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Brett, this is a great post. Thanks a lot. Many people have this problem, so this will be really helpful.
Posted 39 months ago.
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Thanks for suggesting i should put it here ;) i thought i had but obviously didnt!
Posted 39 months ago.
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What about this:
(I hope this hasn't been posted, but I have wasted so much film :( well a 10 pack)
My viewfinder is all good, all right, take a picture the view finder goes black... way too long, then it finally comes out and it's just so overexposed to the point where it's white... I just bought an ND filter, and took it indoors with light, I even took the lamp shade off, should I try taking it outside, if not my camera probably has this issue?
Posted 34 months ago.
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It doesn't sound like the same problem (continuous winding). There may be an issue with your electronics. Best bet is to try it in full sunlight and see if you still have a problem.
Posted 34 months ago.
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I'd say your light sensor or part of its circuit is a bit shot :(
Posted 34 months ago.
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I also have this problem (continuously winding motor and black viewfinder) but also the mirror appears to be jammed (I can feel that it hasn't returned to its usual position through the bellows). Are the two related? Will fixing the spring fix the mirror?
I don't know whether this can be fixed at all, but also the shutter jams when set to manual focus and only unjams when focused on infinity then set to autofocus. Any ideas?
Posted 34 months ago.
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Yes they are often related, the mirror has stuck where it was when the little plastic bit broke. without it the motor can't drive the gears to lower the mirror.
You can take the plastic cover off the gears (on the side where the switch is to open the film door) Just pop it off and you can turn the gears to lower the mirror.
Most likely fixing the problem above will fix the mirror.
Posted 34 months ago.
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thank you - can i take teh plastic cover off without peeling off the leatherette and unscrewing the case?
one other thing - where in relation to the camera are the parts pictured? bit difficult to understand where they are in context in these close ups.
thank you! :)
Posted 34 months ago.
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In the pictures, the parts are at the back end (when you're holding it as if you're shooting). Film counter on the left, parts underneath on the right.
I've never had to remove the black plastic over the gears, but I think it looks like it'll pop off without you having to take anything else apart.
Posted 34 months ago.
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is right you can just lever the little plastic cover off the gears and put it back on when done, its not screwed on or anything like that.
If the plastic spindle is broken that won't fix the problem though but it will mean you can at least lower the mirror.
The plastic base of the camera is secured with screws and those are under the leatherette so it has to come off to get to them.
Its only about $15us for a new sets of covers and most sx's need new covers by now anyway.
Originally posted 34 months ago.
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bambam4236 edited this topic 34 months ago.
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thanks people :D
Posted 34 months ago.
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aarrgh!!! just took the leather/foil off the bottom and the screws aren't torx t4! The holes are square instead. Any idea what screwdriver i need?
Posted 34 months ago.
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They are called square bits or robertson bits in some parts of the world.
You can usually find them in those multipacks of different bits that come with a single handle that you insert the bits into.
I have seen a few sets in electronic stores here in australia.
This is like the set i have
www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/en/product/T4513
If you are really stuck i have found the right size torx bit can work but you have to be very careful not to strip the screw.
Posted 34 months ago.
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Thanks sooooooooooo much for the pictures and instructions, bambam4236. That problem just happened to me tonight when I'm supposed to bring it out tomorrow!
Gonna try it out once I hands on a T4 screwdriver!
Posted 34 months ago.
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Hi again. I've taken the plastic cover off the gears and looking from above there are five. One to the left of the yellow lever, one behind it and three to the right. The problem is that I can't turn the gears more than one revolution; they jam. I also don't know which one to turn or in which direction. Either way the mirror doesn't appear to be moving :(
ps still stuck with those square screws. Got a pack of square bits, but even the smallest size zero is too big to fit. Frustrating!
Posted 34 months ago.
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No problem thats why i posted it ;) I can't take the credit though, I learnt how to do it with help from lots of other great people out there that had the same problem.
I have seen the gears do that as well, I wouldn't worry too much as its likely all you would do by turning the gears is move the mirror down so it doesn't get broken if someone tried to force the camera closed. The problem is still most likely that plastic bit.
If you cant find a bit that fits maybe see if a local camera store has one....a pro place that does repairs may have one and might let you bring your camera in and open it up. My local guy has let me borrow his tools to remove stuck shutter retaining rings before.
Your in the UK so maybe try farnell or RS components to see what they might have.
Posted 34 months ago.
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Alright I JUST finished it! It's working nice and fine!
Though it sounds different when the motor is spinning, probably because of the spring? Making me slightly worried..
But it's able to cough out a picture so I'm still satisfied!
Posted 34 months ago.
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woohoo ;) its great to get one working again isn't it.
Mine was broken when i got it so i dont know if the sound changed after the fix.
Its possible it might sound a bit different as the spring probably flex's a little when turned whereas the plastic shaft is stiff.
I do know some of my sx's sound different to others.
Posted 33 months ago.
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Yeah it's amazing of course!
And I kinda understand the SX-70 a little more now hah.
Thanks again bambam4236
Posted 33 months ago.
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SWEET! Thanks to this thread I brought one back to life!
Posted 33 months ago.
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Thank you so much for posting this. But I also wanna ask if you know (or anyone know) how much would it be if I bring the camera to a store to fix, because I really not good at fixing things...
Posted 33 months ago.
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follow-up
(VF dark, no whirring motor--just happened):
what are the measurements where the little
underside screws can be found plz?
it wd be nice to cut out 4 little patches
of leather i think to get at the screws,
rather than pulling off all the leather.
feasible? thanks.... r3h
Posted 33 months ago.
