Minolta XGM Repair Guide[1]

XG -SERIES REPAIRS BY: Stephen P. Hill

Date: 01/21/06

THE XG-M or X-70

SLIDE 1: XG-M FRONT VIEW

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SLIDE 2: XG-M REAR VIEW

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Capacitor replacement INDEX:

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Soldering Gun Required Tools Removing Bottom Plate Lower Capacitor Replacing Lower Capacitor Upper Capacitor: Removing Top Cover Removing Shutter Speed Dial Removing Film Advance Lever Removing ASA Dial Removing Name Plate Removing Miscellaneous Screws Removing Top Cover Securing Loose Parts Inspecting the Capacitor Capacitor Access Removing Circuit Board Screws Removing View Window Moving Wires Raising the Board Replacing the Capacitor Putting it All Back Together

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SLIDES: SLIDE #

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1. XG-M Front view 2. XG-M Rear view 3. Soldering Gun 4. Soldering Gun tip 5. Required tools 6. Precision Screw Driver Set 7. Bottom Plate Removal 8. Capacitor Location/Removing Screws 9. Raising Circuit Board 10. Removing old Capacitor 11. Removing Sleeve 12. New/Old Capacitor 13. Preparing New Capacitor 14. New Capacitor Installed

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1 2 5 5 6 6 7 8 8 9 9 10 10 11

15. Attaching Orange Wire 16. Advance Lever Lock Release 17. Shutter Speed Dial Removal 18. Shutter Release Button 19. Shutter Speed Dial Parts 20. Removing Film Advance Lever Nut 21. Removing Film Advance Lever 22. Removing Copper Piece 23. Removing Film Advance Lever lower nut 24. Film Advance Lever Parts 25. Removing Rewind Knob 26. Removing ASA Dial Nut 27. ASA Dial Nut with Washer 28. Removing ASA Dial 29. ASA dial parts 30. Removing the Name Plate Screws 31. Removing the Name Plate 32. Removing the View Window Screws 33. Removing the Side Screw 34. Securing the Lock Release Button 35. Removing the Top Cover 36. Securing the ASA Contacts 37. Protecting the Hot Shoe Wires 38. Inspecting The Capacitors 39. Capacitor access Removing ASA Board Screws 40. Capacitor access Removing View Window Screws 41. Capacitor access Removing View Window Spacer 42. Capacitor access Removing Speed Dial Board Screws 43. Loosening Wires 44. Old Capacitors 45. Old Capacitors 46. New Capacitors 47. New Capacitors 48. ASA Contacts Installed 49. ON/OFF Switch 50. Shutter Lock Release Button

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DISCLAIMER: This guide is the creation and copyright of Stephen P. Hill of Moss Point, MS. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this guide is accurate and complete, no liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions. No part of this guide can be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed or translated into any language in any form by any means without the permission of the above named creator. I make no warrantees for damages resulting from the use or misuse of this guide. It is written under the assumption that anyone using this guide has the understanding that this is provided as a guide based upon my personal repair experiences, and should understand that the information herein may not be the best information but should provide enough information to perform these repairs. It also assumes that the individual performing these repairs has the necessary skills and knowledge to do so. This guide does not provide 100% guarantee that, when followed, will result in a working, functional camera. Thank You for your understanding and support.

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REQUIRED TOOLS Below are examples of tools necessary to accomplish the replacement of the capacitors. Generally, any working soldering iron can be used. One with a FLAT, WIDE tip is recommended since this type will allow you to touch both contacts on the capacitor at the same time making it easier to remove the capacitor.

SLIDE 3: Soldering Gun

SLIDE 4: Soldering Tip

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The precision screw driver set and pliers that I use were purchased at Lowe’s. These have proven to be very good sets and both come with a lifetime warrantee. The spanner wrench is a handy tool which can be purchased on line at www.microtools.com. I recommend getting the one with the narrow or pointed tip. It is also a good idea to pick a flat surface of uniform color to work on. A pillow case on a tabletop works great. Also be sure to have a little solder on hand.

SLIDE 5: Required Tools

SLIDE 6: Precision Screw Driver Set 6

LOWER CAPACITOR REPLACEMENT Remove bottom plate by removing the 2 screws that hold it in place as shown below.

