MOTOR DRIVE MD-R8 Problem

[Mike G.]

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I've had this unit for over tens years. Since switching to the R9 w/ Digital Modul - R  it's been sitting idle. I recently re-built the re-chargeable battery pack that went dead a while ago because I wanted to use the R8 which I still have for film. The problem is that the off switch on the camera is giving me erratic problems which I can't figure out. With the battery pack fully charged (all three LED's lit), if I switch the camera on to m (manual mode), the shutter fires. If I stay in m mode all functions of the camera work including Singe frame, Continuous Low and Continuous High. When I switch from m to A (aperture mode), the shutter won't fire unless I open the back of the camera and then close it again. But this doesn't happen every time and not just between m and A. It could occur going from any mode to another, m, A, P, T and F, again not every time. I checked the camera using the battery holder it came with and also with the R8 Motor Winder and the switch and camera function flawlessly in all modes, so I can only assume it's the MD-R8. I cleaned all of the gold plated contacts on both the camera and the drive to no avail. 

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