tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-303693742024-03-13T12:53:59.119-07:00Light and SoundTo share what I see and what I knowLeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-72683121610976281852022-12-07T16:11:00.002-08:002024-02-21T17:11:42.125-08:00Celestion Kingston is still the best.......after fixing<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgF_bmrxCVCZrqwOxxsQMQ7_2CgeoJhnOWnNZSmV1_9dY5zz_MGXbQH7McXK43ah7orXvxg4p14RQ4COsSSUu-i1pwzTbMWyJzey4EmQTbvh03b-zTNa_t-0mBfFuQHnx5HEwmYxyg7xjhCiX6ZGMY-wJxRWALll0nLmLOssFb5CrkjEJ7Nhw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3904" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgF_bmrxCVCZrqwOxxsQMQ7_2CgeoJhnOWnNZSmV1_9dY5zz_MGXbQH7McXK43ah7orXvxg4p14RQ4COsSSUu-i1pwzTbMWyJzey4EmQTbvh03b-zTNa_t-0mBfFuQHnx5HEwmYxyg7xjhCiX6ZGMY-wJxRWALll0nLmLOssFb5CrkjEJ7Nhw" width="186" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Celestion Kingston marks the third pair of speakers in my collection, following the Celestion Ditton 33 Series 2 and the KEF 105.3. I've cherished the Kingston for over 30 years, intending to keep it until hearing it becomes impossible.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Due to challenges in finding an optimal listening space and spending most of my time on home renovations, the Kingston has been stored in my basement for the past 3 years. Interestingly, upon revisiting it, I noticed a subtle change in its sound, which initially dampened my enthusiasm for listening.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now, with a move to a new home boasting a dedicated listening space, I've reignited my passion for audio and embarked on the journey of rebuilding my HiFi system.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh18oL8-JrJxtfrE_dp4Du4xGMBau9MGRggoi6vszDEMu0UbsSj4qwWqvjvPRSHWmuYAInlWUaX64mmOGJtZfZYE7f9_cAm3KT6nx87t6YIhJWD6d6xtfQ76Sqggdvd4wrw6h4BDt2WF7fMDrFoxSfiEpq8j3hVk2yuQ_Riu7vm7Ebt9r8PpA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3956" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh18oL8-JrJxtfrE_dp4Du4xGMBau9MGRggoi6vszDEMu0UbsSj4qwWqvjvPRSHWmuYAInlWUaX64mmOGJtZfZYE7f9_cAm3KT6nx87t6YIhJWD6d6xtfQ76Sqggdvd4wrw6h4BDt2WF7fMDrFoxSfiEpq8j3hVk2yuQ_Riu7vm7Ebt9r8PpA" width="314" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Despite owning other speakers, I couldn't shake the feeling that the Celestion Kingston wasn't performing as expected, sounding unusually unmusical. Fueled by determination, I opted to investigate the issue by opening it up.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Upon inspection, I discovered an interesting detail: the tweeter was connected to the speaker front plate rather than the speaker itself. A valuable lesson emerged - caution is needed when dealing with the three screws near the tweeter, as they play a crucial role in maintaining the connection</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLoRiJkczH4PyDu3Zex0vNsGn1TY5DvEJA-1Re5aPFKP-yEqTnfPOp48FV8rJ47SMg1pnUqWPY9v_StSLN2P7eYxchdF24n4U8vhmeHsN6MuoQEDMUaz4Vk2f7Y1yp-8A5Oy0zMdycOtfz8HCfqqGhNONYTrXLlgE36F_LabrE0ZZpuNDmLg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3612" data-original-width="2592" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhLoRiJkczH4PyDu3Zex0vNsGn1TY5DvEJA-1Re5aPFKP-yEqTnfPOp48FV8rJ47SMg1pnUqWPY9v_StSLN2P7eYxchdF24n4U8vhmeHsN6MuoQEDMUaz4Vk2f7Y1yp-8A5Oy0zMdycOtfz8HCfqqGhNONYTrXLlgE36F_LabrE0ZZpuNDmLg" width="172" /></a></p><p><br /></p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To access the internals, I proceeded to remove the panel by unscrewing the four Phillips screws below the speaker grille socket and the two hex screws between the tweeter and bass speakers. Despite the absence of glue or adhesive on the front plate, it was surprisingly securely attached to the speakers.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In an attempt to loosen the front panel, I placed the speakers face upward and carefully poured a small amount of alcohol between the panel and the housing. After a few minutes, voila, the front panel successfully came loose from the cabinet.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijnv8Knr7k5yth6CC14-M3aT5MwYA-WwJbeT8WYZ7vz9AdcJeltveQMMh23Jd_uKmu7YU-mmcP6yMqOpaHmElrq6YJgxPj3VNfCITEzRCZ1TuhoaB853UqDDXJO_gAIuTusJ97RsvFd_KnimqnGgmErUAarBOirMRT7U3ZVZO1UFvX4XKhdA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEijnv8Knr7k5yth6CC14-M3aT5MwYA-WwJbeT8WYZ7vz9AdcJeltveQMMh23Jd_uKmu7YU-mmcP6yMqOpaHmElrq6YJgxPj3VNfCITEzRCZ1TuhoaB853UqDDXJO_gAIuTusJ97RsvFd_KnimqnGgmErUAarBOirMRT7U3ZVZO1UFvX4XKhdA" width="180" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Upon further exploration, I identified the issue with the woofer. Secured by four Phillips screws, I removed the woofer and discovered that part of the rubber surround had separated from the spider. Interestingly, the rubber surround itself was still in good condition, but the glue bonding it had not withstood the test of time after all these years.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi566geVy9e0V4qjfEbCJHEkSwkYTYtc3rXd8X0AHJyvyvaZGNYqLv-VLmYmDJ_23s-Q8HHE-WjlwE1PrcsaqXA0AJKcs36rFRjY5HlcJv33y44dan0DnRo63tOoLCk60XF5vdRRtN5t7Srb8_Ukeo-2jhoflDW7-0ZgxzlKC5MZ9Pn5P-zjg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlcTkb5yFXcRYlBib0v2TMc6b2eatQ2O4zVZv_9h41o20TgwzLnOkVlSBUumJpTGo6gsIW7KXHdQurokdtgwKkQa8nTk2wyvSlmDkFUoFr3acynB1dWMYMuxYHFi_TJPv_RnfRLllwFAgU4ozavHFhIzJv5qpMLjzIxQfTD-GTOAvKiBWt1w" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhlcTkb5yFXcRYlBib0v2TMc6b2eatQ2O4zVZv_9h41o20TgwzLnOkVlSBUumJpTGo6gsIW7KXHdQurokdtgwKkQa8nTk2wyvSlmDkFUoFr3acynB1dWMYMuxYHFi_TJPv_RnfRLllwFAgU4ozavHFhIzJv5qpMLjzIxQfTD-GTOAvKiBWt1w" width="180" /></a><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi566geVy9e0V4qjfEbCJHEkSwkYTYtc3rXd8X0AHJyvyvaZGNYqLv-VLmYmDJ_23s-Q8HHE-WjlwE1PrcsaqXA0AJKcs36rFRjY5HlcJv33y44dan0DnRo63tOoLCk60XF5vdRRtN5t7Srb8_Ukeo-2jhoflDW7-0ZgxzlKC5MZ9Pn5P-zjg" width="320" /><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Taking matters into my own hands, I meticulously cleaned the spider and rubber surround with alcohol and adeptly reattached the surround using glue. Seizing the opportunity, I delved into examining the design intricacies of these renowned speakers. The hands-on experience not only resolved the immediate issue but also provided valuable insights into the craftsmanship behind these speakers.</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgt0YZxjWTSk315uJ725lf02uF5swftDWdjFkMkKGeIhbTLGpV1sEHB7fMHBdnaRcEt6Dy3HJ0wPibJc1wNhQejVUSVhIfNhcOM7lF5tb4ZhA7KEZcN3KzE9TJk4j4klvTfZSYZqEAGnoG8PxmcZs4xS-P5JqXJDrDntbuBvS-x6Qi05DijjQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgt0YZxjWTSk315uJ725lf02uF5swftDWdjFkMkKGeIhbTLGpV1sEHB7fMHBdnaRcEt6Dy3HJ0wPibJc1wNhQejVUSVhIfNhcOM7lF5tb4ZhA7KEZcN3KzE9TJk4j4klvTfZSYZqEAGnoG8PxmcZs4xS-P5JqXJDrDntbuBvS-x6Qi05DijjQ" width="180" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover the spider when soldering the wire</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The crossover of the Celestion Kingston follows a typical two-way speaker design, incorporating all film capacitors (XPP MPK 5%) sourced from Bennic. The internal wiring features single-stranded silver-plated copper wires, showcasing a commitment to quality components and craftsmanship in the construction of these speakers.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqeof1d4iDG4bKKoq6GHp8pu3eNz1R4ybRIELBje_oa-XaK43JwGxmacaEad9CbNpUI325WH1qq8cNGY6u0NL2FRq-FQ3fxOe7FjHK3EyLJPbnfk2q9qhtKvSm9EN0avd9p7NqV7tvTz49Y4nr-w5HzRUg-Avr0RpBLH-AJYnjW-RCZBuOvg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3224" data-original-width="2718" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqeof1d4iDG4bKKoq6GHp8pu3eNz1R4ybRIELBje_oa-XaK43JwGxmacaEad9CbNpUI325WH1qq8cNGY6u0NL2FRq-FQ3fxOe7FjHK3EyLJPbnfk2q9qhtKvSm9EN0avd9p7NqV7tvTz49Y4nr-w5HzRUg-Avr0RpBLH-AJYnjW-RCZBuOvg" width="202" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHgWTs_dXT0ibw_lonHt0OqiU_RJCuududri5dxnVzzr7Ortf1kJBItuKiIn9GvNCkjxau-YF1ACH2hXoRF7j0yIJqj6GdBW164jW2c4kU0_wuSEwq3TgyZqVZxEltLqhhUBltKhjgMPQ-SbppPxcPz3AeFoBWVmdVVISpQl_e1-cXZjh2Xg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3636" data-original-width="2916" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiHgWTs_dXT0ibw_lonHt0OqiU_RJCuududri5dxnVzzr7Ortf1kJBItuKiIn9GvNCkjxau-YF1ACH2hXoRF7j0yIJqj6GdBW164jW2c4kU0_wuSEwq3TgyZqVZxEltLqhhUBltKhjgMPQ-SbppPxcPz3AeFoBWVmdVVISpQl_e1-cXZjh2Xg" width="192" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">As the original owner, I have diligently preserved all the documents, including the testing results, as well as a bottle of wax liquid (though it has since dried up). These artifacts not only attest to the meticulous care and maintenance of the Celestion Kingston but also serve as a testament to its enduring legacy.