bag, seal spring back with nail lacquer

OM10 seem to be more reliable never had one to fix yet

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 28, 2014

Yeap! BTW, Noel, do you remember telling me about the spring inside the -1N baseplate? It seems the 10 doesn't have that spring.

See: http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=6016

David, that is also for you. See if that helps you.

See this one as well: http://www.ephotozine.com/forums/topic/olympus-om10-problem-93976

David Lyga · Oct 28, 2014

Ricardo Miranda said:
Hi! did you try to clean the electromagnet? I read that inaccurate shutter speeds is a symptom of that.

Yes, this is next when I get a chance. The OM-10 kind of 'grunted a pitiful death' (at least it gave a warning) as it, occasionally, started to allow the mirror to rise only halfway, then, about 20 seconds later, completed its run (!), signifying that, at least in the interim, there was NO power. But those same batteries allowed the camera to function fine only five minutes before. Seems to me that if batteries test well, that should indicate that there should be proper electronic function.

I would like to ask this, though: Was the OM-10FC made any differently than the original OM-10, or was the 'FC' only indicative of the manual adapter being included in the price? - David Lyga

Ricardo Miranda · Oct 28, 2014

As far as I know, the FC was just indicative of the manual adapter being included. But, I'll check the dates and if there was something else.

Here is a reference to it, as being only sold in the US: http://esif.world-traveller.org/om-sif/bodygroup/om10.htm

David Lyga · Oct 29, 2014

Thank you Ricardo. I get the feeling that you feel worse about this than I do. I have many cameras, most bought for a pittance. I am not going to suffer intense pain over this. it is just that the cosmetic condion of the camera is so superlative, that it seems a sin for the innards to croak. - David Lyga

Rick A · Oct 29, 2014

It never ceases to amaze me how some give god-like status to objects. They are only things, and have no life unless we use them as intended, then they wear out from use and age. The only camera I've ever stressed over is a Mamiya 6 manufactured in 1946 occupied Japan, and then only because it was a cool camera. It didn't die, it was stolen from my home.

Xmas · Oct 29, 2014

David Lyga said:
Yes, this is next when I get a chance. The OM-10 kind of 'grunted a pitiful death' (at least it gave a warning) as it, occasionally, started to allow the mirror to rise only halfway, then, about 20 seconds later, completed its run (!), signifying that, at least in the interim, there was NO power. But those same batteries allowed the camera to function fine only five minutes before. Seems to me that if batteries test well, that should indicate that there should be proper electronic function.

I would like to ask this, though: Was the OM-10FC made any differently than the original OM-10, or was the 'FC' only indicative of the manual adapter being included in the price? - David Lyga

The camera is battery dependent

- clean the battery carefully with rag
- clean the battery contacts ditto

reassemble and try battery check there should be lights and tone, never had a OM10 to check, the instruction manual is your friend.

Your battery checker may not do a load test and LR44 s can develop high internal resistance and pass on volts but fail on current demand like from an electromagnet.

If this fails you need to try good new batteries

Don't want you to try more until all this fails...

John Koehrer · Oct 29, 2014

Once in a while a battery will have sufficient voltage to trip once, then needs some time to recover. Works again, recovers again. It's at the end of it's life.

David Lyga · Oct 29, 2014

Merry early Xmas, Xmas, and Happy Noel, Noel, (and also to John Koehrer):

I just tried new batteries, the contacts are spotless, and the camera has a new iteration each hour, it seems.

Yesterday it did 'bulb' if, and ONLY if, you cocked the shutter, then turned the dial to 'check' (on the rewind area) and heard a soft electronic 'click' , then made sure the shutter was set to 'bulb', then fired. Today I find that those batteries are dead: the camera drained them overnight.

Today, we have the following iteration: sometimes, doing the aforementioned, it does 'bulb', but sometimes it does 'instantaneous' (maybe 1/1000). It seems to change upon 'resting'! Despite new batteries, it truly is dead, looks magnificient, and is a tool to teach me that all in life is not going to match, or even flirt with, desire.

Perhaps Budda was right: leave material wants far behind. (I think that someone named 'Rick A' already knows this.) - David Lyga

Rick A · Oct 29, 2014

David Lyga said:
Merry early Xmas, Xmas, and Happy Noel, Noel, (and also to John Koehrer):

I just tried new batteries, the contacts are spotless, and the camera has a new iteration each hour, it seems.

Yesterday it did 'bulb' if, and ONLY if, you cocked the shutter, then turned the dial to 'check' (on the rewind area) and heard a soft electronic 'click' , then made sure the shutter was set to 'bulb', then fired. Today I find that those batteries are dead: the camera drained them overnight.

Today, we have the following iteration: sometimes, doing the aforementioned, it does 'bulb', but sometimes it does 'instantaneous' (maybe 1/1000). It seems to change upon 'resting'! Despite new batteries, it truly is dead, looks magnificient, and is a tool to teach me that all in life is not going to match, or even flirt with, desire.

Perhaps Budda was right: leave material wants far behind. (I think that someone named 'Rick A' already knows this.) - David Lyga

Excellent, grasshopper!

OM-10 troubles

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