Solenoid-Replacement Pentax K-S1 Tools required:
- Soldering iron with precision soldering-tip (such as Ersa Multi-Pro 20W,
no butan-gas soldering-pen: Too hot!)
- Screwdrivers JIS 000 or PH000 + PH00 (JIS size works for all screws, PH000 for solenoid screw. JIS is preferable!)
- Tweezers or precision pliers
- Headlamp is very useful, makes things easier
- photos of K-S1 with location of screws, you find them
HERE Preparation:
- Print out all those photos, glue them on some cardboard, drill 2mm holes were the screws are located so you can later on stick all those screws into those holes. Makes it easier and safe due to different length of the screws.
- Make sure you took the battery out 24 hours prior undertaking the repair. This is for discharging the flash-condenser, which is well protected within the K-S1, nevertheless you don't want to risk getting a nasty shock! This condenser charges as soon as you open the pop-up-flash with battery inside the switched-on camera! So don't open the flash prior removal of the battery! You need to open it for access of 3 screws!
- For another option how to discharge the flash-condenser read
HERE Sequence of opening the body (Body-cap is mounted on the K-mount for protection of sensor etc.)
1. Remove all screws from the bottom part: 6 x screws direct access, 2 x when the battery-door is opened: Careful: One of these screws holds a small metal plate which partly holds the right plastic side! Take this metal piece off with tweezers! There is another screw: 1 x deep within battery-case left side. The next photo shows this metal plate. Don't lose it!
2. Remove all 3 x screws from the left side (direct access)
3. Removal of screws right side: Open the HDMI/USB rubberdoor. Take off the HDMI/USB-sticker! Now you have access to the 2nd screw holding the plastic-side-piece. Unscrew it and take the plastic-side-piece off. Now you have access to 4 more screws, but you only need to unscrew the 2x front screws!
4. Removal of screws front: Take the rubber on the left side off. Now you have access to 3x screws, remove them.
Photo: Front rubber + HDMI-USB-sticker: Photo: Hidden screw underneath HDMI-USB-Sticker: Photo: Right plastic-side is removed: Red dots indicate the front screws which have to be removed: Photo: Hidden screws underneath front rubber:
5. Take of the eye-piece: Unscrew the 2 x screws behind it.
6. Open the pop-up-flash (remember, no battery inside your camera!). Remove the 3 screws there plus the 2 screws next where the strap is fixed
7. Lift the top part with the flash about 1/2" inch. Don't lift it off completely! This is necessary to take of the front part and to slide it off.
The top part "hooks" into the frontpart!
8.
AF/M-Switch on M! This has to be checked later on again!
9. Gently "pull off" the front part. There is a kind of nose which has to be lifted, here marked with red dots:
Now you have access to the solenoid.
Place the camera on some soft tissue as shown here:
Unsolder the solenoid. For this gently pull the wires forward, because they are fixed with some elastic glue to the left!
First unsolder the right purple wire: Gently hold the wire with the tweezers while you touch the bare end soldered onto the solenoid until it comes off Next 2 photos have been taken by a kind person not knowing about "DOF" and never had used my KP before... so when I noticed it this K-S1 was reassembled, it was too late. Anyway, these photos show you how easy it is to solder off the wires! Don't be scared!
Same for the left pink wire:
Photo: Solenoid with wires off:
Now you can unscrew the solenoid, the screw and right side of the solenoid is fixed with red thread-locking-lacquer which comes off easily.
You can see clearly were the solenoid is fixed to: Left the nose and right the hole for the solenoid screw: The lever for the plunger of the solenoid. It moves the shutter-mechanism:
Now solder a tiny amount of solder onto the bare ends of the pink and violet wire!
Screw the white "made in Japan" solenoid in.
Why this solenoid and no other one nor filing/sanding the faulty China-solenoid you can read about
HERE =Manual for solenoid-replacement Pentax K30/50/500 You might fix the screw and the left hole with some thread-locking-lacquer or nail-varnish: Solder the wires back onto the solenoid. Make sure the solder holds well (Test by pulling the wires gently with the tweezers!): Re-Assembling of the body:
- Check that the
inner and outer part of the
AF/M-Switch are on
M:
The inner part is on M when the screw-drive gear in this small hole in the metal K-bajonett is retreated! Now the part "which demands good patience":
-
Gently plug-on the
front part again. You can see on the linked photo why this is a bit fiddly: The ON/OFF switch has to fit as well as the
AF/M-Switch! This "nose" which I mentioned for the disassembly part: Make sure you don't hurt the flat ribbon wire that sits at this very region this nose slides back onto the main body! Sounds complicated but "when you are there" it is easy to understand and follow. Also be careful: The inner part of the AF-M-switch has a tiny metal ball which stops at those 2 positions AF and M. Don't lose this ball (it actually sits there very tight, only rough treatment will get it lose!).
Remember to
llift the top-part with the flash for this 1/2" again! Make sure the front sits well. Take your time, be patient. Don't push or force anything!
- Screw in the
3 screws which were hidden under the rubber. Fix the rubber to its place.
- Screw in
the 2 screws in the right (grip) side. Fix the
plastic-side-piece on the right side. Fix
the small screw which was covered by the HDMI/USB strip!
Fix that one as well back on its place!
- Screw in the 3 screws for the left side and all 5 screws on the top!
- Fix the bottom part with all screws plus
the small metal piece
- Insert the battery, an AF Lens and take a test photo with AV, TV or TAV and large or open aperture such as f2,8. All should be fine.