clay_rodman1 Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 Hi, I recently bought a used MD-11 and I can't figure out how to work it. When I connect it to my FM2(original, not N) and then press the shutter on the MD-11 the LEDs light up, but when I press the shutter button nothing happens. Am I doing something wrong, or is there some little button that's not activated. I can't imagine what it could be because I've studied the thing for an hour now and can't make it out. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_levine Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 Try here : http://mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonfeseries/fefmshared/md11/md11.htm As I recall there is a mode selector switch that needs setting to MD with the FM/MD 11 combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd peach seattle, washi Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 Check out the 'shutter release pin' dialog on page 2 of Steve's link. I'm guessing your MD is temporarily 'out of alignment' (sounds worse than it is). When you mount the MD to the camera, the 'shutter release pin' should be retracted, and the 'drive dog' (the bit that engages the screwdriver like coupling on the camera) should be parallel to the long axis of the motor drive body. If the MD is 'fired' when it's not attached to a camera, it gets stuck in a 'mid-cycle'. If you short the four gold pins with a key or a coin, the motor will free-wind/cycle. Keep messing with it till it stops with the pin retracted and the drive dog aligned, then mount it up. That should take care of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay_rodman1 Posted June 12, 2005 Author Share Posted June 12, 2005 Well, I tried all the suggestions and after another grueling hour of messing with it, it doesn't work. I can't even detect any sign that it works at all, no sounds or movements at all. Who knows. Thanks anyway though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay_rodman1 Posted June 12, 2005 Author Share Posted June 12, 2005 Ok, I tried using a key and coin put directly on the gold contacts but nothing happened. Is there something on the camera I'm supposed to adjust maybe? It did make a noise once when I was manually winding the film , but I couldn't duplicate it again. Any more help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Clay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg M Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 Can you return it? You'd be better of with an MD-12, which, in addition to being a newer drive, has a few things about it that are better, such as a micro switch that automatically turns the motor off if not used over several seconds. The MD-11 will simply stay on until the batteries are dead. I believe the MD-12 also started using a slightly stronger motor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike_grigsby Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 I also believe you may be "hosed". If the coin on the four contacts does not cause it to reset or cycle, and the light stays on, that's usually the sign. Repair would be more than it's worth. Also, I stopped using my MD-11s altogether because they eat batteries if you forget to turn them off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clay_rodman1 Posted June 13, 2005 Author Share Posted June 13, 2005 Well, actually the red light never comes on so maybe it doesn't even work. Who knows, maybe I got screwed on this one. Does the coin have to be just placed on all four contacts at the same time. I keep thinking that just maybe I'm not doing something right. Clay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve_levine Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Also try removing and replacing the batteries. This sometimes stops shorts. And I assume these are all brand new? Maybe you got your "goobers shucked" with a bad MD unit? Back in the day (70's) we would cover one of the those little brass contacts with tape. This allowed the meter to shut off as I recall, and prevented the dreaded MD 11 battery failures.(This condition would eat the AA's and the camera's silver oxide cell, leaving one meterless and motor-driveless). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
todd peach seattle, washi Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Couple more things: battery contacts on a drive this old may be in tough shape. Due to the way the drive is laid out, they're hard to inspect and harder to clean. I find a pencil eraser to be the easy 'low tech' way to get at them. At least one of my old MD-12's had a problem where the holder wasn't consistently driving the batteries firmly against the contacts; it needed a 'smack' from time to time with the palm of my hand to keep going. Also, certain battery brands (sorry, forget which) have some dimples in precisely the wrong spot on the negative terminal that make them unsuitable for use in these drives. If you're out of other options, change battery brands and try again. There's nothing to set on an FM2n to make it work with the MD. With the camera wind lever stowed, the MD is enabled. You simply fire the motor from its release, and it does its thing. If you fire the camera with the wind lever extended, the motor does not wind on. You can actually 'crank the motor' with the wind lever of the camera; it feels odd, probably stresses the drive train a little. The early versions of the original FM had a 'mode collar' around the shutter button that had to be set to a specific position for using the MD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_margetts4 Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 I had this with an FE once with an MD-12. Motor would fire with the contacts shorted (it is only the two furthest away from the grip you need to short) but it would do nothing on the camera. I fired the shuttr without the motor attached, then attached the motor and turned it on but it did nothing apart from light the LED. In the end I stuck it in a cupboard. Later I bought a new FM3a and new MD12. Out of interest, I tried the new MD12 on the FE - Nothing. Then I tried the old MD12 on the FM3a and it worked fine. My point is, don't assume it is the motor drive, it could be the camera! Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_peters Posted June 21, 2005 Share Posted June 21, 2005 I know from personal experience these drives can be "touchy." No one has mentioned it, but the manual has a section on troubleshooting which talks about what to do when your drive is non-responsive. This assumes your drive is attached the camera. 1. Turn off the power switch on the motor drive 2. Fire the shutter button on the CAMERA, but don't wind the camera 3. Now turn the motor drive power back on At this point the drive should advance to the next frame. This sequence works for me. Apparently the drive sometimes gets "confused" about where it is in the cycle and this clears it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now