HI. Had this problem today after not using my K50 for a few months. Was a bit scared to open it up so foun another tip online. Turn on burst mode and take a load of shots. It should free up the aperture. Problem solved!!
Very nice advice! I was just before opening my K50 before reading your comment. I took a load of shots and at a certain point the acoustic changed and the aperture was fixed. Did the Problem reoccur with your camera? Thanks for your good advice, you saved me a lot of time to completely open my K50 :-)
The problem with cleaning the aperture solenoid by taking a lot of shots is, that it does not last long. After some few hours the fotos are dark again. One have to do the procedure again and again. So maybe opening the case and cleaning the thing is a long lasting solution.
Thanks, it was very useful. I "scraped" the little jumper with what I had at home, which is 120 sand paper, for a few minutes, and it's less used than yours but seems to work fine anyway. But warning: you should be very careful when taking off the front cover, as I broke a little plastic handle for the screw right next to "K50". Well, it doesn't prevent it from working or anything, but I'm a little sad. Anyway, even with that mishap, I just saved tons of money, hoping it will last! NB: my K50 was 5 years old, bought it in 2016. Price announced by the repairman was 250€, roughly 300$ (sent to and fixed by Pentax France).
Siguiendo las instrucciones de tu video he logrado hoy salvar mi K-500. Mil gracias por compartir la solución al problema, que pensé que la llevaría a un uso decorativo.
hello, How much metal are you taking off the solenoid when you are fileing it.. Just curious. thanks for your video, this going to help a lot of people with this problem.
I had this issue as well in 2017. Wish this video had been around, reverse engineering and fixing was a problem! Eventually, the problem returned for me. The part re-magnetizes after a while. :( Happened to two K50 bodies.
I agree, had quite a few Pentax repaired like this and the problem returned. If filing was stronger, the opposite happened: the plunger could not return and pics were all white: Overexposure
@@soi-luna3087 thank you for the comment, it reinforces my thoughts on this. It is such a shame because it was my first entry into DSLRs and now I'm invested in lenses. :( There are ways pentax could have fixed this, though, with different alloys (like in other bodies) or even a built in degausser.
the magnetic properties of the are different to the "white" solenoids (Japanase NOS "New Old Stock") different alloy luckily only the K30 , K50 and first K70 are affected they changed the solenoids for the later K70s and KF so likely they won't have that problem anymore, the "bigger" models (KP, K7, K5, K3, K1 have a different approach for aperture actuation and don't have the problem. Common problem for all cameras if stored away for a long period of time the battery will be emptied (not the problem) and after that the CMOS Battery will be emptied and finally danaged (thats the issue) and badly be replaced. So keep using your gear. And don't store without a loaded battery.
worked great however when removing the covers I noticed a paper thin black metal washer the same size as the wi-fi button that fell out. it would remind you of an o ring except metal, do you know where it belongs?
Why can't you add some soldering iron in between the gap of the plunger so that it won't go and stick to the magnet at the other end I mean in the bottom space of U shape? Thought s are highly appreciated as my K70 started experiencing the same issue
Un grand merci pour ce tutoriel, j'au remis en état de fonctionnement mon Pentax K50 C'est tout simplement magique d'avoir pu le réparer soi même grâce à cette video Bravo 🙂
Hi!, Thnks for video, i have a question, this repair is for manual and automatic focus? Because i have to pressing a metal object inside, where lens is placed
My Pentax Ks2 fix was a little less complicated. I simply use a Takumar 28mm lens with a manual aperture-focus as my fun hobby camera. A little more of a challenge and much more fun and usually I shoot in B&W, for times I must have Auto focus I use another camera that has great video also. But for Fun slower relaxing shoots its my Pentax all the way.
I'm having a hard time loosening the tiny screw that holds the solenoid in. How did you get it loosened? I'm worried I'm stripping the screw head when I try to loosen it.
I did. I still can't loosen the screw. With the angle it's at, I can't get the screwdriver to lock in enough to turn it. I've tried a Phillips (00) and a small flathead.
I also have a problem with unscrewing. I used a flat screwdriver. Unscrewing the screw is PITA. Take a look at this video and it may be a little clearer. ruclips.net/video/7g_xMrbykr8/видео.html
The solenoid has worked for years, the reason for the malfunction must be something else, I suspect that the geometry of the solenoid has changed or the position of the mounting of the solenoid. All my solenoids look like new, there is no wear.
