Canon A1 winder started smoking, did I just destroy my camera?

<p>I was shooting with the winder A on my A1 and my face was pressed accidentally against the rewind wheel, so when I took a shot I felt the wheel spin grind against my face and skip around. I shot another one again, and the same thing happened but this time smoke started coming out of the on/off switch from the winder so I quickly shut it off and detached it from the body.<br /> <br />I tested the A1 after with one or two shots more, and it seemed to work fine. I didn't want to open the film back cause my roll wasn't done. I am afraid that I might have damaged the camera somehow? I am not sure what happened or what to do, or if the roll is messed up now. The winder definitely wont be in use again, there's a nasty burn smell coming out from the on/off switch.</p>

<p>Any advice appreciate, really scared for my camera :(</p>

<p>Are you using NiCds or other high current batteries? Do the instructions say to use alkalines only?</p>

<p>Instructions for the Winder F for the F-1 expressly warns against using anything other than alkaline batteries. This is because the winder relies on the limited current capacity of alkalines to stop the winder when the end of the roll is reached. NiCds will allow the winder motor to generate higher torque and rip out the end of the film and/or, possibly (?), put too much of a load on the electrics.</p>

<p>Since your face was mechanically holding the rewind wheel, the film could not be ripped from the spool so I suspect the extra load was too much for the 40 year old switch plastics.</p>

<p>All I can suggest is to either sacrifice the remaining part of the roll of film or shoot it up quickly.<br>

See if the film develops OK.<br>

If it works, probably nothing is wrong except the winder. Replacement winders for the A series are not hard nor expensive to find, and it may be that only the batteries failed.</p>

<p>Don't worry about your camera or film. Retire the winder and shoot on- Spinning rewind wheels during film winding are normal and it is not uncommon to use that to check if the film is loaded properly.<br>

No clue how your winder malfunctions exactly. - Could be either dirt in the power switch to blame or more likely a communications error between it and the camera - I.e. the 2 pins malfunctioning and not telling the winder that it managed to do its job) or a faulty safety clutch (for torque reduction) or a semi jammed gear inside that kept the motor pulling beyond just winding the film.<br>

Anyhow: Who uses a winder these days? - 2 FPS are too sluggish to keep track of real action and spray & pray became the field of DSLRs. - If you have to replace the winder when you return your borrowed camera $50 should get another on ebay.</p>

 

<p>Just the winder I suspect - it may be batteries or just age. Remember they are about 30 years old these days. My A1 winder still works but I had one pack up on the New F1 (where they are more useful as they give you an extra mode) That one did not smoke - just died. You don't get 30 years from most modern battery powered items!</p>

<p>They were just new AA duracell batteries, which says ALKALINE on them so I don't believe it was the batteries fault...<br /><br />@Jochen Schrey: oh thank heavens...it was definitely disturbed during the film advancing but I would hope that wouldn't ruin the whole camera...the owner says the winder is really old and this kind of stuff happens so I'm hoping a replacement will help.</p>

<p>You created excessive resistance on the on/off switch on your winder when you blocked the rewind wheel and overloaded the circuit. You probably melted the solder joint at the switch. It's a common issue, especially on older electronics. If you own a decent set of micro tools (I'm talking Wiha, not Craftsman) and own a decent solder station (check out the Aoyue 9378; that's my favorite bargain gun), then you can re-melt the solder joints and should get plenty more life out of your winder. You might also want to check any resisters with a multimeter and apply a tiny bit of dielectric grease (i.e., what you can fit on the tip of a toothppick) to the motor to keep the moving parts running well.</p>

<p>Alternately, get a new winder (lol). They're pretty cheap.</p>

<p>I remember stories from the Nikon F days that the winder would break the film spool and drag the pieces through the camera. Not good for the camera.<br>

When I spool my own film, I always wonder if the tape is strong enough. Only one time did I pull the film off the tape.</p>