Minolta Spotmeter F Repair

I hope you don't mind me raising a new thread on this topic as I have not found anything to help me on other threads, perhaps because they are too old or the OPs have retired and gone to heaven...

 

Most important is that I am in Europe (UK), so responses relating to great repair facilities in the US are not really practical.

 

My MSF was put aside in full working condition about 6 or 7 years ago, battery removed. It has suffered no shocks as it was put in a drawer and fogotten about.

 

Now that I have found it again, I find that the display comes up, the internal LCD also, and the internal lights up when its button is pressed. The ISO/TIME button works and so do the up and down buttons. However, it does not react at all to taking a measurement. All is frozen.Summarizing, all the buttons function properly, but no measurement.

 

I would like to get it repaired and hope someone, somewhere in Europe, can identify a repair facility which may be able to fix it. :)

Errm, silly question.

You have taken it out of 'setting' mode and into reading mode by pressing the EV/F no button, have you?

 

If so, then does the internal (viewfinder) LCD indicate any change in reading?

 

Does the Ambient/Flash switch make any difference?

 

You might also try removing the battery again and re-inserting it with the trigger switch depressed. This might force a software re-boot.

 

That you have a display and up/down buttons working would indicate that the CPU is running. So the problem can't be too drastic. Maybe the trigger switch contacts are a little dirty or corroded and just need 'clicking' a few times to clear them.

I am not sure what is going on. Receiving your reply made me pick up the meter, which had been lying on my desk since Tuesday, switched on, and non repsonsive still. I then pressed teh EV/FNo button and it started to work. I has continued to work, but not continuously. From moment to moment it goes frozen then a couple of pushes on buttons and it fires up again. Mosts mysterious. Without your reply it might have ended up back in the drawer unused.

I shall read the manual to find out about setting and reading modes.

Thanks.

I understand that the meter was stored, sans battery. However, oxidization can occur on the battery contacts even during storage. I suggest that you remove the battery, clean the contacts thoroughly with a pencil eraser, and re-install the battery.

Ok, page 15

 

In the ISO display mode, measurements cannot be taken...

 

Tx Rodeo Joe. I will clean the contacts as well. It now operates as the book. Shows how long ago I used it.

 

Xx

I just reactivated my Spotmeter F and can confirm that if the orange ISO/TIME button is set to ISO - displayed on the LCD panel in small type 'ISO' - then no readings can be taken.

Pressing the orange ISO/TIME button again sets the mode to TIME - also then displayed on the LCD panel as 'TIME' - and then readings can be taken.

A great meter, I still use it occasionally and is as accurate as it was back in the early 1990s .....