Not a good idea to do the sanding filing job. The solenoid often makes other problems. It is better to use a Japan solenoid from a DSLR such as the K100D or Kx
Lets start with the criticism. First point well organized workspace But then the things turned worse Wrong tools (not the proper screw driver JIS-type) Wrong approach in repair, the surface coating of the magnet is not just for optical reasons. The filing method destroys the surface protection. Yes the method will work for limited time (e.g. for selling the "repaired" item) but not for more. The problem is to get the "proper" solenoid as it is discontinued, some older types of Pentax have this needed solenoid installed and can act as a donator. If the solenoid is white and has 4 connectors, than you have a good chance to get the right one. Nearly all the others blue and green usually have the WRONG electrical and physical properties, and are made from the WRONG material NEVERTHELESS what the seller promise.
Hi, trying to find something that can help me fix a Pentax K10D which was stored away and hardly used. Will not turn on but show a blinking battery indicator despite having a fully charged battery or external AC adapter plugged on. I under stand from the web an internal battery?! Don't wish to throw it awsy!
@@vanesawhite4378 Your buffer battery should be done. The issue is just your loosing your time and date as far as i understood it right. This issue should be handled in the Pentax forums as like the solenoid issue. As i remember right they wore also dealing with the CMOS-Battery issue, you can avoid the problem if not storing the camera unused for a longer period (a lot of the pentaxians try to use their body at least once a month and do not store the body without a loaded battery pack, as the CMOS battery just hast work if there is no battery or an empty battery in the body while storing. If the CMOS battery is holding the data due to no battery or an empty battery the CMOS-battery is discharging and if deeply discharged damaged (it will work for a certain time but in the end someday it will fail, and is not much fun to change)
The solenoid has worked for years, the reason for the malfunction must be something else, I suspect that the geometry of the solenoid has changed or the position of the mounting of the solenoid. All my solenoids look like new, there is no wear.
The problem are the magnetic properties of the alloy, there is a certain period of time Pentax switched from Japanese solenoids (with a different alloy) to chinese solenoids, in the later K70s they fixed that problem with a change to a better suited alloy ( the last K70s and the KFs should be without that problem) For mor detailed informations look in the Pentax Forum for an article "History of the Pentax Solenoids", very deep explanation of that problem and the solutions what will work, what will work only for a short time and why)
@@tomsun3159 Hello, thank you for participating in the dialogue here. I know the forum and the thread, the person who wrote this has done a valuable job. Regards.
@@sherrylangland3707 1 tiny screw on right top of the solenoid. Not easy to remove but otherwise you can't remove the U-shaped part. I sanded it all-around with 800 grid sandingpaper, spayed it with contactspray for electronic parts. No filing needed. Follow instructions, should be sufficient. Use appropriate tools! Good luck!
Try to find a screwdriver with a handle that provides you enough grip. Skip the flathead screwdriver, it might slip and damage other components. The screw fits very tight, force is needed to loosen it. A little prayer might help.....
Yay! Another K50 saved from the bin. If it sticks again I'll buy a new solenoid but for now it is working. Thanks for making this video!
HI. Had this problem today after not using my K50 for a few months. Was a bit scared to open it up so foun another tip online. Turn on burst mode and take a load of shots. It should free up the aperture. Problem solved!!
True, I just now had this problem, took a 100 shots and the fotos are like before. Not open the case, it is to difficult, when damaging some stuff!
Very nice advice! I was just before opening my K50 before reading your comment. I took a load of shots and at a certain point the acoustic changed and the aperture was fixed. Did the Problem reoccur with your camera? Thanks for your good advice, you saved me a lot of time to completely open my K50 :-)
The problem with cleaning the aperture solenoid by taking a lot of shots is, that it does not last long. After some few hours the fotos are dark again. One have to do the procedure again and again. So maybe opening the case and cleaning the thing is a long lasting solution.
Thanks for this post. Just did this and problem solved! No $ fix!!
Thanks a lot mate.
Thanks, it was very useful. I "scraped" the little jumper with what I had at home, which is 120 sand paper, for a few minutes, and it's less used than yours but seems to work fine anyway.
But warning: you should be very careful when taking off the front cover, as I broke a little plastic handle for the screw right next to "K50". Well, it doesn't prevent it from working or anything, but I'm a little sad.
Anyway, even with that mishap, I just saved tons of money, hoping it will last!
NB: my K50 was 5 years old, bought it in 2016. Price announced by the repairman was 250€, roughly 300$ (sent to and fixed by Pentax France).
120 sand paper... heavy ! More like 600-1000 would be a good first bet??
@@renaudnormand3246 well it's been working for 2 years now, so I don't know what to tell you :)
@@MrVaykadji perfect! I will go with this.
