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10-21-2018, 08:14 AM   #1
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Jammed SR system

My first Pentax, a Pentax K-m, has been a good performer during the last year and a half. I got it second hand, so i don't really know how the camera was beforehand (i actually know, was a little bit mistreated, but i had to know this by the hard way).

Since i got myself a K5, i passed the K-m as a gift to my girlfriend, and the very first session we did together was on a race track. We were trying to get the amazing effect where the car seems still while the background appears blurred, and while i was having some degree of success, she hadn't had any luck. First i put it on her, it's a heavy camera because a 6600mAh homemade grip so it was totally understandable that she wouldn't be able to manage the inertia of such a package (it ends being heavier than the K5) but we tried switching cameras, and now i was the one who couldn't do any good shot while she could do something.

There i thought it was just a matter of being a low end camera with a more limited SR, but today i tried doing no lens, 30 sec shots, with a light pointing the sensor, and it seems to be jammed all the way to the left. I don't know what happens because the dust reduction shake seems to work, it's actually capable of moving the camera on a soft surface like a bed, so it's plenty of power. Could be a dead accelerometer? On real photos seems not to be any difference between enabled SR and disabled, so i don't really know if it's being forced to the left because of a bad board part, or what. Some light to this? It was just annoying to know i gave her a broken gift, even if it works perfectly if you don't rely on the SR.

I hope we can put some light on this.

10-21-2018, 09:49 AM   #2
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Take the lens off, "B" mode, SR-on, and examine the sensor through the front of the camera. With normal hand-holding, the SR system should be actively moving the sensor around. If it is jammed, it may no longer be true to the focal plane, hence the blurry shots. If it is "jammed", the problem would be failure of one or more parts that are not economically serviceable.*


Steve

* The accelerometers are built into the main processor board and the SR mechanism is integrated tightly to the chassis and sensor mount...not user serviceable.
10-21-2018, 10:01 AM - 1 Like   #3
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I don't know if it it part of the problem but for panning shots it is recommended to have the SR off.
10-21-2018, 12:09 PM   #4
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
Take the lens off, "B" mode, SR-on, and examine the sensor through the front of the camera. With normal hand-holding, the SR system should be actively moving the sensor around. If it is jammed, it may no longer be true to the focal plane, hence the blurry shots. If it is "jammed", the problem would be failure of one or more parts that are not economically serviceable.*


Steve

* The accelerometers are built into the main processor board and the SR mechanism is integrated tightly to the chassis and sensor mount...not user serviceable.
Yeah, it should, but doesn't. By the way, it doesn't make unfocused shots, just made blurry shots while hard panning (we were following a drift championship) because we couldn't withstand the weight of the camera and the blur would appear in a vertical axis, thing that my K5 erradicates.

---------- Post added 10-21-18 at 12:19 PM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by sergysergy Quote
I don't know if it it part of the problem but for panning shots it is recommended to have the SR off.
I might try, all my pans have been made with SR on, as well as tripod shots, and did not had any problems so far with it.



If i have read correctly, this photo would have been impossible with SR on...but it has been made with the K5 SR on, and certainly that one works. Bear in mind this one has been magnified at 300% and still looks good.


Last edited by CapitanXeon; 10-21-2018 at 12:20 PM.
10-21-2018, 01:48 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by CapitanXeon Quote
If i have read correctly, this photo would have been impossible with SR on...but it has been made with the K5 SR on, and certainly that one works. Bear in mind this one has been magnified at 300% and still looks good.
It depends on the aggressiveness of the pan and which generation of SR.


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10-21-2018, 02:02 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by CapitanXeon Quote
Yeah, it should, but doesn't.
Yep, that is good indication it is not working or not turned on.

QuoteOriginally posted by CapitanXeon Quote
By the way, it doesn't make unfocused shots, just made blurry shots while hard panning
Thanks for the clarification. Good luck.


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12-02-2018, 09:24 AM   #7
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After a LOT of thinking and testing, i arrived to the conclusion that the SR is working properly, and what is happening is that there isn't any signal coming from the accelerometer. That would explain early issues i had where the sensor would shift downwards at some times, even on tripod, which i blamed to the mirror box being slow because of the AA issues i had earlier (when i didn't actually know anything about cameras).

So now my question is: Theres any schematic of a K2000/K-m motherboard where i can find where the accelerometer and attached circuitry is located on the board? Since it has given me different problems until it entirely stopped working, it's 99% probable it's the sensor itself what is having issues, so i may look how is it soldered and change it on my own if it's any kind of SOP package i can work with confort. Otherwise, if it's a TSOP or BGA, where i need a hot air station, i may pass, but i'd like to take a look into it.

12-02-2018, 12:25 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by CapitanXeon Quote
After a LOT of thinking and testing, i arrived to the conclusion that the SR is working properly, and what is happening is that there isn't any signal coming from the accelerometer. That would explain early issues i had where the sensor would shift downwards at some times, even on tripod, which i blamed to the mirror box being slow because of the AA issues i had earlier (when i didn't actually know anything about cameras).

So now my question is: Theres any schematic of a K2000/K-m motherboard where i can find where the accelerometer and attached circuitry is located on the board? Since it has given me different problems until it entirely stopped working, it's 99% probable it's the sensor itself what is having issues, so i may look how is it soldered and change it on my own if it's any kind of SOP package i can work with confort. Otherwise, if it's a TSOP or BGA, where i need a hot air station, i may pass, but i'd like to take a look into it.
All I can say is good luck with that
12-02-2018, 02:02 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by pschlute Quote
All I can say is good luck with that
Thanks! That's always a hard thing but this camera had some surgery time ago, so i wouldn't care much if i had to do it again if i don't kill the thing
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