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZOOxcoOyhaZ5q-C_otXDwbBZKdDmCMbVGTFhHvHJMvG4U5ikSDoKIrguR-Sv5hiT6eiOC4QJctnmVW0RAf4fLyZCRZu40RiEb4Cwwb71P7i8UnqfmjiUTKNtCWqsC1KSR_SWBExkIk4ucImrpIUs8CGNGMfZqZDRZhVIWxVHMA-DJPl3gfA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2542" data-original-width="3213" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZOOxcoOyhaZ5q-C_otXDwbBZKdDmCMbVGTFhHvHJMvG4U5ikSDoKIrguR-Sv5hiT6eiOC4QJctnmVW0RAf4fLyZCRZu40RiEb4Cwwb71P7i8UnqfmjiUTKNtCWqsC1KSR_SWBExkIk4ucImrpIUs8CGNGMfZqZDRZhVIWxVHMA-DJPl3gfA" width="303" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3YCIgJvNFe1wncWRKC-3DXj7EcrA3w9cQD2CmvY2jr4oKX52_RD99JwbL7HG1HcwnLyRmBNX4d_ist4Z6HJ0gVKy4RbMEXgWZycyCIMe7Id2RakY6OOz1T66jQ1rkbjuUpFxAxifroLgCo5LuMK2Il5o2q_wCjO3v10G5aP-aPLDIiaqNIg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2383" data-original-width="1099" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg3YCIgJvNFe1wncWRKC-3DXj7EcrA3w9cQD2CmvY2jr4oKX52_RD99JwbL7HG1HcwnLyRmBNX4d_ist4Z6HJ0gVKy4RbMEXgWZycyCIMe7Id2RakY6OOz1T66jQ1rkbjuUpFxAxifroLgCo5LuMK2Il5o2q_wCjO3v10G5aP-aPLDIiaqNIg" width="111" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-47944808297836405492022-11-30T17:44:00.000-08:002024-02-21T17:07:07.318-08:00Schneider C-curtagon 2 8/35 M42: the lens I had 30 years ago and now I get it again.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI52Sgr4bwgteXbs7CfIvarehRbGr_8gUv_gHv5ec6aF_I-QmAQlWwzWZVsrGVW1pms6bpEA3gjS4IZjZ65NY1QHMQf_gw_peQTxHaKRAwj_EE5nBT-HVm6lb6nuXxPqRw0rv/s2048/IMG_5732%255B1%255D.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1984" data-original-width="2048" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbI52Sgr4bwgteXbs7CfIvarehRbGr_8gUv_gHv5ec6aF_I-QmAQlWwzWZVsrGVW1pms6bpEA3gjS4IZjZ65NY1QHMQf_gw_peQTxHaKRAwj_EE5nBT-HVm6lb6nuXxPqRw0rv/w400-h388/IMG_5732%255B1%255D.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This lens has a rich history, with a production run spanning over 30 years. It represents a newer design of the Curtagon 35mm, distinguished by a smaller lens casing. The enduring popularity and extended production period highlight the lens's reliability and timeless design in the realm of photography.</span></p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The C-Curtagon lens boasts a unique design feature on its aperture ring—three sets of aperture numbers painted around the ring, allowing for easy observation of the aperture setting from any angle. Although initially designed for consumer film cameras, Schneider adapted this design for industrial use, creating a lens that resembled the size of an enlarger printing lens but with a smaller casing.</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Attached are images of the Robot camera, primarily employed for surveillance purposes. This camera occasionally featured the Robotar lens, manufactured in Japan, further contributing to its functionality in surveillance applications</p><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(69,89,164,.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(227, 227, 227); box-sizing: border-box; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFNzoLjHazvrNID6Eh1rZCcVafieC1dqPTPRRJrA9Aigt2NvYNkdCLV2tuqhBMcviGywf6Ys_Tz-z2dZRXba6P5FNmQpftoSqtPVALDu_dDDOzdWz9R_OmUxgjwyNzQf2dPxi/s1600/robot+camera+for+c-curtagon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFNzoLjHazvrNID6Eh1rZCcVafieC1dqPTPRRJrA9Aigt2NvYNkdCLV2tuqhBMcviGywf6Ys_Tz-z2dZRXba6P5FNmQpftoSqtPVALDu_dDDOzdWz9R_OmUxgjwyNzQf2dPxi/s320/robot+camera+for+c-curtagon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lBwhUob3NWmUjbT65hyphenhyphenppnFLJgCJ6ZeCaBOr92CJJOr3hIP6O-NDXCSJ7vp-8K9s6QXQz10WGA37c5Sl0WJScvGlSYdckUC3ciI6yqZh6E4aBlzORLsiv9pSGZTN0f7d8Uvb/s1600/robot+camera+for+c-curtagon_01.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0lBwhUob3NWmUjbT65hyphenhyphenppnFLJgCJ6ZeCaBOr92CJJOr3hIP6O-NDXCSJ7vp-8K9s6QXQz10WGA37c5Sl0WJScvGlSYdckUC3ciI6yqZh6E4aBlzORLsiv9pSGZTN0f7d8Uvb/s320/robot+camera+for+c-curtagon_01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQ40I-LIRi58ztC5bKKSWjgZaBpAoA73tWdhlEOrATyoGAygrxT6Wwc3w-d43KWJQSHFvTignHrd4h6GlpWop5J15pwCgONm-m2cZ6E88l85edzcCftwyO5XjS5eFEgq-DSVd/s1600/robot+camera+for+c-curtagon_03.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQ40I-LIRi58ztC5bKKSWjgZaBpAoA73tWdhlEOrATyoGAygrxT6Wwc3w-d43KWJQSHFvTignHrd4h6GlpWop5J15pwCgONm-m2cZ6E88l85edzcCftwyO5XjS5eFEgq-DSVd/s320/robot+camera+for+c-curtagon_03.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RPFHto7Q6zuBCDFo5Wv8pOl-NGizixmUmbV20TVcJnjUtuQj8XO9ezzE-hXbKb_02uF028z-ojB6HrCe6h6ulcwgLoHnQOY39OTYc1oPngKFzDLvyxcZ0YZWRuFErVysTMgp/s1600/robot+camera+for+c-curtagon_04.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-RPFHto7Q6zuBCDFo5Wv8pOl-NGizixmUmbV20TVcJnjUtuQj8XO9ezzE-hXbKb_02uF028z-ojB6HrCe6h6ulcwgLoHnQOY39OTYc1oPngKFzDLvyxcZ0YZWRuFErVysTMgp/s320/robot+camera+for+c-curtagon_04.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 16px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Selling my first copy of this lens during the film era, I observed that its image saturation was not particularly high, resulting in less appealing color film performance. However, it excelled as a lens for black and white photography. With high resolution and medium contrast, the Curtagon's retrofocus design has proven to deliver excellent performance on Sony A7x cameras.</span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBz1QP0Kxzh5k4oRCcdUtMen9t9AqYtVgiJO2GGFfKmeVMbrNO90JJP0jyHOP9SeXnppPbmB7pyHlSkipPgiwrzuDOJaa1UK5Ch2haqoCEbz5PrLZ-lXp_v9fpNRHHfnS1oJFS/s640/curtagonx3.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="302" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBz1QP0Kxzh5k4oRCcdUtMen9t9AqYtVgiJO2GGFfKmeVMbrNO90JJP0jyHOP9SeXnppPbmB7pyHlSkipPgiwrzuDOJaa1UK5Ch2haqoCEbz5PrLZ-lXp_v9fpNRHHfnS1oJFS/s16000/curtagonx3.png" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-63165400184183670122021-01-23T07:42:00.001-08:002021-01-23T07:46:35.261-08:00Kodak Gray Cards - a missing instruction sheet R27<p> Recently I found the new R27 gray card has no instruction sheet in it as the old one. Indeed the instruction sheet of R27 is very valuable for anyone using gray card. It contains the basic knowledge about metering and the theory behind. By the way, Gray cards has expired date. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDip_xO4s9Jc1uEMgKHzZ8Zm0NMnaKcZmREJYNv15TRpyAnZfT2ho0dqlceoRiT0fAofeoI5Sn1scItV3j7AhcKi4ABFG5OvvcbLc44mClolP4H4poifOnMfgQlUp6MoMh8X8/s2048/kodak_gray_card-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1543" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhDip_xO4s9Jc1uEMgKHzZ8Zm0NMnaKcZmREJYNv15TRpyAnZfT2ho0dqlceoRiT0fAofeoI5Sn1scItV3j7AhcKi4ABFG5OvvcbLc44mClolP4H4poifOnMfgQlUp6MoMh8X8/s320/kodak_gray_card-1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOCm6Zbr5MIHwLdePh1RYfqRg__49D90Bcj56nHj63Hu8A3C6FwGjOcAf4mj263See-Zco8y1iZLXjG1a5KH-t7ukM0dMhJuu6IiVFwfpza8VJgYdpqIU0n_Zb_Ru_Uu8u3ZO/s2048/kodak_gray_card-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1543" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOCm6Zbr5MIHwLdePh1RYfqRg__49D90Bcj56nHj63Hu8A3C6FwGjOcAf4mj263See-Zco8y1iZLXjG1a5KH-t7ukM0dMhJuu6IiVFwfpza8VJgYdpqIU0n_Zb_Ru_Uu8u3ZO/s320/kodak_gray_card-2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmRRWk27LhsYqQylv-mkOoCf1Oa_68jIHjMuf_0hGtz9mKGYMDuwkCndRfmUqZQG4u3eqheFfKBrz_1qK7sk4GZvfYw1Eyb4DAeaiq0GvdX6nqmlUDr0XYlhP__OieYEnKkha/s2048/kodak_gray_card-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1543" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUmRRWk27LhsYqQylv-mkOoCf1Oa_68jIHjMuf_0hGtz9mKGYMDuwkCndRfmUqZQG4u3eqheFfKBrz_1qK7sk4GZvfYw1Eyb4DAeaiq0GvdX6nqmlUDr0XYlhP__OieYEnKkha/s320/kodak_gray_card-3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpd0T1nSgrC116kOSRUBV1XxvotzPvivqd7ATeXJ_9vlBVIIVpviwJrL5nz-skbfLnMvH3XlMJbTIzNpcW3Ptj-T6Ojph8JKwStob22lB1w1Zui0uN32QAaHE-dQnGJA2PCjV/s2048/kodak_gray_card-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1543" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpd0T1nSgrC116kOSRUBV1XxvotzPvivqd7ATeXJ_9vlBVIIVpviwJrL5nz-skbfLnMvH3XlMJbTIzNpcW3Ptj-T6Ojph8JKwStob22lB1w1Zui0uN32QAaHE-dQnGJA2PCjV/s320/kodak_gray_card-4.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-42252009057843823152020-09-20T06:32:00.134-07:002022-11-30T17:43:38.491-08:00Three lenses in one: Contax CY 85mm F/1.4 AEG<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnbCn8Yq6HCRBdciphc7bS-SFO13qBG6VXP62Kc8oQB5mcLXYkOQpWr2b7f56qCyVM-2JJXHsJ16TsLoGjUnzXFXgFIhSg_F7xsNQHBcXwbhNmVvQMCOeq0WGjZH7CDSQqj9l/s2048/contax_85_1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="569" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnbCn8Yq6HCRBdciphc7bS-SFO13qBG6VXP62Kc8oQB5mcLXYkOQpWr2b7f56qCyVM-2JJXHsJ16TsLoGjUnzXFXgFIhSg_F7xsNQHBcXwbhNmVvQMCOeq0WGjZH7CDSQqj9l/w379-h569/contax_85_1.jpg" width="379" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Though out the history of Contax, you may find that Contax lenses always have very long production run. Contax 85mm 1.4 has a very very long production run from 1970s until the end of Contax production. And the design of this lens had been finalized in 1950s! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">The one I have is the AEG version and this is the lens having three characters in one package. The later MMJ version don't have this magic due to the difference of the aperture blades. