LightOmatic II repair (1 of 5)
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Top-plate removal
On the second page​
Top-plate removal
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Remove the decorative cover from the axis of the wind-arm (figure 1) by pressing down hard with a finger-tip and unscrewing in an anti-clockwise direction. The wind-arm will simply lift off once the decorative cover is removed.
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Open the camera back, and insert a lever into the film cassette fork of the rewind-shaft to stop it turning (figure 2). A chopstick is perfect, since it's softer than the fork, and will not cause any damage. The rewind-knob-arm must be fully extended, as this locks the otherwise free spinning knob to the shaft. Grip the knob and arm, and turn anti-clockwise while holding the fork steady.
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Close the camera back to stop it flapping around during the next step. The rewind-shaft sleeve clamps the top-plate to the body, and must be unscrewed anti-clockwise: I used a blunt 1/2" wood chisel to do this (figures 2 & 3).
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Remove three of the five screws on the top-plate:
leave (a) on the rear face, in line with the accessory shoe,
remove (b) on the right side face, above the back door hinge,
leave (c) on the top-plate behind the shutter release button,
remove (d) to the left-side of the meter window, and
remove (e) to the right-side of the viewfinder window.
These all unscrew anti-clockwise. Screws (a) & (c) are covers; they have a length of about 1mm, and will be explained in due course. (figure 4).​​
Figure 1. Removal of the wind-arm.
Figure 2. With a lever in the fork of the rewind-shaft, turn the rewind-knob anti-clockwise.
Figure 3. Left - with the rewind-knob-sleeve removed, the rewind shaft is now disconnected from the top-plate. Right - the separated rewind-shaft-sleeve.
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Figure 4. The screws should be Sellotaped to a scrap of paper and labelled. Note that screws (a) & (c) do not need to be removed; they are covers rather than fixings.
Figure 5. The shutter release plunger is in two parts; an inner plunger and a sleeve that accommodates the screw thread for attachment of a cable release.
Figure 6 (enlargeable). The shutter release plunger simply stands on the internal shutter release mechanism (arrowed).
Remove the top-plate by pulling upwards and perhaps very gently levering as it separates from the chassis. Be mindful that the shutter release button will fall out, since only the top-plate is holding it in position (figures 5 & 6). The viewfinder/meter window will also separate into component parts: the glass, mask, and frame. Note - this window can be removed on its own, for cleaning/replacing a broken glass cover, simply by removing screws (d) and (e). To make re-installation a bit easier, restack the parts and secure them in the frame invisibly with a tiny piece of sticky tape at each end.
Getting to the viewfinder optics
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Remove the lid covering the viewfinder optics by unscrewing the two very short brass screws anti-clockwise (figure 8). The lid slides to the right, and can be removed once the hidden end clears the underside of the light meter.
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Remove the light meter cover by unscrewing the two very short screws anticlockwise (figure 9). The meter cover can now be lifted off. There's a third screw just to the left of those visible in figure 9. Don't touch this: it's an adjustment screw shown in figure 10.
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Remove the light meter by unscrewing the two brass screws anti-clockwise (figure 11). These are longer screws with thick brass washers underneath. Once removed, the whole light meter assembly can be moved to one side without unsoldering or cutting any wires.
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Remove the entire viewfinder assembly for easier access to this component by unscrewing the two screws shown in figure 12 anti-clockwise.
Figure 8. There's a screw missing from my camera, and I wonder if someone has been here before?
Figure 9. These two screws are undone to remove the light meter cover.
Figure 10. Here is what lies beneath the screw that was not undone when the light meter cover was removed (viewed from the back of the camera).
Figure 11. These two screws are undone to remove the light meter assembly (viewed from the back of the camera).
Figure 12. These two screws are undone to remove the viewfinder assembly.