Leica Meter MR self repairs

[gvaliquette]

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Hello all:

 

Has anyone ever tried to repair a Leica Meter MR (the CdS meter that sits on top of earlier Ms and couples to the shutter speed dial)? I purchased mine new in 1977 with my M4-2, went out to shoot Saturday morning in 20 degrees F weather, it was working fine. Picked it up Sunday AM, dead!. Yes, the exposures Saturday were right on.

 

It should be a fairly simple device. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

Oh, by the way, the MR-9 battery adapter works (worked) fine with it.

 

Guy

[doubice]

Hello all:

 

Has anyone ever tried to repair a Leica Meter MR (the CdS meter that sits on top of earlier Ms and couples to the shutter speed dial)? I purchased mine new in 1977 with my M4-2, went out to shoot Saturday morning in 20 degrees F weather, it was working fine. Picked it up Sunday AM, dead!. Yes, the exposures Saturday were right on.

 

It should be a fairly simple device. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

Oh, by the way, the MR-9 battery adapter works (worked) fine with it.

 

Guy

 

Hello Guy,

 

Yes, the Leicameter is quite a simple gadget. I don't know how handy you are but, disassembly is quite straightforward and so is re-assembly. Based on the fact that it died suddenly and after exposure to cold I would assume an electrical contact problem somewhere. Maybe some condensation formed when you 'came in from the cold'?

 

Sorry to ask the obvious - how's the battery? What kind are you using in the MR-9 - Silver Oxide (S-76), Alkaline (A-76) or Lithium Ion? Each will have different discharge characteristics.

 

Best,

 

Jan

[Shootist]

Haver you replaced the battery? That would be the first thing to go dead in cold weather.

[gvaliquette]

Hello Guy,

Sorry to ask the obvious - how's the battery? What kind are you using in the MR-9 - Silver Oxide (S-76), Alkaline (A-76) or Lithium Ion? Each will have different discharge characteristics.

 

Hi Jan, hi Shootist. I use silver oxide 386 batteries, and yes, I did try a fresh battery, to no avail.

 

Any tips on how to open the casing with minimal disassembly?

 

Thanks, Guy

[doubice]

Hi Jan, hi Shootist. I use silver oxide 386 batteries, and yes, I did try a fresh battery, to no avail.

 

Any tips on how to open the casing with minimal disassembly?

 

Thanks, Guy

 

Guy,

 

The first to come off are the top dials - held in place by a screw, which will need a 2-pointed spanner. Once the dials are off, remove all screws thus exposed and all others around the metal housing. The top cover can than be removed, upwards.

 

I don’t recall anymore if there are any unforeseen obstacles; what springs to mind is that the battery check lever on the front may have to be slid sideways to facilitate the top plate’s removal. It has been a while since I took one of these apart but, I don’t recall any difficulties.

 

As I mentioned before - check for electrical continuity, particularly in the battery compartment and make sure that all contacts are clean, without any corrosion. I would also try the meter first with a standard PX625 battery, just to eliminate the MR-9 adapter’s conductivity problems. As a matter of fact, I’d do that before attempting any disassembly.

 

Good luck,

 

Jan

[jc_braconi]

Look in the Collectors & Historica forum.

[gvaliquette]

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Guy,

 

The first to come off are the top dials - held in place by a screw, which will need a 2-pointed spanner. Once the dials are off, remove all screws thus exposed and all others around the metal housing. The top cover can than be removed, upwards.

 

I don’t recall anymore if there are any unforeseen obstacles; what springs to mind is that the battery check lever on the front may have to be slid sideways to facilitate the top plate’s removal. It has been a while since I took one of these apart but, I don’t recall any difficulties.

 

As I mentioned before - check for electrical continuity, particularly in the battery compartment and make sure that all contacts are clean, without any corrosion. I would also try the meter first with a standard PX625 battery, just to eliminate the MR-9 adapter’s conductivity problems. As a matter of fact, I’d do that before attempting any disassembly.

 

Good luck,

 

Jan

 

Thanks, Jan:

 

In fact, I have 2 MR-9 adapters, one in the Leica MR meter, the other in my CL. Neither of the MR-9 adapters with a fresh battery works with the MR meter, both work in the CL, so I really think that the meter is the problem. I thought that finding a small spanner for the top screw would be a problem, but a small needle-nosed pair of pliers did the job without a problem. Now I have to put together the tools I'll need to go further....

 

Come to think of it, I should document everything with my R9/DMR (and bellows if need be), to help putting it back together. If it looks as if it might be useful, I'll post these photos on the forum.

 

Guys, and gals, don't hold your breath. I might need one or two weeks to find the free time to pull this through.

 

Thanks again, Jan. I was thinking that I would have to take off the screws that are on the "shoe" of the meter to get in. I now know it would have been a mistake.

 

Guy

[gvaliquette]

Look in the Collectors & Historica forum.

 

Thanks, JC:

 

I just did, very helpful. Interestingly, the stainless steel spring under the ASA/DIN adjustment dial on my meter has the same type of stain as yours shows in your photo!

 

As I mentioned in the other thread, I'll try to document my travails and may post it itf it seems to make sense,

 

Moderator(s): Any comment on whether cross-referencing posts is permitted/desirable?

 

Guy

[paulmichaelsnr]

I had much the same problem. My solution appears to be a very small wad of paper on top of the MR9 adapter (under the battery compartment lid). The battery doesn't appear to be held down firmly on the contacts.

[frantischek]

Hello!

i bought a broken leicameter mr to repair it. The wheel which connects to the speed dial was loose. The screw which holds it and the small gear on top came off. Not a big deal to fix this but the meter still doesn’t work. There is a 1.5V battery in it. I know it’s not the perfect choice but I thought it should be possible with the small screw underneath to set a new zero point. Or is the metering still incorrect then? 
If I push the battery check button the pointer stops at the dot. Sometimes a bit too far. But when I push the button for metering nothing happens... any idea anyone?

cheers david

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Frantischek,

Welcome to the Forum.

The meter test circuit is different than the measurement circuit.

Sometimes the contacts in the measurement circuit oxidize. Oxidation in the meter measurement circuit is easily cleaned with an Eraser Pencil. In the last Century you might call such a pencil a Typewriter Eraser. It even has a small brush on top.

There are a number of Threads on this Forum that have already been written that explain in detail, with photos, how to do this.

Cleaning is relatively easy but should be done correctly.

Perhaps a person more adept with computers than I am will be kind enough to "click" 1 of those Threads to here.

Best Regards,

Michael

 

[frantischek]

Thank you michael!

I’ll see what I can find on the forum. 

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Again Frantschek,

I did some looking.

You might try "clicking" the Thread "MR Or MR-4 Meter?"

And then "clicking" it to here.

And then go to Post #8.

Best Regards,

Michael