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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-09-2022, 07:57 PM
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Thanks for taking the time to reply.
The physical interface I could cobble together from common electronic components and I've got a degree in computer science so, in theory, I have the skills to "hack" the output and figure out what it's reporting.
I learned assembly language at uni so it should be within my grasp to reverse engineer the software. It would only take a year or two of my life :-)
I was sort of hoping to avoid that by just buying it. It would probably run on Win98 or WinXP - but the program flow outlined in the service manual makes me think it's a dos program.
The service manual seems to indicate that it's only needed for diagnosing certain types of fault, which would be obvious in operation anyway. I'm more interested in the mechanical faults so hopefully I can get by without it.
If I find myself with nothing to do for a year or so, then I might go ahead and do it...
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Forum: Troubleshooting and Beginner Help
07-08-2022, 06:29 PM
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Hi Folks,
Does anyone know if it's possible to acquire a copy of the software needed to service the MZ and ZX range of cameras? and if so, where I might be able to get it from?
Thanks
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Forum: Winners' Showcase
07-07-2022, 03:27 PM
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You found exactly the right spot and used exactly the right lens and settings. B&W was the right choice - color would have not worked.
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
07-04-2022, 03:00 PM
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Thanks for that - I was aware of the flash pinion problem (one of my MZ-50s has it). I hadn't heard of the film winding gear issue. I don't really know what my plans are regarding offering a repair service, I simply enjoy repairing cameras and noticed that the MZ-50s in particular were abundant, broken and cheap. And, when they work, they're great little SLRs - so I thought to myself, if I can come up with a fix then there might be an opportunity to make a bit of pocket money - possibly enough to support my camera addiction ;-)
The problems the MZ series have seem to be mechanical in nature - they don't seem to die electronically - so in theory fixing them should be within my skill range.
I should imagine that the same Polish company that makes the mirror gear can make the film winding gear. I'll look into the flash pinion...
At this stage I'm trying to figure out a step by step procedure to get to where I need to, make the repair, clean the optics and then successfully re-assemble. I have 4 MZ-50s and a MZ-7 to practice on and if I can come up with a fool proof procedure then I can probably get the repair time down to hours rather than days.
In terms of dollar value, I know that no-ones going to pay me more $100 to fix a camera that's only worth $150, but if I can pick dead ones up for $30 or so, then it might be worth spending a couple of hours repairing them and selling them on. But first I need to develop a repair method that gives me a camera I am confident will keep working for another three or four years (at least)
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Forum: Repairs and Warranty Service
07-03-2022, 09:34 PM
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Hi Folks,
I recently acquired a brace of MZ-50s (and one MZ-7), which of course have the dreaded broken plastic gear problem. Now, I normally repair old kodaks and contaflexes so these MZs present a bit of challenge. I'm going through the official service manual and the guide I found at ipernity: Pentax zx/mz mirror motor repair by 5cent trying to come up with a work plan that will maximize my success.
My problem is this: I figure that if I've gone to all the trouble to pull these things apart to replace the mirror motor gear, then I may as well give the pentaprism, fresnel lense and main mirror a good clean while I'm there. The service manual gets real vague when it comes to explaining how to remove the main mirror - apparently the shaft that holds it in is "bonded" to the mirror flap to stop the shaft from coming out. Does anyone know what sort of bond or adhesive was used to do this? or what solvent might work?
If I can remove the mirror shaft then I can extract the mirror flap(s) and put them in my ultrasonic cleaner. Otherwise I'll have to somehow put the entire Front Housing Assembly (part #A101) in the cleaner - which might be the best thing to do anyway but it means I'll have to strip all of the gears and electronics from it first.
There are enough dead MZ cameras out there with the exact same problem that I reckon it's learning to fix them, because when they work they are a pretty capable little camera.
Hope you can help
Thanks
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