Sony DSC-F828 loose lens turret - part 3

OK, so now we can get down to the disassembly.


Remember, the objective is to tighten up a loose lens turret. Because there can be multiple causes, you may not have to go all the way through this process. 


Step 1


Remove the camera lens cover, lens hood, carrying strap, battery and memory card or cards.


Step 2.


Remove the 6 x 2mm retaining screws on the cabinet side cover.  See diagram below, bottom right. Carefully lift off the cover. Disconnect the flexible board ribbon FP-751 from the SW-410 board which sits inside the cabinet cover.

Leave SW-410 attached to the inside of the cabinet cover. Disconnect the flexible board from its socket at the camera body end.

With the camera the right way up, remove the two screws either side of the OPEN (FLASH) decal

With the camera body upside down, remove the three screws on the bottom near the tripod mount. Notice one of the three target screws is missing in this image. 

With the camera the right way up, and with the back facing towards you, remove the one screw at the back end of the side cover.

Finally, carefully remove the flexible board from the socket on the camera body and set the cabinet side cover to one side.

Carefully inspect the four screws which retain the lens turret swivel mechanism in the camera body. It may be possible that one or more of these have come loose. Note, only three retaining screws will be visible. To gain access to the fourth screw, you will need to carefully rotate the lens turret about the camera body to reveal it via an access detent as shown above.

If tightening these screws cures the loose lens turret problem then simply apply some 'Locktite' to the screws, and nip them down nice and tight. Reverse the disassembly taking special care to ensure the ribbon cable is slotted back in to position properly and that it is not pinched when the side assembly is screwed down.


Otherwise, the loose turret will be caused by a problem with the swivel mechanism. You will now have to move on to Part 4 and further disassembly.

Sony DSC-F828 loose lens turret - part 2

Hi and welcome back again folks.


In this part of my post, I'll describe to you more or less what tools and so forth is needed and give some start up tips.


OK - first up lets get some tools and a work area sorted out. You will need:

• A good size, clean and uncluttered work space.
• Good strong light.
• A free standing magnifying lens, preferably the illuminated type.
• Size 000 Phillips Head jeweller's screw driver.
• White towel work mat.
• Small, flat blade pliers.
• A copy of the DSC-F828 service manual.
• Small white bowl for screws, and small box for larger parts
• Petroleum jelly
• 'Locktite' or similar
• Anti-static earthing system

The pliers I selected are used primarily for handling the flexible printed circuit ribbon cables or 'boards'. The ribbons need to be gripped carefully and gently and pushed or pulled evenly, slowly and accurately into or out of their terminating slots. (See the diagram below provided by Sony in their Service Manual). The flat pliers shown, not having teeth or serrations, will provide the best grip without the risk of damage.

6" flat blade pliers are recommended.

The jeweller's screw driver should be the type that you can push down hard against a rotating head piece in the handle to stop the bit riding up out of the screw head slot while turning. In order to get extra purchase on the screw while applying a load, it should have a reasonably big handle for you to grip. It should also have an extension piece to allow you to reach into hard to get corners.

This type of jeweller's screw driver provides the best reach and gripping power

The service manual for the 828 is not absolutely essential for this job as hopefully I have provided all the information necessary and plenty of photos. Still, I think it is a very useful guide and seeing as it can be found on the internet fairly easily and free of charge, it is probably worth the extra effort. Try http://xfirmware.com/photo-model.php?pref=1&model=291&brand=15&photo=SONY

I strongly recommend you consider using an anti-static mat, and wrist strap to bond yourself and the work bench to earth while working on the 828. This is easily overlooked as being an unnecessary inconvenience but the problem with static is well documented and static discharge counter-measures are standard practice in professional workshops. It is not hard to do, can be used many times, and pays for itself in avoiding unnecessary damage.

Keep the work area clean and tidy. Drinks, food stuffs or other contaminants on the work bench invite disaster. Work as much as you can in a dust free environment. Place all parts together in a small box that can be labelled and sealed. Any static sensitive components should be stored in anti-static bags.

Here are some tips from the Sony Service Manual.

• Check the area of your repair for unsoldered or poorly-soldered connections. Check the entire board surface for solder splashes and bridges.
• Check the interboard wiring to ensure that no wires are "pinched" or contact high-wattage resistors.
• Look for unauthorized replacement parts, particularly transistors, that were installed during a previous repair. 
• Look for parts which, through functioning, show obvious signs of deterioration. 
• Check the B+ voltage to see it is at the values specified.

Flexible Circuit Board Repairing:

• Keep the temperature of the soldering iron around 270°C during repairing.
• Do not touch the soldering iron on the same conductor of the circuit board (within 3 times).
• Be careful not to apply force on the conductor when soldering or unsoldering.