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">At its full opened aperture the creamy of the image with good details make this lens be a very good portrait lens. A perfect circular bokeh is smooth and perfectly blended into the background. But once you close the aperture to f/2, the image was sharp and creepy. And due to the ninja shape of the aperture which is unique to AEG, the bokeh to the point light source will have a ninja star from f/2 to f/2.8. The bokeh have a very different characteristic. If you would like to have a super sharp lens for landscape, just stop the aperture down to f/4. At this aperture, the lens are in excellent performance with very high sharpness and even details across the image circle. The sharpness of this lens at f/2.8 and smaller performs better than a Contax 85mm f/2.8.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><p></p>Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-61701074364831682602018-09-14T11:11:00.001-07:002018-11-18T04:41:32.753-08:00Dissecting my Sony A7RII :Teardown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-gjhb0jcjSQcf7evUSMlK36ziwg6gSYMaaOS8eLfbjHFjtwosBj2T_CPWsyk6pumbon-qQFaUI4s5D8kbUlpjJREQKJrsVlPFBQ2gkTbtrMV4cPRRz2YNKAqO2NAsbhrQS60/s1600/top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="650" data-original-width="1600" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX-gjhb0jcjSQcf7evUSMlK36ziwg6gSYMaaOS8eLfbjHFjtwosBj2T_CPWsyk6pumbon-qQFaUI4s5D8kbUlpjJREQKJrsVlPFBQ2gkTbtrMV4cPRRz2YNKAqO2NAsbhrQS60/s640/top.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I got a Sony A7RII dust cheap due to the fact that it submersed in a sand dune and was blew by compressed air. Please listen. Don't blow the sand off from your camera or lens by compressed air. The air will drive the sand going deeper into your camera. Just shake or brush the sand off the camera.<br />
<br />
So I need to clean the whole camera and/or replace the shutter if sand was getting into it. The A7Rii indeed in good condition only with stuck shutter occasionally.<br />
<br />
Before dissembling the camera you need some tools.<br />
1. JIS srew driver (not the normal Philips screw. Using Philips screw drive will slap the screws, period). Stop if you don't have.<br />
2. Alcohol. I use 90% ethanol and it can dissolve the black tape or the screw paint.<br />
3. Scotch tape. To protect the heat pad<br />
4. Small plastic bag or container to store the parts<br />
5. Conductive bag. To store the main circuit board and imager/stabilizer assembly.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
If possible using anti-static mat especially in a very dry season.<br />
<br />
<b>Here is the procedure to dissemble the whole camera.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Basic sequence to dissemble the camera to reach the shutter module (or even the lens connector)</b><br />
<br />
1. Removing the bottom plate/tripod plate/battery compartment cover (3 mins)<br />
2. Removing the LCD (10 mins)<br />
3. Removing the back cover/EVF casing(5 mins)<br />
4. Removing the wheel control connector (4 mins)<br />
5. Removing the steel (outer) cage (3 mins)<br />
6. Removing the Card Slot (2 mins)<br />
7. Removing the Shielding/heatsink cage (5mins)<br />
8. Removing the EVF (2 mins)<br />
9. Removing the handgrip (8 mins) <br />
10. Removing the circuit board (20 mins)<br />
<br />
11. Removing the top (5 mins)<br />
12. Removing the mic/phone cover (1 mins)<br />
13 Removing the steel (inner) cage (8 mins)<br />
14. Removing the imager/stabilizer module (3 mins)<br />
15. Removing the min/phone module (2 mins)<br />
16. Removing the shutter module (4 mins)<br />
17. Separate the front plate and main frame (4 mins)<br />
<br />
Total <b>90</b> mins<br />
<br />
Screw type used in camera<br />
M1 3.5 JIS<br />
M1 2.5 JIS<br />
M1 2.5 Self tapping<br />
M1.5 JIS<br />
<b>+ </b>some M2 screws<br />
<b></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Detailed Procedures</b><br />
<br />
1. Remove the bottom plate - Total 7x M1 3.5 screws a<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOetKBtz9u1BNU-jN8l1TnP98nPmede2gDC88FkDE3CLSceVlGPZJp-5UhkdQle96NrcWs9FC5FU3Q0HzDTINEgCk285CsCbyt9KPN2Holyf4LwDHN0G5JsO6FntlbPLj8A2V/s1600/bottom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzOetKBtz9u1BNU-jN8l1TnP98nPmede2gDC88FkDE3CLSceVlGPZJp-5UhkdQle96NrcWs9FC5FU3Q0HzDTINEgCk285CsCbyt9KPN2Holyf4LwDHN0G5JsO6FntlbPLj8A2V/s640/bottom.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
2. To remove the LCD<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpHUDLAiNSS-sHZpYmmg1rchhNUW5KDUeBlT8bTfAOo41srmmH2jCBjLI5jERGlVOKefMAyB4sUtCjm3NkRzhBPFtMAYfeZxB7DwhoF9x31CCmTsuhIKmikZPBsdi8Z_DrVZP/s1600/LCD_removing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1047" data-original-width="1600" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtpHUDLAiNSS-sHZpYmmg1rchhNUW5KDUeBlT8bTfAOo41srmmH2jCBjLI5jERGlVOKefMAyB4sUtCjm3NkRzhBPFtMAYfeZxB7DwhoF9x31CCmTsuhIKmikZPBsdi8Z_DrVZP/s640/LCD_removing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>release the ribbon cable cover by slide it out </li>
<li>release the cable connector cover by slide it upward</li>
<li>release the cable connector lock</li>
<li>pull the cable out of the connector</li>
<li>use alcohol to dissolve the glue between the cable and the LCD frame</li>
<li>remove 4 x M1 2.5 screws from the frame support</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
3. Removing the back cover/EVF casing<br />
<ul>
<li>remove two M1 3.5 crews on the back </li>
<li>remove the M1 3.5 screw near to REC button </li>
<li>remove two M1 3.5 screws on the bottom near to the handgrip</li>
<li>remove one M1 3.5 on the left</li>
<li>remove the M1 3.5 screw inside the cover of the mic/phone</li>
<li>Totally 7 M1 3.5 screws </li>
<li>remove four M1 3.5 screw from viewfinder casing</li>
<li>remove the one M0.5 selftapping screw on diopter </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ76mO3xHOaUUsJB9uMRfBqN013reLtpQskz6FwJby7oM61BS0hKFg9PmyATPULXlot5pCRsIGvsxGjHHzuH9VtgNp6FdAw6Nlic1YJmPD5erc0kdCUaSXsBCuFqRdBQJ_V5e4/s1600/viewfinder_casing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1091" data-original-width="1600" height="435" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ76mO3xHOaUUsJB9uMRfBqN013reLtpQskz6FwJby7oM61BS0hKFg9PmyATPULXlot5pCRsIGvsxGjHHzuH9VtgNp6FdAw6Nlic1YJmPD5erc0kdCUaSXsBCuFqRdBQJ_V5e4/s640/viewfinder_casing.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
</ul>
4. Removing the wheel control<br />
<ul>
<li>slide the wheel control out of the slot and disconnect the cable </li>
<li>also disconnect the wifi cable</li>
</ul>
5. Removing the steel (outer) cage<br />
<ul>
<li>Loose the cable connected to the top carefully, with the REC button.</li>
<li>remove three M1 3.5 (two self tapping screws on the right and one M1 3.5 on the left)</li>
<li>** better to mark the screw hole on the cage </li>
</ul>
6. Removing the card slot<br />
<ul>
<li>remove the M1 2.5 screw onleft</li>
<li>release the cable by unlock the connector</li>
<li>** the leg on the bottom cage is placed between the cage and metal plate</li>
</ul>
7. Removing the Shielding cage ( the copper one)<br />
<ul>
<li>loose the LCD cable by release the connector lock </li>
<li>remove 3 x M1 2.5 JIS</li>
<li>dissolve the glue on tape and remove it</li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkV7FgOJmJE78Y7uV7LwXCDpfm4x6teA9tMdNMi9PrwkVINbWQJBJnokeuECbHkmx2CrTwjko3TkamnJZvmIWE0DRcFE7su_UJuCb3nlaoJEAiIMdhHWuSLmn8qyTdONsuJ7IQ/s1600/shielding_cage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1600" height="411" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkV7FgOJmJE78Y7uV7LwXCDpfm4x6teA9tMdNMi9PrwkVINbWQJBJnokeuECbHkmx2CrTwjko3TkamnJZvmIWE0DRcFE7su_UJuCb3nlaoJEAiIMdhHWuSLmn8qyTdONsuJ7IQ/s640/shielding_cage.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
</ul>
8. Removing the EVF<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyJi510lrR7_sXH-vMqN3h-pbbXvhCS0OeV8THKw7lb7t5VdWfhnscaurMTvpjMtwRdOhDG8ApFRJ56cKJTGh_dL4yxXhTLiDecB_MUq-UQmfRL5CuXjOmYcphyEVYRibx6I6/s1600/DSC09038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1600" height="404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFyJi510lrR7_sXH-vMqN3h-pbbXvhCS0OeV8THKw7lb7t5VdWfhnscaurMTvpjMtwRdOhDG8ApFRJ56cKJTGh_dL4yxXhTLiDecB_MUq-UQmfRL5CuXjOmYcphyEVYRibx6I6/s640/DSC09038.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
<li>due to the stickiness of the heat pad behind the EVF, pull the EVF carefully. If not, he LCD will be separated from the optics. </li>
<li>release the cable connectors </li>
</ul>
9. Removing the main circuit board (you also can remove the hand grip first)<br />
<ul>
<li> release all the cables connected to the board.</li>
<li>there are two main type of flat cable connectors, one with lock and the other without. </li>
</ul>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAJJXWw5szwb-7OvxlWoQWgpqIGvEBoQk7Nv4biQ6uIsqLRvavbKtD8vGLn1wiXzJRWvAyyk_SFRc6NwEesSoeaBap2ymUJHl7Jup5U_-ddEpluTVE7z2CRvgQ0roubp0xyb6/s1600/7rII_board_with_explain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1134" height="419" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAJJXWw5szwb-7OvxlWoQWgpqIGvEBoQk7Nv4biQ6uIsqLRvavbKtD8vGLn1wiXzJRWvAyyk_SFRc6NwEesSoeaBap2ymUJHl7Jup5U_-ddEpluTVE7z2CRvgQ0roubp0xyb6/s640/7rII_board_with_explain.jpg" width="640" /> </a> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
