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01-11-2015, 03:58 AM   #1
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Pentax MX meter not working - Solved!

Dear friends,

I bought a nice blackie MX just two months ago from a 2nd market place. The camera looks fine and it even comes with new foam in the mirror. I got a pair of two new 1.5V LR44 batteries and the first day the meter worked pretty well. The camera rested for 2 months in a box. Yestarday I decided to use my first roll on it. To my surprise, the meter doesn't wake up at all! I've checked the well-known metal pin connections issue at the bottom plate, but it seems that they make good contact when the shutter is pressed. Batteries are still new, I'd say (tongue-check positive) and they are placed correcty. As said, it just worked some weeks ago. I am quite confused.

I've looked through the MX posts in the forum but I don't see many similar cases. Do you have any ideas about what else should I check?
Many thanks, folks.


Last edited by rodaballo; 04-13-2015 at 04:31 PM.
01-11-2015, 06:55 AM   #2
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My MX has done something like that occasionally, and I have solved it by cleaning bending out the battery contact just a hair. Check to see if there is any dirt or corrosion on the contact. My MX bodies seem to be sensitive to that.
01-12-2015, 09:15 AM   #3
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Thanks for your answer, GeneV.
Contacts seem clean and no sings of corrosion are visible. I would say that the circuit is complete. I have left the camera on a sunbath next to the window, but the meter doesn't seem to react at all. It is a mistery what's going on here.
01-17-2015, 04:33 AM   #4
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I must confess that I have replaced the batteries and now the meter works. I don't know if the shutter button was pressed when the camera was stored an the old batteries drained because of that. I have also read that some MX bodies may suffer from battery drain problems, even that the meter is only lighted up when the shutter button is pressed. Let's see what happens this time.
Cheers.

01-20-2015, 04:46 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by rodaballo Quote
I got a pair of two new 1.5V LR44 batteries
Do yourself a favor and standardize on the SR44 (silver) cells. You will get much better battery life and more consistent voltage through the life of the battery. Alkaline batteries such as the LR44 should only be used in an emergency.


Steve
01-21-2015, 04:50 PM - 1 Like   #6
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Many thanks for your observation, Steve. This is a good advice and I will follow it.
01-22-2015, 03:10 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by rodaballo Quote
I must confess that I have replaced the batteries and now the meter works. I don't know if the shutter button was pressed when the camera was stored an the old batteries drained because of that. I have also read that some MX bodies may suffer from battery drain problems, even that the meter is only lighted up when the shutter button is pressed. Let's see what happens this time.
Cheers.
I've had this problem, also. After years of good service, my first MX began to eat cells. They'd be drained in only a week or two. I took it twice to a nearby service center, told them to keep it long enough to determine if they'd really solved the problem. No satisfaction. I also checked the switch under the base plate, it seemed to be working. I guess a trip to Eric is the next step. Maybe I can get a twofer since my second MX, a black beauty, seems headed in the same direction.

01-24-2015, 07:49 AM   #8
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My MX was refurbished years ago by Eric and worked when it left his shop. A few months later, I was having the problem I noted again. Just taking the same batteries out and putting them back in would sometimes do the trick. IMO, the battery compartment of some of the MX bodies can be a bit problematic. On one of my MX bodies, this was never a problem.
11-26-2016, 04:58 PM   #9
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I too have found this problem with my black mx, at first I thought it was battery drain because I was forgetting to 'lock' the shutter release, as it would work when I put a new set of cells in but recently it stopped working completely even with new cells. I was resigned to it's possible death/sending it for repair. But I was messing round checking the batteries were working in my ME Super body and I swapped the battery screw cap by accident and low and behold the mx started working again! The me supers cap doesn't have the plastic clip for the cells which I assume was breaking the circuit somehow. Hope this is of help. You just need a spare ME super to swap the caps!
11-29-2016, 01:40 PM   #10
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Penatxes seem to be very picky about the battery caps, I've had this on an MX and a K2
04-26-2017, 04:55 AM   #11
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I have 2 MXs...on one the shutter lock disables the meter; but, unaccountably, on the other the meter is NOT disabled by the shutter lock. And, the batteries drain with the slightest pressure on the shutter button. The 'failing' body came back from CLA by eric in Feb '16.

I found some possible 'fixes' in other threads...I'll give them a try.

NOTE: I searched the forums and only added this post to the most recently updated thread.

Last edited by sandbasser; 04-26-2017 at 05:08 AM.
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