format – Foxes Den

Bronica SQ-A / The Frankenstein project Pt:4

To find out what I am trying to accomplish with this project please refer to my initial post: Bronica SQ-A Medium format camera

Task:

To build a usable, basic issue, medium format camera (Bronica SQ-A) from damaged items and spare parts, for as little outlay as possible and shoot one black and white, and one colour roll of film as proof of its successful completion.

Getting started:

Building a camera from damaged parts is no easy task when the name happens to be a high end brand and any parts that are available, are being snapped up by others to service their own stock or to break up for sellable parts. I’m going to keep a running total to try and build this as cheaply as possible, and to keep track of this total I’m going to use my trusty Psion Organiser II LZ from 1989 to keep a tally.

Fourth purchases:

Now we have the bulk of the camera, we just need those annoying little bits to finish off. I’m calling them annoying, because if I was just to pay out for the 5 or 6 little finishing touches I need they would cost more than the total amount I have paid so far for the camera itself. I would be paying a premium for items that will in the end have no effect on the result I require to complete this project, that being two properly exposed rolls of film.

So here we go.

Battery:

Probably the cheapest item you will buy for this camera. The camera requires a single 6v alkaline battery and is quite important. Without it the mechanical shutter still works but at only 1/500 second. To obtain all the other available shutter speeds you need the battery to work the system electronically. This has cost me only £3:50GBP. After testing I can confirm that the battery works fine and all shutter speeds are as expected. Perfect.

Winding handle/Crank:

For some reason sellers always remove the crank prior to selling. That’s because the original Bronica crank is currently being sold at between £70-£80GBP and it really isn’t worth it. Everyone is after a quick buck and some people are willing to pay it. I’m not however, and my handle here is a special strength 3D printed version that I have paid the grand total of £11:20GBP for. It will need a couple of small “O” rings just to pad the handle on the spindle as it’s a tiny bit narrower than the original over priced one. It’s more than capable for the job in hand though, looks absolutely fine and has saved me around £65:00GBP of money.

The focussing glass:

This is another item that the sellers withold for individual sale. I wonder why? Yes a standard focussing glass is going to set you back anything up to £150:00GBP and again it’s not worth it. However my one is a “damaged” one in that it has handling and pen marks on it. It looks as if some has sadistically drawn their own frame on the glass, the fool! I’m hoping this will clean up a bit but as long as I can see the focussed image I’m not all that fussed. I only paid £11:75GBP for this so yet again a further saving of around £140:00. See, savings can be made, if you are happy to make the trade for a lower quality item.

Camera aperture covers:

Not really essential at this point, but to be honest you need to protect the fragile equipment you now have so it is really worth investing. I’m not purchasing these just yet, that’s a later purchase, I have a lens cover and hood cover now, so that is all I really need to start the real testing.

Waist level viewfinder:

Now this is a real bone of contention for me. Individually it is probably the most overpriced single item you could buy. It’s basically just a flip up hood that acts as a cover for the focussing glass, that affords a bit of light protection, as has been common on old twin lens cameras over the last century. But because the sellers again sell these as “additional items” they control the price and at an average of £150:00GBP (Recent eBay sales data) again the consumer is being ripped off. I’m currently monitoring some damaged ones for repair on the sale sites.

And as of the 4th May 2025 I am now the proud owner of one of these items. I’ve paid a total including postage of £39:75GBP and that’s a very fair price. I’ve been searching the sale sites for quite a time before coming across this one. There is one caveat though, it has some slight damage, but that’s what this site is all about and it ties in nicely with the Frankenstein aspect of this post.

Assessment:

I’m going to be very brief with the assessment, as you will see this project is made from a selection of parts that at time of purchase all had their own faults. Each part that has required repair has been highlighted in the relevant posts associated with this series. Links to those posts can be found in the link supplied in the first paragraph of this post. There are five parts in total. I’m generally pleased that the parts I have obtained have combined to make a very nice “Frankenstein” camera from a brand of camera that is becoming increasingly expensive as an “Antiquity”. Not that it was ever a cheap option for a camera in the first instance. Let’s move on to cover some repairs that have occurred for some of the pieces covered in this particular post.

