Tag: Minolta X-700 Frame Counter Repair Guide

Remove the JIS screw from the top of the rewind crank/capstan and pull the capstan free.

Replace the capstans screw, this will stop the film spool dropping down inside the camera by accident.  The screw head will block the spindle from falling down inside.

Set the ASA dial to 200 and to set the exposure compensation to Zero.  On this camera someone had replaced it incorrectly causing it to jam completely.

Under the capstan is a slotted retainer.  These vary camera to camera.  Some are metal and some are plastic.  Most have slots but some don’t.

If slotted you can apply a lens spanner or alternately use a rubber bung.  This fitting is not usually tight but age and dirt ingress may cause it to stick.  If it doesn’t move easily apply a little Isoprop and try again. 

Under the slotted retainer there is a sprung washer.  Remove this and then remove the ASA and Exposure compensation dial.

Be careful  – under the dial there is a thin plastic washer.  Note its position and remove this. Treat it carefully and avoid damage as  this is what smooths the feel of the ASA ring.

Note the position of the two plastic prongs that extend from below the top cover. These connect to the ASA and the exposure compensation dials.

Most X-700s have a slotted retainer on top of the advance lever but some have a smooth sided one. In either case it’s best to use a rubber bung to remove these in order to protect the finish.

They can be tight so a small dab of Isoprop will generally help.  If not and you need to resort to a lens spanner to get this turning use some tape over the retainer to protect its finish.

The retainer is a standard thread.

With the retainer removed the advance lever MAY be free. Some X-700s have a spring underneath and some later ones have a sprung washer. 

If it has the spring observe the cut out in the advance lever and gently unhook the spring and the remove the advance lever.

If the camera has a spring this can be removed – if it has washer remove that as well. 

The spring is located into a hole on the camera body top cover so will need to be turned slightly to disengage it.

Remove the slotted nut under the film advance.  This is a standard thread. This is usually quite tight and you will need a lens spanner capable of quite a small nut.

Set the shutter speed/mode dial to ‘P’ this will make life easier when you come to replace it and allow for easy testing.

Unscrew the trim ring around the shutter button.  This is not usually tight. Normally a cocktail stick is all that’s needed.  The thread is a standard thread.

Using a soft wooden stick will prevent the finish being damaged.

As you unscrew the retainer watch out. The spring under the shutter button is quite powerful and can propel it out of the camera.

With the shutter button and its retainer removed the shutter speed dial will simply pull away.

Remove the JIS screw on the cameras left shoulder…

…and the two screws to the side of the viewfinder.

Remove the two JIS screws under the name plate and pull the name plate free.

Apply some low tack tape to the mode selector lock button and the camera top. This will retain the small button and prevent loss. This can fall into impossible to reach places so its a simple method of making sure this process goes without further issues.

The camera top can now be lifted away.  Do not apply any stresses to this as there are a number of wires between the hot shoe, the sounder and the camera circuit board below. Make a note of where the wires go as these can easily detach from the circuit board without much effort.

As the top comes away from the camera watch out for the small button and also for the viewfinder surround. These are both free once the top is removed.

This X-700 has suffered a broken Counter Stop Stud. A previous repair done by someone else has failed.

The previous repair was to try and glue the stud into place. This is almost never successful.

Typically the stud is lost inside the camera (it’s quite small) and even if it can be recovered getting it glued back in place seldom works. The surface of the counter dial makes glue ineffective.

First off gently pull the film safe indicator lever back and wedge it so that it stays clear of the counter dial.

Grip the index plate with some tweezers or fine pliers and lift it slightly so that its locating hole clears the boss and then pull it away.

The counter disk can now be lifted off, make sure to watch out for the spring which will be connected to the lower plate of the camera.
X-x00 models all seem to have this located in different places and the service manuals are not clear.  In this case someone had hooked it to the edge of the plate shown which is NOT correct.

Exercise caution as the spring is relatively weak and fragile.
Note how one end of the spring has a hook that connects it to a slot in the counter dial.

Here is the counter dial removed with its spring.

The spring has been removed from the counter dial for safety.

This part is easier done on the camera but in this case it was not possible.

What you need to do is to align the counter disk and the index plate such that the index plate marker indicates zero (S) and then make a mark where the edge of the index plate is in relation to the dial near the ’34’ partion of the dial. 

This will be the location of the stud. Eg the place where the stud contacts index plate and stops the dial turning any further.

You need to drill a very small hole in the thinnest part of the counter disk. The should should be about level with the centre of the ‘34’ marking and about midway between the center of the disk and the edge of the ‘3’.

The hole needs to be slightly smaller than the diameter of a medium paperclip. The dial is relatively soft plastic so I usually use a small awl or darning needle to drill through with.

