[hnikesch]

I am limping along with AA batteries and all is still good. Looking for an old body to get the solenoid for when I need it. Reading the Ebay site for the white Sol. they seem to be removed from older bodies and not a new part. I figure pulling the part myself will be good practice for replacing it in my K30. I mostly use my K30 for wildlife with my 55-300 PLM so even it the solenoid dies that lens will still work but I will miss using my primes and 16-135 so I will attempt to fix if when and if required. My K30 has 20,000 clicks so the installed green solenoid worked for 20,000 cycles if I can't find a white Sol. I may just put in a NEW green one.

[reh321]

I am limping along with AA batteries and all is still good. Looking for an old body to get the solenoid for when I need it. Reading the Ebay site for the white Sol. they seem to be removed from older bodies and not a new part. I figure pulling the part myself will be good practice for replacing it in my K30. I mostly use my K30 for wildlife with my 55-300 PLM so even it the solenoid dies that lens will still work but I will miss using my primes and 16-135 so I will attempt to fix if when and if required.

I believe that is a reasonable choice - as long as you have PLM and/or aperture-ring lens available so you could take photo even if body aperture-control totally fails some day. I am currently using AA adapter; most days first photo is dark, but it works after that {when batteries are really really low, sometimes even first shot of the day works}.

[hnikesch]

I believe that is a reasonable choice - as long as you have PLM and/or aperture-ring lens available so you could take photo even if body aperture-control totally fails some day. I am currently using AA adapter; most days first photo is dark, but it works after that {when batteries are really really low, sometimes even first shot of the day works}.

I just ordered a new Green Solenoid from China for $10 and my hunt for an old body white Sol. continues.

[Tangent88]

Despite some very amateur soldering I managed to replace the green solenoid with the white one in my K-50 and it seems to be working.

One thing though, K-30, K-50, K-500, K-S1 & K-S2s on eBay, either they have the green solenoid and they will fail, or someone has done what I've done and you're buying a camera that's been soldered by an amateur or even worse, the solenoid has been filed down.

So it's very much buyer beware with those cameras on eBay.

[reh321]

So it's very much buyer beware with those cameras on eBay.

I'm guessing it is "buyer beware" everywhere. Forty months ago, I got my K-30 from KEH for $250 {shutter count = 3}. My guess is that they were already hearing things and just wanted to get it sold before 'the word' got out to rest of us. That's OK - even though Dark Image Syndrome has started to affect it, I'm still getting good images from it, and it has already taken me through the time our bankbook was too shallow for me to think in terms of anything else.

[hnikesch]

I plan on keeping my K30 and fixing if required, All the new mid range Pentax bodies K70 & Ks2 have the same issue so an upgrade is not in my future until Pentax comes up with a new body without this issue.

[reh321]

I plan on keeping my K30 and fixing if required, All the new mid range Pentax bodies K70 & Ks2 have the same issue so an upgrade is not in my future until Pentax comes up with a new body without this issue.

That is why there is a KP in my future - Pentax has said it has different aperture control .... apparently same as K-7/5/3.

[Tangent88]

That is why there is a KP in my future - Pentax has said it has different aperture control .... apparently same as K-7/5/3.

I actually knew nothing about that.

Pentax's publicity machine isn't exactly the best is it?

I only found out they'd made an APS-C mirrorless recently!

Apparently this is somewhat like the old K200D, which I would quite like as well, have the K10D but it's pretty heavy and that has the same sensor.

---------- Post added 10-08-18 at 06:48 AM ----------

I plan on keeping my K30 and fixing if required, All the new mid range Pentax bodies K70 & Ks2 have the same issue so an upgrade is not in my future until Pentax comes up with a new body without this issue.

With madphys' guide and the video I posted it's not that hard but takes a bit of patience and either another pair of hands or one of those "helping hands" things.

You need two hands to hold the wire on the connection and another two with the iron and the solder.

[photogem]

You need two hands to hold the wire on the connection and another two with the iron and the solder.

This can be achieved much much easier and how often engineers do it:

You presolder both parts which need to be soldered together, i.e. before you built in the new (white made in Japan of course) solenoid,
you put a tiny bit of solder onto each pin (via your soldering iron).

You do the same to the ends of the cables (which where soldered onto the green solenoid).

Thus there is enough solder to connect the two parts firmly.

Then you built the solenoid into its place.

You hold the wire with some tweezers or similar onto the pin and keep your hands calm (easy because they rest on the Pentax)

and then you just touch those "two-to-be-soldered-together-parts" (i.e. bare end of the wire and the pin of solenoid) with the tip of the soldering iron just a short moment, the solder melts, you let go witht the tip, the solder hardens, that's all!


To have somebody else holding the wire to the pin while you apply solder and the tip of the soldering iron is about as unpractical as if you try to sew with boxing gloves.

Not a very good idea.

[Tangent88]

Yes it was awkward!

Will try it your way next time.