Repairs:

The focussing glass as you will see above was in quite a poor state on its arrival. This one had some scars and it looks as if someone has used pen to draw their own frame in the glass, to be quite fair it was in quite a state, but it was purchased for a really low price and i believe it can be made to look a lot better. Listen to anyone who is,”in the know” and you will always be told to not handle these screens. A load of tosh, I’ve been handling these ground plane glass screens for years and sometimes you just need to get hands on and this is one of those cases. Yes, if it’s in a pristine condition then cotton gloves would be the order of the day, but this example bypassed pristine conditions many years ago.

Before: How the glass was received with scratches and ingrained ink

I started off with a good clean using IPA and cotton buds, I used about six cotton buds in this process using a new one every time the cotton was overrun with dirt.

Once the IPA clean had been done I then soaked the glass in a detergent solution and then again used cotton buds to get the solution into the scratched areas of the glass.

I’ve finished the clean with a rinse of hot water to remove all the solutions, and left the glass to dry on some paper roll. A light polish with a lint free cloth finishes the job.

After: all ink and dirt removed, only deep scratch remains but does not cause any issue with use

And this is how it all looks in the camera.

All looking fine in position in the camera

I’m extremely happy with the outcome with the glass, it does its job and works really well. With no distractions on the screen apart from a couple of scratches this item has been transformed. Just a little TLC and patience was all that was required.

The Winding handle crank doesn’t really have any issues, it just needs some aesthetic teasing. This crank was 3D printed for the ETRS version of the camera and as such the actual base of the crank shaft is slightly slimmer than that of the SQ model here. It works fine. I’m just being a bit of an OCD freak and want it to look better.

Before and after. “O” rings in place in the winder

Not a problem though as I only have to pack out about 4mm of space and I have just the thing to use. Two perfectly fitting minuscule “O”rings. Job done, let’s move on.

The Waist level viewfinder has one particular issue in that the folding action is slightly affected by an issue with the spring. Again it is fully usable and does not cause any issues operating wise, it is purely an aesthetic issue that I will get around to sorting once the camera has been tested.

This is one of those parts that has signs of age with small signs of wear and tear, however that adds to it’s character and shows it was once a very much loved item that saw some good usage.

I think, we are now ready to get the entire unit assembled and ready for the testing phase of this build.

Total Outlay:

So just how much has this little project actually cost? Over to my trusty Psion Organiser 2 LZ for a final update.

So the total cost of this project is £236.16GBP and I’m very pleased with that considering that sales for fully working similar cameras command prices similar to those seen in the picture below.

So taking this evidence into consideration, the route I have taken of building from damaged stock has saved me between £100-£350GBP. And as it is now a fully operational camera, I could probably command a price that would make a quite nice profit. But I’m not selling. This stays in my collection.

Outcome:

I want to take some pictures with both colour and Black and white film, to prove this camera is capable of this function considering it was constructed with broken or discarded parts.

Now complete, I have restored a beautiful piece of camera history

I will post some sample photos of the tests, and will also produce a couple of galleries to link to within this site. First I will try my luck with the Black and white film, as I have one here currently, though out of date it should suffice as it has been kept refrigerated during my ownership. I also have the chemicals and ability to develop film at home, so this should not be an altogether time consuming process.

This has been a satisfying build making a working piece of camera history entirely with damaged and alternative parts logged throughout all of these posts.

Look out for part 5 of this project that will cover the final testing and the results gained from these tests. Hopefully we will have some good photos and will then be able to wrap this project up.

Evistr L53 8GB voice recorder

What the listing stated:

Evistr L53 voice recorder – not working, parts only

EBay

I just wish the listings would be more specific, it’s not working because, (Fill blank spaces) you get my drift eh?

The unit looks good physically and cosmetically, and seems to have been well looked after, we just don’t know exactly what’s wrong with it. I’ll do some digging around and see if there are any generic problems, and I’ll also dig out some instructions just in case. It’s another one of those purchases where the cost of the item £2:24GBP has been out weighed by the postage, £2:45GBP however a total outlay of £4:69GBP isn’t all that bad in reality.

Current prices are in the £30-40GBP bracket. why you’d pay more for a used item confuses me, but then I’m usually easily confused.

I’ve downloaded some instructions, so we can hit the road running with some basic idea of how it works.

Let’s wait for it to arrive and then we can do an assessment.

