[photogem]

Thanks very much for this manual!
My K-S2 had started to show the occasional black photo. Now the issue seems solved, I hope permanently, with the white solenoid I just installed.

One addition for the K-S2 specifically: since the screw on the solenoid is on the left (as opposed to on the right side for the K70 pictured), I had to temporarily remove the front settings wheel to make room for the screwdriver.
Pretty straightforward, it's just attached by yet two more screws and can then hang from its cables while you work on the solenoid.

Well done! It will be a permanent solution, if soldering is 100%.

For reaching the screw on the solenoid itself:
That's why I prefer the long Vessel JIS screwdrivers of the Vessel 9902-set. Both are long enough to make the work on the solenoid screw really easy.

[teh7077]

Yes, a long thin screwdriver would probably be enough to get a suitable angle.
I just got a cheapo electronics repair toolkit with changeable heads for the included screwdriver - so it is a bit wide at the front and needs more space.
Glad I could make do with what I already had, but if someone has to buy new tools anyway for this job - long JIS screwdrivers will save you an extra step :-)

[kovichby]

Hello!
The Pentax ist*DS camera has 2 white solenoids. Are they completely identical? Can both of them be used to replace the green solenoid in the K-S2 camera aperture control unit?

[photogem]

Hello!
The Pentax ist*DS camera has 2 white solenoids.Are they completely identical?

Yes

ICan both of them be used to replace the green solenoid in the K-S2 camera aperture control unit?

Yes, both of them.
f your ist*DS is alright, the take the one from the flash circuit and replace it with the green one from the K-S2.
It works there but not for aperture of course.

Just make sure you just take the white flash solenoid off, nothing else.
because if you take the whole mechanism out, there is a tiny plastic rod (you can see it when the ist* flash is open)
which gets lost very easely.

But if you ever sell it, don't hide the fact that the solenoid in the flash circuit was replaced with the China version.
Otherwise a seller who is after solenoids might feel cheated.

[kovichby]

Thank you very much for your answer.
I just removed the white solenoid from the ist * DS flash. It is easier to access for dismantling. The coil resistance was close to 30 ohms. I will install it on my K-S2.
After replacing the solenoid, I'll still think about whether to sell ist * DS. I've tried to take pictures with it. The autofocus doesn't seem to work.

[photogem]

Thank you very much for your answer.
I just removed the white solenoid from the ist * DS flash. It is easier to access for dismantling. The coil resistance was close to 30 ohms. I will install it on my K-S2.
After replacing the solenoid, I'll still think about whether to sell ist * DS. I've tried to take pictures with it. The autofocus doesn't seem to work.

Then better to take the other solenoid out as well, sell that and not the DS as non-working. Or keep it for another K30/50/70/K-S1/K-S2.

[Neil MacG]

Thank you for posting this amazingly detailed set of instructions which I have attempted to follow meticulously.

I retrieved a solenoid from a dead K100D. Despite never having used a soldering iron before, I appeared to successfully retrieve the solenoid from the dead K100D and insert and solder it back in to my K-S2. I tested that the wires were holding before I proceeded to step 13.

When testing the solenoid at step 13m, I was unable to complete this. After seating the top back on the camera and inserting the battery, I switched it on and it would do the shake reduction and the screen would flash up - but at this point the screen would go black and the camera would not operate. If I then powered off - it would do another anti-shake rumble and switch off.

Any ideas on what I may have inadvertently done wrong to cause this and how to correct it?

N

[swanlefitte]

It sounds similar to what happened to me. I had pulled a ribbon cable out and hadn't reattached it tight. I had to use a tweezers to get a firm grip to reseat it.

[Neil MacG]

It sounds similar to what happened to me. I had pulled a ribbon cable out and hadn't reattached it tight. I had to use a tweezers to get a firm grip to reseat it.

Thanks - my suspicion is that it is in the top or one of the ribbons connected from the top to the main camera. I'll inspect those elements this evening and see if I can see the offending connection and report back.

N

[photogem]

Thanks - my suspicion is that it is in the top or one of the ribbons connected from the top to the main camera. I'll inspect those elements this evening and see if I can see the offending connection and report back.

Hopefully that's the issue, but you can hope very much that actually it is so.

I don't have a Pentax open right now, but here you can see such a flat ribbon cable and connector on a K-x:
Tutorial E-Dial (Thumbwheel) Repair Pentax K-r, K-x and K-m (K2000) - PentaxForums.com
Scroll down to the steps 6-7-8
It is similar with the K-S2

You have to open the connector first, then just hold the flat ribbon cable on both sides and push it in, close the connector and

then do the check.


Good luck!

[Neil MacG]

Thanks again photogem.

Unfortunately it wasn't as simple as that. I thought I had found the culprit when I opened it back up and found an entirely separate wire that had broken away from it's solder point - see pic below. I re-attached this (after quite a number of attempts as there was very little metal/copper wire to work with. But when re-testing it made no difference.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QT7eDtX1MUSjm87EA

I'm going to guess that it is most likely that my extremely novice attempts at soldering are not as effective as they need to be. I may ask around among some of my techie friends to see if they may be better at this and pay them a few beers just to clean up and re-solder the joints.

if I can't get that to work it's probably a case of trying to find a reasonably priced Pentax model that doesn't have the solenoid problem

[photogem]

Good luck then!