Letus 35 problem Please help
 

Hello everyone, I just recently bought a Letus Extreme and was wondering if anyone has a fix for the common problem of the Letus shutting off mid shoot. I have read that this happens quite often on these boards and I am in the middle of shooting a film and the little motor keeps turning off usually right after we call action. I have changed the batteries and still nothing. You give it a little tap... it works for a minute you reattach the lens call action... then it stops again. I don't have time to send it back as we have the actors only for a few days before they go back. Does anyone have any tips. We bought this for this film and well it looks nice in the molded case it came in as we shoot with just the stock HVX lens. I am really bummed.

If it is the same vibrator motor as used in previous models, the motor is normally mounted by the end plate which also carries the commutator brushes and a rear bearing.

The body of the motor is a can style with fold-over tags to hold fast to the end plate.

If looseness or compliance has built up between the end plate and the can body, then the commutator and brush may be developing a clearance and the motor will stop. A tap on the Letus body would be enough to get it going again.

The cause might also be a tiny fracture in a wire.

It is really a case of the appliance being returned to the vendor for repair or exchange of the vibrator motor. Unless you have really good ability for miniature electro-mechanical repairing it is best not to try to repair it yourself.

Given that you are in a bit of a fix, at a desperate pinch, you might be able to get it going by taking out the battery, connecting a multimeter which has been switched to continuity testing across the battery terminals with the appliance switch on. Observe the meter.

If it shows an open-circuit and all other wires and the switch when checked have shown there is no break, this leaves the motor as the culprit.

Gently apply light finger pressure to move the motor can body relative to the end plate. If there is any obvious looseness, this will likely be the cause.

If you can find a position in the moving of the can body where the meter shows a constant closed circuit on the multimeter, you might try adding some more glue between the can body and the groundglass carrier panel, then holding the motor body in position until the glue sets.

The little fold-over tags are next to impossible to get at without removing the motor. Attempts by you to remove the motor to get at the tags to fold them tight may do more harm than good. Don't become too brutal because it does not take much pressure to dislodge the can body fron the end plate.