Assessment:

Well, the box you see in the picture above, was just wrapped in some white A4 paper and put in the post. By the time it’s reached me the wrapping was split and the box hanging out. We are off to a flying start. It’s not the original box as that is for a 16GB version and this is an 8GB version, again no problem but probably used by the seller to beef up the offer.

The unit itself is quite smart looking, clean and generally free from any heavy marks with only light scuffs that you would expect after a few years of use.

It came with an audio connector, and some other bits that allow you to connect it to a phone system to record conversations.

The unit is dead and didn’t come with a micro usb charging cable, however again not a problem as I have plenty of these laying around. I’ve checked the charging port and I’m pleased to say it is in a good state and has no damage. So the first thing to do is to get some charge into the unit as the battery has probably been sitting dormant for quite a while. It was totally dead on arrival.

After a while I have turned it on to see if the charge is being taken and was greeted by this message, not one that I was expecting or one that I really wanted to see to be honest.

Disk Error. My immediate thought is that this is no longer recoverable, however, looking at known faults on their own site I might be able to recover the disk by using a Windows computer to access the disk. I’ll look at that option in the repair section of this post.

One thing I’m happy with is that the security tag on the back that covers the screw that allows access within, is still intact. I’m confident no one has yet accessed this unit internally. One less thing to worry about.

So realistically it’s a nice neat package in a very good cosmetic condition. It’s only problem that I can see at this very moment is the “Disk Error” issue.

Repair:

So let’s get this unit plugged in and see what we can do. It is really the only issue we have with this unit.

On my computer we have issues though. It’s a windows 11 machine and when plugged in, all the right sounds are made however nothing is recognised. Apparently the drivers for this unit are not supported on this windows system. It can’t see the drive. Damn that’s a problem.

Ok. I’ve had my thinking head on and just had a brainstorm. My brother in law over the road is notorious for not updating stuff. I called him and asked if he’d brought his new computer yet that he keeps threatening to buy and he says, “No, I haven’t Dave“. “Excellent” i tell him, get it warmed up as I’m coming over to use it.

I arrive at his house and he is curious as to what I want to do, I’m always going on at him to update and make his old computer safer, I keep telling him to upgrade it, and here I am asking to use it!

It’s a Windows 10 machine, slow is an understatement but he only uses it for casual browsing to be honest. I plug the cable in and then the recorder, I get a battery charging symbol and that is it. Hmmm.

Another brainstorm, I realise I’m using a charger only USB to micro usb cable instead of a data capable one. Another quick run back to my property and I take back a selection of cables. One of them worked, the drive was recognised and I was able to format the drive but I did it as Fat32. It worked to wipe the drive but I could not get the drive to boot up again without still showing a Disk Error message.

Disappointed I came home, I wasn’t giving up though. I dug out some other data cables from one of my old radio boxes and put it to my computer again, the drive didn’t show on the windows 11 system but it did something to allow me to be able to access the settings via the menu on the unit. I was able to go into settings and format the unit just as it should be via the units firmware.

After the format it indicated there were no voice records available, this was something I hadn’t seen before, we were finally getting somewhere.

It works, just have a look at the video below

All working

There are a lot of settings to play with in the unit. However the recording quality is superb if I say so myself, it’s so clear and balanced. The unit is now fully restored and working just perfectly. Add to that the fact that is cosmetically beautiful we now have a perfectly usable unit.

Result:

Working as well as the day it was purchased, this is probably the best £4:69GBP I have ever spent. A lovely unit, looks good, fits in the pocket nicely and has years of use ahead of it.

I’ve really enjoyed this little project, it’s been a right challenge and I was determined not to give up on it. I was glad that I persisted and got it working again.

I wonder how many of these units, or those very similar to it have just been thrown to waste, when they were in fact very repairable. Well this one has been saved, and will be usable for many more years to come yet. (And I now know how to fix it, if it ever does break again😂)

Thanks for passing by. Always very much appreciated.

Bronica SQ-A / The Frankenstein project Pt:1

To find out what I am trying to accomplish with this project please refer to my initial post: Bronica SQ-A Medium format camera

Task:

To build a usable, basic issue, medium format camera (Bronica SQ/SQ-A) from damaged items and spare parts, for as little outlay as possible and shoot one black and white, and one colour roll of film as proof of its successful completion.

