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05-11-2007, 11:28 AM - 1 Like   #1
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Flash is totally stuck in hotshoe...

I just inserted y 540 into the K10 body, and I cannot get it out, seriously. I have gently worked my way up to brute force, and it still won't come out.

I am totally shocked by this. I have never seen anything like it. I have closely inspected it to see why it has done this and there are no clear signs.

Any one else have this happen.

Thanks
Doug


05-11-2007, 12:03 PM - 1 Like   #2
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Totally pissed...

I just contacted Pentax and the lady was very rude and condisending. She made some bad jokes like did I smack it around. I then told here is this some kinda joke, and could I speek to someone else. She was then quiet and actually started to listen to me.

Not to happy with the service right now.

Doug
05-11-2007, 12:30 PM - 1 Like   #3
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There is a little pin in the Pentax flash shoe, which has little spring in it for upward movement. It is pushed down (to lock position) by locking lever.

I quess this pin has stuck to the down position. Try to move the flash in the shoe gently asn simultaneously move the lever to lock and unlock position.

Maybe small amount of silicone oil can help too.... (dont blame me if you flush your camera with this oil, just an small drop would be enough)
05-11-2007, 12:42 PM - 1 Like   #4
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Maybe even try holding the camera upside down and see if the locking pin will move enough to let the flash off. It is very likely that the locking pin is the culprit.

05-11-2007, 02:47 PM - 1 Like   #5
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I know this might be a silly question but I will ask anyway. Did you loosen the security lock that holds the flash to the camera?
05-11-2007, 03:05 PM - 1 Like   #6
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I thought mine was stuck yesterday when I first tried it, but it finally came off. It was just a very tight fit.
05-11-2007, 03:06 PM - 1 Like   #7
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Still Stuck...

Looks like I will have to send in for repairs. Sucks, I guess I will have to buy a camera in the mean time. Not to happy.

Thanks for all the ideas, but none have helped & yes I did turn off the lock.

Doug

05-11-2007, 03:15 PM - 1 Like   #8
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I do not know if you might want to give this a try but here it is.
If you have a piece of thin metal you can slide it between the flash and conector and than move the flash off while the metal holds the pin down. A razor blade is thin enough to work for this and can be taken from a cheep throw away shaving razor.
Kenn
05-11-2007, 03:42 PM - 1 Like   #9
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I have an AF 360 that is very tight in both my DS2 and K10D (to the point of being scary). I've had two of these things (one was returned for an unrelated reason); both have been tight. I generally have to wiggle, jiggle and dance around before the thing comes off.

Jer
05-11-2007, 07:19 PM - 1 Like   #10
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Yes my 360 is tight have to do the wiggle to remove considering lube. not sure what type. Might be messy
It is plastic might ware in?
Anyone else?
05-12-2007, 07:28 AM - 1 Like   #11
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My radio trigger is quite tight and needs to be wiggled on and off. The flash shoe is mounted to the steel frame, so it can take it. As for being stuck on completely, that is not good. My 360 had a sudden encounter with the garage floor before I got the K10 and the 540 replaced it.
05-12-2007, 08:32 AM - 1 Like   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Sailor Quote
I have an AF 360 that is very tight in both my DS2 and K10D (to the point of being scary).

*snip*

I generally have to wiggle, jiggle and dance around before the thing comes off.

Jer
I'm sorry for Doug's predicament but Jer, the above sentence gives me an image of the camera and flash on a small pedestal and you doing a "magic dance" around it!

NaCl(chemical engineers are known for "strange behavoir" I know cause my Dad was one)H2O
05-12-2007, 08:38 AM - 1 Like   #13
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Similar incident.. sort of..

My old 360FGZ got stuck on my DS hotshoe after an unfortunate "incident" that had caused the bulk of the 360FGZ to go flying across a dance floor.

What I did was take a spoon handle, placed it on the base of the flash in the hotshoe towards the front of the camera, and then beat on the spoon to push the bit back out of the hotshoe.

It ended up leaving a bit of a "groove" from the center pin, but nothing that has hurt the flash connectors or performance of flashes on my DS in anyway.

Of course, I wouldn't *recommend* this, but it could be an alternate to the wait from a service center.
05-12-2007, 12:49 PM - 1 Like   #14
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Try pushing the flash unit further into the hotshoe socket and then afterwards trying to remove it. The pin may be stuck in the locked position by shear friction, caused by either movement of the flash during use or your attempts to remove it. Moving the flash further into the hotshoe socket may release enough pressure to allow the pin to come loose.

For those mentioning how tight the hotshoe is overall, I used a tiny amount of cooking oil as a temporary lubricant while I repeatedly mounted and unmounted the flash to wear in the hotshoe. Since cooking oil contains no petroleum, it should have minimal effect on the plastic. My idea of "tiny" is a small drop on the tip of a toothpick, touched to the top and sides of the flash unit's hotshoe (not the lower surface containing the electrical connectors). Afterwards, I used a damp paper towel and q-tip to remove any remaining oil from both the flash and camera. The flash now fits comfortably - tight but not too much so.

Doug, the woman at Pentax may have simply been attempting to relieve some tension while she looked up the problem on the computer. After all, if she truly suspected you had "smacked it around," she would not likely have said so on the phone. In other words, your impressions of rude and condescending may have simply been her attempts to be friendly (as in a joke).

stewart

Last edited by stewart_photo; 05-12-2007 at 01:05 PM.
05-12-2007, 06:00 PM - 1 Like   #15
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I've used cooking oil on plastics before, without any noticeable damage. However it can collect dust.

I've heard good things about Teflon lube, but never tried it on any plastics.

I'd suggest that you try anything similar on a old camera or even an old flash before you even consider using it on your present model.
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