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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
04-19-2017, 09:41 AM
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Sure.
Only for those K-30 owners who already installed a "name changing" firmware version 1.10 (if your camera is shown as "Pentax K-50" during the PC connection, and in EXIF data of the photos), and want to restore the camera name to "K-30".
If you still have an original K-30 firmware version, please skip all this :)
Short description of the problem: If you have a firmware version 1.10 in your camera, it won't allow you re-install the same 1.10 version.
To flash another variant of the 1.10 (in our case, a firmware with "K-30" name inside), you'll need to install any other version first.
Here's the same firmware 1.10 from K-50 adapted for K-30, but with the version number changed to 1.09.
Install it in the usual way. After the installation completes, the camera will let you flash the "name preserving" firmware, that can be downloaded here.
This version swap should not reset your camera settings.
BTW, the same "fake 1.09" version can be used to switch the camera back to "K-50" name in case you need it :)
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-13-2017, 07:32 AM
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It's quite possible Ricoh won't release any other updates for K-50.
Installing any update for any device is a risk :)
And this firmware seems to be as safe as the original updates for K-30.
Yes. The rolling back was tested several times by different testers, and it surely works.
Please note the following:
The first switching from the original K-30 firmware to K-50 firmware is safe, since during the update all the camera settings will be reset to the defaults.
The first reverting from K-50 to K-30 is also safe, because the settings are reset too.
But during the next switches, the settings will no longer reset automatically. And after the flashing, the camera will enter a strange state of "crazy" settings, and these settings will most likely cause the camera to hang soon after turning on.
This doesn't seem to be harmful to the camera, and I've faced this problem several times, as well as a couple of testers. The problem can easily be solved by entering the debug mode, and making factory reset from there.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
05-08-2017, 06:22 AM
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I also found K30 more responsive, faster image review...sadly it won't :D cure Cactus V6 II no contributing to exposure under 1/180 :D
Thanks for the FW!
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
06-08-2017, 07:24 PM
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Thank you very much, ABel, for such a great firmware.
I tried it on my K-30 last night, and of course, had to set all things over again, but after that, it's all good.
Since I own neither an Eye-fi nor the 55-300 PLM, and I usually don't use any ISO settings higher than 1250, changes I observed are:
-Faster, more solid AF lock in some conditions(mostly low light) with the Tamron 17-50. Not much difference with the HD 2.4/70.
-Ability to change filename(this is the most useful)
-No more Expanded Sensitivity setting(not needed at all).
-I needed to set all the AF fine adjustment for all my lenses again and the correct values just changed somehow.
-I noticed that sometimes when I press the MENU button to cancel some settings, the INFO screen flashes up before the screen turns off(my default is to turn off). It's minimally annoying though.
I will report later if there's anything more.
P.S.Is that a magnifier cup on your K-30 ? I'm thinking of getting one for mine, may I ask your experiences with it?
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
06-08-2017, 07:36 AM
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This is not a bug, but is behavior controlled by the settings in the "Memory" setting in menu 4 on the first menu tab. In page 2 of the Memory settings, put a check mark in the "Shooting Info Display" for it to save that setting between power cycles.
-Joe-
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
04-06-2017, 01:33 AM
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Hi there,
I have adapted the latest K-50 firmware version 1.10 to work in K-30 cameras. The initial testing is complete, all test cameras work fine.
The following functionality from K-50 is available in K-30 after updating:
- 51200 ISO.
- Eye-Fi card support.
- Aperture control in 55-300 PLM lens.
- Ability to change the picture filename prefix.
Several users of this update have also reported the AF improvement.
The firmware version 1.10 for K-30 can be downloaded here.
Some very important things to understand before installing this version.
Please read the following carefully:
- This is firmware 1.10 for K-50 modified in a way that it can be installed in K-30 cameras. It will turn your K-30 into K-50, and the EXIF in your photos will reflect this change.
If you want your camera to be identified as "K-30" in EXIF information and during PC connection, here is a camera name preserving version.
- This is not an official update, and when you install it you'll automatically void your camera warranty (if you still have one
 ).
- This update should still be considered experimental. Flashing it can possibly be harmful to your camera (like any other firmware update, in fact).
- During the installation all the camera settings will be reset to factory defaults. If some of them are important for you, please remember their values so you can restore them after the update.
- Reverting to the original K-30 firmwares is possible. You'll just need to download and install the official firmware from the update page. But a repeated "upgrading" to K-50 firmware would no longer be safe and most likely will lead to camera hangups - this can be fixed by cleaning the settings via debug menu. I'm ready to give the instructions in case anyone needs them.