Getting started:

First purchase:

The first purchase has been made and it is for a 6×6 120 roll film back unit with dark slide. I think I’ve paid quite a good price for this item. This is the back piece that fits on the rear of the camera. Here is what the listing stated:

ZENZA BRONICA SQ 6X6 120 ROLL FILM BACK WITH DARK SLIDE Signs of wear, untested.
Uk Buyers Only Please

EBay

And the total paid including all postage is £20:94GBP. Let’s now start the running total in the Psion II LZ.

All I can really check at the moment is cosmetic condition and this looks a little beat up, however I don’t really care how it looks externally, as long as it’s light tight, that is all that matters and I won’t even be able to check that until later on in the build. Cosmetically I will attend to it, if I feel so inclined at the end of the project, for now it’s ability to be light tight will be my major concern.

Assessment:

The unit has arrived and yes it has seen use, but not in a few years I suspect. The old smell hit me the second the package was opened, it’s kind of a reminiscent pong from the past, however I’ve got to see beyond this.

The light slide seems fine, however the surrounding frame has been bashed and a small bit of frame has gone missing. There is also a screw missing and I suspect the area that is missing the screw may well have been glued down. there are some slight rust spots on the exterior framework, however everything inside appears to be fine apart from some light seals that will probably need replacing. The rollers inside are grubby so a good overall clean is in order.

Annoyingly the ASA markings on the dial atop of the roll holder are missing. I will make something basic up to remedy this issue. Again it’s an exterior issue and I’m not too fussed at the moment.

Yes there is some work required, but there is no rush. And thankfully I don’t see anything that really scares me about it. I won’t really know how it stands mechanically until I find a suitable body to attach it to. I have that to look forward to in a future post.

Repairs:

The ASA dial. Simple solution here, until one becomes available sometime in the distant future, is to use some very small dymo labels I have printed. I will cut these down to size and put them in place where they should be on the dial. Quick and temporary solution a’la Frankenstein. No need to over manufacture things, this will do fine.

The old asa wheel has been cleaned to remove the original glue, and temporary stickers have now been applied. This completes this fix for the ASA dial, for now.

Edit: I’ve managed to obtain a damaged roll back for a grand total of £5:76GBP, absolute bargain and it also has a working ASA dial. So I’m hoping I’ll be able to use this donor to help in the repair of this item. I’ve used a combination of parts from this and the earlier roll back and I’m happy I have a good working unit. We now have a proper ASA dial off of the spare unit transplanted onto the old unit.

Front frame:

I’m taking this off to give the whole area underneath it a good clean. There are some film guides under this frame that are contaminated and that could cause a scratch on the film, I’m going to clean this whole area under the frame and will then reassemble. The cartridge slide is in a good condition and has just required a polish. Apparently this front frame is prone to breaking and the screw holes splitting, as it gets quite brittle. This has happened to this unit, and I’ve found a guy that 3D print’s replacement front frames and I have ordered one of these to ensure that the whole frame is secure and light tight, as currently one corner can be lifted and this could cause a fogging issue. At a cost include postage of £12:75GBP it’s a small price to pay seeing the only way to get one nowadays is by purchasing a donor unit at cost far exceeding what I have paid here.

There are a couple of screws missing of which I have plenty of spares so these will be simply replaced. I’m happy now that this portion of the camera is in a good condition and will soon be ready to be put to use.

There was a lot of contamination under the plate when it was removed, I was quite amazed just how bad it was. This has since been cleaned prior to the new frame and seals being put back into place. When everything is re assembled there will be another clean, I will also be using compressed air to finally clear any remaining debris from the roll back. Edit: the 3D printed frame has arrived and to be totally truthful it’s not much good. The part where the slide goes in is not usable and I’m not confident this will be as light tight as first thought.

Good front frame from the donor spare unit

However the spare unit I purchased has a good front frame that just needed a tiny bit of adjustment to work, I’m now confident the roll unit will work as it should.

Light seals:

To be honest there are only two immediate areas of concern that I can see. All other light seals seem to be sufficient. I already have plenty of light seals material from where I fix other cameras so this should be simple enough to replace.

There were only two pieces that needed replacing, these were both on the roll film back. All other light seals were fine.

