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Adjusting Super Speed Rangefinder for Vertical Coincidence
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bartbob



Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Posts: 102

PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 1:17 am    Post subject: Adjusting Super Speed Rangefinder for Vertical Coincidence Reply with quote

My SSG's rangefinder's well calibrated for the lens and cam installed, but the split images don't align vertically. They're about as far apart up and down as the horizontal error is when the rails are racked all the way back past infinity to their stop.

With my eyes, it's sometimes hard to get "perfect visual" concidence with some objects; they never get aligned. Vertical, high contrasty lines are easy enough but multi-directional, not clear things sometimes aren't easy to use in landscape scenes.

What covers do I remove to access the vertical adjustment for a mirror? Then what's the procedure to loosen something and adjust the mirror that's out of whack a tiny bit?

Thanks in advance,

Bart
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45PSS



Joined: 28 Sep 2001
Posts: 4081
Location: Mid Peninsula, Ca.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 1:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

1. Remove battery door and batteries.
2. Remove flash calculator retainer lock. To accomplish this turn the camera upside down, look into the battery compartment, there will be a spring steel piece riveted to the body top, the lock is a spring copper piece at the end of the retainer.
3. Pull back on the retainer until it clears the post.
4. Lift the flash calculator cover and parts from the body.
5. Remove the distance scale.
6. The mirror adjustment is below the hole in the center.

Read:
http://www.graflex.org/helpboard/viewtopic.php?t=4647
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bartbob



Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Posts: 102

PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 2:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

45PSS wrote:
3. Pull back on the retainer until it clears the post.
Is the retainer part I pull back (up with the camera laying face down on its closed bed) the 1/32nd inch wide 1/4th inch long, lip on its right/top end under the "3.5" on the distance scale?

It doesn't move more than 1/32nd of an inch up then comes to a hard stop. I don't want to pull too hard.

I assume that once that retainer's off the correct post, the black cover will be able to be removed off the top.

Thanks,

Bart
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45PSS



Joined: 28 Sep 2001
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Location: Mid Peninsula, Ca.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 3:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



Once retainer lock is removed, they usually break, pull toward back as necessary to release the retainer. It is riveted in the center and connects to another post on the other end. If it is tight thats good.
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bartbob



Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Posts: 102

PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, 45PSS, for your answer.

The retainer in my SSG is flat black in color, not brass or copper colored as you say. Maybe Graflex changed this part's color before my SSG s/n 654723 came off the line.

I'll live with a bit of vertical misalignment in the rangefinder's two images rather than chance breaking the retainer lock. There are a few scratches lined up with the direction the retainer would move; maybe it's been unlocked before.
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45PSS



Joined: 28 Sep 2001
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Location: Mid Peninsula, Ca.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 7:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The lock is just a U shaped piece with the solid end rolled over. Looks similar to a crimp on terminal where the wire goes in from the side.

Grasp the lip with a tool that has a angled end and pull backward. A spring hook or slot screwdriver with the tip turned 45 to 90 degrees works well.
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bartbob



Joined: 30 Oct 2010
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 04, 2011 8:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK 45pss, I think I understand now. That lock just holds the retainer in place so it doesn't slip out. I got confused between lock and retainer. If that lock's not there, nothing bad should happen. It looks like it just it's wedged in between the retainer end and the body metal. And the scratched part above it looks like the trail it made being slid out then replaced sometime before. And if it breaks, another could easily be made from a thin piece of sheet metal.

I now may go ahead and remove that lock.

Thanks for the clarification,

Bart

PS: Half an hour later, after much trial and error managed to slide the lock off with the head of a 10d common nail gripped in a pair of pliers. Lock is copper color, just black paint on its top and edges. Removed the scale cover, flash arc and its flat spring then gently pried out the range scale. Learned that the smallest increment I could adjust the screw was in huge jumps. Settled for what looked 92.43% better. I'll live with a tiny bit (barely visible if I stare at it with a critical eye) of vertical misalignment. 'Tis so much better now. And reassembly was easy.

45pss, you da man! Thanks for your help.
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45PSS



Joined: 28 Sep 2001
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Location: Mid Peninsula, Ca.

