DIY Canon 814xl repair

[thereifixedit]

Hi all!
I have recently acquired a Canon 814xl (the silent one) in seemingly good condition. The problem is that once I press the release button the camera does not stop and runs continuously, in both R and RL!
Is there some dial to set (other than RL) that can cause this?

Out of desperation, I disassembled (and successfully reassembled afterwards) the camera. On a first inspection there seems to be a big yellow solenoid that remains always closed, even after the release is opened. Did anyone experience this kind of problem?
Is there some way to find a schematic for the camera's electronics? The electronic part is quite complex and not obvious to understand.

Cheers,
Rodolfo

[MIKI-814]

http://www.nakanocam.com/8mm.html

Check that the contacts for the batteries are in mint condition, without any corrosion. You can clean them with a piece of light sandpaper with a pencil or pen

[71er]

I wonder whether it could be a similar problem to the one described in the thread "Has my new old camera croaked it?".
My 814XL does similar things: it doesn't always stop when I release the trigger and sometimes it also doesn't start the moment I press the trigger, but a bit later. Combined operation with the cable release solves the problem - for some odd reason I have to press the camera trigger first and then, simultaniously, the remote button to get the camera going - but then without problem.

[thereifixedit]

http://www.nakanocam.com/8mm.html

Check that the contacts for the batteries are in mint condition, without any corrosion. You can clean them with a piece of light sandpaper with a pencil or pen

Yes I already did that (I cleaned the zoom contacts too), but my problem is that the camera never stops when I release the trigger! In a certain sense, it works too well

I already know the site, it was very useful for disassembling the cam.

I am still not sure on how the mechanism works: the trigger seems to actuate a solenid that acts as a relays for the motor. Closing the relais' contacts manually I can start the motor, but every time I pull the trigger these contacts stick!

If someone is interested I can post some photos.

Rodolfo

[Pj]

I have the canon 814XL [the one that is black and doesn't have 24fps] and I have the same issue when I press the trigger the camera runs, but when I release the trigger to stop the camera carries on until I tap it or take the batteries out. I'm told it's a common thing with these cameras, where a mechanical lever and electrical links are connected to the trigger, over time and little use can make it become stiff, it is supposed to be easy to fix with wd40, but I I wouldn't do this, but I'm sure it's an easy and cheap problem to fix for a repair person.

P

[thereifixedit]

I have the canon 814XL [the one that is black and doesn't have 24fps] and I have the same issue when I press the trigger the camera runs, but when I release the trigger to stop the camera carries on until I tap it or take the batteries out. I'm told it's a common thing with these cameras, where a mechanical lever and electrical links are connected to the trigger, over time and little use can make it become stiff, it is supposed to be easy to fix with wd40, but I I wouldn't do this, but I'm sure it's an easy and cheap problem to fix for a repair person.

P

Ah good, so it seems just a mechanical problem as I thought. Do you know if a repair manual exists? I do not want to disassemble all the mechanics just see how it works.

thanks!
Rodolfo

[Pj]

I think there is a repair manual from www.oldtimercameras.com/, but I can't find one for free, if you do please let me know.

P

[Mr Blackstock]

To "thereifixedit", if you have photos of what you have done to repair the camera, I would like to use them, if they are clear, to add to a canon repair site I created after I managed to repair a few cameras of my own.

I had a problem similar to yours with one, and managed to fix it with sewing machine oil, a Q tip, and lots of patience.

http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/

My email for the pics is mishkin_prod@hotmail.com

cheers, and good luck!

[thereifixedit]

Yes, I can make a little howto on disassembling the cam, but it will take a couple days.
I will have to disassemble the cam againg for the actual repairs, I will make more photos then.

- Rodolfo

To "thereifixedit", if you have photos of what you have done to repair the camera, I would like to use them, if they are clear, to add to a canon repair site I created after I managed to repair a few cameras of my own.

I had a problem similar to yours with one, and managed to fix it with sewing machine oil, a Q tip, and lots of patience.

http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/

My email for the pics is mishkin_prod@hotmail.com

cheers, and good luck!