At-1 not turning on

[StratLou]

Hello all,

Looking for some help please with my circa 1977 AT-1. Haven't used it in awhile but stored it in a cool, dark, dry place in a camera bag forever. Installed a new silver oxide battery (the old one was dead and had been in the camera. I forgot to/never took it out after it's last use several years ago), turned on the the switch and nothing. No light meter needle movement through the viewfinder, no shutter button action. But when I turn the activity selector to the battery check setting "C", the needle in the viewfinder moves to peak to show the battery at full strength. Any ideas what's going on and how to fix? Also whether it's a do-it-yourself fix or do I need to take it to a repair facility. Thanks for any help on this. Really wanted to do some shooting this weekend but just frowning instead.

 

[dxqcanada]

Does the shutter operate ?

 

[tirediron]

Can't help you with the repair aspect, but I'm willing to bet it would be FAR cheaper to buy a "new" one from eBay rather than get that one repaired.

 

[StratLou]

No. The light meter and the shutter both are not working. This is everything electrical so everything electrical does not work except for the battery meter which is working fine. Anything operated by the "On" switch/setting is not working.​

 

[StratLou]

Can't help you with the repair aspect, but I'm willing to bet it would be FAR cheaper to buy a "new" one from eBay rather than get that one repaired.

I have a local guy I will contact tomorrow to ask about the cost of having it looked at if no one has any thoughts on the issue here on the forum. I think he can tell me what I may be looking at cost wise to see about whether it's worth fixing.

 

[cabledawg]

You said you left the old battery in the camera? How clean are the contacts? Try using some isopropyl alcohol to clean the contacts really good. If there's anything caked on (leakage from the old battery) you'll want to scrape that off first with a pick or small screwdriver. I've seen where there's enough contact to read the voltage, but not enough to run the camera (happens to my old truck often when it sits for a couple weeks). If that doesnt fix it, there may be something wrong with the circuit board for which a technician's touch would be required.

 

[cooltouch]

Yeah, make sure the battery contacts are spotlessly clean. I've run into the situation before where they looked clean, but weren't clean enough to operate the camera. Also, since it was sitting for so long, one thing you might try is just turning it on and off a bunch of times. I've discovered over the years that some of my electronic gear that has sat for a long time often needs to be coaxed back to life, and one of the ways I've been able to do that is operating the power switch a bunch of times. Cleans any small bits of dust and/or corrosion off the contacts.

The camera repair shop I use locally charges $80 for a complete CLA. I'm assuming other shops will charge a similar amount? For that price, it might be possible to find another AT-1. Not a very common Canon, and somewhat obscure, so you might be able to find one for reasonable.

 

[StratLou]

So a lot has happened since my original post. I contacted my local guy who had me take it to him so he could see what they could do. He said it was over his head. So he had his local guy attempt. That guy said he didn't have the parts. So my local guy sent it to somewhere in Jersey that he uses often. They...actually fixed it! An electronics issue. They sent it back to me and I fired off about 12 shots when all of a sudden....it quit again. But this time the electronics were all working, but the shutter would not actuate. So back it went and 2 weeks later they sent it back with a refund saying they did not have the part to fix it. (Insert sad face here). So I called Canon USA about the repair to which they informed me they no longer work on cameras that old, but they mentioned a company called KEH cameras who could help. So I contacted them and they responded very quickly...to inform me that if I ship it there they will diagnose it at no charge. But if it's repairable, they will repair it for a flat fee of $330 even if it cost less than that to repair it! And if it's over $330, that would be extra, iirc. So, as much as the camera has sentimental value, that cost seemed wicked high for such a repair. They did offer an alternative AT-1 body that they could sell me for $75 which seems like an option. So I will be deciding between my local guy with an AE-1 body he offered or KEH for the AT-1. It might be nice to have the AE-1 automatic for a change...
'

 

[compur]

$330 to repair an AT-1?

I'll repair it for $230.

 

[dxqcanada]

"wicked high" is an understatement !!

 

[cooltouch]

Geez, for $330, you can get a really clean New F-1! Who needs an AT-1 when you can have one of them? If you're partial to the AT-1 for some reason, that one at KEH for $75 sounds like a reasonably good deal. And you'll have KEH's warranty that goes along with it as well.