Pentax Digital Spotmeter - problem?

[Tom_3925]

I bought this meter on Ebay recently. It looks to be in good condition, but only reads '0' in the viewfinder, no matter what I point it at or what ASA it is set to. I am using a new 4SR44 battery.

Am I doing something wrong or do you think there is a problem?

[Larry Gebhardt]

You really can't be doing anything wrong - it has a problem. I would return it.

[Tom_3925]

Thanks for the reply.

Bizarrely, it has just started to work. I had previously tried holding down the metering button for several seconds but only got '0', but trying that again gave a reading and it seems to be OK now.

[Leonard Evens]

I assume you took the lens cap off. :-)

Seriously, if nothing shows up in the viewfinder at all, it is possible that the contacts where the battery goes are dirty. Sometimes just using a pencil eraser will clean them, but it may be necessary to clean them with fine sandpaper or something similar. But if a bright 0 shows up after you press the trigger release, that indicates something much more serious is wrong. Either no light is getting to the sensor, or its output is not getting to the digital display. The unit would have to be taken apart to even hope to diagnose the problem. Setting the ASA has no effect on what it reads. Send it back and get your money back if you can.

[Capocheny]

I second the motion on both Leonard and Larry's suggestion. It sounds like the meter has to go into the shop for repair...

Personally, I'd be sending it back to the seller and asking for a refund.

Good luck.

[Jim Galli]

If you can get a refund, DO IT! If you can't, remove the battery and clean all of the contacts with a pencil eraser. Or vice versa.

[Alec Jones]

If it has to be repaired, send it to Richard Ritter.

http://www.lg4mat.net/

[Leonard Evens]

If the problem is a bad contact in the switch, some tuner cleaner, obtainable at Radio Shack, might help. But it still seems surprising that it would read anything, including zero, if that were the problem. It may be that something is loose inside, in which case the problem may occur again.