K-30 mirror doesn't return fully to default position after aperture solenoid repair

RayeR · 12-19-2017, 04:03 AM

Hi,
I had common Aperture Block Failue K-30 / K-50 Aperture Block Failue - Repair Solution available Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/151-pentax-k-30-k-50/321871-k-30-k-50-aperture-block-failue-repair-solution-available-43.html#ixzz51dmLyNgE on my K-30 too. I successfully repaired it by grinding electromagnetic actuator moving metal plate as other people did and now the aperture mechanism seems to work again.
http://rayer.g6.cz/1tmp/k-30/solenoid1.jpg
http://rayer.g6.cz/1tmp/k-30/solenoid2.jpg
http://rayer.g6.cz/1tmp/k-30/solenoid3.jpg

But now I have a problem with mirror flipping mechanism. It happens that when using optical viewfinder the mirror is not fully turned back to default position. So image in viewfinder is blurry and focusing doesn't work. It happens regardless a lens is put on or observing just the camera body. When I switch to liveview it works fine. I have no other issues. I don't get any FW error. When I press the shutter the mirror flips fully to open position as expected but then usually doesn't return fully back. I suspect that I might do something wrong with mechanics when I tried to move aperture lever before. Here you can see a spring pointed with and arrow when mirror is flipped:

Is it in right position? I cannot check it because I don't have/know anybody with similar camera. Also it would help me if someone finds detailed photos of this mechanism or some drawings from a service manual (if it had leaked somewhere).
I'm going to buy K-3 anyway but I'd like to repair it and keep it as backup body for bad cases...
Thanks for help.

**photogem** · 12-19-2017, 09:41 AM

It is NOT in the right position. I checked against my K30.

Here you can see (on the dreaded K r) how it should look like:

Mirror flop issue Pentax K r

My advice right now (but I never had that problem, so wait a bit more, you might get better advices!):

Open your K30 again and carefully check what could have gone wrong.

RayeR · 03-06-2019, 08:57 PM

According this picture mirror always up, shutter stays closed, and camera operates slowly - PentaxForums.com
by twey user it seems to be correct. In basic position the lever is in the middle and the spring is hidden. When pres the shutter in bulb mode the lever moves up (to the right on photo) and the end of spring will jump out from bottom. There is smaller secondary plastic lever linked with main lever that moves together that is below the spring. I suspected if it shouldn be above spring end but twey photo says not.

The problem is that lever movement goest 2 different way when shutter is pressed that changes randomly by my observation.
1) simple movement when lever goes directly from center position up (relatively slowly) and the mirror goes up, when shutter released it returns back to center position
2) more complex movement when it seems the lever quickly goes up then immediately back to center and then immediately up again. Also the mirror flips twice. Spring jumps the same way. After release it moves back to center. In a rare case (happened one time during maybe 200 shots it just tried) the mirror get stucked partially flipped and I have to turn off/on.

You Tube

All I did I replaced the sanded solenoid with cheap green one from ebay. I sanded it too much and it had too weak holding power. New green one holds much more tight. When lens is mounted the plunger moves correctly.
I didn't get any underexposured image so for me it's OK to be usable as backup body...

Ajax156 · 03-15-2019, 08:48 AM

During a repair I completed on a K-30 with faulty solenoid I also found some very strange behaviours from the camera. I had the blurry viewfinder, camera software frozen and a few other weird things. The solenoid was replaced with another green solenoid (we'll see how long it lasts) and nothing else touched at all. I disassembled it one last time to see if I could see the problem, saw nothing and put it back together. After that, everything worked again, so I still don't know what happened 😕

The viewfinder issue was like the mirror being very slightly tilted to the wrong angle, so the top half if the frame was blurry and the bottom half sharp. Autofocus was not working as well if I recall.
Cheers

RayeR · 03-17-2019, 06:26 PM

Ajax156, interesting info that I'm not alone with this problem (maybe not the same, my cam FW doesn't freeze) but unfortunatelly we still don't know the cause. It's positive, that at least in your case, the issue was temporal. Just to be sure, your mirror problem started just after you replaced the solenoid and has gone when you opened and assembled it again?
Please can you make a simple test:
1) with unmounted lens turn on the cam in bulb mode
2) press and hold the shutter
3) after the mirrot lifts and aperture lever moves up try gently pull the lever down with a tweezer on small screwdriver, stop pull when you feel some resistance
How it moves? In my case I can pull it very softly down to default position (one half), when i release the lever it moves up via som spring, not much fast.
Just want to see if it behave same or differently.

BTW didn't you used this quick hack: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/58-troubleshooting-beginner-...-objektivu.jpg before repair? If it may have some coincidence with mirror problem...

Ajax156 · 03-17-2019, 08:30 PM

Originally posted by RayeR

Please can you make a simple test:
1) with unmounted lens turn on the cam in bulb mode
2) press and hold the shutter
3) after the mirrot lifts and aperture lever moves up try gently pull the lever down with a tweezer on small screwdriver, stop pull when you feel some resistance
How it moves? In my case I can pull it very softly down to default position (one half), when i release the lever it moves up via som spring, not much fast.
Just want to see if it behave same or differently.

BTW didn't you used this quick hack: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/58-troubleshooting-beginner-...-objektivu.jpg before repair? If it may have some coincidence with mirror problem...