10. Removing the Handgrip</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7wvgHEoFwQ8Wxvqk37AQTpt3ac33toi40bbWafSrFPlOo6Js28DGqItzDDg2zqKGXSXpXzYrIrhxtiPT-dLw9ZS8vUJJjMbTmyWm9lWbzzP2GUc0XyEDmt2vPUBMGJ90exod/s1600/DSC09026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1105" data-original-width="1600" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm7wvgHEoFwQ8Wxvqk37AQTpt3ac33toi40bbWafSrFPlOo6Js28DGqItzDDg2zqKGXSXpXzYrIrhxtiPT-dLw9ZS8vUJJjMbTmyWm9lWbzzP2GUc0XyEDmt2vPUBMGJ90exod/s640/DSC09026.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the M1 3.5 screw securing the top</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWP3tJmy2x5McFOoRQNSaI7gbCnlX2GEu6oemH6ze7rn23YbKm0DhyphenhyphenGmG0u1T4gGfkbj-9N22cE5duUnNfk9cWtpV4x0fCDxScFzl-ZTMqzGLyGTZiWuodYSNUlKitGWPXjC3/s1600/DSC09024.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1029" data-original-width="1600" height="409" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRWP3tJmy2x5McFOoRQNSaI7gbCnlX2GEu6oemH6ze7rn23YbKm0DhyphenhyphenGmG0u1T4gGfkbj-9N22cE5duUnNfk9cWtpV4x0fCDxScFzl-ZTMqzGLyGTZiWuodYSNUlKitGWPXjC3/s640/DSC09024.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>remove two screws inside the grip. (the top one is M1 self tapping and the lower one is M1 3.5)</li>
<li style="text-align: center;"> </li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9gUeWH9Pjc65ec9XAWZIsawKUuiwzxqQJL2rTwzQE0F5eZ1C-TKmXFeiggmPSCypuiJm8uM-odYmvH49kST-DB3S8v5MqBVhFpAiSdtbXmlIDXGp_MbiwqlbJSiJMqamMUNI/s1600/hand_grip_inner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1142" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD9gUeWH9Pjc65ec9XAWZIsawKUuiwzxqQJL2rTwzQE0F5eZ1C-TKmXFeiggmPSCypuiJm8uM-odYmvH49kST-DB3S8v5MqBVhFpAiSdtbXmlIDXGp_MbiwqlbJSiJMqamMUNI/s640/hand_grip_inner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>remove the cable (front) carefully. No lock, just slide it out</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4n2oDBkH2nMLhuNcOgxC6a3P1sPE8D0AQRdMSPtlJBQ-2ZxkbN6ly917etK2ZS4cRsYHOWhkqEdWsh2GrK2YSEffSL9ARwKmHKrafnccKVwnmqxlxFfEcsxVSiUP1b_bnLhoG/s1600/DSC09023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1189" data-original-width="1600" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4n2oDBkH2nMLhuNcOgxC6a3P1sPE8D0AQRdMSPtlJBQ-2ZxkbN6ly917etK2ZS4cRsYHOWhkqEdWsh2GrK2YSEffSL9ARwKmHKrafnccKVwnmqxlxFfEcsxVSiUP1b_bnLhoG/s640/DSC09023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<ul>
</ul>
11. Removing the top<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7Zf8a7Dt3ucgEZQxd1Oo__zbQIy-NXLBSc8EAbwiFD9lacNp8_rGl9RQfuTROzc-V9UsF4fddWc8TQJN_SG55m-IVCKsqldGwd65kiBnWGglcZIMwAguocDx1YDwaYctr7uO/s1600/DSC09021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="1600" height="443" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7Zf8a7Dt3ucgEZQxd1Oo__zbQIy-NXLBSc8EAbwiFD9lacNp8_rGl9RQfuTROzc-V9UsF4fddWc8TQJN_SG55m-IVCKsqldGwd65kiBnWGglcZIMwAguocDx1YDwaYctr7uO/s640/DSC09021.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<ul>
<li>remove the screws (2x M1.5) behind the EVF</li>
<li>remove the screws (2x M1 3.5 ) on both side</li>
<li>release the cable on the right side (cable lying along the battery compartment))</li>
<li>remove the top slowly since one of the connector are on the battery compartment</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwADctbCQ6UBq7jua_kwD9EpeKHux1pH3sTAXM9sTC5Y61I_gg5uMhvWWkWdANuSmDPeNE5z2mUT0QRtEyYrHxkAK5ll3hfGqQ2BkKeUkDxdARpFgrG9YJAa8Vw4YtmKnrLqyu/s1600/DSC09022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwADctbCQ6UBq7jua_kwD9EpeKHux1pH3sTAXM9sTC5Y61I_gg5uMhvWWkWdANuSmDPeNE5z2mUT0QRtEyYrHxkAK5ll3hfGqQ2BkKeUkDxdARpFgrG9YJAa8Vw4YtmKnrLqyu/s640/DSC09022.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<ul>
</ul>
12. Removing the mic/phone cover<br />
<br />
13. Removing the steel inner cage<br />
<ul>
<li>Four screws (M1 2.50</li>
<li>mark the hole </li>
<li>The memory backup battery is on the back side</li>
</ul>
14. Removing the Imager/stabilizer module<br />
<ul>
<li>Three M1.5 screws hold the module. </li>
<li>Be-careful the shims are under the module and make sure you mark them down.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmV4AMxZw3Dw5IzqpLQxuAvjlA4_fKc_N52gs05h0hASsB4uHD5do0OriLzCZA9UVLkLvm5QEgjGm96rVxnzxCheM8aiIUCZ-XLrDGr7UqxlYz0b0ZQ76qWVSfTJtAzfoOMOld/s1600/DSC09016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="1600" height="467" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmV4AMxZw3Dw5IzqpLQxuAvjlA4_fKc_N52gs05h0hASsB4uHD5do0OriLzCZA9UVLkLvm5QEgjGm96rVxnzxCheM8aiIUCZ-XLrDGr7UqxlYz0b0ZQ76qWVSfTJtAzfoOMOld/s640/DSC09016.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<ul>
</ul>
15. Removing the min/phone module<br />
<ul>
<li> peel the foam off carefully and unscrew one M1 3.5 screw (inside the hole which covered by the foam)</li>
</ul>
16. Removing the shutter module (with charging unit)<br />
<b> </b><br />
<ul>
<li>unscrew 3x M2 5 screws.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcS9KQ4bH7U4qLxs8rlOdPnF7xtW6tiyuNchuKyx4ZJ25H0AVj3CRx3Iivp9AULATGWseV4A71IYS1IchOXod0ZXxB_gLTMy1ruPsRppqJF3USTQOZK-4Jz9T_7EaM6uhBXWk/s1600/DSC09014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqcS9KQ4bH7U4qLxs8rlOdPnF7xtW6tiyuNchuKyx4ZJ25H0AVj3CRx3Iivp9AULATGWseV4A71IYS1IchOXod0ZXxB_gLTMy1ruPsRppqJF3USTQOZK-4Jz9T_7EaM6uhBXWk/s640/DSC09014.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
17. Separate the front plate and main frame<br />
<ul>
<li>remove the lens mount (4x screw M2 3.5)</li>
<li>remove the ring spring </li>
<li>remove two screws near to the EVF (M1.5)</li>
<li>remove two screw near the bottom (M1.5)</li>
<li>** the lens release consists of three pieces, the pin, the spring and the plastic guide</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4qVFL7pS7uD0881IGBE1vSQNBIwDJyX4UzHsss_ve4L4MH1Kd3RfEgSMHiuKO9wIanMvnwOmlx5PKZ8tAQLf9gMEPR0_cH9cRUuTj8_Ya-YXtnIlspupz9OZaiBorAd4f-qt/s1600/inner_frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="975" data-original-width="1600" height="388" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4qVFL7pS7uD0881IGBE1vSQNBIwDJyX4UzHsss_ve4L4MH1Kd3RfEgSMHiuKO9wIanMvnwOmlx5PKZ8tAQLf9gMEPR0_cH9cRUuTj8_Ya-YXtnIlspupz9OZaiBorAd4f-qt/s640/inner_frame.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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<ul>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO98mjh-6dr3E705Jq3NnzpK26bZLsKYrqfhOYPl2OTmKkRGhV792qXBbvwTOUMmK6JdkjJ8nMgpcwUzWOPPHj_YcBtbhglfawJmdDI_-2NDYh95LqAtMcbx1DqGnlYOPldZkg/s1600/frontplate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO98mjh-6dr3E705Jq3NnzpK26bZLsKYrqfhOYPl2OTmKkRGhV792qXBbvwTOUMmK6JdkjJ8nMgpcwUzWOPPHj_YcBtbhglfawJmdDI_-2NDYh95LqAtMcbx1DqGnlYOPldZkg/s640/frontplate.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRB6oB1NkXK4Kwlz-so_6VIscwoTclkGe8SJHrjWbQccdrcQifo7Lz5RRQzPoc93bMcBhjnrbWcI7qrBOLdyK9FZs7rdYVNwKlZLdxOGnqJ9W7GBKOQCIMLTq5VPc9HKVjfoP/s1600/frame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1304" data-original-width="1600" height="520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWRB6oB1NkXK4Kwlz-so_6VIscwoTclkGe8SJHrjWbQccdrcQifo7Lz5RRQzPoc93bMcBhjnrbWcI7qrBOLdyK9FZs7rdYVNwKlZLdxOGnqJ9W7GBKOQCIMLTq5VPc9HKVjfoP/s640/frame.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Once the A7RII is in pieces. Time to clean up all the parts. Compressed air and vacuum cleaner are used to remove the debris and dust, in this case, sand. <br />
<br />
The shutter and charging unit were contaminated by the sand and I decided to change the shutter but keep the shutter charge unit. The whole charge unit was dissembled and clean and lubricated by dry silicon grease.<br />
<br />
The updated shutter unit for A7RII is COPAL AFE3379. I still cannot find a way to reset the shutter count though.<br />
<br />
I will post the video showing how to put the parts back to a working camera.<br />
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<br />
<br />
Tag: dismantle A7RII<br />
<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-45466763300364624562018-08-02T07:22:00.000-07:002018-11-18T04:52:07.739-08:00Minolta A-mount Lenses on A7 with AF without LA-EA4?Yes, If you have Techart LM-EA7 (aka Techart Pro Leica M) and an appropriate lens adapter for the A-mount lens you can make all the A-mount lenses with autofocus ability. The question is how to get this lens adapter which can be fit for Techart. Checking the Techart official site and there is no such adapter.<br />
<br />
