So, the biggest down side of this Minolta Electro Shot (aside from the location of the battery compartment) is that it’s fully automatic. Fully automatic is another way of saying, battery dependent. Most of the old cameras that had electrical bits powered by batteries used old mercury cell batteries, which, if you didn’t know, are not sold in the US anymore (something about them being “bad” for the environment… or something). I tried to jimmy-rig (yes, that’s a technical term) a modern battery I could find at Radio Shack, but, it wouldn’t work. I had to order one from the interwebs (Batteries In A Flash if you must know). So when I finally got the correct replacement for the battery (a Malaroy RM-1 to which an A1PX matches in size), I popped it in and click, nothing. Shutter still would not work. So, I opened up the camera to see if my (inexperienced) eyes could spot something.
Looks like the old mercury battery was in there just a tad too long. The corrosion had weakened the connection between the wires that connect to the negative post of the battery and battery compartment. In fact, when I really dug into it, there was this white, creamy substance on the back I had to swab up with a Q-tip. After I got it all cleaned up, I pulled out the $7 soldering iron and tried my best to solder it back together, but couldn’t make it happen. I think the tip was too big (thatswhatshesaid) on the soldering iron.
So, c’est la vie I guess. I still have the Yashica Electro 35 GSN (and a Yashica Mat-124 on the way). It still looks good on the mantle.
UPDATE
Well, I managed to get the connection fixed on the battery compartment. The battery test button on the side makes the little light come on in the viewfinder. The light also comes on in low light situations. Now, there is a new problem. The shutter still will not fire. I took off the bottom plate and checked out the winding action and it appears that there’s a “switch” that’s not making contact at the right time. Either that, or the return on the wind is bad. I could get the shutter to open if I messed with it, but alas, still not working. I think I’m at the point where I’ve spent sufficient time and effort to try and get it working. It only cost me $1.04 + shipping. Hell, I spent $2.95 (+shipping) for the replacement battery!
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