[photogem]

For: K3/K3II, K5, K5II, K5IIs, K7


The E-Dials of the professional Pentax bodies are different to those in the entry cameras.
I haven't checked yet on the K30/50/500 nor K-S1/K-S2/K-70 but those will either be similar as you can read in THIS TUTORIAL or similar to the K5/7/3 etc.

Disassembling is very easy because only the TOP needs to come off!
Best to make some simple drawings and glue those onto a piece of cardboard. Markings where the screws are located, pinch 2mm holes and then stick the screws inside there.

Tools:
- JIS 00 or 000 screwdriver: I use the Vessel 9902-set because I like the length which is usefull for the solenoid repairs as well as for the screw inside the battery-chamber. I don't like the Vessel T-Series very much, too flimsy and not strong enough. But a PH00 will do as well!

- DeoxIT FaderLube: But no contact cleaner. Avoid like hell!
- very small flat-blade screwdriver if you want to clean the ISO and EV buttons as well (which is sensible)

Warning: Although the contacts of the flash-condensor are well hidden behind the front-cover and thus there is not the usual shock-hazard as when the body is completly disassembled: Do not poke around in the flash-region itself, neither swallow the Li-Ion battery nor any other parts, because this might lead to different hazards which you definitely want to avoid!

1. Two screws behind the rubber eyecup:


2. Open pop-up-flash: Two screws there:


3. One screw deep inside the battery-chamber:


4. Two screws right side (grip):


5. Three screws left side (one is hidden underneath the rubber = green arrow):


Here the hidden one again (left red arrow):

You don't need to unscrew the one right behind the X-Sync-Socket (blue arrow)! Only necessary if you want to take the front off!)

Now you can lift the TOP of your Pentax but be carefull, there are wires and flat-ribbon-cables!
Carefully place it on the left side without bending/hurting the cables/wires! Not difficult, just some care needed.

6. Three screws for the Top-LCD:


7. Two screws for the "Back-E-Dial":


8. Two screws for the "Front-E-Dial":


9. One screw at the back of this E-Dial:



10. The E-Dial itself:


- Spray a tiny amound of "DeoxIT FaderLube" onto this tiny potentiometer which sits on the green board.

- Clean the leftovers right away ioff and mount it back onto the wheel with the 2 screws, turn the wheel several times into both directions!

- Same procedure for the front-E-Dial (I would always do both, even if it is just one not working alright!)


11. As you are already that far and the top-cover is lose, you now can clean the EV- and ISO-Buttons as well,
remove the three screws and clean them just with some isopropyl-alcohol or similar:

Each button is fixed with a tiny retaining ring (radial e-clip). You just losen it with a tiny flat-blade screwdriver and make sure, it doesn't jump off! So this white blanket under the camera is a good idea.

Of course it makes sense to clean the ON/OFF-SWITCH at the same time at the same time with isopropyl-alcohol as well:
Use a cotton-swab and rub the lower-part carefully, another cotton-swap for those 3 fingers with 2 contact-points on each but only from the back to the front, so that you avoid bending them! They are a bit sensitive and must stay exactly in their position! Not that one bends them easely but they are made out of gold-plated beryllium-copper (spring-copper) which is strong and durable but I have seen some bent ones, then they need to be replaced. So just some care is needed.

Re-assemble everything

and enjoy how smooth the E-Dials work again!

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Last edited by photogem; 07-15-2021 at 01:06 AM.

[fayssal]

Hi PhotoGem,

Thzank you for sharing !

[stevebrot]

Just a few notes for possible revision:

• It would be good to state upfront that the camera in the photos is a K-7 and not a K-3. A person doing the procedure with a K-3 will see somewhat different landmarks.
• If only one screw removal is required on the left corner of the camera, it would be good to not have the user remove two.
• There is no Remote-Control-connector on the left side of the camera. It would be good to remove that landmark reference.
• Is the screw removal from the right side adjacent to the card-slot door required or does that one anchor the front panel in a manner similar to the corresponding screw on the left side?
• Is there shock hazard with the top cover off?

All but the first item also apply to the other two identical versions of this tutorial.


Steve

[photogem]

It would be good to state upfront that the camera in the photos is a K-7 and not a K-3.

It actually is stated upfront, more upfront it cannot be:
You just need to read the title, its right there!

A person doing the procedure with a K-3 will see somewhat different landmarks

No, he won't aside of the printed name K7/K5/K5II/K5IIs/K3.

I have a K5 (100% identical to the K7) and a K3 open right now here in my house!

All three are 100% identical for this ...... o.k. 99% if the print would be that important... but, I'd say anybody who reads this tutorial and would complain about this (because it's plain as a pikestaff), should not undertake this job.
Because then "something" is wrong with his attitude and this "something" might lead to unexpected hazards.

If only one screw removal is required on the left corner of the camera, it would be good to not have the user remove two.

Nobody mentions just one screw! There are 3 (three) screws, and those three screws are clearly indicated:

5. Three screws left side: (One is hidden underneath the rubber = green arrow):

There is no Remote-Control-connector on the left side of the camera.

No, there is none. Quite right.

It would be good to remove that landmark reference.

Oh, you know, it was a boundary-stone. You stumbled over it.

Is the screw removal from the right side adjacent to the card-slot door required or does that one anchor the front panel in a manner similar to the corresponding screw on the left side?

If it would be required to be removed I would have mentioned it.
So it is not required because, it only fixes the front part as in all Pentax bodies.
Anybody who follows those steps in real live instead of imagining it would right away understand that.
You see, when I disassembled this K7, I disassembled it completly. I forgot that for the top much less screws are necessary.
So when I wrote the tutorials, I had all three bodies right in front of myself but knew it would be absolutly unnecessary to take photos of all three.

