All Noblex cameras utilize a drive-wheel to transfer the motor rotation to the drum. The surface of these drive wheels is made of a rubbery, waxy material that is intended to minimize slippage and assure smooth rotation of the drum. When new, these drive-wheel(s) seemed to work well, but the material degrades over a fairly short period of time, rendering the camera unusable without a replacement drive-wheel(s). The good news is that we have devised a method to rebuild the drive-wheel(s) with a suitable, much longer-lived rubber material. We have been using this material for years and install these in nearly every Noblex model that comes in for repair.
The 150 / 175 models suffer from an additional common failure, which can prove more problematic to remedy. The shutter speed control switch is of a design which is prone to breakage or failure due to the weak plastic material used in the original assembly. Without replacement parts these cameras are rendered useless. Now for more good news: We have developed a procedure to rebuild them in a way that results in a more durable and reliable switch. The process entails mounting the old switch housing around a stronger central axle that we make in shop. We have found that this will work on most broken switches, but we have seen a few in which the switch housing is broken in a way that does not leave room for salvage.
If you notice more than normal free play in the shutter speed control dial, or the operation becomes erratic please do not hesitate to reach out and send your camera in for evaluation. Continued use could result in further deterioration and render it unrepairable.
