Repairing flash sync on modern Copal 1

[Keytarjunkie]

I have a lens in a Copal 1 shutter that isn't sending a signal through its sync port (it's definitely the lens, all of my other lenses work fine). Unfortunately it's the *only* lens I want to sync. I am decent with tools, but opening up a shutter is never fun. Is this a relatively easy fix? What could be wrong with it?

[Bob Salomon]

Well the good news is that it has nothing to do with your lens. Your problem is the shutter that your lens is mounted in. The synch contact is held onto the body of your shutter, you can take a jewlers screwdriver and carefully remove the synch post. When you do you will see contacts in the hole in the shutter body. Are they there? Does the post on the synch post reach down and touch those contacts when you put the post back in place?
Does the flash fire when you use a different lens? Does it fire if you use a different cord? If yes to all of these your shutter needs to be repaired.
Just take it to Dodd and let them check it.

[B.S.Kumar]

ONLY IF you have another Copal 1 shutter on which you have proper flash sync:

a. Change the cells from one shutter to the other, including any shims.
b. Change the aperture scale similarly.
c. Done.

Kumar

[DrTang]

ONLY IF you have another Copal 1 shutter on which you don't need flash sync:

a. Change the cells from one shutter to the other, including any shims.
b. Change the aperture scale similarly.
c. Done.

Kumar

those Polaroid /Copal 1's are great for that

[LabRat]

If you have an ohmmeter, you can clip the leads to the PC post (using a thin wire to reach inside the inner contact), and the ohms should go to zero when shutter fires (using a speed slow enough for the meter to read)... Then switch the speed to B and try again while watching if the zero reading is steady... Sometimes the sync contacts internally make so-so contact, and might even multiflash, or not fire at all... But usually a cord issue...

Steve K

[Keytarjunkie]

Well the good news is that it has nothing to do with your lens. Your problem is the shutter that your lens is mounted in. The synch contact is held onto the body of your shutter, you can take a jewlers screwdriver and carefully remove the synch post. When you do you will see contacts in the hole in the shutter body. Are they there? Does the post on the synch post reach down and touch those contacts when you put the post back in place?
Does the flash fire when you use a different lens? Does it fire if you use a different cord? If yes to all of these your shutter needs to be repaired.
Just take it to Dodd and let them check it.

Dodd sold me the lens! They don't look at their stuff, and they're just going to send it out to have it repaired, they stopped doing significant repairs in-house.

It's definitely the shutter and not the cable. I don't have the tools to properly open it so I'll just leave it for now.