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Feasible yes but unfortunately i dont have one naked right now so cant measure the location of the holes for you.
www.chemie.unibas.ch/~holder/SX70.html That site does hav a picture of the bottom without the cover, maybe you can figure it out from that?
Posted 33 months ago.
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ok...it's taken two months to open my sx70 (quick tip - if you're one of those unlucky people who's sx70 doesn't have the standard torx-4 screws but those square ones instead, just file down a small allen/hex key!)
...there was no broken plastic piece, but the spring from the motor was already connected to the gear as per the repair instructions above. I'm wondering whether my sx70 had been previously repaired or whether this is just how the sonar variants were made?
so this leaves me none the wiser. the darkslide is ejected when i insert a film pack, but the motor turns the gears continuously without end, and the mirror is stuck half way.
so the question is, is my sx70 officially dead? is there anything else i can do to repair it before i take the plunge and pay the stupid prices on ebay?
Originally posted 32 months ago.
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cyan blue edited this topic 32 months ago.
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Thanks! It really works, I stick the broken pieces together and put it back and it now works again. But I need to get the replacement leatherette.
Posted 31 months ago.
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ooooh maybe i can try to fix my first baby. thought he was done forever. now maybe there's hope--thanks to you!
Posted 30 months ago.
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does this have anything to do with my problem? I don't get a running motor, but the viewfinder goes black when a film pack is inserted. It does this regardless of if the film pack has any batter charge left on it or not.
Posted 30 months ago.
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No, your problem sounds electronic- not mechanical.
Posted 30 months ago.
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did you try cleaning the battery contacts?
Posted 30 months ago.
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I just noticed his question was already replied to in another thread 2 posts down.
Posted 30 months ago.
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thanks for this post- i'm sure the pictures will be invaluable in locating the spring.
once i get the damned thing open!
has anybody else had problem removing the casing once the screws are out? how did you eventually get it off?
any tips will be appreciated- i am getting steadily more frustrated. like a chimp trying to break open a coconut.
Posted 24 months ago.
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@whitefaceisace, I would first remove the film door and then have the camera in its open position.
Details on removing the film door from the SX-70 Hackers Guide:
How to disassemble a SX-70 Camera
Originally posted 24 months ago.
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gliesh edited this topic 24 months ago.
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So true.. I found that after taking the door off, the casing on the bottom slides right out..
Posted 24 months ago.
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sweet, thanks guys! looking forward to having another crack tonight!
Posted 24 months ago.
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I am having this problem so I opened up my camera but I found no broken plastic piece... maybe I'm not looking in the right place? Also, it looks like my spring is already attached to some black part that is connected to the metal shaft. Does that make sense? I am going to post pictures on my stream so it will be clear what I'm talking about.
Posted 24 months ago.
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Thank you SO much for posting this. I'm going to give it a try.
Posted 23 months ago.
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Thank you very much! Just fixed my SX-70. It had the same problem -- broken plastic shaft.
Posted 21 months ago.
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mia.. [deleted] says:
hi-i am having this same problem-i have removed the 4 screws from the bottom but now i can't seem to pull off the back casing...i am trying to slide it off towards the back with no luck...if anyone has any tips as to how i can get the thing off i would appreciate it! also-the camera can't close because of the positioning of the stuck mirror...maybe this has something to do with why the casing is stuck on the camera? i'm so sad, i just put my second pack of film in this sx-70...i just bought it off ebay...sad...:( i'm trying to gently pry it with a butter knife, but i'm worried to force it..
Originally posted 21 months ago.
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mia.. edited this topic 21 months ago.
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For any of you who need help with this camera problem, I run a Polaroid SX-70 repair service as a hobby. Please check my Polaroid SX-70 Repair Service auction on ebay - item #170426886782. Or, search for auctions by seller fastcat99 - that's me!! I also sell nice refurbished SX-70 cameras and accessories for those looking to add to their collections.
Thanks for your attention,
Roger
Posted 21 months ago.
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this commonly occurs over the life of the SX70 cameras due to improperly opening and closing the camera. The proper way to open a folding SX70 is to hols the camera in the palm of one hand, with the other hand using your thumb and index finger held on the grooved sides of the view finder hood, pull straight up in one motion. Same think when closing the camera you release the metal lockslide bar and then close in one motion. When you open an SX70 the way most people you (jerk till the hood comes loose, then violently make another move to open up the camera while its loose) you put tons of unnecessary force on the inside parts, which are small and delicate. It is a little hard to get the hang of if you are used to the two motion sloppy opening, but once you do it in the proper way with one smooth quick motion straight up, you will see that is how to properly open the camera.
Posted 21 months ago.
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this problem also occurs when the shutter gets jammed. You will see just black through the view finder when this occurs. There is no quick fix for this the camera needs to be opened. This can happen from releasing the red button to soon when you are set for a timed exposure. You let go before the shutter closes and it jams on it self.
Posted 21 months ago.
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I've removed the four torx-screws and opened the film door but just CAN'T slide back the bottom-cover. How did you manage to do it!?
Posted 19 months ago.
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I made a video about this kind of repair. I hope it could help you to open the bottom-cover.
www.coagula.org/content/pages/repairing-polaroid-sx-70
Posted 19 months ago.
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I've done this repair and it is just very difficult. My secret was to be very very patient, it was a while ago but I remember gently but firmly pulling on the bottom cover for quite a while. These cameras were not designed to be repaired by folks like us and they're built like tanks.
My repair is here
Edit
I just looked at repair notes and his photos are very clear on what to do.
Originally posted 19 months ago.
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dqmarkham edited this topic 19 months ago.
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Polaroid SX 70 /
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It doesn't sound like the same problem (continuous winding). There may be an issue with your electronics. Best bet is to try it in full sunlight and see if you still have a problem.
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