Repair the broken FFA

No matter which type of SX‑70 camera it is—except for the SLR680 and 690—after so many years, the FFA module in many units is already defective by the time we acquire them. This failure prevents the flash from firing.

After converting the camera to the R‑PCB, the method described here allows you to bypass the FFA circuit and restore proper operation of the flash socket.

Advance warning：

We only test these repair tips on the cameras which has installed SX-70R PCB, Some user reported that on the MODEL2 and ALPHA, these tips might also work. It’s your own risk, please make sure you have enough skills.

This repair will prevent the camera from using vintage disposable flash bulbs. This modification may not light up all flashes, but we have tested it with MINT FLASH BAR and Polastrobe.

For Sonar:

The step of disassembling the camera is skipped here; the following steps are based on the already disassembled AF unit.

If you need to remove the circuit board, unsolder all the solder joints indicated in the picture, including AF motor and other joints. However, it is recommended to temporarily remove the white wires and the Transducer as well.

When you have unsolder these pins, then flip the board, also unsolder the pads shown (Please remember their original points):

FFA chip will be found on the back.

Remove the chip and then resolder a wire and short two pads as shown in the picture.

Then as previously mentioned, re-solder and reassemble the flex cable as before, and resolder all the previously desoldered solder joints.

For MODEL I and II and ALPHA:

(coming soon)