Siguiendo las instrucciones de tu video he logrado hoy salvar mi K-500. Mil gracias por compartir la solución al problema, que pensé que la llevaría a un uso decorativo.
hello, How much metal are you taking off the solenoid when you are fileing it.. Just curious. thanks for your video, this going to help a lot of people with this problem.
Danke für dieses sehr gut erklärte Video. Ich habe gerade meine Pentax danach repariert. Es hat sehr gut funktioniert. Danke sehr.
Hooo man, you save my life and my camera! Very thanks to you !!
Shame on Pentax to not considered this problem like engineering fault...!
I had this issue as well in 2017. Wish this video had been around, reverse engineering and fixing was a problem! Eventually, the problem returned for me. The part re-magnetizes after a while. :( Happened to two K50 bodies.
I agree, had quite a few Pentax repaired like this and the problem returned. If filing was stronger, the opposite happened: the plunger could not return and pics were all white: Overexposure
@@soi-luna3087 thank you for the comment, it reinforces my thoughts on this. It is such a shame because it was my first entry into DSLRs and now I'm invested in lenses. :( There are ways pentax could have fixed this, though, with different alloys (like in other bodies) or even a built in degausser.
You can repair using a Japanese made solenoid, these can be bought on ebay or they can be removed from older Pentax bodies such as K100, or K-x
Ну значед подпили ещё
the magnetic properties of the are different to the "white" solenoids (Japanase NOS "New Old Stock") different alloy luckily only the K30 , K50 and first K70 are affected they changed the solenoids for the later K70s and KF so likely they won't have that problem anymore, the "bigger" models (KP, K7, K5, K3, K1 have a different approach for aperture actuation and don't have the problem. Common problem for all cameras if stored away for a long period of time the battery will be emptied (not the problem) and after that the CMOS Battery will be emptied and finally danaged (thats the issue) and badly be replaced. So keep using your gear. And don't store without a loaded battery.
Do i have to use a flat screwdriver on a philips screw?
Muchas gracias, es el vídeo más detallado que encontré para reparar mi pentax k50. Muchas gracias por compartirlo
hola amigo yo tengo una duda cuanto tiempo hay que lijarlo o como tiene que quedar?
worked great however when removing the covers I noticed a paper thin black metal washer the same size as the wi-fi button that fell out. it would remind you of an o ring except metal, do you know where it belongs?
Great video thank you
I replaced the solanoid and still getting dark pix.
Anything else you can recomend?
Cheers
You saved my K30 !
Thanks a lot !
Thanks you ! With your video, I have repared my loved K-30 camera. I added WD40 on the solenoid to be sure. Thanks again !
Do you think the WD-40 did anything?
Why can't you add some soldering iron in between the gap of the plunger so that it won't go and stick to the magnet at the other end I mean in the bottom space of U shape? Thought s are highly appreciated as my K70 started experiencing the same issue
But why did it work for years before without any tweaking ?
Un grand merci pour ce tutoriel, j'au remis en état de fonctionnement mon Pentax K50
C'est tout simplement magique d'avoir pu le réparer soi même grâce à cette video
Bravo 🙂
Hi!, Thnks for video, i have a question, this repair is for manual and automatic focus? Because i have to pressing a metal object inside, where lens is placed
Hi, no this is not an autofocus repair,
This fix is for aperture problem (black picture problem)
What about weather sealing after the entire process?
i wish you would say what you are doing and not this awful music. great camera work btw.
Hey, Thks a lot for your vidéo. I spent 3h to fix it and My k30 works great now. Biig UP ! :)
Excelencia en tu trabajo, muchas gracias x compartir brother.
My Pentax Ks2 fix was a little less complicated. I simply use a Takumar 28mm lens with a manual aperture-focus as my fun hobby camera. A little more of a challenge and much more fun and usually I shoot in B&W, for times I must have Auto focus I use another camera that has great video also. But for Fun slower relaxing shoots its my Pentax all the way.
Grazie mille!
I'm having a hard time loosening the tiny screw that holds the solenoid in. How did you get it loosened? I'm worried I'm stripping the screw head when I try to loosen it.
Screw is fastened with a lacker. Use a hobbyknife to remove some.
I did. I still can't loosen the screw. With the angle it's at, I can't get the screwdriver to lock in enough to turn it. I've tried a Phillips (00) and a small flathead.
I also have a problem with unscrewing. I used a flat screwdriver. Unscrewing the screw is PITA.
Take a look at this video and it may be a little clearer.
ruclips.net/video/7g_xMrbykr8/видео.html
What is the purpose of grinding that part? Is there another solutions to make it work again?