Beware of the dreaded Capacitive Discharge Flash-unit. The follow again is with thanks to Sony:

As for human factors - here are a few tips for success from my experience working in Aviation Quality and Safety management. I don't think they will go astray here:

• Read and study the method for repair so you have a good understanding of what is to be done and how to do it.
• If you are not sure about something, then ask.
• Work in short sessions then take a break.
• Review every step you have taken. Look at it from all angles and think carefully about the consequences of what you are doing. For example when screwing something down, have you pinched something else? When unscrewing something, is there a loose piece that can fall off and be lost or broken, e.g. a ferrite bead.
• If you feel you are having to push or pull hard, exert force or are having to lever anything then you are doing it wrong - stop, look and study what the barrier is because you will probably break something if you keep going.
• If you feel frustrated, inclined to swear or curse then stop. It should be a pleasant experience and if it's not then you are probably doing it wrong. Stop, take a break, review the situation and then start again on a different tack.
• If you feel tired, unwell, rushed, or if you have taken any drugs, alcohol or medication that can affect the quality of your work, then stop. Any kind of visual impairment, steadiness of hand, or rationale of thought is a barrier to success.

OK, in part 3 we move on to disassembly.

Sony DSC-F828 loose lens turret - part 1

Introduction


Hi folks - here I am back again, and this time I have some detail on how I managed to successfully repair the loose lens turret on my Sony DSC-F828. I 828 owners will find this blog of some interest or use.

Sony DSC-F828

I have had my F828 for about 6 years now and it has provided reliable service, and excellent photographs. Although it's 8 Megapixel capability, the small screen, lack of HDMI and limited zoom are somewhat dated, the 828 still has redeeming features which I like. The big 28-200 mm Carl Ziess Vario-Sonnar 7 x zoom lens has an excellent quality that is hard to match. The four colour HAD sensor works well. I still very much like the bulky feel of this solid camera with its swivel body idea (although the swivel body never really became all that popular). The infra-red night framing capability and hologram laser focus system for taking pictures in totally dark situations is hard to beat for the interests and work I have.


After six years on the road however, the 828 has started showing serious signs of ageing and the time came for an overhaul. Not withstanding the occasional screws that come loose (I know the feeling well), and the need for an occasional tweak, and once the need to reseat a flexible cable inside the camera, the biggest issue has been the gradual loosening of the lens turret. It had gotten to the point where the damn thing was so seriously wobbly on the camera body it felt like it was ready to fall apart at any time.


A cruise through the various internet posts indicated a lot of other 828 owners have had similar problems. It was clear however that while several remedies were described for loose lens turrets, the fix for my particular situation wasn't described anywhere that I could find.


I had looked at this a couple of times, but was always put off by the complexity of the 828's construction. That is until I decided I couldn't live with it any more.


With a big trip overseas coming up, I decided I wouldn't trust the F828 in that condition. Faced with the choice of fixing it or buying a replacement camera, I decided to have a go. If the 828 died 'on the operating table', well too bad and so long old friend. If it could be restored, well then the new lease of life would be celebrated by going on holidays together. (I'm still tempted to buy a new Sony A55 though).


So that's the background folks. I carried out the repair quite successfully and operationally the 828 is back to 'as new' condition - not withstanding some cosmetics as one would expect. 


I kept notes and photographed the repair and decided to share the experience here.


As a footnote to this - having the camera repaired professionally would probably cost more than the camera is worth. Following this guide is entirely at your own risk. I can't take any responsibility for misinformation, errors, mistakes, omissions or any other buggery that causes you grief or damage to your camera. In other words, the risk is all yours, but so is the fun and self-satisfaction of fixing it for next to no outlay.


OK, so on with the How To. In Part 2 of this post, I will describe what's needed to get started doing your own repair. See you then, and please - don't forget to leave a comment.

Windows 7 - Register comdlg32.ocx

I wrote a VB6 program a long time ago, and I wanted it to run in Window7. The problem I encountered was that the file 'comdlg32.ocx' which normally accompanies the .exe file for VB6 apps wouldn't run in Windows7.

I have administrator privileges for my usual log in so I attempted to change privileges for the .OCX file, but it still wouldn't work. A error message was produced with a cryptic code. The problem turned out to be the need for the .OCX file to be registered.

The registration is committed by the command line prompt:

regsvr32 comdlg32.exe

Unfortunately, this was not successful and Windows 7 complained.

Equally unfortunate were our attempts to us the 'runas' command.
runas \user:administrator "regsvr32 comdlg32.exe" produced prompts for passwords we didn't know.

You see, the administrator account and password is hidden in Window7.

The work around was to log in to the command prompt as administrator (see previous article), then run the simplified version of the command "regsvr32 comdlg32.exe".

Thanks to Russell for his help - without which I would still be flannelling around.

Windows 7 - Running a Command as Administrator

Well, this one had multiple geek brains tricked for a short while, but we prevailed...

Click the sequence Windows (orb at the bottom left) > All Programs > Accessories

Right click Command Prompt

Click Run As Administrator

Respond to any security prompt.