This is easy if the broken/missing stud has left a trace of where it was.

Here’s the paperclip being sized. 

It needs to be a good tight fit.

Cut a section of paper clip off and use a strong epoxy to glue into place.

I usually use Araldite Rapid for this repair. It’s a two part epoxy.

It takes around 24 hours to come to full strength and MUST be very throughly mixed for it to get the best strength.

The height on the top side of the counter disk doesn’t matter at this point so long as the glue join is clean but at the base of the the disk must be flush or nearly flush or any obstruction will foul the spring when the disk is replaced.

Do not rush this part of the job – the epoxy glue can take up to 24 hours to set off fully.

Once the glue is fully dry replace the spring to the counter dial.

Push the film safe indicator out of the way….

Open the film door and replace the counter dial making sure it seats properly.

Notice the paperclip repair is still very tall. There is a reason for this as you will see later.

To get the counter disk seated you may have to gently press the white counter actuator back slightly.  It should engage with the gear teeth under the counter disk.



Check the spring under the counter disk is not fouled or caught on either the washer below the counter disk or any other obstruction.

Close the film door and apply 2-3 turns of the counter disk in the direction shown to tension the spring.

Make sure that you do not over tension the spring – there has to be enough slack to allow the camera to count up to slightly beyond ‘36’ on the dial.

The Minolta service guide says 3-4 turns but I have yet to see an X-700 where beyond 2 turns is possible.

You will need to push the film safe indicator out of the way to do this.

Reinstall the index plate making sure it’s fixing hole is locked over the boss and that the ‘C’ shape of the plate is in the lowest position located into the groove around the film fork guide.

You can now open the film door and check that the  counter returns to zero (S) when the door opens.

Close the film door and double check the counter is counting upwards as you advance – you will need to apply the advance lever to do this. Check the counter is operating correctly.

Using some cutters crop the end of the paperclip rod down.

It must be no higher than the height of the film safe lever or else it will foul on the top cover.

Align the exposure compensation and ASA rings.

Assuming the camera was set to ASA 200 and exposure compensation was set to Zero the two prongs on the plastic parts will align almost perfectly with the strap lug (A).

Note that the cut out on the clear plastic part will align and fit to the sprung contact at (B).

Replace the shutter selector lock button into place and apply some low tack tape to keep it in position.

Use some low tack tape to hold the shutter selector lock button in place as you replace the top cover.

Replace the viewfinder surround onto the camera and then replace the camera top.

Take care not to trap or break any of the wiring as you replace the top cover.

Replace the screw to the camera shoulder.

Replace the screws either side of the viewfinder.

Replace the slotted nut onto the film advance lever spindle. Tighten down to hand tight and then add a small extra tension. Be careful – you don’t want to strip the threads.

Re-install the spring making sure that one end of the spring is located into the slot on the top plate.

Place the advance lever above its location and make sure that the other end of the spring is  located into the slot on the advance lever.

You now need to rotate the advance lever 360 degrees around the advance spindle to tension the spring before seating it onto the spindle.

When seating the advance lever make sure the spring does not rise up and get trapped onto the top of the spindle.

This is easily one of the most frustrating jobs on an X-700 so take your time and remember patience is not just a virtue – when it comes to camera repair it’s a necessity.

Replace the advance lever top cover and secure using a rubber bung or lens spanner.

Test if the advance lever is moving easily and returning quickly. If the spring has been trapped it will have a nasty resistant feel and will not snap back into place.

Replace the shutter speed selector and shutter release. It is assumed this was left on the ‘P’ setting prior to disassembly.

Replace the chrome retainer ring.  This does not have to be much more than finger tight.

Replace the thin plastic washer under the ASA dial.

Check that the posts on the ASA rings underneath are still aligned and carefully replace the ASA dial making sure that the posts on the internal fittings align with the cut-outs on the back of the dial.

Replace the washer on top of the ASA dial.

Replace the slotted retainer using either a lens spanner or a rubber bung.

DO NOT OVERTIGHTEN THIS – if this is too tight it will give the ASA dial and the exposure compensation a very over stiff feel.

Replace the rewind capstan – you will have to unscrew the screw from the film spool.

DON’T let the film spool forks drop inside the camera.

It’s smart to do this with the door open so you can push the film forks upwards and stop them dropping inside.

Replace the front name plate and secure with the two JIS screws.

I hope this Minolta X-700 Frame Counter Repair guide will have helped return your camera to fully working and may you enjoy many years of happy shooting with this classic 1980s 35mm

If you have enjoyed this Minolta X-700 Frame Counter Repair guide and want to know more about servicing the X-700 then check our complete service guide located HERE