Rollei Metz SCA 356 Adapter Repair

[ic-racer]

I got a Metz 54MZ-4 to use with a SCA 3562 adapter and Hy6. I thought it would be nice to use the flash on older Rolleiflex equipment with the SCA 356 adapter. I found one 'new in box.' Turns out it works but some of the functionality did not work all the time. The little lightning bolt sometimes did not show and the function where the shutter speed on the camera is automatically set to 1/90 did not always work.

 

[wiltw]

Are you using SCA 356, or the SCA 3562, and having issues?

Are you using the SCA-3045 with the Rollei SCA-3562 Adapter?

 

[ic-racer]

Are you using SCA 356, or the SCA 3562, and having issues?

The SCA 3562 is working fine. The SCA 356 required repair. Still uploading the pictures.

Are you using the SCA-3002 interface with the Rollei SCA-3562 Adapter?

The 54MZ attaches directly to the SCA-3562.

 

[ic-racer]

Mostly this will be about taking it apart, as each internal repair will likely be different.

 

[wiltw]

The SCA 3562 is working fine. The SCA 356 required repair. Still uploading the pictures.

The 54MZ attaches directly to the SCA-3562.

The 356 does not work with digital flash...no support for pre-flash, the SCA 356 is for the old film-based TTL metering in realtime, the SCA 3562 is needed for digital pre-flash and commanded output level from the body's flash metering of the preflash.

https://usermanual.wiki/Metz/MetzCameraFlashLightUsersManual555454.1022677907/view

 

[ic-racer]

 

[ic-racer]

The SCA 356 gave correct exposure but the indicators in the finder were not visible. The shutter speed would not go to 1/90 when the flash was turned on. Still useable, but I wanted all the features. These functions initially worked, but after a few exposures, they stopped working, then started working again. Loose connection? Cold solder joint?

 

[ic-racer]

Slide the keeper off the get to the screws:

 

[ic-racer]

 

[ic-racer]

After removing the screws, slide the entire shoe forward so the two parts of the case can come apart. Caution: Wires attached

 

[ic-racer]

Now the one visible screw on the bottom of the unit can be removed.

 

[ic-racer]

This is what it looks like with the bottom of the case removed.

 

[ic-racer]

Suspicious areas. Corroded solder joints. Combine these findings with 'intermittent operation' and likely cause is cold solder joints.

 

[ic-racer]

The base, that makes connection with the flash unit. No corrosion or anything that looks like it would cause poor contact here.

 

[ic-racer]

To re-flow the solder joints, the PC board needs to be removed from the top half of the SCA housing. There is a single screw.

 

[ic-racer]

This wire to the ASA resistor bank broke off. It was corroded at both ends. This is was not the problem, but will needed to be corrected to complete the repair.

 

[ic-racer]

The PC board was turned over and solder joints re-flowed in the suspicious areas. (not shown, can't hold the soldering iron and take pictures at the same time).

 

[ic-racer]

Now to replace the wire that broke from the ASA resistor bank. The old wire was removed and the hole opened up with solder wick.

 

[ic-racer]

No hole for this end of the wire, just a 'pad' for the connection. This was cleaned and the new wire soldered in place.

 

[ic-racer]

New wire to the ASA resistor board in place, soldered at both ends.

 

[ic-racer]

Re-flowing the cold solder joints has restored all the added functionality of the unit! Of course this is only two functions, the lightning bolt in the finder and automatic setting of the X-shutter speed.

With the SCA 356 working this is a quick synopsis of my findings:

SCA 356
SL2000F/SL3003 - works with full functionality
Hy6 - works (when set to ASA 100) but no communication of any info besides TTL exposure between camera or flash
6008i - works with full functionality (set to ASA 100)

SCA 3562
SL2000F/SL3003 - does not work
Hy6 - works with full functionality
6008i - TTL exposure works but other functionality is lost

 

[wiltw]

Wow! Color me impressed.

 

[ic-racer]

I'm going to eat my words a little here, as I frequently post I only buy 'like new' equipment thinking it will work better or last longer. In this case the item essentially was damaged from being stored somewhere conducive to corrosion for many years. May have been better off if it were in use all those years.

 

[AgX]

My first thought would have been the connecting pins. I would look by means of strong loup at the pins (camera- and flash-side) maybe polished the tips. Then checked if they move smoothly against their spring ang not erratically get stuck halfway.
Then I would have opened the casing and looked for broken/instable solder joints. And for corrosion or obviously broken parts.
Then I would have metered or substituted capacitors (though these typically do not show erratic behaviour).
Then... I would have been lost... as my skills do not let me understand that circuit.

 

[ic-racer]

AgX, I was going to mail you to check out the thread. I actually thought all I would find in the box was wires going right from one set of contacts to another. I had no idea that many components were needed just to transmit a signal for the lightning bolt and to have the camera set "X" automatically. Really amazing. Maybe too complicated than it needs to be, as to why they no longer make SCA any more.

I'm glad I was able to fix it without resorting to exchanging components. The little capacitors don't have markings.
Good news is this only cost $30. I paid over TEN TIMES MORE than that in TAX when I got my Hy6 last month.