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: PAGE #

Soldering Gun 5Required Tools 6Removing Bottom Plate 7Lower Capacitor 8Replacing Lower Capacitor 10Upper Capacitor: Removing Top Cover 13Removing Shutter Speed Dial 13Removing Film Advance Lever 15Removing ASA Dial 17Removing Name Plate 20Removing Miscellaneous Screws 21Removing Top Cover 22Securing Loose Parts 22Inspecting the Capacitor 24Capacitor Access 24Removing Circuit Board Screws 25Removing View Window 25Moving Wires 27Raising the Board 27Replacing the Capacitor 27Putting it All Back Together 30

SLIDES:

SLIDE # PAGE #

1. XG-M Front view 12. XG-M Rear view 23. Soldering Gun 54. Soldering Gun tip 55. Required tools 66. Precision Screw Driver Set 67. Bottom Plate Removal 78. Capacitor Location/Removing Screws 89. Raising Circuit Board 810. Removing old Capacitor 911. Removing Sleeve 912. New/Old Capacitor 1013. Preparing New Capacitor 1014. New Capacitor Installed 11

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15. Attaching Orange Wire 1116. Advance Lever Lock Release 1217. Shutter Speed Dial Removal 1318. Shutter Release Button 1419. Shutter Speed Dial Parts 1420. Removing Film Advance Lever Nut 1521. Removing Film Advance Lever 1522. Removing Copper Piece 1623. Removing Film Advance Lever lower nut 1624. Film Advance Lever Parts 1725. Removing Rewind Knob 1726. Removing ASA Dial Nut 1827. ASA Dial Nut with Washer 1828. Removing ASA Dial 1929. ASA dial parts 1930. Removing the Name Plate Screws 2031. Removing the Name Plate 2032. Removing the View Window Screws 2133. Removing the Side Screw 2134. Securing the Lock Release Button 2235. Removing the Top Cover 2236. Securing the ASA Contacts 2337. Protecting the Hot Shoe Wires 2338. Inspecting The Capacitors 2439. Capacitor access Removing ASA Board Screws 2540. Capacitor access Removing View Window Screws 2541. Capacitor access Removing View Window Spacer 2642. Capacitor access Removing Speed Dial Board Screws 2643. Loosening Wires 2744. Old Capacitors 2845. Old Capacitors 2846. New Capacitors 2947. New Capacitors 2948. ASA Contacts Installed 3049. ON/OFF Switch 3150. Shutter Lock Release Button 31

DISCLAIMER: This guide is the creation and copyright of Stephen P. Hill of Moss Point, MS. Whileevery effort has been made to ensure that the information in this guide is accurate and complete, noliability 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 thepermission of the above named creator. I make no warrantees for damages resulting from the use ormisuse of this guide. It is written under the assumption that anyone using this guide has theunderstanding that this is provided as a guide based upon my personal repair experiences, and shouldunderstand that the information herein may not be the best information but should provide enoughinformation to perform these repairs. It also assumes that the individual performing these repairs hasthe necessary skills and knowledge to do so. This guide does not provide 100% guarantee that, whenfollowed, 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 thecapacitors. 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 thecapacitor 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. Thesehave proven to be very good sets and both come with a lifetime warrantee. Thespanner wrench is a handy tool which can be purchased on line at www.micro-tools.com. I recommend getting the one with the narrow or pointed tip. It is also agood idea to pick a flat surface of uniform color to work on. A pillow case on atabletop works great. Also be sure to have a little solder on hand.

SLIDE 5: Required Tools

SLIDE 6: Precision Screw Driver Set

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LOWER CAPACITOR REPLACEMENTRemove 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 removethese screws. These screws all come out by rotating counter clockwise. If a screw istoo tight to remove by hand you can always use a pair of pliers to help rotate thescrew driver. Hold the screw driver down with your thumb as hard as possible. Thengrip the shaft with a pair of pliers and rotate. The capacitor is located in the areashown. Check the board that the capacitor is soldered to for excessive corrosion. Ifthere appears to be a lot of corrosion on the surface then it may be a waste of time toreplace the capacitors.