- Please refer to "Preparation of update" and "Updating Procedure" section on the K-30 update page for the firmware installation instructions.
- One of the tester reported random shutter actuations when 55-300 PLM lens was mounted on K-30. We need more testers to find out the reasons of this misbehavior.
If you are still here, I welcome you to the club  |
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
02-22-2017, 09:32 AM
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1) Power circuit - doesn't explain anything - with a changed solenoid (from K100D) everything works perfectly. If in the beginning it worked well in tandem with the green coil, then the obviously most likely something has changed in the green solenoid - or at least it is the faulty part.
2) You didn't understand my point with magnetization - I am talking about INDUCED MAGNETIC MOMENT which becomes ZERRO when you remove an external magnetic field. I will give you an example - Let's take a regular bolt (regular steel) and let's take a bolt made out of stainless steel. Now take a permanent magnet - which bolt will stick to the magnet with higher force? Bingo - the regular one. So the cores of transformers are not made out of stainless steel but instead iron - because you can magnetize it to a higher degree. My Idea is that the inner structure (on microscopic scale) of the horse-shoe material (metal) somehow changes with time and in presence of external magnetic field (the permanent magnet which is attached at the top). I don't know - lets call it a magnetic "creep" - I can't think of better comparison. Like with mechanical creep - there are materials which don't creep and there are materials with very strong creep - like all superplastic materials. So back to magnets - the magnetization of the core (horse-shoe) increases with time thus making the attractive force also stronger - does it now makes sense? And when you remove the horseshoe from the field of the permanent magnet then its total magnetic moment again collapses to zero. The horse-shoe part doesn't need to become a weak permanent magnet itself for the attractive force to increase!
3) There is no mechanism that pulls the horse-shoe out - it is a PUSH-type solenoid. Electromagnet part pushes the horse-shoe out and the permanent magnet sucks it back in. I suppose that the current pulse on the solenoid is so short that it cannot manage to overcome extra force - this is why when you do a burst set - it starts to work for a while...you apply subsequent "demagnetization" thus weakening the attractive force and at some point it starts to work properly again.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
02-22-2017, 12:18 AM
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White friend=white solenoid (old version)
Green friend=green solenoid (new version)
They both consist of 2 parts - the coil assembly and the plunger.
Taking apart=separate the two.
I can't give you numeric values for the force the parts were holding together - I can just provide subjective (but pretty objective) evaluation:
White - sticks together nicely, holds rather strong but comes apart also reasonably well (taking into account the scale of the parts)
Green - at first I thought I would need to go after a tool (some small pliers or smth.) because the very first Idea was - my fingers are slipping, but when I overcame the first resistance (As you know how it is with magnets) it came out easily.
Green - after modification - after filing the horseshoe ends the parts could be separated a lot easier - even easier than on the white solenoid.
My observation is that there is no issue with alignment or friction - it is purely a magnetic phenomenon. I have long forgotten my magnetism and induction related physics but I still can speculate (or we might come to a definite conclusion together):
The material of the plunger on the green one could be different - and it could have a larger magnetizability (than the part on the white one) - meaning that the induced magnetic moment would also be larger - thus the force of attraction becomes larger. As electromagnet has to overcome this, it might pose a problem. I suppose that when you leave your camera unattended (not in use) for a prolonged period (as I did when my problems started) the induced magnetic moment can increase due to "interesting" properties (maybe even time-dependent and drifting) of the material - thus the parts stick together. Also the magnet on the green one seems pretty strong.
What else - at first I thought it might have a connection but I couldn't figure out how it would impact anything - look at the side by side image - pay a close attention to the upper part of solenoids (where the screw mounts are) - you will see that the white one has rather wide "bridge" at the top most end while the green one has 2 thin "bridges" connecting both sides. But as I said - I have forgotten my magnet-physics and with what I do remember I couldn't figure out how this would impact anything.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
02-21-2017, 01:01 PM
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I hope this will be of help to those who are afraid to slightly take apart the camera, are not able to get their cameras serviced or the repair is too expensive. There are related bits of information scattered around the forums but I will try to put everything here - step by step - an easy to follow approach.
This can be applied to other cameras than K50/500 but the placement of screws can be a little bit different. In general it is the same for all models - you just have to be observant when looking for the screws.
So my approach uses an old but fully functional K100D (If you have an old camera gathering dust you can try a similar approach). I didn't want to ruin the K100 as it was in mint condition but after a long thought I figured out that I won't affect its functionality in any way. So the earlier models such as isD, K100D, K10D, K200D etc have a better quality solenoid part (it doesn't seem to fail in such large numbers) in them + they have 2 solenoids in them - other controls the flash compartment. Yes...this means less work to get the part.