SLIDE 7: Bottom Plate Removal The smaller Phillips screw in the precision screwdriver set works well to remove these screws. These screws all come out by rotating counter clockwise. If a screw is too tight to remove by hand you can always use a pair of pliers to help rotate the screw driver. Hold the screw driver down with your thumb as hard as possible. Then grip the shaft with a pair of pliers and rotate. The capacitor is located in the area shown. Check the board that the capacitor is soldered to for excessive corrosion. If there appears to be a lot of corrosion on the surface then it may be a waste of time to replace the capacitors. First remove the batteries from the camera. Remove the capacitor in the following steps. Remove the 2 screws that hold the board down as shown in Slide 8. Raise the board slightly and insert a Q-tip or some small object to provide room for the capacitor to drop down as shown in Slide 9. Be careful not to pull up too hard on the board. Use a pair of tweezers or the long needle nose pliers to grip the capacitor as shown in Slide 10. The capacitor will need to be pushed down to remove so slightly apply a little pressure as you melt the solder. Be careful not to push up too hard on the capacitor as this could damage the connection point, the capacitor should slip out easily if the solder is melted all the way. Make note of which side of the capacitor is the negative side as shown in Slide 10. The new capacitor should be installed in the same orientation with the negative side facing inward. Also note that there is an orange wire that connects to the same point as the positive lead on the capacitor as shown in Slide 9. This wire can be resoldered after the new capacitor is installed. 7

SLIDE 8: Old Capacitor: Removing Screws

SLIDE 9: Raising Board with Q-Tip

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SLIDE 10: Gripping Cap with Pliers Remove the small black plastic sleeve that is located on the winder contacts as shown in Slide 11. This can usually be pried off with just your fingernail or using the small flat head precision screwdriver.

SLIDE 11: Removing Sleeve

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INSTALLATION OF NEW CAPACITOR The new capacitor does not need to be installed from the bottom as the original but can be soldered from the top. Cut the capacitor leads to the appropriate length, use the old cap as a guide (see Slide 12). Bend the leads so that they will be arched above the board as shown in Slide 13. While holding the capacitor with the long needle nose pliers as shown in Slide 14, resolder the capacitor to the board. Resolder the orange wire to the positive lead as shown in Slide 15.

SLIDE 12: New Capacitor/Old Capacitor

SLIDE 13: New Capacitor cut and shaped 10

SLIDE 14: New Capacitor installed

SLIDE 15: Orange Wire installed

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After all soldering is complete you can install the batteries and test the camera. If the shutters fire, put the black sleeve in place, install the screws that hold the board down and replace the bottom cover. If the shutters do not fire check the soldered connection. Make sure the solder did not spread over and contact another line. Make sure they are secure by pulling up on the capacitor. Clean the area by scraping lightly with the small flat screwdriver. If still not working and the shutters are locked, try tripping the shutter advance lock and winding the advance lever to reset the shutters. The advance lock is shown below in Slide 16. If still no luck there may be a more serious problem with the camera. Continue on and replace the top capacitors to see if this helps.

SLIDE 16: Advance Lock Release

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UPPER CAPACITOR REPLACEMENT (XG-M ONLY) To remove the upper capacitors you have to remove the top cover. The following is a step-by-step guide to removing the top cover. These steps do not necessarily need to be followed in this order but all these steps will have to be done to remove the top. PLEASE NOTE: Only the XG-M has capacitors on top that may need replacing. All other XG models only have the one bottom capacitor. First step: Before removing any parts, make sure the shutter speed dial is set on “A”, the camera is turned OFF, the EV dial is set on zero “0”, and remember the ASA film speed setting. I generally set it on 200 ASA. Remove the shutter speed dial as shown in Slide 17 using the spanner wrench or the needle nose pliers or even your thumb nail. The shutter speed dial is held on with a round, silver nut with the shutter button in the middle. The nut comes off counter clockwise.

SLIDE 17: Shutter Speed Dial Removal

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The shutter button has a spring under it. Once the nut is loose I recommend using you finger nails to rotate the nut loose. This way you can keep one finger on the shutter button so it does not spring up and hit you in the eye. ;o)>

SLIDE 18: Shutter Release Button After removing the dial, set the parts aside in a group close together. It is a good idea to set parts together in groups as you remove them.

SLIDE 19: Shutter Speed Dial Parts 14

Step 2: remove the film advance lever. The round nut on top of the lever also has 2 notches for removal. The spanner wrench is the preferred tool but the short needle nose pliers or strong thumb nails will also work. The nut comes off counter clockwise.

SLIDE 20: Removing Film Advance Lever Nut After removing the nut the film advance lever can be lifted up off its post.

SLIDE 21: Removing Film Advance Lever 15

There is a round copper piece under the winder lever with notches on the sides that just lifts off. Note how the notches line up with tabs on the body.

SLIDE 22: Removing Copper Piece Next in line is a round brass nut that can be removed with the short needle nose pliers. This nut also comes off counter clockwise.

