Fixing Nimslos

[P3D Bob Aldridge <bob.aldridge@xxxxxx>]

The following two posts seem to summarise all the usual "fixes" for
Nimslos, though it sound as though your problem is not covered. Sounds
as though a spring has come unattached. I think it's one of the ones on
that flywheel thing - there are two. One pulls the shutter blades closed
after the solenoid has let go. The solenoid cleaning tip in the
following posts is one of the most likely "fixes" for that other common
fault: the lights come on, but the shutter doesn't open at all.

All the above from memory. I would remove several bits looking for
dislodged springs etc. Has your camera been dissassembled since it last
worked? If that little spring that is moved over when the shutter is
cocked finds itself on the wrong side of the shutter cocking lever it
can the stop the cocking lever from returning to it's normal released
position. I THINK this could cause the shutter to remain open. 

I KNOW I know the answer to your problem. I KNOW it's most likely
mechanical (and therefore fixable!), but I just can't quite remember
what the fix is...!

Bob Aldridge
Stereoscopic Society Projectionist


-> 
->Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1996 20:57:00 -0400
->From: P3D  <LDAEnt@xxxxxxx>
->To: photo-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
->Subject: Re: Nimslo electronics question 
->Message-ID: <960727205657_586351264@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
-> 
->>I still get the light metering 
->>(the red and green LEDs come up) but the
->>shutters don't close as long as I keep
->>the release pressed.
-> 
->Don't understand...... do you mean that when you push the shutter
->release that the blades open and won't close until you release the
->button?  Or do you mean that the shutter blades are just dead, no
->action whatsoever? 
->I've had about 12 Nimslo's, and quite a few don't work when I buy
->them (it helps to lower the price when they don't work).  I have
->successfully resurrected all but one, and that one was around salt
->water too long.  While all the following problems may not relate to
->yours, here are my experiences: 
->1.) One camera I bought was missing the bottom brass contact in the
->battery compartment.  It fatigued off, probably early in life.  I
->bent a new one and wedged it in the remaining brass.
-> 
->2.) One camera wouldn't advance the film at all.  It had a broken tab
->on the advance cam inside of the camera bottom.  Only solution is to
->get a replacement, which is why I don't mind an occassional dead
->Nimslo, they are great for parts.  If I remember correctly, it also
->wouldn't cock the shutter because of this part.  So the shutter was
->dead too, but the red/green lights would light. 
-> 
->3.) About 5 of the cameras were just electrically dead.  Nothing, no
->lights or shutter.  I found three things inside of the camera that
->when cleaned the cameras worked again.  I now do this routine for all
->dead Nimslo's. A) Remove the top and front cover.
->B) Clean the spring contact "A" at the top (it's a torsion spring)
->C) Clean the spring contact "B" at the bottom (similar torsion spring)
->D) Clean the magnetic contact near the top of the camera.  I don't
->know what this one is called, but it is an electromagnet contact that
->operates the shutter.  When you advance the film this switch is
->closed, a metal cap closes down onto the magnet.  I have found that
->cleaning this by using a fine sandpaper nail file between the moving
->and stationary contact, and then wiping with alcohol , will bring
->many cameras back to life.  
->4.) Not related to a problem except using too many batteries:  I
->finally eliminated the pesky button batteries by making a custom
->flash bracket out of wood, and stashing three "AA" batteries inside
->of the handle with wires going to the battery contacts.  I fashioned
->a contact for the bottom battery compartment tab by using a shortened
->pen spring placed into a wood dowel (the wood insulates the spring
->from the camera body as it goes into the hole). The negative terminal
->contacts at the tripod screw where the bracket fastens.  I now carry
->this bracket with me to shop for Nimslo's.  And if you find a Nimslo
->missing the battery cover, no problem.  
->Alan Lewis
-> 
-> 
->------------------------------
-> 
->Date: Sat, 27 Jul 1996 23:23:02 -0500 (CDT)
->From: P3D  <SCHUB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
->To: PHOTO-3D@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
->Subject: Re: Dead Nimslo
->Message-ID: <838527782.292855.SCHUB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
-> 
->    Someone once posted here some instructions on how to fix Nimslos
->by cleaning certain contacts inside.  I thought I had a copy of that
->note someplace, but I've looked everywhere and haven't found it.  I
->have poked around inside a dead Nimslo which I was unable to
->resurrect (so take my suggestions with a large grain of salt), but
->here are some suggestions, anyway: Let's see...you're not getting the
->LEDs to light, right?  They only come on when the shutter button is
->depressed, so you might check the shutter switch contacts first.  You
->might also check the wires that come from the battery compartment to
->make sure they're all still connected (and don't have cracks or bad
->solder joints).  As I recall, there's another pair of contacts
->attached to the shutter mechanism that might be worth
->checking/cleaning. One other problem that sometimes crops up in
->electronic cameras is foreign matter on the poles of the little
->electromagnet that holds the shutter open (though this doesn't sound
->like your problem, since this presumably wouldn't cause the LEDs not
->to light)...    I guess probably the first thing to try, though, if
->you haven't already, would be fresh batteries.  Tim Klein wrote at
->one point that the batteries drain rapidly when they're reversed for
->purposes of keeping the shutter open. The voltage the batteries are
->putting out when they're not under load isn't necessarily a good
->indication of their current-supplying capability, so it's possible
->you could measure 4.5 volts across batteries that aren't able to
->operate the camera properly, I suppose.  Also, the LEDs can drain the
->batteries if the shutter button is partially depressed for a long
->time, as it might be in a camera case (which is why I always take the
->batteries out before storing my Nimslo or packing it for a trip).    
->I know the above suggestions probably are pretty obvious and not much
->help.  Bob Aldridge seems to have intimate knowledge of the
Nimslo--hopefully he'll have some ideas.  I wish you luck!
---
 * POW 2.0  0007 * ...Insufficient memory,   and I don't mean the computer.


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