[altopiet]

My K-x on/off switch started getting stiff the other day, and the shutter button didn't return sometimes after a shot was taken. After 2 years I thought it must be some dust accumulation, and decided to spray some switch cleaner into, and around the button and switch.... no more problems.

[d4vr0s]

I don't know how much dis-assembly is required to get at the switch but that is not something I would be confident in tackling.

Me either, mine is only 6 months old and getting shipped to CRIS for warranty repair later today. One of my concerns is the weather seals will be compromised when I get it back. I love my camera and hate sending it away.

[David]

My K-x on/off switch started getting stiff the other day, and the shutter button didn't return sometimes after a shot was taken. After 2 years I thought it must be some dust accumulation, and decided to spray some switch cleaner into, and around the button and switch.... no more problems.

Just tried the same treatment with a cleaning silicone spray and the switch loosened up considerably. Still a bit tight but no where near as tight as it was. Thanks for the tip. I have been traveling in hot, dry and dusty conditions since last November so I think I would blame dust rather than point the finger at Pentax; there is too much of that already! With a IIs on pre-order I am looking forward to the next couple of weeks.

Regards,

David

[bkpix]

Had the shutter button and power switch start to seize up on my K-5 while under warranty. Sent to CRIS, about a two-week turnaround, on the last day of the Pentax warranty. Came back working.

A month later, same thing, sent back to CRIS for repair under their warranty. They replaced shutter button this time.

Two months later it happened again.

I suspected then (and do now) that the problem was with very fine dust from the desert environment I had been shooting in. I remembered seeing the video of the soldier in Afghanistan burying his K-5 in dust and then showering it off. Figuring there was little to lose at this point, I carefully ran tap water over the shutter button, then dabbed it dry with a paper towel.

Problem solved, at least for now.

YMMV.

I think talc-like dust is more than the sealing can handle.

[David]

Last word from me, I tried the water treatment as well as the spray and all is back to normal!! It looked like a very fine piece of dried leaf had wedged itself under the switch cover.

David

[stormtech]

Just a thought for those trying a DIY solution - maybe try working a piece of dental floss under the switch?