Rust spots:

These are purely external and there are no issues inside the cartridge. However I may just give them a very fine rub down and a quick spray with a black gloss to just make them look better. Then again I may not, and then I’ll attend to the cosmetics once I have completed the project. Edit: I’ve decided to leave this for the moment and will attend to this sometime in the future as it is not affecting anything at this stage.

Film cartridge:

Again this has just been cleaned and some contamination has been removed from all rollers and guides within. I have adjusted the back plate pressure pad for the film and also given this a good clean to remove any contaminants. I’m happy the internal cartridge is in a good condition and only requires a light clean. This cartridge is superior to the one I have obtained as a spare so this will be the one i work with. I have replaced all the exterior screws to replace the original ones as they were all a little crusty and contaminated.

New screws. I will touch the heads up with black dye

The whole roll section has been cleaned with tack cloths and compressed air to ensure all contaminants have been removed.

I’m going to store the whole roll film back, in a sealed plastic bag with some Silica gel packs to try and remedy the mustiness that I mentioned at the beginning of this post, though I must admit after all the cleaning and replacement of parts, the issue has reduced immensely. Some exposure to sunlight on a window seal usually helps immensely. That’s where it’s sitting for the moment. It’ll go in the bag with some silica gel, during the more inclement weather.

Outcome:

This part has been the most demanding part of this project so far. I’ve looked into the possibility of using 3D made parts, but I must admit defeat here. The items are about 80% ok, there are holes missing that should be there and as it’s a two piece fix you are then introducing glues, and potentially increasing the chances of light accessing the one area you want dark. Maybe in time they may perfect it. I was exceptionally lucky to obtain a spares unit for literally one pence. Yes one whole pence. It cost £5:75 to post making a total of £5:76GBP, but in many aspects some of its parts were far superior to what I already had. I am happy that this part of the build is now complete.

All good to go. Please keep an eye on the other blog posts that are coming regarding this project.

Bronica SQ-A / The Frankenstein project Pt:3

To find out what I am trying to accomplish with this project please refer to my initial post: Bronica SQ-A Medium format camera

Task:

Getting started:

This may be a strange situation where Pt:2 and Pt:3 of this project gets published before Pt:1, quite simply Pt:1, the film back. needs a fair bit of work still doing to it.

Third purchase:

And the third purchase is for an SQ body. This appears to be well used, but appears to be in a working condition. Here’s what the listing stated:

Zenza Bronica SQ Body Only / Medium Format 6×6 Camera

Condition:

Used but still in good usable condition with usual signs of use – see photos for details please. Fully tested and in perfect working order.
Supplied with: Camera body as pictured.

EBay

Now I’m happy with this purchase as well. Not quite the SQ-A I wanted but to be honest the only difference is mirror lock up and metering that I don’t really need so I can live with that, we all managed prior to the metering being done for us, I’m sure we will all survive now . (Oh how we have been pandered over the years)

I’ve paid the grand total if £73:75GBP for this body including the postage. There are some bits I will require to complete the body, namely a focus screen and waist level finder that could be a bit pricey, and a winder for the body. Now, the winders are pathetically expensive at around £60 for a bit of plastic. I know a guy who 3D prints a good alternative for a fraction of the price. And that will be the route that I take.

So over to my trusty old Psion II LZ for the running total for these first three items.

So the total for these three items comes in at a total of £150:94GBP, and in Bronica terms this is extremely reasonable!

Assessment:

The parcel has arrived and yet again I’m really happy with this purchase. Very well packaged, a very faint age related mustiness that I guess should only be expected on an item that is now 45 years old. It seems to work just fine. I have connected the lens and that seems to be working ok, I just need to verify the shutter speeds are all correct. There is no battery in the base and this needs replacing as this is what controls the shutter speeds. Without the battery the mechanical shutter works, but only at a speed of 1/500 of a second. (Edit: the battery has arrived and after testing i can confirm that all speeds are operating as expected). The film back fits fine but I still have some work to do on that before I can say that this part is working ok. Overall I’m satisfied with what I have for the price I have paid.

A selection of covers for the sides, top and bottom are required

Repairs:

Not so much repairs but additions that are required, such as a crank winder arm and a focus screen, a new battery and a selection of covers to protect the central unit in transport. All horrendously over priced and i will deal with these items in Pt:4 of this project.

