Originally posted by Navmaxlp Wow, I'm a little surprised by this. The capacitor seemed well guarded to me. Both ends were covered to a good degree. I don't know that I could have gotten a discharge probe in there if I tried.
I'm thinking there may be some differences between the K-30 and K-50. Perhaps in the newer bodies, the capacitor is more exposed than in my K-30.
No, there are no differences between the flash capacitor of the K-30, K-50 nor K-500: All have it exactly on the same position.
Yes, the two pins are well protected, this is not where one would receive a shock.
There are exposed contact points right on the open flash-circuit board, if you touch here you get a very unpleasant shock. See attached photo:
Have you ever looked at the size of a discharge probe? You wouldn't want even to touch any contact (soldering-) points on the circuit board.
I was silly enough when repairing a few K-30's and K-50's to think I could do it without uncharging the capacitor. But I was mistaken. I got shocks until I realized the culprit isn't the flash-condensor itself. The condensor just delivers the high voltage with enough amperes to give you enough of a shock that you might damage your camera.
Originally posted by RayeR I didn't feel a need to discharge the flash capacitor in K-30 as I didn't need to remove top cover for solenoid replacement. It seems someone did much worse because too much effort instead if he simply leave it charged...
With all due respect but this is one of those advises one should not give! Why lead people into unnecessary danger?
Why lead people to doing something the wrong way and thus possibly doing final damage to their cameras?
1. it is not about how you feel about this capacitor. It is about safety and doing it right!
- Either leave the camera a few days without battery so the flash condenser discharges itself
or
- discharge the flash condenser!
(Or you wear gloves-- best boxing gloves
so you don't get a shock and then good luck with precision soldering
!
2. and again, with all due respect:
It is the most silly thing not to "lift" the top cover! It is leading others to possible damage!
If not lifted:
a) much worse access to the solenoid for secure soldering
b) the top cover holds the front-cover in position, one has "to wiggle and fiddle" to get it out and will have it pretty difficult to get the AF/C/M switch into the correct position. A few have reported about their difficulties of aligning the inner and outer part of that switch! The assembled their body and afterwards found out the AF/C/M
switch didn't function anymore, the AF would not work!
Because the rod of the screwdrivemotor was jammed! If one then tries and tries because one hasn't understood why the AF doesn't work one possibly could damage
the AF Motor! Too bad then.
So again: - The top-part slides over the front part
- It holds it in position
- It seals it (K30/50/S2 are WR!)
-
it carries the external part of the AF/C/M switch which has to align with the inner part which sits on the main frame and can only align with ease if the front part can be assembled straight, i.e. parallel to the main frame:
If the top-part is not lifted, this is not possible!
Then you have to push and pull the front part under it with an angle!
It is even more so with the K-S1 and K-S2:
With those you can bend a fragile metal part on the inside of the AF/M switch which has to align with a very tiny tolerance into the inner part of this switch. If bent: Very difficult to bend it back into position! It just should not happen but your advice will almost guarantee that it will bend
Because with both, the K-S1 and the K-S2 the front part is much stronger fixed (almost clamped) to the top-part, it takes much more force to get it out anyway. So not to lift the top-part is almost a guarantee that you will damage more than you repair. And yes, the flash concensor sits on the other side and yet you can recieve as much a shock if you touch it the wrong way.
I mean look at your own repair! Something went very wrong!
You applied the sanding method.
Afterwards for whatever reason you had the mirror flop issue, i.e. your K-30 was beyond repair.
Photo 1 shows the flash-condenser K30 (K50 and K500 are identical):
Red marks on the
+ Plus contact of the flash-condenser itself as well as on that spot where the
blue cable is soldered to:
+220Volts DC !!!
Photo 2 shows the rims of the front-part. Those rims have to slide under the top-part (that's why it must be lifted up) and the back part with the LCD.
If the top-part stays in place there are two problems:
- The left wire on the solenoid is too close to top part, difficult to unsolder the wire. - But worse: the top-part cannot be assembled parallel to the inner body but with an angle. The AF-C-M switch will not go smoothly into its counterpart Further photos will show this in detail.