Beaulieu shutter parking circuit/motor issue?

[Kevin Powell]

I recently purchased a Beaulieu S2008 that is in near mint condition, exception being - someone has modified the camera to take an external power supply via a 5pin DIN connector(Standard MIDI connector). I made a 4.8volt NiMH battery pack and wired up the 5 pin DIN cable to provide power for the camera, bypassing the 2.4volts needed for the reglomatic auto iris motor(I removed the auto iris motor, so it's not needed).

 

The camera operates flawlessly most of the time. However, sometimes after releasing the trigger, the camera will not run at all. I leave the room in frustration and return a couple hours later, hit the trigger, and the camera purrs like a kitten again. I tested the battery pack, the contacts in the 5 pin DIN plug, the cable, as well as the contacts inside the battery compartment and everything checks out.

 

With the side of the camera removed, I can see the motor trying to rotate when power is applied. And, if i use a small screwdriver and rotate the motor shaft slightly, there is an audible "click" and then the motor purrs beautifully. Is this a shutter parking circuit issue? Does the 2008 even have such a circuit? It seems as though the motor is not always returning to the proper spot upon releasing the trigger. My solution thus far has been to remove the side panel, rotate the motor shaft with the screwdriver until I hear the "click"... Not the best solution to the problem and pretty much makes using the camera a crap shoot.

 

It seems like this should be an easy fix - Anyone have experience with this?

[Steve Phipps]

Hi Kevin,

 

I have the 4008, but I haven’t been inside it for quite a while, so I am a bit rusty about the circuits.

 

If I recall correctly, in the 4008, there is a relay which responds to the position of the shutter, and runs the motor (or should) until the shutter has returned to its closed position. There is a blurb about this in the 4008 manual. And if I recall correctly, you could verify this feature by shooting at 2 fps: that was slow enough that you could observe the motor still cranking the shutter after you had released the trigger (you might have to try several times to release the trigger sufficiently mid-cycle). You could also test this by breaking power instead of releasing the trigger. Reconnecting power, the shutter will move a fraction of a cycle first-thing. When the drive-shaft/shutter reaches the correct point, the relay is broken and the motor stopped. It’s really quite a nice design, with the guillotine shutter. The cameras are beautifully made.

 

It sounds like yours might be faulting that way. I'm assuming your 2008 is similar, but I wonder if your relay might be permanently broken. You might also poke around that whole corner, and look for a relevant wire whose insulation is worn, or that is pinched, or making contact with the case, or similar.

 

I recently purchased a Beaulieu S2008 that is in near mint condition, exception being - someone has modified the camera to take an external power supply via a 5pin DIN connector(Standard MIDI connector). I made a 4.8volt NiMH battery pack and wired up the 5 pin DIN cable to provide power for the camera, bypassing the 2.4volts needed for the reglomatic auto iris motor(I removed the auto iris motor, so it's not needed).

 

The camera operates flawlessly most of the time. However, sometimes after releasing the trigger, the camera will not run at all. I leave the room in frustration and return a couple hours later, hit the trigger, and the camera purrs like a kitten again. I tested the battery pack, the contacts in the 5 pin DIN plug, the cable, as well as the contacts inside the battery compartment and everything checks out.

 

With the side of the camera removed, I can see the motor trying to rotate when power is applied. And, if i use a small screwdriver and rotate the motor shaft slightly, there is an audible "click" and then the motor purrs beautifully. Is this a shutter parking circuit issue? Does the 2008 even have such a circuit? It seems as though the motor is not always returning to the proper spot upon releasing the trigger. My solution thus far has been to remove the side panel, rotate the motor shaft with the screwdriver until I hear the "click"... Not the best solution to the problem and pretty much makes using the camera a crap shoot.

 

It seems like this should be an easy fix - Anyone have experience with this?

[Kevin Powell]

Thanks Steve. That definitely points me in the right direction. I'm digging into the problem tomorrow and I'll follow up with my progress. It's my first Beaulieu and I'm definitely impressed with it's design both inside and out. I have an Eclair NPR as well - something about the French cameras I like I guess - I keep ending up buying them.