First to find an A-mount to Leica M mount adapter on Ebay. I found one even this one is not compatible with LM-EA7 and it may not focus to infinity on some lenses.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-o7T8mcXqi_I6aqNTz5R5k740ihMI8gDWj1z4NmbvkuVDydqqy81dGiLe7XW3meaj7SKDIe6Dornqn4hhUpFbtj0cvORNzQZ_RBo05uSyIv8Zzf60Q-Na80tcVQLZeCgSK9V/s1600/s-l1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-o7T8mcXqi_I6aqNTz5R5k740ihMI8gDWj1z4NmbvkuVDydqqy81dGiLe7XW3meaj7SKDIe6Dornqn4hhUpFbtj0cvORNzQZ_RBo05uSyIv8Zzf60Q-Na80tcVQLZeCgSK9V/s320/s-l1600.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">IT IS <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">the one which can be modified. I am not sure the other mounts from other manufacturers can do that.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Due to the position of motor housing under the Techart LM-EA7, this adaptor cannot be mounted on it due to the aperture ring. So, I remove the aperture ring and see if I need to mill out more metal to fit this on LM-EA7. Luckily, once the ring removed the adaptor can fit to LM-EA7 perfectly. It saves me a lot of works.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now the A-mount lens can be fit to the LM-EA7 without the aperture control........at this moment. Once the aperture ring removed you may find there is a metal rod which attached to the inner aperture coupler ring. This rod is screwed on with M2 thread. This rod is too short so it cannot be used to control the aperture. If it is long enough the aperture can be easily control by the thumb from the left hand. </div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyZ3Hg5__FDBt7YArAODBuXoLwV2f4dnYSHZITFzEwpXaDgB3YHbaROVq38ne-OEQgDk4ggsMBQC9jOl5dXFFdjzX_OQN8lOi8nFSO2ErDyPpWf8Fgm-LX4MlfXbHQcfdhFR0/s1600/s-l300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyZ3Hg5__FDBt7YArAODBuXoLwV2f4dnYSHZITFzEwpXaDgB3YHbaROVq38ne-OEQgDk4ggsMBQC9jOl5dXFFdjzX_OQN8lOi8nFSO2ErDyPpWf8Fgm-LX4MlfXbHQcfdhFR0/s1600/s-l300.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
I got some black nylon M2 screws and nuts. By adjusting the size of the nut which fit to the slot by sanding and make it tidily fit with reasonable friction. The aperture can hold by itself.</div>
<div>
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<div>
Put all the parts together and all done. Here is the final look.</div>
<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB1Y1zMNQoNkBDs0MaVWMXPhT7riIhj1tFN_lkDbfPW7PtFDX9Ju-ofatIYbf59MOOcoNqrx5_vE9Qwq4SDFKmlZF04_-IN9J9-hVi41620nHvy2nS4J1sXGAqhUPvj3vzuTF/s1600/DSCF2006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1309" data-original-width="1600" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB1Y1zMNQoNkBDs0MaVWMXPhT7riIhj1tFN_lkDbfPW7PtFDX9Ju-ofatIYbf59MOOcoNqrx5_vE9Qwq4SDFKmlZF04_-IN9J9-hVi41620nHvy2nS4J1sXGAqhUPvj3vzuTF/s320/DSCF2006.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here is picture showing the mount on A7II</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8O1k5kptoTUp0SR4kDUY2Stpf4ahH_cJ_epVzahLNSamYh1j2kE6SqGor-yi1A4D8bPx7IEdq4eRFk5D6MyKud5qCtzX5dHA7E_UoCgRBGYRuCojHyLGWHrUXQqAOrbQ9j3_/s1600/DSCF2008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1523" data-original-width="1600" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8O1k5kptoTUp0SR4kDUY2Stpf4ahH_cJ_epVzahLNSamYh1j2kE6SqGor-yi1A4D8bPx7IEdq4eRFk5D6MyKud5qCtzX5dHA7E_UoCgRBGYRuCojHyLGWHrUXQqAOrbQ9j3_/s320/DSCF2008.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My 35mm f/1.4 can focus to infinity as well as the 70-210mm f/4 and 28-85mm f/3.5-4.5 can do. the adapter still can be milled thinner to adjust the infinity point further.</div>
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Except you own many exotic Minolta A-mount lenses, it is the most cost effective way to adopt the old lenses on A7. </div>
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Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-67346810741495936982018-06-15T11:17:00.001-07:002018-11-18T04:35:58.497-08:00Back to basics: Kentmere 100 B&W Film<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRPfoTvUu_KpVjFjX63XFcHIL30_lrhrZR6zRBMDxXrdRySTjA4sTtQKQ0YmgkdCEwVtKUfOPrJBudHgDUm_zIpRtPLJ0DGMl2MEcCpse5R4T3LzqBmTvVlt0S0dYZFTpOIMk/s1600/Image2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1147" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsRPfoTvUu_KpVjFjX63XFcHIL30_lrhrZR6zRBMDxXrdRySTjA4sTtQKQ0YmgkdCEwVtKUfOPrJBudHgDUm_zIpRtPLJ0DGMl2MEcCpse5R4T3LzqBmTvVlt0S0dYZFTpOIMk/s640/Image2.jpg" width="457" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contax AX 1.4/35, Coolscan 4000ED</td></tr>
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<br />
Before I moved to Canada, I gave my darkroom equipment to someone and only brought the steel development tank and a bulk film loader with me. Hope I may use them one day.<br />
Ten years passed and digital technology rules the imaging world. B/W FILM photography becomes a niche market. All Kodak B&W papers were gone. Still remember the Kodak Elite paper? It is the highest Dmax paper at that time. Luckily B&W films and chemicals are still available widely but with much higher price. Recently, Adorama had a promotion on Kentmere 100 bulk film so I brought one and try this out.<br />
<br />
The Kentmere is a UK company which is under the management of Herman/Ilford. I am very familiar with Kodak films but not much on Kentmere. So I need to start the test and see how its perform. I use Kodak D76 (stored in foil bag more than 7 years) and Kodak Fixer. Using stock D76 solution for 9 minutes at 20C, agitating the film 10s per minute. Fixing time is 6 minutes with fresh fixer. The result is good and this time/developer dilution rate can be set as standard time. In future, tests can be conducted on pushing and contrast control. Please be noted that the tank size and the way of agitation will yield different result. Lesser agitation will cause lower contrast and vise versa. So the above test is on 36 exposure film in 250cc tank. Please test the film by your own but 9 mins with stock D76 is a good starting point.<br />
<br />
The Kentmere is a good contrast, medium to low grain B/W film when using D76. With traditional B/W film technology, it is a best value film. The highlight has some compression (as Kodak Plus X). If you need more wider and linear B/W film, you may try Tmax 100.<br />
The base is a bit soft and so please take great care when using squeegee or sponge.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkpaGVwcQs3I9ymTg8bluUQpQYN83_c3iSJqTYpsNz46Drf5y7r_O_IbAxE_WnT_O7bhs5C_KpYA29n-EUGQin5C4OCE0qaHdV-qPfm91OJh_pkI1KxMjV75V6Urv0EDpxv7e/s1600/Image3+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUkpaGVwcQs3I9ymTg8bluUQpQYN83_c3iSJqTYpsNz46Drf5y7r_O_IbAxE_WnT_O7bhs5C_KpYA29n-EUGQin5C4OCE0qaHdV-qPfm91OJh_pkI1KxMjV75V6Urv0EDpxv7e/s640/Image3+copy.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1601380106"></span><span id="goog_1601380107"></span><br />
I have two film scanners. One is Sony UY-s90 for fast film scanning ( 8 min for one roll 36 exp film in 2000x3000pixels ). I use this for general film scan and if I need higher resolution I will use Nikon Coolscan 4000 which can provide 3764x5243pixels scanning.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhrWIwpp3E9Wu_SKOT9GcaCZMJEWqBDwtbRU-QX1T1SOD6t2uGK9tpIWyN3PCDU9ZxG7szdYko2QHdV5VmOIPJfbp6QW9nqx4j9NInuUgV6d5zaVG-tGF77eir8RaDyVs7RSA/s1600/Image1.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1149" data-original-width="1600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPhrWIwpp3E9Wu_SKOT9GcaCZMJEWqBDwtbRU-QX1T1SOD6t2uGK9tpIWyN3PCDU9ZxG7szdYko2QHdV5VmOIPJfbp6QW9nqx4j9NInuUgV6d5zaVG-tGF77eir8RaDyVs7RSA/s400/Image1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Kentmere 100 is a good film for anyone want to start shooting film. Investment is minimal and the films can preserve the images and your memories in the way you can touch with.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNh3JSNuTFBtcd8QMlU4NqOAb99CIH-R_AMhyWWc_bOX3OFlC-I8MHJZwb2C2Kri95hnroSbMLUAQ8kdEHZ5hefhudZVPM6OjvYrXzfLIDTDC2oM5YMkVUCtjKpINNtQZW8kj/s1600/tools.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1524" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNh3JSNuTFBtcd8QMlU4NqOAb99CIH-R_AMhyWWc_bOX3OFlC-I8MHJZwb2C2Kri95hnroSbMLUAQ8kdEHZ5hefhudZVPM6OjvYrXzfLIDTDC2oM5YMkVUCtjKpINNtQZW8kj/s400/tools.jpg" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Secret: Pierre water bottle is very good for B/W developer storage because of its colour</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwF40YM6jY9RRx6T_6Mz3qaVrH7JgJ2rlQ9OvgnWlsfmzLOXlqRutIVS7i6jbHJ4NbLZDU1PifUrBBr1FCmi1qpaoFrNT9C_mtfsV60V1ji324NmdAiN236eWEKKfDJM5-AH_9/s1600/DSCF2002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwF40YM6jY9RRx6T_6Mz3qaVrH7JgJ2rlQ9OvgnWlsfmzLOXlqRutIVS7i6jbHJ4NbLZDU1PifUrBBr1FCmi1qpaoFrNT9C_mtfsV60V1ji324NmdAiN236eWEKKfDJM5-AH_9/s400/DSCF2002.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Highly recommend: Ansel Adams The Negative</td></tr>