You may now run a command line as administrator, e.g. regsvr32. (See next entry)


Click Open >

Using GRUB to boot a second Win XP hard drive

Following on from my earlier success with GRUB to provide dual boot, (Ubuntu Linux - hd0,4 and Win XP hd0,0 in separate partitions on the same hard drive), I decided to add a third option - that being to boot another Win XP installation (hd1,0) which exists on a second hard drive with one partition and a Windows Master Boot Record. (I had previously only been able to boot this hard drive through switching the BIOS settings for the 1st hard drive, but now that was becoming rather tedious).

I edited the GRUB menu.lst to point to the second Win XP installation  hd1,0 and then makeactive. Sorry too much dispela tru. Dispela lookim - for some unknown reason GRUB would not boot hd1,0 even though testing proved it was being accessed. GRUB would always revert to booting Win XP on hd0,0.

How The Heck Did I Get GRUB to optionally boot the second Win XP Installation?

Well, this fix required some help which I found readily available on http://www.ubuntuforums.org/.  I also found a very good relevant article on Linux Journal. http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/4622
BTW, just confirming GRUB partition numbers are always 1 less than Linux numbering. The conversion for my machine therefore is:
/dev/sda1 = hd0,0 (First Win XP installation)
/dev/sda5 = hd0,4 (Ubuntu Linux installation)
/dev/sdb1 = hd1,0 (Second Win XP installation)

1. In Linux, back up menu.lst using cp /boot/grub/menu.lst /boot/grub/menu.lst.bak (or similar)
2. Edit menu.lst using sudo gedit /boot/grub/menu.lst
3. Change the second Win XP bootstrap loader instructions to read:
4. title Windows XP #2 (or similar)
5. rootnoverify (hd1,0)
6. map (hd0) (hd1)
7. map (hd1) (hd0)
8. makeactive
9. chainloader +1
10. Save menu.lst and exit.
11. Windows XP #2 should now boot normally from GRUB

With acknowledgement to the Linux Journal article referenced above, it seems the rootnoverify command is for OS filesystems not specifically recognized by GRUB, so that GRUB will not try to mount the partition. The chainloader command will use the first sector of the partition of device (hd1,0) and attempt to boot whatever it finds there. This is a common means of booting OS'es that install their own boot loaders in the first sector of the partition where they are installed (this is sometimes called the partition boot sector or PBR).

The makeactive command sets the active flag in the partition table for the device specified by the root command, as some operating systems, like Win98, require.

I found a really excellent article at http://www.oculon.org/hijinx/linux/grub.htm which uses mapping in system configuration very similar to mine, without rootnoverify being used. I plan to try menu.lst without the mapping, and with the mapping but with rootnoverify changed back to root. I'll keep this blog posted.

A very useful GRUB resource can be found at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/GrubHowto

So that's How the Heck I Fixed that, and I'm now much happier with the start up options.

ooRoo
Nifty Nev

Reinstall Windows XP from original CD - a painful exercise

My crashed hard drive (mentioned in earlier posts) was in a bad way. Having restored the Master Boot Record and fixed the Boot Sector, Windows XP would only partially boot. This indicated it was not totally 'fritzed' however essential files were missing. I tried initially to work around by copying the missing files from another, good installation of Windows XP. Ultimately that didn't work. I could get to the Windows XP start up logo but that was it. The boot hung with no further clue as to what it needed. With no other alternatives obvious, it was time to do the dreaded reinstall from the original Windows XP CD. I say 'dreaded' because in my case, the reinstall process could not read files from the CD.

How the heck did I reinstall Windows XP from the CD if it couldn't read the CD?

OK, well I had first better clarify things. The Windows XP CD would boot and allow me to start the reinstall. The read problem came later. Well into the reinstall, the process prompted for 'ASMS' on the CD. The default path was :
globalroot\device\cdrom0\i386
With no other path to i386 on the CD-ROM root directory, the work around was:

1. Boot another installation of Windows XP in a separate machine. (I used my lap top PC)
2. Remove and hook up the crashed drive via a USB2/SATA interface to the second machine. (These new interfaces are such excellent devices.)
3. Pop the original installation CD in the CD-ROM on the second machine.
4. Copy the i386 directory from the CD-ROM to the root directory on the crashed drive. (Assumes of course the file and directory structure on the crashed drive is intact and readable).
5. Put the crashed drive back in the desk top PC.
6. Reboot.
7. The crashed drive will probably now boot and continue with the reinstall. (You probably won't even need the installation CD now).
8. At each prompt for a file from the CD, simply type the path C:\I386.(Copy and paste will work. You will need it many times, and read the installation files from the hard drive you are restoring).
9. This will probably bring you to the end of the re-installation without any other dramas, although you might be prompted for certain hardware based drivers such as the video card. Click Yes to move on in each case.

The problem reading the CD-ROM during reinstall appears to be fairly common and there are a lot of entries on Google in relation to files missing during the reinstall. Several work around suggestions have been made but none appear to be as effective as copying the source files onto the destination hard drive as described.

So thats how I fixed my crashed Windows XP. The first thing I did after that was to update and run the virus checker to try to find what destroyed my system in the first place. Boy oh boy - did I ever find some bugs, but that's another story.