Outcome:

Current situation, looking good, smelling old. Not me, the camera 😂

We are almost there. The lens is fine, the main body is fine and just needs some final testing. The film cartridge is the item that needs the most attention and this will hopefully be finished when I have the new front plate that is being 3D printed. The next instalment will be just a tidy up with all the little bits I need to complete the build. These small pieces in Bronica terms are so bloody expensive, or should I say extortionate, can be obtained at a fraction of the cost elsewhere, you just need to shop around, if you are happy to have a non named spare part as a stand in. I’m happy with that as these parts have absolutely no effect on how the camera performs, and what we want to achieve at the end of this project, that being a well exposed two rolls of negatives that will produce a number of well presented photographs.

All good to go. Please keep an eye on the other blog posts that are coming regarding this project.

Bronica SQ-A / The Frankenstein project Pt:2

To find out what I am trying to accomplish with this project please refer to my initial post: Bronica SQ-A Medium format camera

Task:

Getting started:

This may be a strange situation where Pt:2 and Pt:3 of this project gets published before Pt:1, quite simply Pt:1 needs a fair bit of work still doing to it.

Second purchase:

The lens. Probably the most important purchase of this project. Looking for a “cheap” lens is normally not the thing to do when exploring lenses as you do really get what you pay for. You want good clarity? You need a good lens. However this lens came on offer and what sold it to me was that there were no scratches and fungus in the lens, and that was music to my ears. It is a duplicate of a lens the owner already has and was surplus to his requirements. He has also supplied recent proof of photos taken on this lens and i believe he has sold me a little diamond to be honest. Everything about it seems good. There is nothing really to do to it, so no maintenance apart from maybe a light external clean and that will be it until everything else comes together.

Here is what the listing stated:

This is the S version of the 80mm lens and although there’s a slight difference in the lens design on the PS version, I’ve compared the two and couldn’t see any real difference other than a slightly more modern colour rendering. The T mode is also working without issue. This lens has been my main user lens and has never let me down. Glass is clear of fungus, haze and scratches. Aperture and shutter blades are snappy and clear of any oil. Shutter speeds are accurate and the lens produces just delightful images and is massively underrated. I’ve included several shots taken recently with this lens mounted on an SQ-A as per the examples. Focusing is smooth, apertures have a nice smooth click and the lens focuses just fine all the way through the range. I will include the origin box as well as the front and rear lens cap with the lens

EBay

Two pictures shot on the sellers SQ-A with this lens (pics: pooface76)

I’ve paid the total cost including postage of £56:25GBP and I think that this is an absolute bargain for what I am getting. It’s an 80mm f2:8 Zenzanon-S lens in its box with two end caps. I’m really pleased with this purchase and there is not a lot else I can say.

So here we have the scores after two purchases, the 120 roll film back and this lens. Over to my old mate the Psion II LZ for the running total.

So the total for two items currently sits at a comfy total of £77:19GBP so far, with an average per item price of £38:60GBP. And in Bronica terms that is quite reasonable!

Assessment:

The lens has arrived and to be honest it has surpassed anything I could ask for, for the price I have paid. For this project it is in perfect condition with nothing required regarding any repairs. It’s good to go.

And out of the box the lens is lovely and clear. Just a few bits of dust but that is nothing at all.

Repairs:

None: I know this is boring on a repair front, but for this project it is the perfect result.

Outcome:

All good to go. Please keep an eye on the other blog posts that are coming regarding this project.

Bronica SQ-A Medium format camera

First a little history.

This will be post No:1 of a series, where I attempt to buy parts of a damaged camera system to repair, reassemble and get back into working order.

I have chosen this particular camera as it was one that featured prominently in my career when leaving school and starting in the Photographic world. I’m going to buy this camera in bits, as it is modular. I’m going to try and buy parts that are for spares and repair for me to fix, to see if I can get a half decent working example. So expect a bit of a Frankenstein project here.

Just like my post on the Canon A1 that I previously published, this was another loan camera in my early years of photography back in the 80s. When money was sparse, colleagues usually allowed the loan of their equipment under certain conditions, one of those being,”Don’t break it”. I used this camera when I did my first studio session when a friend of a friend was setting up a business selling Teddy bears. She wanted good quality portrait photos of her work and this camera enabled me to do that. This was the first medium format camera I had ever used, and for that reason alone it will always sit as my favourite. Many people favour later models and other equipment, but this is my personal favourite. It has its flaws as some do, however this camera was significant in me learning a profession, as well as it triggering many treasured memories for me personally.

