Beaulieu R16 Recell Camera Drive Inoperative

[Matt Boese]

I have a Beaulieu R16 with a recelled 1000mAh battery. With the battery screwed in the onboard voltmeter shows the battery fully charged but when I switch to drive mode the motor does not function. This camera has worked fine in the past (though has not been used in maybe a decade) and having checked the battery + power grip with multimeter everything appears to be fine so I"m pretty sure the issue is not on the power supply side. It's looking like the issue is on switch or circuit end of things. I am looking for advice on the best procedure to locate the problem and troubleshoot in the least invasive way possible. I have the R16 service manual but thought I would ask the community before I put on the surgical gloves and disassemble the camera.

Thanks!

[Duncan Brown]

I would fiddle with the off/battery-test/forward/reverse switch first.  Maybe it's not making proper contact in some of the positions (have you tried reverse?).  Then maybe the speed knob and fixed/variable speed switch next.  Anywhere a contact or variable resistor could have gone open or high resistance with age and tarnish.  Maybe fiddle with the takeup and feed spools to see if you can get the movement inside to alter its position even slightly.  The R16 has that cool feature where it always stops with the shutter closed, but maybe that also means if something gets old and stops making connection, it won't start up again from that position?

Duncan

[Matt Boese]

Duncan great suggestion! I've tried the various positions and the speed knob. Still nothing. I do notice that if you adjust the frame rate while on battery test the voltmeter registers a change but if memory serves this is normal. Not sure how I can advance the mechanism internally but I'm going to look into it now. I have wondered if the issue is simply the main switch is bad or isn't making contact as I have read about this but I do not know how to test this. It could certainly be something more complex.

[Duncan Brown]

Well it's almost certainly something simple, but not necessarily simple to fix!  Like, if the contacts deep inside on the other end of that main button were tarnished, say.  Maybe some gentle raps on various parts of the camera while holding down the release switch?  (Twist-lock the power switch into the always-on position to make it easier to do this.)  I deal with old electromechanical pinball machines a lot, and they get angry if they aren't used for years...the fix being to just use them!  But sometimes getting that first spark of life out of them is the hard part.

Duncan

[Dr. Thomas Faehrenkemper]

Tage off the cover of the sync axis  and start the camera without battery, then move the axis carefully with a small screwdriver. Might be dried lubricant, then try again with the battery connected. In case of a short  circuit, the motor  fuse might  be melted.  It is on the circuit board under the speed knob, just a small wire  that is soldered.

Edited January 24, 2021 by Dr. Thomas Faehrenkemper

[Joel Chivington]

What is the sync axis? I also am having this problem and I am almost sure it is because of the motor fuse is fried. Is there a way to replace this fuse?

[Dr. Thomas Faehrenkemper]

The sync axis is covered by a little srew in lid down on the right side. To get to the motor fuse, you must remove the  lid unter the speed galva, 5 tiny screws.  The fuse is just a very thin wire that melts.  Renew it and see if the camera works then.