Essential Tools required: Patience, 100g Vodka (HUMAN SR), Small but long screw-driver that fits the screw-heads - I suppose it is a JIS-type but you could get away with phillips, small soldering iron with rather pointy tip (low power - for electronics), tweezers (will help with the tiny screws and soldering).
PART I (Extraction from the donor_K100D).
To extract the solenoid we need to remove just the top cover
1) Press the open-flash button and don't close it. Take out the battery prior following operations.
2) If you didn't open the flash, then: Opening the flash...as it is electronic, we need to push the lock manually - for that we need something thin but rather stiff...something out of plastic works just fine. The lock is positioned on the side of the grip - so slide in the sheet of plastic inside the gap and wiggle - flash pops open.
3) Unscrewing screws -there are 8 screws to unscrew before it is possible to take off the top cover. 2 screws are hiding behind the rubber of the viewfinder (refer to Figure 1 of K500 as it is very similar) - pull the rubber part upwards to remove, next, 2 screws are in the flash compartment - that is why we opened it (Figure 2, green circles), 2 screws are each near the strap loops (Figure 2, purple circles - on K100 position is a bit different but you will find them), 1 screw is at the side of the flash compartment (Fig.3,b, purple circle)+ there is one final screw hiding in the battery compartment (Fig.4, green circle).
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
4) Now we can carefully take off the top cover. And what wee see - it is Fig 5.
Figure 5
5) The solenoid is held in place by one single screw - so we need to unscrew it...take notice - the contacts at the solenoid end are fixed with polymer - so it is hard to unsolder them - this is why I chose to unsolder at the board end and take out the solenoid with wires.
Figure 6
6) As can be seen in Fig 6, it is an easy task to unsolder the wires. Get your soldering iron up to the temperature and just touch the pads - if needed use tweezers and pull of the pink and purple wire. DO NOT heat the pad for prolonged time - if you didn't succeed, let it cool and try again a bit later. You don't want to overheat these pads.
Extraction completed!
Part II (getting to the green friend)
In theory you wouldn't need to remove the top cover of K50/K500 but as it is easier to change out the solenoid with wires - we will have to remove the top cover as well. Plus with loosened screws of the top cover it is easier to get off (and back in) the front cover.
1) Let's remove the bottom cover. Figure 4 - shows already removed bottom cover - take notice that some screws go inside metal and some inside plastic - so obviously threads on them are different - what I want to say - there are so many different screws in this camera - don't mess up. It is very advisable that you somehow take exact notice from which place you unscrewed a particular screw - make a sketch of the camera body if it helps or maybe you have a phenomenal memory.
So - Fig.4 purple circles are outer screws which are obvious. Blue circles show 2 screws which are underneath the battery compartment cover (so obviously you will need to open it). So Purple + Blue screws = bottom cover can be removed. Nice
2) Now the bottom cover has been removed but our goal is to remove the front cover - so underneath the bottom cover there is one more screw (green circle), which has to be unscrewed...and while we are here - undo the one inside the battery compartment (because we will need to remove the top cover as well)
4) The top cover goes the same as in the case of K100D - please refer to pictures. If you decide not to remove the top cover (somehow you have acquired fresh part and you want to solder the wires at the solenoid and not at the board), then still you need to undo screws inside flash compartment and one above RAW button (Fig.3). I would also advise to undo the top cover screw at the strap loop (Fig.2 - purple circle one the left) - it will hugely help to get the front cover back in more easily.
5) Final screws for the front cover...They are hiding beneath the rubber. (Fig 3 - green circles) - so on the right side there is one obvious screw and one underneath the rubber, but on the left side of the camera (right side of the image) - both are hidden from view. You need something sharp - I used my sharp tweezers to slightly rip of the corners (market with arrows) - the rubber sits on some sort of double sided tape, so it won't be too hard.
6) Now the screws have been undone (I really hope I didn't forget any) and it is time to remove the front cover. It sits tight. I suggest to start with the grip side - don't force it too much. But a slight force should be applied to get it off. The keyword is patience. Just to be safe - be careful with the flash capacitor (Fig.3 b shows its approximate position). If you have multimeter you can check the voltage across its terminals - If HOT..then discharge with ~10 KOhm resistor or just wait with the voltmeter attached.
7) Bingo...now we see our green friend (Figure 7). Again - you need to undo just one screw...I didn't drill any holes in the battery compartment and you don't need it either - a slight angle - when you use a long screw driver doesn't hurt. When you remove the solenoid be careful not to change position of the gear.
