Digital Back Repair

[UserDemos]

That bent pin may be the single reason that the back found its way to you.
There may have been nothing else wrong with it.....

Sadly, there were definitely other problems. I had to have some wires resoldered and some other things put together properly again. It may be that I'm the only one with the patience to find them one by one.

 

[MattKing]

Sadly, there were definitely other problems. I had to have some wires resoldered and some other things put together properly again. It may be that I'm the only one with the patience to find them one by one.

All the other problems might just be due to earlier attempts to "fix" your back ........

 

[UserDemos]

Update from today: I reassembled after I straightened the pin as much as I could (managed to get almost all the screws back in, but have 3 left from somewhere). Pin looks fairly straight. Still no luck with the current CF card. Will go find a compatible one over the next few days to check that avenue before I decide to go down the FireWire tethering route to see if that yields operation.

 

[UserDemos]

Also, I think these may be the correct cards from the compatibility list. But, can't find any reference to model number. Anyone have any thoughts on whether these may be correct?

Link here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/2761057630...H_LsHwiMRCe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=SMS

 

[calebarchie]

Sorry I keep forgetting this thread - honestly, I would just try find one that you are positive is on the list to rule out any leeway. They seem cheap and plentiful enough, so best bet is to get a bunch of different ones to try.

C

 

[UserDemos]

Sorry I keep forgetting this thread - honestly, I would just try find one that you are positive is on the list to rule out any leeway. They seem cheap and plentiful enough, so best bet is to get a bunch of different ones to try.

C

I think these are probably on the ones on the list. It's hard because they don't have an item code on the card (was probably on the packaging). So, I Googled the item code, got a photo of cards that look like these, they are dated 2002 (this back is 2004), and so I can only hope they're the right match. We shall see. At worst, out $20. It's almost impossible to match the compatible list item codes to items out there. If anyone knows how to better match, please educate me.

 

[calebarchie]

Yes, that is probably how I would do it and the best approach. The point here, dealing with any old hardware you want to cast your net far and wide - troubleshooting is such fun!

 

[UserDemos]

Another day, another update. Got the old cards, they appear to work just fine. So, one problem solved, I think. Got another though and maybe I'm clueless on how this works: the sync cable. On the digital back, it goes all the way in, but on the body, it doesn't. Is it possible my port is broken or I have the wrong cable? Are there different cable sizes? Does it matter that it doesn't go all the way in? This appears to be the cable that came with the back to the best of my knowledge.

 

[calebarchie]

Do the contacts engage? If so, then I don't think its an issue but there is only one way to find out. Can you confirm the camera actually works yet flash aside?

 

[UserDemos]

Wow, do I have a doozy of an update! So, by some sheer luck, I found a second back in Japan for sale. It was listed as working and I jumped on getting it. Arrived yesterday and put it to the test. And now I'm stuck and need help on where to go/what to do.

So, went to a local camera store and they helped me test the sync port. I used an external flash (not on hot shoe) and used the digital back cable (I thought could be faulty) and the camera sync port (which could've also been faulty). The test button fire the flash off, so the issue is doesn't appear to be the sync cable or the port on the body from that test.

So, what's happening? The digital back (both of them) trigger the shutter, the mirror flips, images are recorded to the CF card. I'm getting black images from both backs, there appears to be no data in the histogram that the body displays. I have the lens aperture wide open, shutter speed matches on the body and digital back. I've tried both short (1/125) and long (4 seconds) and no change in the image captured.

I uploaded the manual here (). I'm not sure what to try to troubleshoot at this point. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[calebarchie]

Not sure, why don't you send me one to have a look? Sounds like a kaput sensor, kind of unheard of but maybe not back in the early days.
How could they verify the second back was actually working? Try grab the image data off the card and upload it here, might just be a problem viewing it directly on the camera.

Also, might be a bit silly but worth trying; detach the back but keep it tethered to the body - this way you can verify the shutter is actually opening (leaf?) and the back should be overexposed.

C