Rolleiflex SL35E Thread

ic-racer · May 15, 2023

I got seven NOS electronic boards in the mail today.
I have not seen any electrolytics in the assembly.
There are a number of important on/off switches and all have been identified as functional.

My impression is the camera would behave as it does if the wiper for the aperture were faulty, but I have tested it per the manual and it is ok. What I was thinking is the wires need to be detached and re-attached to the new board...maybe just a wire failure. So I'll check for that next.

ic-racer · May 15, 2023

I have a second SL35E that won't open the first curtain when the camera is upright, but opens it ok if the camera is up side down.

Since the mirror going up leads to first curtain release, the mirror, working against gravity, does not have enough umph to open the first curtain.

I took that one apart and adjusted the first-curtain opening adjustment on the mirror box but it either opens as soon as the camera is cocked or won't open at all.

Then I lubricated all the moving parts of the mirror box.

THAT FIXED IT. There had been just a little binding on one of the levers.

Then I went ahead and adjusted the springs for opening and closing to the times correct.

Otherwise that camera has perfectly functioning electronics.

ic-racer · May 15, 2023

I have a $30 camera coming for parts and more experimentation. Seems to be cosmetically good, but mechanically not fully functional. The e-bay ad indicated the meter and lights work. We will see.

ic-racer · May 16, 2023

I wound up with seven of these. They are NOS, the ends of the wires have never been soldered,

ic-racer · May 19, 2023

Just got this parts camera in. Looks clean but in the ad it shows that the self timer and battery test don't work. The shutter sticks and won't close all the way, but the meter and other electronics were said to be OK.

ic-racer · May 19, 2023

When it arrived, indeed the battery test and self timer did not work, but the meter and auto functions worked, though the shutter speed indicated did not match the numbers on the dial and the exposure meter was way off.

I took it all apart and even separated the shutter from the mirror box.

I found:

The second curtain brake was frozen and not allowing the blades to come all the way down. This was freed and lubricated.

The blades don't come easily apart on this shutter (which I'll call "Early Style") so I sprayed them well with de-greaser and wiped the dirt off them the best I could.

The first curtain would not release reliably.

I found this was due to the little slider to release the first curtain. It has a very tiny spring and if gummed up, does not move correctly. This was cleaned and lubricated.

Since there is no manual available for the shutter, I spend a few hours analyzing the shutter to figure out how it works. I took pictures and made diagrams.

Then I re-assembled the camera and put the motor drive on it to give it a workout.

ic-racer · May 19, 2023

The first electronics transplant will be for the camera with the non-functioning meter. I looked all over for some loose connection but could find none. All three of the resistor wipers connect correctly to the PC board and all function.

To get ready for the transplant, I re-drew portions of the schematic to make it easier to follow. For example, all these wires need to come off and be re-attached to the new board.

ic-racer · May 20, 2023

I did the PCB transplant but the results are very curious. The battery test and self timer did not work and still don't work. Too much of a coincidence; must be something in the camera body, though the switches pretty much connect right to the PC board.

Also, the meter is out, but all speeds work fine. Same situation as my camera #1.

So far, 3 for 3 getting the mechanical shutters working and 0 for 3 getting the electronics fully functional, even with NOS replacement boards.

ic-racer · May 22, 2023

Not that I care so much about the few SL35E cameras I have, but I think the failure of the metering system is a common fault. So, I am trying to find the culprit. The premise here is that neither of the 3 integrated circuits is bad, and the problem is from a discrete component ( resistor, capacitor or diode) or poor connection.

The fault is the meter reading does not illuminate a blinking LED, but the non-blinking LED (shutter speed set on knob) shows fine, and the shutter speed electrical control works. The camera works fine, just no meter or Auto.

I have only discovered a single fault based on the information from the service manual. I am not recording any voltage drop across the trimmer resistor between the photocell and the rest of the circuit.

The voltage on the other side of the trimmer does vary 3.7 to 3.4v when the photosensor is illuminated as it should based on the information presented below.

ic-racer · May 24, 2023

So I have ten total PC boards for the SL35. I think I am able, by much trial and error, to determine which ones work and which ones don't.

By checking as many resistors as possible, I came across a discrepancy across R218. Seems boards that work show 17 to 18K across that, whereas the boards that did not work had resistance either higher or lower. Since I'm testing it in-circuit, the discrepancy may be related to resistance between pins 5 and 6 of IC 202 seeing as the resistors are all marked the same.

Since it takes about 4 hours to swap PC boards, testing this theory is limited at this time. But so far with 3 board swaps, it holds true.