SLIDE 23: Removing Film Advance Lever Lower Nut 16

Set aside all these items together in a group.

SLIDE 24: Removing Film Advance Lever Parts Step 3: Now remove the rewind knob and ASA dial. The rewind knob is just held on by one screw in the center. This can be removed with a flathead screw driver. You can hold onto the rewind handle while you rotate the screw counter clockwise. After the screw is removed just wiggle the knob up and off the post.

SLIDE 25: Removing Rewind Knob 17

Next, remove the round, silver nut that holds the ASA dial in place. The long needle nose pliers work well for this. It comes off counter clockwise.

SLIDE 26: Removing ASA Dial Nut Under this nut is a silver washer which should come off with the nut.

SLIDE 27: ASA Dial Washer Nut with Washer 18

You can now lift up the ASA dial. Make note of the position of the notch in the underside of the dial. This notch fits over the post shown in the picture below.

SLIDE 28: Removing ASA Dial Put all the ASA pieces together in a group.

SLIDE 29: Rewind knob & ASA Dial Group

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Step 4: The next item to remove is the front name plate. It is held on with 2 screws which can be removed with the small Phillips screw driver. After loosening the screws remove the name plate.

SLIDE 30: Removing the Name Plate Screws

SLIDE 31: Removing the Name Plate 20

Step 5: Removing the remaining screws. Remove the 2 screws on the sides of the view window as shown.

SLIDE 32: Removing the View Window Screws Step 6: The last item to remove before lifting the top is a small screw on the side next to the rewind knob. Most XG-M models do not have this screw but some do.

SLIDE 33: Removing the Side Screw

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Before lifting the top you can tape the shutter speed dial lock release button in place so it does not fall out. This button is not held in place and will fall out when the top is lifted off. You can secure it with a piece of tape as shown below.

SLIDE 35: Securing the Lock Release Button The top is now ready to be lifted up. You may need to wiggle it some and lift one side a little first and then the other. Do not pull the top up hard. There are several wires that connect to the camera top at the hot shoe which you do not want to break.

SLIDE 34: Removing the Top Cover 22

As soon as you lift the top off you need to locate 2 items that could come loose and place them in a safe location. The first item is the view window cover shown above. The last pair of items that can come loose are the ASA contacts around the rewind post. Remove these and place them with the ASA dial.

SLIDE 36: Securing the ASA Contacts Once these items are secured you can place a piece of scotch tope over the hot shoe wires and also tape the wires to the back of the top piece. This will help to hold the wires in place and help prevent them from being broken at the connections.

SLIDE 37: Protecting the Hot Shoe Wires 23

Now to get to the capacitors. There are 3 capacitors on top that may need replacing. The 6.3V 22uf and the 6.3V 33uf shown below located on the bottom side of the circuit board usually need replacing. The 50v 2.2uf which is on top usually does not, but inspect all 3 for corrosion and replace any that have leads that are not clean and shiny. Look for blue/green spots on the leads as shown in Slide 38 below. Also check the board that the capacitors are soldered to for excessive corrosion. If there appears to be a lot of corrosion on the surface then it may be a waste of time to replace the capacitors.

SLIDE 38: Inspecting the Capacitor: Bad Capacitor

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Accessing the Capacitors: To access the capacitors below the board, the top electrical bundle needs to be loosened and flipped up. This involves removing the view window and removing screws from the shutter speed dial board and the ASA board. The following steps show how to do this. The ASA board is held on with 2 screws as shown below. Remove these screws to loosen the board.

SLIDE 39: Capacitor Access, Removing ASA Board Screws Next remove the 2 screws that hold the view window in place. Remove this frame and the glass window.

SLIDE 40: Capacitor Access, Removing View Window 25

There is a small spacer under the glass that you need to remove and put aside with the view window so you do not lose it.

SLIDE 41: Capacitor Access View Window Spacer There are 3 screws around the shutter speed dial board that need to be loosened. Screws 1 and 2 need to be removed, but screw 3 cannot be removed, only loosened.

SLIDE 42: Capacitor Access Removing Shutter Speed Screws 26

Now that these 3 areas are loose you can lift up the whole circuit panel on the top of the camera. There is one last step before you can work on the capacitors. If you look under the center section you will see several wires on each side of the penta prism that are held by some clips. These wires need to be pulled out from under these clips. You can do this by prying up the clips with a flat head screw driver. When putting the camera back together remember to bend these clips back down after replacing the caps.