Now I want one of my own. 41 years after I first used one. But I don’t want to pay a premium price for it. In fact i wish to pay as little as possible, and that’s where it’s going to be difficult.

You can read more about the camera here: Bronica SQ-A

Requirements

As this is modular camera unit, I will need these parts to form the most basic camera, no bells and whistles as they say, just the basic version:

Lens – obviously
Main body – got to be the SQ family
Viewfinder – a few to choose from
Film back – I’m after the standard 120 roll film back

I’m looking at this being a medium term project so these items will be purchased over a currently undefined period of time, I’m hoping to buy items that require attention so I can keep the costs down, something that needs attention and repair would suit, as I can create a post regarding its repair. Individual spare parts do command some high prices so I’ll look at maybe purchasing some beat up stock that I can use as spares. I’ll keep a running total of the spend, I know I could buy a working complete unit for around £6-800GBP second hand, but that’s damned expensive in my eyes, I believe it was only £400Gbp (Minus lens) back in the mid 80s. I want to prove that a good usable unit can be built with just a little attention at a much lower and more realistic price. On the cheap if you like, as good quality photography does not need to be expensive. It might not look pretty, but it will be practical, and it will work. Most working cameras look beaten up. Most of the ones I used whilst working for a photo agency were total wrecks but took great photographs. I want to run a roll of colour and one of Black and white through it to prove i have made a working practical camera. It’s probably going to be a lengthy project, it’s going to be hellishly tough, but one I’m very much looking forward to.

From now on it will be known as….

The Frankenstein project.

And more posts will appear as the parts start to arrive and are assessed. Each part will have its own post dedicated to its purpose and repair, and a final post where it will be finally assembled and tested.

Thanks for passing by, please be sure to check back as this exciting project comes together, using the links below:

Part 5

Psion datapak formatter

What the listing stated:

old computer bit , powers up ( red light shines on ) but otherwise untested , please note my other similar computer items

EBay

My previous post Formatting the Psion II Datapack explains my thinking and reasoning behind making this purchase.

Most EPROMS made around this time in the 1980s had memory that could be formatted by using a method of exposing them to high levels of Ultraviolet light for between 10-30 minutes. The Psion Datapaks required about 30 minutes of “exposure” in one of these units to format the drive.

The unit I have purchased a Mk1 formatter

By high levels of light, i mean UV light around the wavelength at or close to 253.7nm. A UV light you may have in your home or in the form of a torch operates at somewhere around 395nm, a considerably safer wavelength of operation than what is needed to format these EPROMS.

The UV light spectrum. As you can see the wavelength we need to format the Datapak at 253nm falls into the dangerous UVC Shortwave spectrum. The standard house hold UV light or torch falls into the much safer UVA Longwave category at around 395nm. Picture courtesy of The Hepacart blog.

This unit was purchased after I had spoken to the seller, a nice chap that specialised in old diy tools and computer peripherals, but wasn’t quite sure what this unit did or how it operated. He had stated that the red light was working, but nothing else. My concern here was that the UV light inside was broken, and these tubes i believe are known as low pressure mercury discharge tubes, and finding them in this size is pretty difficult to say the least. The UV tube in this unit could potentially be 40yrs old as this is a Mk1 unit circa 1984. I just don’t know if its tube has ever been replaced at all in its lifetime. Have a read of this post by Dave Curran who had similar issues sourcing a light supply for one of these units, it resulted in him having to make a hybrid concoction combining one of these units and a cheap Chinese import – Eprom eraser/upgrade

I asked the seller, John, if the Ultraviolet light inside was operational and I have supplied a screen shot of his reply:

When I received John’s reply I jumped in with an offer and this was accepted. He had been so helpful. I’m now awaiting the unit, but I’m now a lot more confident that the unit, and most importantly the UV light is currently operational. However it’s probably going to be subjected to some pretty rough conditions on its delivery journey, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed for now.

This formatter is a series one version that came out around the same time as Psions Mk1 organiser first appeared on the scene, circa 1984. It was used right through to when the MK2 organisers were released sometime between the years 1986/89.