First remove the batteries from the camera. Remove the capacitor in the followingsteps. Remove the 2 screws that hold the board down as shown in Slide 8. Raise theboard slightly and insert a Q-tip or some small object to provide room for thecapacitor to drop down as shown in Slide 9. Be careful not to pull up too hard on theboard. Use a pair of tweezers or the long needle nose pliers to grip the capacitor asshown in Slide 10. The capacitor will need to be pushed down to remove so slightlyapply a little pressure as you melt the solder. Be careful not to push up too hard on thecapacitor as this could damage the connection point, the capacitor should slip outeasily if the solder is melted all the way. Make note of which side of the capacitor isthe negative side as shown in Slide 10. The new capacitor should be installed in thesame orientation with the negative side facing inward. Also note that there is anorange wire that connects to the same point as the positive lead on the capacitor asshown in Slide 9. This wire can be resoldered after the new capacitor is installed.

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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 shownin Slide 11. This can usually be pried off with just your fingernail or using the smallflat head precision screwdriver.

SLIDE 11: Removing Sleeve

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INSTALLATION OF NEW CAPACITORThe new capacitor does not need to be installed from the bottom as the original butcan be soldered from the top. Cut the capacitor leads to the appropriate length, use theold cap as a guide (see Slide 12). Bend the leads so that they will be arched above theboard as shown in Slide 13. While holding the capacitor with the long needle nosepliers as shown in Slide 14, resolder the capacitor to the board. Resolder the orangewire to the positive lead as shown in Slide 15.

SLIDE 12: New Capacitor/Old Capacitor

SLIDE 13: New Capacitor cut and shaped

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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 theshutters fire, put the black sleeve in place, install the screws that hold the board downand replace the bottom cover. If the shutters do not fire check the solderedconnection. Make sure the solder did not spread over and contact another line. Makesure they are secure by pulling up on the capacitor. Clean the area by scraping lightlywith the small flat screwdriver. If still not working and the shutters are locked, trytripping 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 moreserious problem with the camera. Continue on and replace the top capacitors to see ifthis 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 astep-by-step guide to removing the top cover. These steps do not necessarily need tobe 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 filmspeed setting. I generally set it on 200 ASA.

Remove the shutter speed dial as shown in Slide 17 using the spanner wrench or theneedle nose pliers or even your thumb nail. The shutter speed dial is held on with around, silver nut with the shutter button in the middle. The nut comes off counterclockwise.

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 youfinger nails to rotate the nut loose. This way you can keep one finger on the shutterbutton 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 ideato set parts together in groups as you remove them.

SLIDE 19: Shutter Speed Dial Parts

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

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

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There is a round copper piece under the winder lever with notches on the sides thatjust 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

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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 onby one screw in the center. This can be removed with a flathead screw driver. You canhold onto the rewind handle while you rotate the screw counter clockwise. After thescrew is removed just wiggle the knob up and off the post.

SLIDE 25: Removing Rewind Knob

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Next, remove the round, silver nut that holds the ASA dial in place. The long needlenose 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

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You can now lift up the ASA dial. Make note of the position of the notch in theunderside 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 screwswhich can be removed with the small Phillips screw driver. After loosening thescrews remove the name plate.

SLIDE 30: Removing the Name Plate Screws

SLIDE 31: Removing the Name Plate

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Step 5: Removing the remaining screws. Remove the 2 screws on the sides of theview 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 nextto 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 placeso it does not fall out. This button is not held in place and will fall out when the top islifted 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 sidea little first and then the other. Do not pull the top up hard. There are several wiresthat connect to the camera top at the hot shoe which you do not want to break.

SLIDE 34: Removing the Top Cover

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As soon as you lift the top off you need to locate 2 items that could come loose andplace 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 rewindpost. 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 shoewires and also tape the wires to the back of the top piece. This will help to hold thewires in place and help prevent them from being broken at the connections.

SLIDE 37: Protecting the Hot Shoe Wires

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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 thecircuit 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 andshiny. Look for blue/green spots on the leads as shown in Slide 38 below. Also checkthe board that the capacitors are soldered to for excessive corrosion. If there appearsto be a lot of corrosion on the surface then it may be a waste of time to replace thecapacitors.