SLIDE 43: Capacitor Access Loosening Wires Now that everything is loose the whole circuit panel can be rotated forward. With the body laying face down you can partially tuck the panel under the camera body to hold it flat. This will allow you to easily work on the 2 lower capacitors. I have found it easier to first remove both capacitors starting with the 6.3V 22uf and then reinstall them starting with the 6.3V 33uf. Note that the negative side of each capacitor is on the side facing into the camera. The slides on the following page show old and new caps. Note that there is one wire that connects to the positive lead of the 6.3V 22uf capacitor. Remove and install the capacitors in a similar manner to the capacitor on the bottom of the camera. Reattach the wire if it comes loose after the capacitors have been replaced.

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SLIDE 44: Old Capacitors

SLIDE 45: Old Capacitors

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SLIDE 46: New Capacitors

SLIDE 47: New Capacitors

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PUTTING IT ALL BACK TOGETHER Simply follow all the steps in reverse when putting the camera back together. For the first step it would be good to reattach the electronic circuit board. First step being to move the wires back under the clips on the penta prism. When positioning the ASA board, if the capacitor is slightly out of position it may interfere with reseating the board. Just bend it outward until the board sets down in place. This board should end up sitting nice and flat when back in the right position. When positioning the shutter speed board, tighten screw #3 first (see Slide 42). If you can tighten this screw the board will be in the right position. Before installing the view window give it a good cleaning. Also, Use a Q-tip to clean the prism glass before replacing the window. Blow out any dust. First item to go in is the rectangular spacer shown in Slide 41. Next is the view window glass which goes in curved side down, then the metal retainer which is held down with 2 screws as shown in slide 40. After replacing the view window you can now replace the loose items. First, with the camera sitting upright, install the ASA contacts as shown below.

SLIDE 48: ASA Contacts

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Check to make sure the ON/OFF switch is in the OFF position as shown below.

SLIDE 49: ON/OFF Switch Now, check shutter speed dial lock release button to see if it is still in place. If it has fallen out, carefully lay the camera down on its front side and replace the button as shown in the following slide. Insert the button into the hole in the top. The smallest flathead precision screwdriver will fit into the hole in the bottom of the button making it easier to install. Tape it in place as shown in Slide 35.

SLIDE 50: Shutter Lock Release Button 31

Next, if you used any tape to hold the hot shoe wires in place you can remove this tape. After removing the tape check to see if the ASA contacts and shutter lock release button are still in place. Replace the view widow cover shown in Slide 34. With these items in place, you can now replace the top cover. If you knock any loose pieces out of position just replace them and try again. Be sure the power switch is in the OFF position as when you removed the cover. It may take a little wiggling but the cover should gradually slip back on. Check to see if the lock release button is sticking up through the hole. Also check the post on the ASA dial to make sure it is sticking up in the groove. Now that the cover is on it is a good idea to first replace the shutter speed dial and shutter button, the film advance lever and ASA dial to test the camera. When replacing the shutter button, hold the shutter button down while rotating the nut clockwise. Tighten the nut with the spanner wrench until snug. Do not over tighten. When installing the ASA dial, make sure the post aligns with the notch in the dial as shown in slide 28. When these are lined up properly the dial will sit nice and flat. If you see any gap then something is misaligned. Remove it and try again. When tightening the nut that holds the ASA dial down, do not over-tighten. The rewind post is made of plastic and if this nut is put on too tight, it can break this post. You should now be able to test the camera. With the batteries installed, turn the camera on and see if the shutters will fire. If the shutters are not cocked, you can sit the film advance lever on its post and wind the shutters. Hopefully, if all went well, the shutters will fire. Assuming the shutters are working, continue replacing the parts of the camera in whatever order is comfortable. When installing the film advance lever, make sure the post is rotated all the way clockwise. This post has some play in it and may rotate out of position. If the camera does NOT fire then retrace your steps. You can check the bottom capacitor first to make sure the orange wire did not come loose and that the leads are properly soldered and not loose. Also check for any corrosion on this board. Corrosion can break the lines in the board. If the bottom cap looks good then check the top pieces. Make sure all dials are rotating properly, especially the ASA dial. If this dial is not installed properly, the meter will not work and the shutters may not fire. Also try releasing the winder lock and resetting the shutters as shown in Slide 16. If still no results, you may have to remove the top and check the upper capacitors. You should retrace all the steps to make sure everything is back in the proper place. Check for any loose wires and for any pieces of solder that may have fallen on another line. Check the soldered connections of the capacitor to make sure they are tight. Make sure there is not too much solder and it is running across another line. Check the board for corrosion. If everything looks good and the camera still will not fire, try removing and reinstalling the batteries. If the camera still does not work, then the problem may be more serious than just the capacitors. It should be checked by an experienced camera repair person.

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