Possible Problem with my AE-1P

[winternight]

Hello everybody, I was hoping to get some advice that I haven't found else where. My AE-1P experienced a small drop, so I tested it out to make sure I could wind the lever and fire the shutter, which I could and did for a few times, and then the camera just froze on me. I could not wind the lever, I could not check the battery status, and nothing in the view finder was lit. I took out the battery and tested it if it still had power, which it did, so I put it back into my AE-1P, and since then it has been working fine, but my major concern is if the problem could return. The battery is low, and I was wondering if it was just the battery, or if my camera could have other problems. My AE-1P seems to work fine, but I'm worried that the problem will return. Is it possible that the battery could have become loose? Thanks for any and all replies!

 

[Tony-S]

I wouldn't worry about it until it occurs again. It's probably a good time to get a new battery anyway. What is currently in it?

 

[winternight]

Currently it has a Varta V28X battery. I'm hoping that the only problem is with the battery and not with the camera.

 

[tkamiya]

I'm *just* guessing here with many assumptions and limited information.... but....

When the camera was dropped, it is possible that your battery has "bounced around" in the compartment a little. Because of it, it is possible that battery has detached long enough from the terminal for the current to stop flowing but not long enough for the circuit to reset. This is similar to flipping the switch really quickly. Some electronics, act very strangely when this happens. (reset is usually involves some delay in circuit design. brief disruption doesn't always send the reset signal)

I'd change the battery and watch it carefully for the next few days. If it doesn't reoccur, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[Tony-S]

Get yourself a silver oxide (or alk mang) and get to taking some photos.

 

[winternight]

I'm *just* guessing here with many assumptions and limited information.... but....

When the camera was dropped, it is possible that your battery has "bounced around" in the compartment a little. Because of it, it is possible that battery has detached long enough from the terminal for the current to stop flowing but not long enough for the circuit to reset. This is similar to flipping the switch really quickly. Some electronics, act very strangely when this happens. (reset is usually involves some delay in circuit design. brief disruption doesn't always send the reset signal)

I'd change the battery and watch it carefully for the next few days. If it doesn't reoccur, I wouldn't worry about it.

I feel better now, haha, Thank you. I will buy a new battery and test it out some more to make sure that the problem does not reoccur.

 

[winternight]

Get yourself a silver oxide (or alk mang) and get to taking some photos.

I will check those out. The only reason why I have the Varta in the first place is because that's what it came with, when I bought it.

 

[elekm]

Buy a new battery. Shoot a test roll. And make a New Year's resolution to stop dropping your cameras.

Hopefully, the battery simply lost contact inside the chamber and you won't have any further problems with it.

 

[winternight]

Thank you, I sure will, I will definitely be more careful with my camera, haha.

 

[darinwc]

My A1 is very sensitive to the battery. If the battery is just a little low it starts locking up or doing weird things. The AE-1 is not as bad as the A1 but I'm not sure about the AE-1P.

Replace the battery and dont worry about it unless the same thing happens with a fresh battery.

 

[John Koehrer]

If the battery is marginal, you fire & advance several times it may just be enough to put the battery below the operating voltage of the camera.
The battery may still test good though. Just not enough left to release a magnet.
If left to sit a while it may recover enough to release the camera another few times.

 

[winternight]

If the battery is marginal, you fire & advance several times it may just be enough to put the battery below the operating voltage of the camera.
The battery may still test good though. Just not enough left to release a magnet.
If left to sit a while it may recover enough to release the camera another few times.

I think that's what might have happened to my camera, the battery didn't have enough power, and then it recovered and let me release the shutter.

 

[winternight]

My A1 is very sensitive to the battery. If the battery is just a little low it starts locking up or doing weird things. The AE-1 is not as bad as the A1 but I'm not sure about the AE-1P.

Replace the battery and dont worry about it unless the same thing happens with a fresh battery.

I have already ordered a new battery, and hopefully it will get here soon. Hopefully the problem was just the battery.

 

[Adrian D]

Exactly the same happened to me with my ME super. A small drop (EEK!) then total electrical death. I was envisaging an expensive trip to my local camera repair specialists when I tried a fresh battery, and miraculously everything worked again. The joy! And the determination not to drop a camera ever again...

 

[benjiboy]

Many cameras have Wheatstone Bridge circuit fitted http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatstone_bridge so that if the battery power becomes too low to operate the camera correctly it drops dead instead of giving progressively worst performance as the battery voltage drops.