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<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-40671722060210996542018-03-01T10:11:00.001-08:002023-02-10T04:49:53.901-08:00Dual 704 turntable is......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZvhebelkyhh0Vrd7t3BSUOONBqzcED7ScS3y4v_pbQcpDguJYcIBVV50f0zvS9fnsFQ3QL_FLyYy2DHeG82z3zw2Y7Cfiff0RI5pzEo5qPQtd0wswU8CMNJAEv_fX14AGdbW/s1600/704.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1163" data-original-width="1600" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZvhebelkyhh0Vrd7t3BSUOONBqzcED7ScS3y4v_pbQcpDguJYcIBVV50f0zvS9fnsFQ3QL_FLyYy2DHeG82z3zw2Y7Cfiff0RI5pzEo5qPQtd0wswU8CMNJAEv_fX14AGdbW/s400/704.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px 0px 1.25em; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white;">I</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #d1d5db;"> </span><span style="background-color: white;">recently acquired a Dual 704 turntable from a renowned tonearm designer. Despite being in good shape, particularly the tonearm, the turntable required some special attention. I have identified the following issues that need to be addressed:</span></p><ol style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; counter-reset: item 0; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 15px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: 1.25em 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 1rem; white-space: pre-wrap;"><li style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0.375em;"><span style="background-color: white;">Motor - Requires assistance to start running at times.</span></li><li style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0.375em;"><span style="background-color: white;">Missing tonearm rest.</span></li><li style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0.375em;"><span style="background-color: white;">Nearly mint Grado FCE+1 cartridge missing the needle (I plan to replace it with a Shure V15III).</span></li></ol><p style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 transparent; --tw-shadow: 0 0 transparent; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; border: 0px solid rgb(217, 217, 227); box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Söhne, ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"; font-size: 15px; margin: 1.25em 0px 0px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: white;">After spending a delightful time chatting with the owner, I took the turntable home and immediately began the restoration process.</span></p>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8d0n-s7JSANqYVeo8eZnNRB-MLiSZgVcda-pI7PeNXUVjc3tCs3fcIJyZgvyzZ_oaF8EIsQxJKtUzK9ZC4angPfhKMsiNiOLZdGFRQ7gApk7qugDVbP_UtT8GL4jRhvK6l_u/s1600/704_motor_in.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1548" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU8d0n-s7JSANqYVeo8eZnNRB-MLiSZgVcda-pI7PeNXUVjc3tCs3fcIJyZgvyzZ_oaF8EIsQxJKtUzK9ZC4angPfhKMsiNiOLZdGFRQ7gApk7qugDVbP_UtT8GL4jRhvK6l_u/s400/704_motor_in.png" width="386" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">the heart of the EDS900 - four induction coils</td></tr>
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704 has a 4-coil Hall Effect motor EDS900 as the driving unit. The design of this motor is very primitive. However, the specification of this turntable is still very impressive. You can't hear any motor noise and feel no vibration at all. It seems that the workmanship is so good even the design is not modern.<br />
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<b>Speeds: 33.33 and 45rpm<br />Platter: 1.2kg, 300mm, dynamically balanced<br />Wow and flutter: 0.05% WRMS<br />Rumble: Weighted less than 67dB / Unweighted less than 46 dB<br />Tonearm effective length: 222mm<br />Tangential tracking error: 0.16 degree/cm<br />Tonearm bearing friction: vertical less than 0.07mN / horizontal less than 0.15mN<br />Tonearm: Torsionally rigid tubular aluminum in low friction four points gimbal suspension, counterbalance with two mechanical anti-resonance filters</b><br />
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The jerky motor might be caused by the motor driver board. The test show that the driver board is in perfect condition. So the motor itself should be the problem. The rotation was not smooth but the rotation rate is accurate. This symptom showing one or two of the coils in the motor was not working. The scenario is just like a 4-cylinder engine with one dead spake. The car can run but lack of power and is not running smooth.<br />
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The EDS 900 has four coils in total and you can see the picture of the internal. The coils are glued on to the housing by epoxy. Had a quick check on the connector and bingo! one of the connection to the coil was opened. Look closer to the printed circuit board and two of the traces were corroded. Spent an hour to fix the circuit, lubricate the whole motor unit and also changed all the E-caps in the driver board. The turntable was now running at its should be.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCvOwho3iOaZM4B1j_Ubv2EMl9nt2_hcYGX7-M0DEAyDCIWfXL1TfAdIA4KqxVp2TsS4FCxS6ekZA_32S9EklZzosnGsORZkdmhKMucTyzLfPPLC7GFZFimvXehJpVx1nRulU/s1600/motor_circuit_board.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="936" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCvOwho3iOaZM4B1j_Ubv2EMl9nt2_hcYGX7-M0DEAyDCIWfXL1TfAdIA4KqxVp2TsS4FCxS6ekZA_32S9EklZzosnGsORZkdmhKMucTyzLfPPLC7GFZFimvXehJpVx1nRulU/s400/motor_circuit_board.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The signal wires were also changed to Belden Teflon 83284<b> </b>wire ( the capacitance of the original wire is 140pF and the new wire is about 90pF. it is a very important to know the value. The change of the capacitance will affect the frequency response. 83284 is a RG316 coaxial wire and even it is specified for high frequency use up to 3GHz but it also can be used for audio.)<br />
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The next thing to be tackled was the tonearm rest. Buying an arm rest is easy but why not to make one. I still have some beech wood stocks so I took a small piece and sanded it to a desired shape. The best height of the rest is about 1.2cm with a 2.5cm sideboard which is used to prevent the overshot of the tonearm return. After soaking the finished wood parts in stain conditioner and then the stain, the arm rest was then polished with furniture wax.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbm5AKDKYjUbRlLNr-i7TuZAqEL5YzEMIPveOQPWw_btjMoXZ888w_5avHo2scAHHb15JMxxMMGhKBk3QnOak8JMTuw2X4CpqismSpJYk2Yn4iqST5l0WEKXi2d8gSkJe3Zzq/s1600/rest.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="1600" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbm5AKDKYjUbRlLNr-i7TuZAqEL5YzEMIPveOQPWw_btjMoXZ888w_5avHo2scAHHb15JMxxMMGhKBk3QnOak8JMTuw2X4CpqismSpJYk2Yn4iqST5l0WEKXi2d8gSkJe3Zzq/s400/rest.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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All tasks have been done. It is the time to sit down and listen music. 704 is a semi-automatic turntable. You need to place the head onto the record and set the needle down manually. The needle is always in UP position when you put the head onto the record so it is fault-proofed. The turntable will be automatically off when the head reaches the end. The head is now in the UP position again. When you put the head back to the arm rest the head will be in down position. Amazing simple but a very smart design.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jsFM5glWe8Q/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jsFM5glWe8Q?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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The Vertical Tonearm Control allows the cartilage is in optimal playing position without using spacer in the headshell.<br />
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Finally here is the pic to show the coil connection with the resistance value. If you found your 704 having a jerky motor, check it out first.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnQmMYbDQtTneD6_XSDQK98QiLGC9wdOjQggA75E0tBUmLLJbbPetCsktEaAt8x9RdKqdvOulZoStWWipPv-n8f90a0BWMrsw-AN2MFTMfRxOt45-fiinYx60WWQano61uzhW/s1600/check_motor.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1121" data-original-width="1600" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqnQmMYbDQtTneD6_XSDQK98QiLGC9wdOjQggA75E0tBUmLLJbbPetCsktEaAt8x9RdKqdvOulZoStWWipPv-n8f90a0BWMrsw-AN2MFTMfRxOt45-fiinYx60WWQano61uzhW/s400/check_motor.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Enjoy <br />
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<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-85253663287241789732017-10-27T14:41:00.001-07:002017-11-11T13:25:44.069-08:00The classic Nikon Lens on Sony A7 - Nikkor 35mm f/2.5<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpuNBph1lIPWwjIjpY6iIcge3f5IZVX15HTrHRntR_KU-MuwW5TGFMdsXvl7jv6xBfPl2GcFdblQP4JYpDF_jOyH5HTq2GBcgNJX863IPKpYn16gapEuuQ5PD6YmTeLrqg40_/s1600/IMG_3715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpuNBph1lIPWwjIjpY6iIcge3f5IZVX15HTrHRntR_KU-MuwW5TGFMdsXvl7jv6xBfPl2GcFdblQP4JYpDF_jOyH5HTq2GBcgNJX863IPKpYn16gapEuuQ5PD6YmTeLrqg40_/s400/IMG_3715.JPG" width="298" /></a></div>
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It is a Nikonos 35mm lens. And behind this lens it has a very interesting story. The first generation of Nikonos indeed is not the invention from Nikon. "Calypso" is the original name of this camera and Nikon took over the producti around 1960. It was not right to let the Calypso using non-Nikon lens (Calyso uses <span class="st"><i>SOM Berthiot and </i></span><i>Angénieux lenses). So </i>Nikon chose the w-nikkor 3.5cm f/2.5 which was used on Nikon SP camera. The latest version of w-nikkor 35mm (3.5cm) f/2.5 has multi-coating.<br />
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Using Nikonos 35mm on Sony A7 is simple. However, it is better to remove the front cover glass which causes "haze-like" and yellowish image.<br />