I'm not able to test it sorry as I no longer have the camera. I honestly don't think the mirror issue I had was related to the replacement of the solenoid per se, I think it was more likely the disassembly itself which caused the issue I had as disassembly-reassembly process seems to clear it.

No, I didn't try jamming the aperture lever as described.

RayeR · 03-18-2019, 02:54 AM

In my case the problem appeared before I assembled it - I was testing it with inserted battery and removed front and bottom cover. My cam was lying disassembled in desk drawer for ~2 years until I fully assembled it now, so this is a different case...

12-19-2017, 04:03 AM	#1
RayeR Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 81	K-30 mirror doesn't return fully to default position after aperture solenoid repair Hi, I had common Aperture Block Failue K-30 / K-50 Aperture Block Failue - Repair Solution available Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/151-pentax-k-30-k-50/321871-k-30-k-50-aperture-block-failue-repair-solution-available-43.html#ixzz51dmLyNgE on my K-30 too. I successfully repaired it by grinding electromagnetic actuator moving metal plate as other people did and now the aperture mechanism seems to work again. http://rayer.g6.cz/1tmp/k-30/solenoid1.jpg http://rayer.g6.cz/1tmp/k-30/solenoid2.jpg http://rayer.g6.cz/1tmp/k-30/solenoid3.jpg But now I have a problem with mirror flipping mechanism. It happens that when using optical viewfinder the mirror is not fully turned back to default position. So image in viewfinder is blurry and focusing doesn't work. It happens regardless a lens is put on or observing just the camera body. When I switch to liveview it works fine. I have no other issues. I don't get any FW error. When I press the shutter the mirror flips fully to open position as expected but then usually doesn't return fully back. I suspect that I might do something wrong with mechanics when I tried to move aperture lever before. Here you can see a spring pointed with and arrow when mirror is flipped: Is it in right position? I cannot check it because I don't have/know anybody with similar camera. Also it would help me if someone finds detailed photos of this mechanism or some drawings from a service manual (if it had leaked somewhere). I'm going to buy K-3 anyway but I'd like to repair it and keep it as backup body for bad cases... Thanks for help.

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12-19-2017, 09:41 AM	#2
photogem Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Winterthur Photos: Albums Posts: 658	It is NOT in the right position. I checked against my K30. Here you can see (on the dreaded K r) how it should look like: Mirror flop issue Pentax K r My advice right now (but I never had that problem, so wait a bit more, you might get better advices!): Open your K30 again and carefully check what could have gone wrong.

03-15-2019, 08:48 AM	#4
Ajax156 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2019 Posts: 42	During a repair I completed on a K-30 with faulty solenoid I also found some very strange behaviours from the camera. I had the blurry viewfinder, camera software frozen and a few other weird things. The solenoid was replaced with another green solenoid (we'll see how long it lasts) and nothing else touched at all. I disassembled it one last time to see if I could see the problem, saw nothing and put it back together. After that, everything worked again, so I still don't know what happened 😕 The viewfinder issue was like the mirror being very slightly tilted to the wrong angle, so the top half if the frame was blurry and the bottom half sharp. Autofocus was not working as well if I recall. Cheers

03-17-2019, 06:26 PM	#5
RayeR Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 81 Original Poster	Ajax156, interesting info that I'm not alone with this problem (maybe not the same, my cam FW doesn't freeze) but unfortunatelly we still don't know the cause. It's positive, that at least in your case, the issue was temporal. Just to be sure, your mirror problem started just after you replaced the solenoid and has gone when you opened and assembled it again? Please can you make a simple test: 1) with unmounted lens turn on the cam in bulb mode 2) press and hold the shutter 3) after the mirrot lifts and aperture lever moves up try gently pull the lever down with a tweezer on small screwdriver, stop pull when you feel some resistance How it moves? In my case I can pull it very softly down to default position (one half), when i release the lever it moves up via som spring, not much fast. Just want to see if it behave same or differently. BTW didn't you used this quick hack: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/58-troubleshooting-beginner-...-objektivu.jpg before repair? If it may have some coincidence with mirror problem...

03-17-2019, 08:30 PM	#6
Ajax156 Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2019 Posts: 42	Originally posted by RayeR Please can you make a simple test: 1) with unmounted lens turn on the cam in bulb mode 2) press and hold the shutter 3) after the mirrot lifts and aperture lever moves up try gently pull the lever down with a tweezer on small screwdriver, stop pull when you feel some resistance How it moves? In my case I can pull it very softly down to default position (one half), when i release the lever it moves up via som spring, not much fast. Just want to see if it behave same or differently. BTW didn't you used this quick hack: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/58-troubleshooting-beginner-...-objektivu.jpg before repair? If it may have some coincidence with mirror problem... I'm not able to test it sorry as I no longer have the camera. I honestly don't think the mirror issue I had was related to the replacement of the solenoid per se, I think it was more likely the disassembly itself which caused the issue I had as disassembly-reassembly process seems to clear it. No, I didn't try jamming the aperture lever as described.

03-18-2019, 02:54 AM	#7
RayeR Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 81 Original Poster	In my case the problem appeared before I assembled it - I was testing it with inserted battery and removed front and bottom cover. My cam was lying disassembled in desk drawer for ~2 years until I fully assembled it now, so this is a different case...

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