08 Mar 02, Bob S. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > How hard is it to remove the top on the KX? I have one where the little > window doesn't work and the prism is cracked on the lower right of the > picture frame. (Probably repaired as the top of the camera show no dents.) > Is it a special prism that has that little window? > Regards, Bob S.
Bob, Removing the top cover isn't difficult, and you can have it off in a few minutes. But it does require small screwdrivers (good ones that fit!) and spanner wrenches that you won't find at the corner hardware store. And there's a left hand thread used in the film advance lever that you need to know about, or you can "loosen" it all day long and just make it tighter. After that, it's pretty simple. No critical mechanism settings are disturbed in the process, so no need to worry about calibration during re-assembly. Having the exploded assembly views really helps with understanding where you're going before you start. If you decide to proceed, let me know and I can send you the exploded views from the parts manual. I haven't found a KX repair manual yet, so I can't copy that for you, but maybe I can talk you through top cover removal. Get a cookie sheet and a muffin pan (or egg carton). Working in the middle of a cookie sheet will keep dropped screws and bits from rolling off onto the floor. As you remove screws and parts, group them together in successive pockets of the muffin pan. As a first-timer, don't trust your memory to recall what order the parts go back in and which screws go with which parts. Yes, it's a special prism. The aperture window is an add-on to the main hunk of glass and looks like a mole-tunnel running down the front face of the prism. At the very bottom of the tunnel, there are two screws. The screw on your left as you face it (ie, closest to the shutter speed dial) is the f-stop alignment screw. Use it to adjust where the mole-tunnel/ periscope window is "looking" until the f-stop is properly displayed in the viewfinder. If you think you're going to attempt the repair, make note of my home e-mail. I'm getting ready to move in a couple weeks, and will have to unsubscribe for awhile during the actual move. But I'll be keeping my personal e-mail account active for a while and will check it when I can. Regards, Tim Engel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