This unit will be cleaned, opened up, checked for electrical and mechanical stability, its safety features will be confirmed and it will then be reassembled and PAT tested prior to use. Once this is done i will attempt my first format of a Psion Datapak whilst the unit is in my possession. However we have a little way to go just yet, before we can consider carrying out that task.
The seller was very prompt at getting the unit out to me as it has arrived less than 24hrs later.

The general condition on first inspection is that it looks good, but it’s very dirty and has a slight musky dampness to it. I have given the plug and the cable and case a good clean with a bit of degreaser and this has cleaned well. I’ve done this just so getting inside is a slightly more pleasant experience without my hands getting covered in gunk. The unit looks a lot bigger in the pictures. It only measures 19cm L, 10cm W and 7cm H, so in theory it’s relatively small.

Before I do go inside I have first checked the plug, it currently is carrying a 13amp fuse that is way to large for this unit. It only requires a 3amp fuse so I have replaced this. I haven’t used the Pat tester yet I’m just using the multimeter, and I’m a bit concerned as there is no continuity between the earth pin and the unit case. Time to get inside.

Inside looks tidy but I then become aware of a problem immediately. The earth wire from the mains cable is just sitting there in mid air connected to nothing. No wonder there was no continuity. I have now connected this back in place where it should be and I now get a good earth continuity throughput the casing. All other connections checked and tightened accordingly. This proves that the Pat test would have failed miserably. This was a potentially dangerous situation, that’s why it’s best to carry out these checks on any old powered units you get from a third party. Trust no one.

Next I need to check that the safety switch that turns off the UV light when the drawer is opened is operating. Again I use the multimeter to probe the switch and this seems to be ok. A good listen to the action confirms that it is clicking in and out. A quick clean inside and then the internal checks are complete.

The safety switch clicking in and out

There is no real way to test for actual operation until the safety case is back in place, that’s the safest way. Case on and another quick clean and the unit is looking good .

At this point I’ve carried out the Pat test before plugging it into the mains and the results have come back good and it’s a pass, the earth is good. I’m now confident about plugging the unit into the mains.

Everything seems fine I now just need to place a Datapak inside to see if the format process works. Also it’s a good time to check if the 30 minute timer is working. No time like the present, so I’ve found a suitable candidate and what better way to do the 30 minute countdown than with a Psion organiser I just happen to have hanging around. Here goes 🤞

The unit has been on about 15 minutes and all seems fine, the unit is not overheating and there is nothing occurring that shouldn’t be occurring. Fingers still tightly crossed. 🤞 The Psion timer duly sounded at the 30 minute mark, the unit turned itself off about 2 minutes later.

It continued about another 2 minutes after the timer finished

So 32 minutes seems to be the actual time under the lamp. Not too bad considering its age. The unit was only slightly warm to the touch after this time. I’ve left the Datapak to allow it to get to room temperature before testing it .

Here we go, and it’s fantastic news as the format has worked. When plugged in it has informed me it is going through the sizing process that occurs on these organisers when you put in a newly formatted pack.

And when you go to check the info you can see the previously stored old data has now been deleted.

I now have a very useful, safe and working item of equipment. A very slight mustiness remains but that is only to be expected with an item that is 40 years old that you have had no input into how it is stored. I’ll probably store this in a sealable bag with some silica gel sachets to try and draw that mustiness out. I’m really pleased with this project and now have a very handy piece of kit to boot.

As I said earlier, make sure you always check thoroughly any items electrical such as this, coming from a third party. It’s your life, preserve it, safety first and trust no one. It’s a good mantra in this aspect or restoration.

Another item saved from landfill 👍

Thanks for taking the time to follow this project.

Task:

Getting started:

Fourth purchases:

Assessment:

Repairs:

Total Outlay:

Outcome:

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Assessment:

Repair:

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Task:

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First purchase:

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Repairs:

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Third purchase:

Zenza Bronica SQ Body Only / Medium Format 6×6 Camera

Condition:

Used but still in good usable condition with usual signs of use – see photos for details please. Fully tested and in perfect working order.Supplied with: Camera body as pictured.

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Task:

Getting started:

Second purchase:

Assessment:

Repairs:

Outcome:

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First a little history.

Requirements

The Frankenstein project.

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Used but still in good usable condition with usual signs of use – see photos for details please. Fully tested and in perfect working order.
Supplied with: Camera body as pictured.