PostPosted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 12:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

1 degree = 60 minutes, 1 minute = 60 seconds of arc. Making those adjustments that require a 1/4 to 1/2 second of arc are fun and easy!
(piece of cake for me)

The infinity (horizontal) adjustment is much worse as you not only have to make very fine adjustments but the setting usually shifts when you tighten the clamp.
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bartbob



Joined: 30 Oct 2010
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 1:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

45PSS wrote:
1 degree = 60 minutes, 1 minute = 60 seconds of arc. Making those adjustments that require a 1/4 to 1/2 second of arc are fun and easy! (piece of cake for me)
The original vertical error caused about a 9 inch vertical shift at 600 yards; that's about 1.5 arc-minutes of angle. Now the error's about 2 inches at 600 yards; about 20 arc-seconds of angle; the approximate limit of human eye resolution.

If you can adjust any camera's rangefinder to 1/2 second of arc, your eyes must be pretty good. I've been told by opthamologists my eyes are in the top 5% as far as resolving detail. While making fine visual adjustments, it's not a piece of cake for me, just a piece of pie. And my best eye with corrected vision can resolve about 30 arc-seconds per line pair or 15 arc-seconds per line. An average human eye's 120 degree wide field of vision has the digital equivalent of about 580 megapixels.

I may set the camera up in our basement and aim a laser through the rangefinder eyepiece. I can get a straight line of sight for 55 feet to a wall where the two laser beams will be at. With the SSG firmly anchored on my workbench, it'll be easy to adjust that screw again to get the mirror set to near zero error for vertical coincidence.
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45PSS



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PostPosted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 2:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Viewing the sun in the RF thru a metallized mylar filter makes a nice small round dot to line up, a laser should function as well also.

The weight of the screwdriver sitting on the screw can cause errors. Hold the screwdriver so that it just touches the screw without putting any downward pressure on it.
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bartbob



Joined: 30 Oct 2010
Posts: 102

PostPosted: Sat Feb 05, 2011 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Slid a lock washer on a jewelers screwdrsiver such to let its tip go almost full into the adjustment screw so only torque would be put on it; no downward pressure. This let me adjust easily while aligning two laser beams at 50 feet. Refined the adjustment on a horizontal piece of black tape on a sheet of paper bar at 50 feet using a 7X monocular to through the rangefinder eyepiece.

It's so much better now; perfect as my best eye sees. Everything at any distance now yields very well alligned images that appear to "snap" into perfect sharpness at coincidence.

Another happy camper am I. Thanks 45pss for your help.
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gdi



Joined: 27 Jun 2010
Posts: 26
Location: ct

PostPosted: Tue May 10, 2011 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I know this is an old thread, but I followed the instructions - thanks 45'. I adjust it easily but it will go out of alignment quickly, the adjustment screw is very loose. I am thinking of using a toothpick to apply a little "Liquid Electrical tape" to hold it in place.

Does that sound like reasonable idea, or should I try something else?

Thanks!
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45PSS



Joined: 28 Sep 2001
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Location: Mid Peninsula, Ca.

PostPosted: Wed May 11, 2011 4:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You can give it a try. Are you sure its the screw turning, not the springs weak not holding the mirror arm securely?
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gdi



Joined: 27 Jun 2010
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Location: ct

PostPosted: Wed May 11, 2011 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

45PSS wrote:
You can give it a try. Are you sure its the screw turning, not the springs weak not holding the mirror arm securely?


I am not sure about the springs - I assumed it was the screw backing off since the camera just spent 6 months with lustig and he did RF work on it. I'll try the liquid stuff and see if it works.

Thanks
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Tim Povlick



Joined: 12 Jun 2011
Posts: 36
Location: San Diego

PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 7:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a Super Graphic that could use this adjustment. Two things bother me:

1) Quote 45PSP "Once retainer lock is removed, they usually break, "

Does this happen a lot and is it game over for the RF if it does? Can a new one be fabricated?

2) Does the distance indicator (moving needle) have to be removed? I am a bit worried about that part of the procedure, specifically, putting it back.

Thanks,

Tim
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