SLIDE 38: Inspecting the Capacitor: Bad Capacitor

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Accessing the Capacitors: To access the capacitors below the board, the topelectrical bundle needs to be loosened and flipped up. This involves removing theview window and removing screws from the shutter speed dial board and the ASAboard. The following steps show how to do this. The ASA board is held on with 2screws 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 andthe glass window.

SLIDE 40: Capacitor Access, Removing View Window

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There is a small spacer under the glass that you need to remove and put aside with theview 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

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

SLIDE 43: Capacitor Access Loosening Wires

Now that everything is loose the whole circuit panel can be rotated forward. With thebody laying face down you can partially tuck the panel under the camera body to holdit flat. This will allow you to easily work on the 2 lower capacitors. I have found iteasier to first remove both capacitors starting with the 6.3V 22uf and then reinstallthem starting with the 6.3V 33uf. Note that the negative side of each capacitor is onthe side facing into the camera. The slides on the following page show old and newcaps. Note that there is one wire that connects to the positive lead of the 6.3V 22ufcapacitor. Remove and install the capacitors in a similar manner to the capacitor onthe bottom of the camera. Reattach the wire if it comes loose after the capacitors havebeen 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 thefirst step it would be good to reattach the electronic circuit board. First step being tomove the wires back under the clips on the penta prism. When positioning the ASAboard, if the capacitor is slightly out of position it may interfere with reseating theboard. Just bend it outward until the board sets down in place. This board should endup sitting nice and flat when back in the right position. When positioning the shutterspeed board, tighten screw #3 first (see Slide 42). If you can tighten this screw theboard will be in the right position.

Before installing the view window give it a good cleaning. Also, Use a Q-tip to cleanthe prism glass before replacing the window. Blow out any dust. First item to go in isthe rectangular spacer shown in Slide 41. Next is the view window glass which goesin curved side down, then the metal retainer which is held down with 2 screws asshown in slide 40.

After replacing the view window you can now replace the loose items. First, with thecamera 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 hasfallen out, carefully lay the camera down on its front side and replace the button asshown in the following slide. Insert the button into the hole in the top. The smallestflathead precision screwdriver will fit into the hole in the bottom of the button makingit easier to install. Tape it in place as shown in Slide 35.

SLIDE 50: Shutter Lock Release Button

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Next, if you used any tape to hold the hot shoe wires in place you can remove thistape. After removing the tape check to see if the ASA contacts and shutter lockrelease 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 loosepieces out of position just replace them and try again. Be sure the power switch is inthe OFF position as when you removed the cover. It may take a little wiggling but thecover should gradually slip back on. Check to see if the lock release button is stickingup through the hole. Also check the post on the ASA dial to make sure it is stickingup in the groove.

Now that the cover is on it is a good idea to first replace the shutter speed dial andshutter button, the film advance lever and ASA dial to test the camera. Whenreplacing the shutter button, hold the shutter button down while rotating the nutclockwise. 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 asshown in slide 28. When these are lined up properly the dial will sit nice and flat. Ifyou see any gap then something is misaligned. Remove it and try again. Whentightening the nut that holds the ASA dial down, do not over-tighten. The rewind postis 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 thecamera on and see if the shutters will fire. If the shutters are not cocked, you can sitthe 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 partsof the camera in whatever order is comfortable. When installing the film advancelever, make sure the post is rotated all the way clockwise. This post has some play init and may rotate out of position.

If the camera does NOT fire then retrace your steps. You can check the bottomcapacitor first to make sure the orange wire did not come loose and that the leads areproperly 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 checkthe top pieces. Make sure all dials are rotating properly, especially the ASA dial. Ifthis dial is not installed properly, the meter will not work and the shutters may notfire. 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 anotherline. 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. Checkthe board for corrosion. If everything looks good and the camera still will not fire, tryremoving and reinstalling the batteries. If the camera still does not work, then theproblem may be more serious than just the capacitors. It should be checked by anexperienced camera repair person.

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