[Leica] M6 electronics (was Leica and 15 year...)

[Ken Wilcox <wilcox@umcc.umich.edu>]

I have a complete meter circuit in front of me. I'm not an electronics
expert but I'll describe what I see and perhaps the experts can identify
the parts.

Attached to the battery compartment is an orangeish, flexible, thin piece
of plastic in which there appears to be embedded wires. Also attached is a
7 X 14mm piece of white plastic, about 1mm thick.

Attached to the same orange piece and on either side of the white part are
some very small parts. The silver ones are labeled 562, 243, 222, 273, 104,
203, and 821 on one side and on the other 303. On this same side are two
slightly larger, black parts labeled 44S in the long direction and 90
sideways. (I think it is 90, it is hard to make out even with a 10X loupe!)

It I turn the assembly over (looking at the back of the battery case) there
is a round metal canister, silver, about 5mm in diameter and 5mm high. It
is labeled in 3 lines: PS  ZN490  8908. This is connected via four
conductors to the bits on the other side. (described above) what looks a
lot like a small RAM chip for a computer sits below the canister. It is
about 1cm square and about 5mm thick. There are 7 conductors emanating from
each side. These pass through the orange piece and connect to the above
described black and silver bits. It has a silver label with black markings
that I can't see because they are obscured by three of the conductors
described above.

Also soldered to the orange is a tan rectangle, about 3 X 4 X 1mm.

Extending from all of the above is the orange part with embedded
conductors. It connects to a green circuit board. One the board are seven
of the above described silver bits labeled 332. There is also a 116, a 242,
as well as a 203 and 273. There are three others like these except tan with
no labels.

The circuit board also has the base portion of a rotary switch.

On the opposite side of the circuit board are three little objects that
appear to be adjustable. Two have adjusting tabs and one a screwdriver
slot. A gold wire, curled once is also attached to the circuit board on
this side.

Extending from the board is another part of the orange plastic, about 2mm
wide and 45mm long with 3 circular contacts near the end.

You electronic wizard have fun figuring this out!

Cheers!

kw


>TEAShea@aol.com wrote:
>>
>> <<  i like the m6 because it does not have any "new technology" in the body
>> (well,
>>  it does actually, the light meter electronics use a fancy ribbon
>>  cable strip thingy and an IC, but that aside). >>
>>
>> Do you have any more information on the IC in the M6?
>
>no, i am afraid i don't. tom brichta had the assembly on the counter
>during the ksp "minikina" and i examined it there. it's extremely simple:
>battery contacts, wires, IC, flat orange newfangled ribbon cable, light
>sensor, and LEDs. (from memory). somewhere in there must be a switch to
>activate the electronics when the shutter is cocked.
>
>my comment to tom was that it made one helluva great ad for leica.
>
>m


- ----
Ken Wilcox                             Carolyn's Personal Touch Portraits
LHSA, MEA, LAW                      preferred---> <wilcox@umcc.umich.edu>
                                                     <kwilcox@gfn.org>