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03-29-2011, 12:41 PM   #1
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Super Program body & AF280T Flash

I found a deal on craigslist... Got this for $80:

-Pentax A 50mm f1.7 (this is what I really wanted) in great condition, works great.
-An off brand Albinar 75-300mm f5.6 "A" lens. I was surprised this was an A lens. Works. Good condition. I don't expect much from this. Still, 300mm is longer than anything else I have.
-A case, some manuals and remote shutter cable. Also has an 80's style camera strap. very stylish. =)
-Pentax Super Program body
-Pentax AF280T

Since the 50mm goes for about $80, I thought this was a pretty good deal.

My questions:

The Super program. Looks like a cool camera body. The batteries are dead. Where can you find new ones to fit? I want to run a couple of rolls of film through it and see if I want to keep it.

The AF280T- I cannot get this to test fire or even act like it works. I've tried 2 sets of batteries. Is there any kind of common ailment to this that might be easily fixable? Or is this just DOA? And, if I can get it to work... what DSLRs might this work on?

slinky

03-29-2011, 12:48 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by mediaslinky Quote
The Super program. Looks like a cool camera body. The batteries are dead. Where can you find new ones to fit? I want to run a couple of rolls of film through it and see if I want to keep it.
LR44 or A76 should work. 2 cells, I think.

QuoteOriginally posted by mediaslinky Quote
The AF280T- I cannot get this to test fire or even act like it works. I've tried 2 sets of batteries. Is there any kind of common ailment to this that might be easily fixable? Or is this just DOA? And, if I can get it to work... what DSLRs might this work on?
Try cleaning the battery contacts.

The AF280T works with any camera, including DSLRs. There is no p-TTL. But its auto mode works great.
03-29-2011, 01:20 PM   #3
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I use LR44's on my Super Program and Super A.
There is also another battery which is also made by Maxell, I think, the "357" oxide cell. You can find all of these at your local Walmart.
As long as the "button" battery is about the same size (diameter and thickness) and outputs at 1.5v, it should power the camera without any problems since you are not under-voltage or over-voltage.
If by any chance you give up on the AF280T flash, you might want to give it to me?
03-29-2011, 01:26 PM   #4
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I envy what you got for the deal.
I just got manuals, one lens, strap, motor drive and the super program body for more than what you paid for yours..although the body I got has very little to minimal wear, only some paint that chipped off the back plate cover edges, which is normal.
You've got a good eye for a bargain.
Congrats on your purchase.
..don't forget about the AF280T, I could pay for shipping if you decide to toss it..

03-29-2011, 01:38 PM   #5
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There is a seller on ebay that sells a "deluxe" seal kit which includes a set of batteries for $9.00 which I think is good value. You may find that you want to replace the seals on your Super Program anyway. The sellers ebay id is "camerasealkitsandmore" and I recently bought a seal kit from him for my ME Super. Great quality kit and quick shipping to me here in the UK.
03-29-2011, 02:56 PM   #6
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Thanks for the tip on the battery and seal deal...

I've tried cleaning the contacts, but no joy. May just crack it open. I fixed a broken k1000, mabye I can fix this...
03-29-2011, 05:29 PM   #7
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What you may find is that if the flash has sat for an extended period the main capacitor may require reforming. This is done by leaving the power on for a sustained time
The capacitor re forms by having high voltage applied. The longer power is applied the higher the voltage the capacitor will accept

03-29-2011, 06:08 PM   #8
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Ok, I'll try it.I put in some lithium AAs and have it on... will check again in a couple hours.
03-30-2011, 05:34 AM - 1 Like   #9
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Awesome deal!

Now get the seal kit from interslice (Jon Goodman) in ebay; the instructions are in KY PHOTO

Clean the battery contacts with an eraser (the one at the end of a pencil) and you should be good to go.
03-30-2011, 05:46 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by mediaslinky Quote
Ok, I'll try it.I put in some lithium AAs and have it on... will check again in a couple hours.
Re-forming the capacitor sometimes requires multiple discharge cycles, too. First you get a little, then more voltage.

Check to see that the contacts are sprung out enough to engage each battery, too.
03-30-2011, 11:59 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by GeneV Quote
Re-forming the capacitor sometimes requires multiple discharge cycles, too. First you get a little, then more voltage.

Check to see that the contacts are sprung out enough to engage each battery, too.
I never knew about this..something to keep in mind when buying flash that might be "dead".
Thanks
03-30-2011, 02:59 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by titrisol Quote


Clean the battery contacts with an eraser (the one at the end of a pencil) and you should be good to go.
Genius! Worked like a charm. I tried alcohol, even WD 40 and scraping with a knife. Contacts looked clean down in that dark compartment.

Worked great. Now to try it on the camera...


Edit: Works great on the K-x in auto modes. I like bouncing the flash off the ceiling. Felt a little less harsh. Cool. thanks again for all the help.

Last edited by mediaslinky; 03-30-2011 at 03:34 PM.
03-30-2011, 04:38 PM - 1 Like   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by GerryL Quote
I never knew about this..something to keep in mind when buying flash that might be "dead".
Thanks
Just so you know a little behind it

The flash capacitor is an aluminum electrolytic capacitor

The construction is two aluminum foils separated by paper that is impregnated with electrolyte (acid and other stuff) the insulation is actually an oxide coating on the foils and is very very thin. If left without voltage the oxide coating gets thinner and the leakage current through it prevents the flash from reaching full charge within the current limit of the circuits

Careful and slow reapplication of voltage grows the oxide thickness back. If you reapply the voltage too qui loughs capacitor explodes but the normal charging circuit is current limited and usually prevents this although the first few recharges after a Lon period of no use can be very lengthy
03-30-2011, 04:43 PM   #14
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It's amazing how some of the knowledge gained from building tube amps oozes over to Photography.
04-01-2011, 05:19 AM   #15
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Please share this weird pieces of knowledge as you find other people.
I do not claim invention of cush trick, unfirtunately I can't even remember who taught me that, but it has been a great trick when buying ebay crap-cameras for the last 10+ years
As a matter of fact the erasers of the cheap-pencils are excellent and even better those eraser-pencils used in the typewriters

QuoteOriginally posted by mediaslinky Quote
Genius! Worked like a charm. I tried alcohol, even WD 40 and scraping with a knife. Contacts looked clean down in that dark compartment.
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