How to Make Your Minox 35 GT Clicking Again

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You found one of those classic 80’s cameras that look quite similar to the LC-A but have a very very sharp optic. Problem is, the shutter does not work yet because you have either no battery in it, or your battery is just so old that it lacks the needed power. Here’s how to fix this!

The problem with this Camera is, you can not get any batteries for it anymore. They are so old and not allowed to be produced anymore. It is also more or less forbidden to sell those batteries. (at least in Switzerland)

Well it is quite simple to mod that little beast! And as usual you have different options. I know of two and both work.

The first option:

You visit you Cam Dealer of Trust and order a little extrapart. It is a little Adapter to put 4 1,5V Wristwatch Batteries in it. The sum of those 4 get the Power of the original battery and work very good. Con: In Switzerland this Adapter costs 60 Francs (equals 40-45 € or 60$). You do the math, maybe you’d prefer to get a supersampler for that money.

Option Two:

Well, option two is the cheap and also effective method. I was very sad as I came out of the shop with no new battery and the perspective of spending that much money on a little tube of plastic. I wanted to shoot with that camera so bad, since my father shot most of my childhood memories with that very same camera. I basically thought of a way to avoid that little tube, or to get a cheap alternative.

My first step was into a shop nearby and get those 4 1,5V batteries to try it. Only placing them into the camera leads to no result since they lose the energy into the case of the camera. I placed a little bit of paper around the batteries and my idea was born. This, of course, did not work either. But at home again i gave it a third, and last, chance. I put insulating tape around the batteries and, i was shocked, the camera worked. The lightmeter finally came back to action and the shutter never cheated me.

written by maxwellmaxen on 2011-06-02 #gear #tutorials #camera #tipster #modification #camera-modification

6 Comments

  1. piojaroja
    piojaroja ·

    could you show me a photo about how do you placed a little bit of paper around the batteries, please?

  2. maxwellmaxen
    maxwellmaxen ·

    @piojaroja i don't have the minox here, but i don't really know how hard it is to imagine a strip of paper just wrapped around the batteries?

  3. servus_salyut
    servus_salyut ·

    Thanks for this article! I think the best type of battery would be "SR44".

  4. ascotty
    ascotty ·

    Just stack up the batteries and wrap black electric tape around the sides. SR44 works best but always take em out when not in use.

  5. shb
    shb ·

    I bought a Minox 35 GL at a vintage camera show. This hack brought it back to life! Thank you for helping me to make an old m, but excellent camera a wonderful user again!

  6. dansk678
    dansk678 ·

    Thank to you I have just bought a Minox 35 GT, not working, for CDN$40, lets see if I can get it working.

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