The solenoid has worked for years, the reason for the malfunction must be something else, I suspect that the geometry of the solenoid has changed or the position of the mounting of the solenoid. All my solenoids look like new, there is no wear.
@@dorfschmidt4833 Okay. Anyway i did this same operation to my solenoid and i got the pentax work like a new again.
how much filing should you use? Not sure when i"m done filing.
I can't say exactly how much. The metal part must move easily without resistance through the plastic part.
Not a good idea to do the sanding filing job. The solenoid often makes other problems.
It is better to use a Japan solenoid from a DSLR such as the K100D or Kx
La cámara tiene algún tipo de batería interna?
Lets start with the criticism.
First point well organized workspace
But then the things turned worse
Wrong tools (not the proper screw driver JIS-type)
Wrong approach in repair, the surface coating of the magnet is not just for optical reasons. The filing method destroys the surface protection.
Yes the method will work for limited time (e.g. for selling the "repaired" item) but not for more.
The problem is to get the "proper" solenoid as it is discontinued, some older types of Pentax have this needed solenoid installed and can act as a donator. If the solenoid is white and has 4 connectors, than you have a good chance to get the right one. Nearly all the others blue and green usually have the WRONG electrical and physical properties, and are made from the WRONG material NEVERTHELESS what the seller promise.
Hi, trying to find something that can help me fix a Pentax K10D which was stored away and hardly used. Will not turn on but show a blinking battery indicator despite having a fully charged battery or external AC adapter plugged on. I under stand from the web an internal battery?! Don't wish to throw it awsy!
@@vanesawhite4378 Your buffer battery should be done. The issue is just your loosing your time and date as far as i understood it right. This issue should be handled in the Pentax forums as like the solenoid issue. As i remember right they wore also dealing with the CMOS-Battery issue, you can avoid the problem if not storing the camera unused for a longer period (a lot of the pentaxians try to use their body at least once a month and do not store the body without a loaded battery pack, as the CMOS battery just hast work if there is no battery or an empty battery in the body while storing. If the CMOS battery is holding the data due to no battery or an empty battery the CMOS-battery is discharging and if deeply discharged damaged (it will work for a certain time but in the end someday it will fail, and is not much fun to change)
greate video, thank you
The solenoid has worked for years, the reason for the malfunction must be something else, I suspect that the geometry of the solenoid has changed or the position of the mounting of the solenoid. All my solenoids look like new, there is no wear.
The problem are the magnetic properties of the alloy, there is a certain period of time Pentax switched from Japanese solenoids (with a different alloy) to chinese solenoids, in the later K70s they fixed that problem with a change to a better suited alloy ( the last K70s and the KFs should be without that problem) For mor detailed informations look in the Pentax Forum for an article "History of the Pentax Solenoids", very deep explanation of that problem and the solutions what will work, what will work only for a short time and why)
@@tomsun3159 Hello,
thank you for participating in the dialogue here.
I know the forum and the thread, the person who wrote this has done a valuable job.
Regards.
is it the same for pentax k10d ?
I'm certain that k10 didn't have this issue.
Super!
Fajny patent z tym styropianem! {celowo piszę po polsku!}
Just cleaning this part was sufficient enough for my camera. Thanks for helping with this video!
Did you unscrew the solenoid and take it out to clean it?
@@sherrylangland3707 1 tiny screw on right top of the solenoid. Not easy to remove but otherwise you can't remove the U-shaped part. I sanded it all-around with 800 grid sandingpaper, spayed it with contactspray for electronic parts. No filing needed. Follow instructions, should be sufficient. Use appropriate tools! Good luck!
Try to find a screwdriver with a handle that provides you enough grip. Skip the flathead screwdriver, it might slip and damage other components. The screw fits very tight, force is needed to loosen it. A little prayer might help.....
Thank you Erik, YOU JUST SAVED 100usd to me! Cleaning solved my issue!
@@igotafastcar congratulations! You're a dare-devil too! A brand new body would cost you an arm and a leg, now you are a member of the DIY champions!
Shame! After twenty years, Pentax has not yet learned how to properly build a solenoid dedicated to photographic mechanics.
Pentax don't build the solenoids, they are bought in as pre-made parts. The ones that fail are Chinese, the ones that last well are Japanese
Fucked up
noo guys you don't have to do this just make really fast like 20 photos and it's gonna be normal
Mamma Mia!!! But how ugly and poorly built these digital Pentaxes are!
And other makes are better? Nonsense. You seem to be a Pentaxbasher.
@@soi-luna3087 нет, у нас в России есть ремонтник фотоаппаратов и он такого же мнения о пентакс