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It is a very good lens on Sony A7x camera and better than the Contax T 38mm. Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-8433885089580212132017-10-27T14:23:00.003-07:002018-11-18T05:00:03.859-08:00Pentax 50mm f/1.2 on Sony A7 - Can a 40 years old lens still survive in modern world?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerCaKR6pb3etSNtckWyA90oFvpD4vZBKN6wg64wmsqnQygVNuzFYFbFpYgGDPbAlIFiuetfGwoVJpEbTAvIeEZWSL3_vc3prb5IxPX02iBF1ZiJE-cR_0YiTnJv_lgQW2USXh/s1600/DSC05786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerCaKR6pb3etSNtckWyA90oFvpD4vZBKN6wg64wmsqnQygVNuzFYFbFpYgGDPbAlIFiuetfGwoVJpEbTAvIeEZWSL3_vc3prb5IxPX02iBF1ZiJE-cR_0YiTnJv_lgQW2USXh/s640/DSC05786.JPG" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pentax 50mm at f/1.2 with Techart LM-EA7 on A7II</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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Is is a very best <b>Double Gauss</b> F/1.2 standard lens especially at 1.2. Below is the report from a old German magazine. You can see how its perform and it has a better score than the Leica 50mm F/1 ! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q9n8Kqp085khrUgA5fQpDMcKgk5z3YBjiL4rl7rTF58OmyRbOTAD8_caFIzJP9t7lNKNi2ByhejZVxyYS8OIpF9kin_g7O-69Elqbw1hQdhadC0B4X67anTeVi532hgU6PYQ/s1600/50mm_compare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1333" data-original-width="1600" height="531" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Q9n8Kqp085khrUgA5fQpDMcKgk5z3YBjiL4rl7rTF58OmyRbOTAD8_caFIzJP9t7lNKNi2ByhejZVxyYS8OIpF9kin_g7O-69Elqbw1hQdhadC0B4X67anTeVi532hgU6PYQ/s640/50mm_compare.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Remarks:<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">autgezeichnet - excellent</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">sehr gut - very good</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">gut - good</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">zufriedenstellend -satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">weniger zufriedenstellend -less satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">nicht zufriedenstellend - not satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">sehr bedendich-Very concerned</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">autgezeichnet - excellent</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">sehr gut - very good</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">gut - good</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">zufriedenstellend -satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">weniger zufriedenstellend -less satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">nicht zufriedenstellend - not satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">sehr bedendich-Very concerned</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Gesamtwertung - total evaluation</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">unter 5000 Punkte - under 5000 point : sehr gut - very good</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">5000 bis 6000 Punkte: good</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">6000 bis 7000 Punkte: satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7000 bis 7500 punkte: knapp zufriedenstellend - just satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7500 bis 8000 Punkte: weniger zufriedenstellend -less satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">über 8000 Punkte: nicht zufriedenstellend - not satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">unter 5000 Punkte - under 5000 point : sehr gut - very good</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">5000 bis 6000 Punkte: good</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">6000 bis 7000 Punkte: satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7000 bis 7500 punkte: knapp zufriedenstellend - just satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7500 bis 8000 Punkte: weniger zufriedenstellend -less satisfactory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">über 8000 Punkte: nicht zufriedenstellend - not satisfactory</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">You cannot compare this lens with the modern 50mm lens with million pieces of glasses having aspherical surfaces and special low dispersal materials. This lens has its own character and this lens had been sold for more than 20 years (with two different versions but have the same optical formula). There is no prefect lens in the world but we should know their characteristics and make use of them.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pentax 50mm f/1.2 is a lens for night. Even in a very strong back-lighting situation the lens is still having a very good performance. </span> </span></div>
Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-80324171823398347212017-07-17T17:18:00.000-07:002019-12-24T05:41:51.718-08:00Contax T 38mm on Sony A7II and A7RII Part II (updated - 2019)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCi79ks7jFDTALsvhTHwmR0mnK35TZnJKYgkzcUP0NHGImODsEBwDowa2-ZJqnR1r2tBHYtdjlDhEd6EIlPVqhu-a1SMysglISnlBQ5jR1rTzekofXN3K5_fZZKjJtohBGmBX/s1600/t_on_LTM+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1515" data-original-width="1600" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWCi79ks7jFDTALsvhTHwmR0mnK35TZnJKYgkzcUP0NHGImODsEBwDowa2-ZJqnR1r2tBHYtdjlDhEd6EIlPVqhu-a1SMysglISnlBQ5jR1rTzekofXN3K5_fZZKjJtohBGmBX/s320/t_on_LTM+copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I converted the Contax T 38mm lens into E-mount (using a metal 55mm cap and 55mm-to-E adapter in latest version, not the plastic cap) year ago. It seems that it is better to plant the lens onto a LTM (Leica Thread Mount) so I can use this lens on my Techart Pro LM-EA7. it is not that difficult to make this modification and what you need to have are :<br />
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1. 33mm hole saw (a 1mm wider than the lens)<br />
2. LTM body cap<br />
3. Scotch Rubber Splicing Tape 23<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqK0Tr70x1S2hoLqLueT5Yu0hj7Ud1hlYo2xQtw5NSyOq1G-SAscUplcWLqpUuHYVXV_L9QLhouIoFMVZ2eKiNCeBV9UDBGcGhsFTIWiTJ4uVt_ykVic2CV-8u6n4LWQfojDNr/s1600/tool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="996" data-original-width="1300" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqK0Tr70x1S2hoLqLueT5Yu0hj7Ud1hlYo2xQtw5NSyOq1G-SAscUplcWLqpUuHYVXV_L9QLhouIoFMVZ2eKiNCeBV9UDBGcGhsFTIWiTJ4uVt_ykVic2CV-8u6n4LWQfojDNr/s320/tool.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is a bit difficult to hold the cap when you drill the hole and here is trick. Drill two smaller holes besides the holding bit hole and screw the cap onto a wooden board. Using WD40 as lubricant when drilling the hole.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTrfIJA4v0EHkAHFgXAcT3cgosFAhpabxVEEoNF2o7Ih92rw2aItgbDhyqY_nm5Y84enYYEpcB7jvdQdCRbRVcdjgiuGiHWf9IZ6B6TnwxMfNxb-k8mvvqrd9IWX7LAuP57hy/s1600/cap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1000" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTrfIJA4v0EHkAHFgXAcT3cgosFAhpabxVEEoNF2o7Ih92rw2aItgbDhyqY_nm5Y84enYYEpcB7jvdQdCRbRVcdjgiuGiHWf9IZ6B6TnwxMfNxb-k8mvvqrd9IWX7LAuP57hy/s320/cap.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Fitting the lens onto the cap is straight forward. Using Scotch rubber slicing tape and hot glue to set the lens position temporarily. Check the centering and focus. Once ready use epoxy to fix the lens onto the cap.<br />
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Now I have the auto focus Contax Zeiss 2.8/38. Here is some examples on A7II<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-to3OZGle17gAESUFsImmS1No-jRuvSKq-djF-ozcq4_cVEWrlxzfAuO88lqAI9gJLE84V-UavZFW7Ewbx_oF5mgOkf-r5-Jxpp6a60kJNwEcoJyKOKluXoOh-K20hsQxFyE7/s1600/T_sample2_28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-to3OZGle17gAESUFsImmS1No-jRuvSKq-djF-ozcq4_cVEWrlxzfAuO88lqAI9gJLE84V-UavZFW7Ewbx_oF5mgOkf-r5-Jxpp6a60kJNwEcoJyKOKluXoOh-K20hsQxFyE7/s640/T_sample2_28.jpg" width="425" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/2.8 (no pro-process and click the image to see the actual )</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41JH-vmxN0IHXxQIGyYcWaziEC7OJZ1iL6cEtwoQLtKChOPEfzhuL7On9ggcaNMX0EkEzcSb8bC0mvGSnCpqb0U5ls3-W4dUwoEa7G9oYsc4uwB-3LbCzrRwx0NgJ1SUPO-vU/s1600/T_sample2_56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg41JH-vmxN0IHXxQIGyYcWaziEC7OJZ1iL6cEtwoQLtKChOPEfzhuL7On9ggcaNMX0EkEzcSb8bC0mvGSnCpqb0U5ls3-W4dUwoEa7G9oYsc4uwB-3LbCzrRwx0NgJ1SUPO-vU/s400/T_sample2_56.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">F/5.6 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGxfnHywS4jOygTBxDVsPKGtQaTasPIHw8jHIbm0VHmkceMPpfqf4EiunAw7fFaBNgMvVE9A_zOWP_RLjbB-yIQsuA6nHN0bxRzm3qgYP9v98Uv2hiHUa_U5axRVv-Rzjkg87/s1600/DSC05710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeGxfnHywS4jOygTBxDVsPKGtQaTasPIHw8jHIbm0VHmkceMPpfqf4EiunAw7fFaBNgMvVE9A_zOWP_RLjbB-yIQsuA6nHN0bxRzm3qgYP9v98Uv2hiHUa_U5axRVv-Rzjkg87/s400/DSC05710.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">f/2.8</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>UPDATE: Contax T 38mm on A7RII</b><br />