Figure 7
8) Unsoldering part - top cover has to be removed, because it is where the soldering pads are (Figure 8). Again be very careful - don't overheat - just touch with soldering iron and simultaneously remove the wires. BTW this is the part where HUMAN SR becomes handy. If something doesn't goes right - don't force it - let it cool and try again later.
Figure 8
9) Now let's look at both solenoids side by side (Figure 9)
Figure 9
As you can see - the dimensions are the same - color of wires is the same - so it is 1:1 replacement - both in K50/500 and K100D purple goes back to purple, pink goes back to pink.
10) So it is obvious that we put the better part from the K100D inside K50/500 where it will function as it should. When I checked the green friend I found that the magnetic attraction was really strong...the white friend could be taken appart considerably easier. So as I didn't want to limit functionality of my K100D, I decided to put the green friend back for opening the flash - as it is not such a crucial place (basically I have never used the built in flash). But before I did it - I used the "filing-trimming" method on the horse-shoe ends. You don't need to file a lot - just a bit (Fig. 10 shows my approach). After filing the force that hold it in place became considerably weaker...so I thought - good enough - and put it back in K100D, where it indeed works like intended.
Figure 10
So to put everything back you need to work in reverse order. Word of caution - when putting back the front cover - pay attention to the AF-switch...The equilibrium position is C.AF - move the switch on the cover in C.AF position and move the actual switch on the body also in its middle position - it will help to get the front cover on with the first time and not to take it off when you discover that something is wrong with the AF switch.
I hope this can help someone who is ready to try this operation. There is just no need to let a good camera loose some of its functionality.
UPDATE:
I did a bit of digging about solenoid part and I came up with some links for you. Still it is not that easy to buy just one single solenoid for a regular person, but - here is the info:
1) Part made in South Korea
2) Alibaba offering what I guess is the same as above
3) Summit electronics - this I think is already known
4) Maotech with some extended specifications
So I suppose these can be ordered just in large quantities. My guess is that for a regular person who doesn't have an old K100D or doesn't want to apply the "filing mod" (as it might not be a permanent fix, as reported by some people) the best thing is to hunt for a cheap (used) DVD or CD drive from laptop. I did a quick search and managed to find something as cheap as $5 on ebay. But - unfortunately these drives can utilize different solenoids so it is a lottery to some extent.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
08-11-2017, 02:17 PM
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With only 4 posts it is a tall order for us to take this on Faith...
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
03-18-2017, 10:23 AM
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Hi everybody, this is my video.
I was a little deal with the problem Aperture k-30/k-50 since August 2016.
I've corrected some models k-30/k-50.
Now I disassembled Pentax K30 about 1 month and I'm going to buy a new component.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
03-23-2017, 07:42 AM
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For K50 you can get an off-brand AA adapter for $2 and eneloops - one of the best solutions.
Regarding off-brand Li-Ion...don't go with a high-capacity noname - they tend to bloat - 1) it is dangerous, 2) it is hard to extract the battery from the compartment if it happens. For Li-Ion I would go with Ansmann or something along those lines - they are lower capacity and more expensive but you get a quality product. No more cheapo Li-Ions for me - they just bloat.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
07-09-2017, 06:40 PM
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Yes, that is the part actually works, bought several and no problems at all. Original Japanese part.
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
08-11-2017, 12:34 PM
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Hmmm.... I had a K-30 that had the dreaded aperture lock problem, so I sent it to the fella' in California. He fixed the problem post haste and had it back in my hands within two weeks. It worked like new for about 6 months, then this morning I'm back to the same ole problem! I called Mark (the repairman) and he said to ship it back to him and he'd take care of the problem. It was guaranteed for a year, so all I'll pay for is the shipping.
I read one poster who suggested substituting the AA battery adapter for the LI 109 and voila! It worked perfectly! I mentioned this to Mark (the repairman in California) and asked what difference he thought that might possible have to do with the problem. He said something about the voltage.... so, just for S&G's, I placed a FULLY CHARGED Li109 battery in the camera and I'll be danged if it didn't work like new! So, I've retired the suspect battery and will wait and see if that was the culprit. But, don't want to wait too long or my one year warranty will be null and void.
This is a very exasperating situation that Pentax should have addressed long ago! A very poor way to maintain customer loyalty, me thinks. I love my K-30's and K-50, but it's sorta' like having an unfaithful wife! Can't trust her!
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Forum: Pentax K-30 & K-50
08-07-2017, 02:38 AM
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Evidence?
Repairs are done by owners or Precision by replacing a physical part.
There is no firmware upgrade that fixes it.
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