Winder M adjustment procedure

Howdy all,

I have been searching for this adjustment procedure to no avail. I

have found dead link after dead link. I was just wondering if the

adjustment procedure is a DIY thing, or would I have to send it to

someone who works on them all the time and if anybody wants to throw

their opinions regarding this winder, I would be appreciative.

Thanks

Ask John Collier from this link - http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=006cCg

And, if you get them, could you pass them along to me? I'll post them on my web space. Thanks.

I sent John an email and will wait and see, and if anything comes from it I will send it to you. Thanks

Thanks to John Collier for sending me the information on this, you truly deserve the hero icon.

 

Adjusting the Leica Winder

 

First of all we need to understand how the winder operates. When you

trip the shutter on the camera the tension is removed and the spring

(4) rotates the motor assembly counter-clockwise. The shaft (1)

attached to the motor then releases the microswitch (2) to energize the

motor which advances the film and cocks the shutter. With the shutter

cocked and the film advanced the camera in a sense "locks-up". The

motor keeps running, torqueing itself up against the spring tension

causing the whole motor to rotate clockwise until the shaft (1) trips

the bottom half of the microswitch (2) disconnecting the power to the

motor. The whole unit (camera and winder) stays under tension until the

shutter is tripped and the process starts over. This is one of the

reasons why Leica switched from brass gears in the M3 to steel gears

with the M4-2.

 

So why are so many Leica winders loud and feel like they are tearing up

your camera? There are two common problems. First the the spring lever

(4) hitting the inside of the winder case and second, the shaft (1)

hitting the padded stop (3).

 

I'll assume you have already removed the motor assembly from the winder

housing. Remember there are two wires connecting the motor to the

battery contacts in the winder housing. As you are working on the

assembly be careful not to pull the wires loose.

 

We need to address the spring lever first. Loosen the nut holding the

padded stop (3) and adjust the stop until the spring lever (4) is flush

with the motor mount. Most winders I have adjusted have had the stop

set so the lever hits the inside of the case causing a loud "thwak".

You can actually feel the winder body expanding from the lever hitting

it.

 

Now we need to adjust the microswitch (2) so the motor rotates as

little as possible during the cycle. The second loudest noise in the

process is the motor shaft (1) hitting the padded stop when the tension

is released by tripping the shutter. If you did step 1 the the

microswitch is now totally out of adjustment. Loosen the screw (2)

holding the microswitch and move the whole switch assembly so that if

the motor shaft is against the stop (3) the motor is running and as you

rotate the motor away from the stop, the motor turns off. You want to

set the microswitch so you get the least amount of movement of the

motor between the "on" and "off" states. The less the motor rotates the

less impact the motor shaft (1) has on the stop. The easiest way to

check this is to put the battery pack on and rotate the motor by hand

to see how much it has to move before it turns off, remember you'll

need to turn the winder "ON" by holding the other microswitch closed.

The "ON - OFF" microswitch is the only other switch in the unit, it is

attached by two wires and is tripped by the release lever that attaches

the winder to the camera body. Since the winder is apart the switch is

in the "OFF" state.

 

Now is a good time to also check the pad on the stop (3). M4-2 and M4-P

winders have been around since the 70s and the pads tend to get hard.

New pads may be available from Leica or use any type material that has

the same density. Just rotating the pad 90 degrees can help.<div></div>

Here is another pic.<div></div>