Is there shock hazard with the top cover off?

No, there is none, otherwise I would have mentioned it as I always did in other tutorials!
Only if you take the front cover off, then the contacts are open.
O.k., if somebody would poke around deep in the flash region, yes, then he'd get a shock.
But anybody doing so would have to be warned not to swallow the Li-Ion battery either, there would be a much more serious hazard.

All but the first item also apply to the other two identical versions of this tutorial.

No, because none except one totally unimportant are valid.

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Last edited by photogem; 01-11-2021 at 03:27 PM.

[stevebrot]

It actually is stated upfront, more upfront it cannot be:

Ummmm...I don't think so...

No, he won't aside of the printed name

I had a K-3 in front of me as I typed and compared photo-to-photo and beg to differ, but it is probably a small matter.

Nobody mentions just one screw! There are 3 (three) screws, and those three screws are clearly indicated:

Of the three in that photo, only two are at the left end and only one was required to remove the top housing per the previous text, pre-edit. That text along with the photo below were the reason for my comment. As you can see, the screw that was at the red arrow at lower right apparently did not need to be removed to free the top cover. For what it's worth, that screw on the K-3 is quite a bit further down than in the photo.



Because that one apparently did not secure the top cover, I asked about the one in similar position on the right side of the camera (see photo below) that was on the list to remove. I looked closely at a couple of disassembly videos (all wretched) on the Web and none showed an obvious point of attachment on that side that would extend that deep into the chassis to be secured by that screw. That is why I asked. Is there some sort of indirect pressure clasp?


The K-3 has different look and screw spacing to accommodate taller and deeper chassis, but close enough for government work, eh?

Sorry for the niggling questions, but as you are aware, even the best crafted instructions sometimes lead astray.


Steve

[photogem]

All screws mentioned in my tutorial need to be unscrewed even though some don't directly screw into the top-cover but hold the LCD-back-cover and the front-cover tightly together with the top-cover. Particular with all WR bodies this is very important, otherwise WR and the sealing would be a joke.

So all screws described in the tutorial were RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING correct and not at all edited because there was no editing needed for the position of the screws.

Nevertheless, I actually forgot to mention 1 screw not directly fixing the top-cover but important for the mentioned tightness/WR on the right side.

This tiny difference between the K3 and K5(K7) is totally unimportant, here a photo showing both next to each other:


and here you can see 2 x K3's next to each, one open, one still assembled:
The difference is marginal and of zero importance for the practical person taking on the job.

[stevebrot]

All screws mentioned in my tutorial need to be unscrewed even though some don't directly screw into the top-cover but hold the LCD-back-cover and the front-cover tightly together with the top-cover. Particular with all WR bodies this is very important, otherwise WR and the sealing would be a joke.

Thanks for the detailed information. That makes perfect sense. Providing the reason for each step is very useful to the person following the instructions. You might want to place the rational in the text.

The difference is marginal and of zero importance for the practical person taking on the job.

Assuming of course that doing the job is not the first thing of this sort that the person is attempting. I have written dozens of technical manuals and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) as part of my work responsibilities* and the easiest way to confuse the noob is to provide illustrations that don't match the task.

That said, you are probably correct. With that being the case, why is there three identical versions of this tutorial on this site if the same instructions and illustrations work for all in the K-7 lineage. The only differ in the titles. (K-7 users are also wondering why they got left out on their version. )


Steve

* Mostly for biomedical, laboratory, IT technical, and software.

[photogem]

That said, you are probably correct. With that being the case, why is there three identical versions of this tutorial on this site if the same instructions and illustrations work for all in the K-7 lineage?

There are actually 4 tutorials on this site with agreement of Adam.
They are not identical. There is a:
a) Tutorial for the K5/K7
b) This tutorial for the K3
Each of them is for logical reasons in its DSLR-Specific-Forum (like this one in the K3 section)
but also in the Do-It-Yourself section.
It has shown that those searching for help concerning this issue look in different parts and as mentioned, it was done in agreement with ADAM and others.


You see, I start with a tutorial but with the time refine it, add further details, photos etc.
Constructive input comes from members who actually take on the work and want to help.
Thats how it works and always worked well.

A tutorial like the one for Repairing the Pentax K-30/50/500 has been very much refined over the time plus more photos have been added.
With every repair which one takes on one learns that bit more and can share it.

They only differ in the titles.

No, they to not at all! Far from it!

(K-7 users are also wondering why they got left out on their version

We don't have a K-7 DSLR-Specific Forum but only for the K3 and K5 Series.

And yet:
The title of the K5 tutorial mentions clearly and upfront that this K-5 tutorial goes for the K-7 as well!
This is the K-3 tutorial and yet, even here in the title it says clearly: (also K7/5 etc.)
and right there in the 2nd. line it says: For: K3/K3II, K5, K5II, K5IIs, K7

The bodies of the K-7 and K-5 are almost indentical, the only difference is the location of the screws on the front E-dial
which I mention very clearly in the K-5 tutorial.

[photogem]

Further information and photos added.

The information provided by D.H.Cook using only DeoxIT FaderLube in the DIY-section proved to be very right and is of utmost importance!

I had cleaned the front E-Dial of a Pentax K-7 with a tunerspray and the problem came back but worse!

Luckily I had another E-Dial for replacement which I treated with the Deoxit-spray and it works perfect since!

Tunerspray and other contact-cleaners are as D.H.Cook mentioned not designed for plastic-conductive potentiometers and will speed up their decay!

If course the E-Dials used in the K3 are as well "plastic-conductive" potentiometers!