[Askaret]

Hallo every one

I haw K10D and a AF-540FGZn its now over 5 months that I’m using this equipment. AND now comes the best :
THE FLASH is stuck on the hotfuse !!!!!!!!!!!!! I cent remove it in any way !!!!!!!!!!! What’s the fu… ?
And yes I know that before removing I need to unlock the locking ring on the flash. I had no problems with removing the lamp from LSR over last five months.
The camera is not covered with dirt or damaged, I’m very careful about it
I know that I haw the guarantee for it but steel that well mean that I haw to send it and wait probably two or more weeks to get it back.

Did any on haw this type of problem on PENTAX, specially on K10D , or on any LSR camera ??

THX for all your help people.

Best regards,
RJ

[Confused]

Hi RJ (Askaret)

See the following link below:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/6874-flash-totally...Z+hotshoe+k10d

Best regards
Richard

[wlachan]

You can see a metal pin from the front of the shoe. With enough patience, you might be able to pull it up enough with a pair of tweezers to remove the flash.

[stewart_photo]

Hi RJ (Askaret)

See the following link below:

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-dslr-discussion/6874-flash-totally...Z+hotshoe+k10d

I meant to post this to the other thread and forgot. I finally asked a Pentax technician how they commonly fix this issue. He showed me a phillips-head screwdriver with a long (roughly 7-in/180mm), very thin, shaft with small head (something like a long-shaft jeweler's screwdriver, which he said can be purchased at speciality electronics stores) used to remove the four screws holding the hotshoe (the camera covered to prevent marks). At that point, he pulls up on the pin (no details) to remove the hotshoe from the camera. Afterwards, he repositions (or replaces if broken) whatever holds the pin (he described it as an "arm") and then reassembles the flash.

I've since looked at the flash mounted on the camera and it does appear a very thin screwdriver could be used, though not easily, to remove those four screws and detach the hotshoe from the flash. With that done, it shouldn't be difficult to pull up on the pin and remove the remaining hotshoe.

stewart

[RodConn]

Probably this is one of the best reference on this problem,
I was Warned about AF540: Pentax SLR Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

Rod

[IlluminataPhoto]

Hi all,

I just photographed a wedding yesterday with my new K20D and the AF-540FGZ flash. Afterward, the flash was stuck. I knew that the locking pin was likely the problem, and remembered reading some of these posts while I was looking into this system. So, here's what I did this morning...

FIRST, this is one of those "try this at your own risk" explanations!

Second, I have a set of very small jeweler's screwdrivers (available at the hardware store), and I used the smallest phillips-head screwdriver to remove the base of the flash from the rest of the body. You'll have to turn the flash upside-down to be able to see these four tiny screws, and then you'll have to carefully work around the body of your camera to be able to get decent access. And, be careful about pushing too hard on the flash while not supporting it with your other hand or something, lest you break the flash mount off!

When you have the flash body separated from flash, you can either work with it as is or, if you're comfortable, there's a small wiring harness that connects the base to the body of the flash and you can gently separate the body from the base.

Next, identify the locking pin, which is fairly readily identifiable. If you can't figure out which one is the locking pin, then I'd suggest that you're in over your head! But, it is a silver shaft that sits in a metal stabilizing yoke, and there's also a spring that surrounds the pin. With a pair of small needle-nosed pliers, GENTLY pull up on the pin. You may then be in a position to separate the flash mount from the camera hot shoe.

If you haven't been able to gently remove the flash base, I hope that you've noticed that there's a black "arm" attached to the bottom of the locking pin as you look into the base. You can use your pliers to rotate the pin counterclockwise until the arm has been lifted over the silver metal wiring "frame" to the left of the pin, so that the locking pin assembly is permanently disabled. Either way, one way to proceed is to have this arm lodged above this frame; in this manner, the locking pin is disabled and the flash can then be mounted onto the camera's hot shoe just as most any other flash is mounted, without the locking pin, and relying on the rotating collar to "lock" the flash onto the camera. And, this is what I've done.

I did try to craft a new secondary rise pin, which lifts the arm that's attached to the pin, which lifts the locking pin, when the cam on the locking collar rotates against this rise pin. (clear as mud?) I tried to use a 6mm long piece of straight pin (nope), or a 6mm piece of a nail that has a larger diameter than the straight pin (nope). In both cases, the sharp edges of these metals catch on the cam and on the arm and move and fail to accomplish what I want - a straight, vertical rise into the arm. I did consider using a 6mm piece of toothpick, which wouldn't have the friction of the metal against the plastics, but I also knew that it would eventually wear down/out. I'm presuming that Pentax started with a plastic piece so that these friction issues were minimized. So, as I noted above, I just moved the arm out of the way and am not using this locking pin.

OK, sorry about the long, less-than-clear explanation, but I hope that this helps someone and saves you the time and cost of a costly repair of a poorly designed piece of equipment.

Good luck,

Tim!