So, of the ten boards I have, about half of them test 'good' and the other half test 'bad.'

ic-racer · May 26, 2023

My light meter calibration source gets a workout doing the calibration. At least 12 measurements are needed for the calibration. To get the 7 and 1/6th EV level I see my calibration source alters the intensity between K12.5 and K14 by about 1/6 stop. So I used that 'feature.'

I do the calibration at k=12.5 with EV 7, then to get the EV 7 1/6, I change the calibration level to k=14 and the bumps up the intensity just enough.

The reason they want one to do that is to get the adjustment right at the transition point where the next LED lights up. Rather than to have the setting in the middle of the range where a single LED lights.

Also, one has to perform all the steps in exact order, and NOT go back to tweak them.

The last step is confusing as written. The way it works is that after setting 1/500th with PS306 at EV14, you check it at EV7. For example if it reads between 1/8 and 1/15, you need to set trimmer PS305 to read "PLUS" then go back and re-do trimmer PS306 at EV14. Keep going back and forth, zeroing in on the correct setting for both trimmers. If you don't do it the way it indicates, you can never get the trimmers PS306 and PS305 in synch as each one affects the other. Ask me how I know....

Memphis powell · May 31, 2023

I got an sl35e as a gift recently and it works great but it has a sticky shutter button that I need to wiggle for it to pop up is there any lubricant I can drop in the shutter button that won’t damage it and without opening it

ic-racer · Sep 4, 2023

Memphis powell said:
I got an sl35e as a gift recently and it works great but it has a sticky shutter button that I need to wiggle for it to pop up is there any lubricant I can drop in the shutter button that won’t damage it and without opening it

I don't think so. The place where it sticks is likely not near the button.

ic-racer · Nov 24, 2023

Testing the 'NOS' circuit boards shows that the ones tested exhibit some of the same failures as the PC boards in the cameras. The circuits that fail are the auto exposure, battery check and self timer. In all the cameras and boards tested, the electronic control of the shutter and readout of the speed was preserved. Therefore all the cameras I serviced were able to be used with an external meter.
Unlike the Minolta repairs going on by Mr Thayer, there are no electrolytic capacitors in these Rolleiflex cameras.

beemermark · Nov 24, 2023

I have a couple of SL35E bodies. Not interested in throwing more money down that rabbit hole. But is the manual camera more reliable? I do love the lenses and would love to have a working body.

ic-racer · Nov 25, 2023

My "Manual Camera" do you mean the SL35? In that case, yes i think that the SL35 would be a better camera for using the Rollei QBM lenses in the long run.
I was able to repair five SL35 with all the functions working and shutters to operate within ISO tolerance.
Of the three SL35E, I repaired the mechanical shutter on one and replaced the PC board on the other, but still could not get the Auto to work on either of them. Only one of them (the one on the winder) has all the functions working.

ic-racer · Jan 29, 2024

Transplant in progress....

ic-racer · Jan 31, 2024

After giving up on this project, I have come back to try and resurrect at least one of the cameras. All 3 SL35E have been disassembled and cleaned. Now to see if the electronics can get the shutters in line.

However, before that, one last 'mechanical' part needs to be addressed. The tension on the shutter curtains needs to be adjusted.

The specs are as follows:

Vertical shutter curtain travel time over 22mm gap is 5.6 to 5.9 milliseconds.

ic-racer · Jan 31, 2024

A vertical focal plane shutter tester is needed to measure the speed of the curtains.

ic-racer · Jan 31, 2024

The adjusters are on the 'rewind knob' side of the shutter. Each adjuster has a one-way ratchet so they can only be tightened.

If the are too tight, I found the best way is to un-hook the ratchet claw (hidden on the other side of the wheels in this view) and let the spring unwind all the way.

Unlike a horizontal focal plane shutter, the wheels here only unwind about 90 to 120 degrees when all the spring tension is released; not even a full revolution.

ic-racer · Jan 31, 2024

The Opening Curtain, (or First Curtain) adjuster is visible from the bottom of the camera. There is just enough room to get a tiny screwdriver in there to push on the ratchet teeth to tighten it one-click at a time. Unlike a typical cloth horizontal shutter, in this case one-click has a big effect.

ic-racer · Jan 31, 2024

The Closing Curtain tensioner is visible from the topside of the camera. The top shell has to be removed, and the ASA printed circuit board needs to be lifted up (red arrows). It does not need to be un-soldered.

ic-racer · Jan 31, 2024

ic-racer · Jan 31, 2024

After setting the curtain travel times, the shutter speeds can be tested. There is only a fine-tune adjustment at the base of the camera.

ic-racer · Jan 31, 2024

Next, a calibrated light source is used to set the 4 trimmers for the meter. (Post #36 above).

Rolleiflex SL35E Thread

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