Originally posted by Navmaxlp Indeed, this is the right one!
As this is a used one from a K-x or similar, you most likely find a tiny amount of solder on the two pins facing you.
Don't touch the 2 pins that go sidewards because here the tiny wires have of the two coils are attached/soldered!
Originally posted by Navmaxlp Also, when installing it, since this one does not have the wires, I'll need to get through the protection covering the solder joints.
There is no added protection covering soldering joints. Solder protects itself via its own flux! Sometimes you find dirt due to bad soldering for example if the tip of the soldering iron touched the insulation of the wires and it melts or in this case of the tip of the soldering iron was too large and touched the green PET which melts much quicker then the PTFE of the Japan white solenoid.
First you unsolder the two wires. Then you unscrew this tiny screw of the solenoid, best by taking a JIS +0 or +00 screwdriver because all screws in Pentax cameras are JIS and not Philips.
Then:
Originally posted by Navmaxlp I may just trim the existing wire. Is there enough length there to trim or would I need to use new wire? Do I need to add some protection back or can I just make a good solder joint and leave it be?
You won't need to trim the wires. This part which was soldered on the solenoid with solder on its bare-wire-end will be long enough.
But you can carefully add some extra solder on it.
Then you first install the replacement solenoid into the camera and screw this tiny screw tight back on. You might fix the screw and the other hole of the solenoid
carefully with a tiny amount of nail polish or threadlock-paint.
But make sure none of this laquer or paint does drop down!
Originally posted by Navmaxlp I read something about reversing polarity. Can someone explain or is this is something I need to worry about?
No worry for this solenoid.
Some people including me myself have found solenoids in pre-DSLR bodys which had reverse polarity, but NEVER any solenoid from the digital bodies.
Originally posted by Navmaxlp I guess my biggest concern is doing other damage to the camera during the process. Anything I should look out for?
Yes, several important points:
- Open the flash for access of the 3 screws
but without battery in the battery-compartment!
- read
Here about how to discharge the flash-capacitor
As soon as you open the flash AND switch the camera ON, it charges! Then BY NO MEANS work on it before you haven't discharged it.
- Only lift the top part to make sure you have better access to the solenoid itself and for removing the frontpart.
Do not completly lift it up because then you could do damage to the flat laser-ribbon-cable. You don't want to bend this one!
- always clean your soldering-iron tip prior soldering. Use a wet sponge for this. You don't want to bring dirt into the soldering joint.
- When the solenoid is built in, you can make a few test shoots (
but don't open the flash with the battery in to avoid charging)
- If all photos prove you did it right and you see the plunger moving, take the lens off, battery out (!!!) and open the flash again, lift the top part again
and make sure the AF Switch on the front part is on AF (green) and the inner part which is moved by the external part is facing DOWNWARDS!
When the front part is on place right away check that the AF switch moves the extension of the screwdrive motor in and out of this tine hole!
If it doesn't, take the front part off again and really get those two parts of the AF switch into the correct alignment. It sounds much more complicated here
than it really is but we had several cases here where people forgot this and then the AF switch either was stuck on M or on AF. You want to avoid this.
- Don't forget this tiny screw which fixes the front part on the bottom side sitting next to the battery lever!
It all sounds here more complicated than it is. Don't hesitate but do it.