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Sony A7RII has a <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">BSI-CMOS sensor which gives a better corner performance with legacy wide angle lenses. The below images were taken with A7Rii at f/5.6</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_en_DdmC_MeDqvMeqaWF8My-5iK_iYgqr9Alr-hWNfm5geQzkRVuvsGDmpEN_-oWe7mQ3-0v9lJq7wSVmCtouJksOFE1MGgrNaTvLc2locTVYpR_pJSV3SXE71cXGyoLoYcfa/s1600/contax_38mm_f5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_en_DdmC_MeDqvMeqaWF8My-5iK_iYgqr9Alr-hWNfm5geQzkRVuvsGDmpEN_-oWe7mQ3-0v9lJq7wSVmCtouJksOFE1MGgrNaTvLc2locTVYpR_pJSV3SXE71cXGyoLoYcfa/s400/contax_38mm_f5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MrthgrcNcQ6ZbpGttCm_3V43jdGg89khurKdEymxGtkkZ9hZb-qLj3DWdVAmjDgvCyhsl22n_pjEgXeOHxRJWXLqYKyd9udy1rFtt1gngffBsN6Brnmo89F6B4IsqyL-Zrnn/s1600/DR209582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MrthgrcNcQ6ZbpGttCm_3V43jdGg89khurKdEymxGtkkZ9hZb-qLj3DWdVAmjDgvCyhsl22n_pjEgXeOHxRJWXLqYKyd9udy1rFtt1gngffBsN6Brnmo89F6B4IsqyL-Zrnn/s400/DR209582.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-80391738243355915572017-03-10T06:47:00.002-08:002020-03-04T17:11:55.122-08:00The legacy: Contax CY 70-210 f/3.5 <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oio4x40x4-E/SfBgFFAWfXI/AAAAAAAAC5k/5TP_r6ZhEIcU9Fb-VUVP6g1xazW3pJobACPcB/s1600/70_210_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Oio4x40x4-E/SfBgFFAWfXI/AAAAAAAAC5k/5TP_r6ZhEIcU9Fb-VUVP6g1xazW3pJobACPcB/s640/70_210_5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This photo was taken in Italy twelve years ago and scanned from film. CY 70-210mm is my most favourite zoom lens and so why I still have two of this. It is heavy and weights 1.2kg. Being the first Contax tele zoom lens, Zeiss tried their best to build this lens. At that time they did have the f/2.8 design but it was too big too heavy. So, they decided to have the 3.5 rather the 2.8 version. This is the only one of the two zoom lenses made in Germany for Contax SLR camera. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UuYEKD6SljqNYO57Huy39GwEksuHwZ2pYYSK9u06K_7vNc-VbmpHmUp1Mm52neEXugi0J7rOaffI0Gkip63-gXyISJHDJVYw1p8RES9P_K2r2YBSEWDvsYoEqtoe1imtYCDM/s1600/DSC04667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8UuYEKD6SljqNYO57Huy39GwEksuHwZ2pYYSK9u06K_7vNc-VbmpHmUp1Mm52neEXugi0J7rOaffI0Gkip63-gXyISJHDJVYw1p8RES9P_K2r2YBSEWDvsYoEqtoe1imtYCDM/s320/DSC04667.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The sharpness of this lens is very good and even across the field. The central resolution is not the highest but you will find that the corner resolution are kept the same as the centre . I compared this lens with the first generation Canon 70-200mm F/2.8. Canon has higher centre resolution at 3.5 but lower on edge region. I sold my Canon and stayed with the Contax. Why? Contax has better micro contrast and details in shadow. The Canon is a very good lens for spot photography.<br />
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The closer together the sagittal and meridional lines are to
each other, the smoother and more natural the background blurring
(bokeh) becomes. It is one of the reason why I keep the Contax. Please note that Contax's MTFs is measured from a real sample lens and the Canon's MTF charts are theoretical value.<br />
Below is the MTF chart for Canon 70-200mm 2.8 II<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFi4aZJj5LwYVxbAurHXbKQY2xEcYLf2Pl5Cn18BwhwcM1T5ShQZlM7NmN7W5t3rTPCeHLmbTmAHkYT-V_-7nGcQ3jnHemzkDp1yHIx8jQq6YJE4qjAkz8DS9nmR7nmDVBcv5/s1600/Canon-EF-70-200mm-f-2.8-L-IS-II-USM-Lens-MTF-Chart.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFi4aZJj5LwYVxbAurHXbKQY2xEcYLf2Pl5Cn18BwhwcM1T5ShQZlM7NmN7W5t3rTPCeHLmbTmAHkYT-V_-7nGcQ3jnHemzkDp1yHIx8jQq6YJE4qjAkz8DS9nmR7nmDVBcv5/s400/Canon-EF-70-200mm-f-2.8-L-IS-II-USM-Lens-MTF-Chart.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBCLBPpW7tw8goFPUebX3Gmi5pxdI6T3nUVBdS29OIqnYkcl8c_thx_Dj8wdAhBfcQSWN5R40B-xk4d0s-BqD03tVCWLC6RPzGhrbOCOy_xa1b4quxcTjFSTtieQsJoiKy0dv/s1600/DSC04670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWBCLBPpW7tw8goFPUebX3Gmi5pxdI6T3nUVBdS29OIqnYkcl8c_thx_Dj8wdAhBfcQSWN5R40B-xk4d0s-BqD03tVCWLC6RPzGhrbOCOy_xa1b4quxcTjFSTtieQsJoiKy0dv/s320/DSC04670.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It is a lens for film but it can aslo be used on digital. I strongly suggest to use this lens with L41 UV filter and it can reduce the purple fringe issue on some digital cameras.By the way, any post image processor software can eliminate the purple fringe just by few clicks.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PiaYvuU8bw8/SfBWCGEouMI/AAAAAAAAC6U/nYPrFrPmAkIEc19SS53sG6HT5rpNxklIQCPcB/s1600/child.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PiaYvuU8bw8/SfBWCGEouMI/AAAAAAAAC6U/nYPrFrPmAkIEc19SS53sG6HT5rpNxklIQCPcB/s640/child.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">with Kodak SLR/c with no PP</td></tr>
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<i></i><br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-78900198174108827882017-03-06T14:36:00.002-08:002021-03-12T15:21:57.910-08:00Minolta m-rokkor 28mm: The lens I sold but bought back again.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UZoldG1rNN2jvoURoXYFOLPozax2XSf2oKSEPqsQ517I1h9DHLPDjnnelnvDpK7tygIDmfXSTywQq2c8Yq4-54lSG_3QY1XYnPIY4YLyLDkcS33yPWVScg7SuSb-_03KaTIe/s1600/DSC04661_DxO.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6UZoldG1rNN2jvoURoXYFOLPozax2XSf2oKSEPqsQ517I1h9DHLPDjnnelnvDpK7tygIDmfXSTywQq2c8Yq4-54lSG_3QY1XYnPIY4YLyLDkcS33yPWVScg7SuSb-_03KaTIe/s320/DSC04661_DxO.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>
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This is a legendary lens from Minolta and is the very best 28mm in Leica M mount. However the lens always suffered the coating degradation in the first lens element. This problem may be caused by the anti-reflection black paint which leached out the chemical which attacked the coating. I owned this lens before and it suffered an infamous white spot issue. I sold it before it became too bad.<br />
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Last month I got a chance to buy a good copy of m-rokkor 28mm with a reasonable price. The lens is pretty clean and has no visible white spot on the first element. Just a bit haze but it is not enough to cause any issue. Previous owner might want to clean the lens by himself but he couldn't remove the nameplate and in the end he scratched it. It gave a lesson to everyone and you should have proper tools and skills to service your lenses. If you don't have 100% sure what you are doing, leave it as is or let someone to do it for you.<br />
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To prevent the further degradation of the lens coating, the lens should be cleaned but it is a bit tricky to take the first element out There is no screw-in retaining ring to hold the front element, instead it was hold by lens clement and tight-fitted to the casing . To loss the front element the ring should be removed by a coping saw with very very fine blade. (Google it and you can find the procedure) or loss the clement by solvent. Then using a sucking cup to take the element out. (And there is a small hole (air vent) behind the lens block and inserting a bamboo toothpick into the air vent can help to pop the element out). It is not a difficult process but it takes time to make it prefect. The edge of the lens casing was smoothed out by #00 sandpaper and re-painted with solvent base matt black paint. If it was all done, the front lens block should look like new. <br />
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After re-lubricating all helicoids with lithium grease and cleaning the lens inside out, it is the time to test the lens. Let's go hiking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuajwRL_YWU6B_ZYxUQFbjS8U9zWV7WdzYtTTSXz3a0asmCX04jRjnltjL3AB2cuChnypEepVh8C7ukG97IKfiR_JjQPhFXWbtJVf2KVSH5eb0094OtIIbcROiyrYOTtIkMvk/s1600/DSC04651_DxO.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuajwRL_YWU6B_ZYxUQFbjS8U9zWV7WdzYtTTSXz3a0asmCX04jRjnltjL3AB2cuChnypEepVh8C7ukG97IKfiR_JjQPhFXWbtJVf2KVSH5eb0094OtIIbcROiyrYOTtIkMvk/s640/DSC04651_DxO.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOW5Skruf-c4cA3_rmzshWYyNHfDwuWOPLvVo6SR2kK2Rfz4stkt4_BJJtFG6mlPQqzI1rq93IkDP_TCBVWlmG95Ps3RK4qrAR0VbV9GBB-MMo1on-C7ecH9JITNi1tuZO2EOU/s1600/DSC04643_DxO.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOW5Skruf-c4cA3_rmzshWYyNHfDwuWOPLvVo6SR2kK2Rfz4stkt4_BJJtFG6mlPQqzI1rq93IkDP_TCBVWlmG95Ps3RK4qrAR0VbV9GBB-MMo1on-C7ecH9JITNi1tuZO2EOU/s640/DSC04643_DxO.jpg" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The coating is really good, at least for this 38 years old lens </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnO_Fkgk1Cb1IHjXbYZohOXTCrLiX00u4pbQqM4i5NKuWW6MyZHGYuZi5Gp8S_p8uxtc0VAcGW9M_MVU29iBORTVGgC_bw5bftCAKcxbSx3MpHIYKikVnZ1I_GwEXWYJ9Kwh5J/s1600/DSC04647_DxO.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnO_Fkgk1Cb1IHjXbYZohOXTCrLiX00u4pbQqM4i5NKuWW6MyZHGYuZi5Gp8S_p8uxtc0VAcGW9M_MVU29iBORTVGgC_bw5bftCAKcxbSx3MpHIYKikVnZ1I_GwEXWYJ9Kwh5J/s640/DSC04647_DxO.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the detail of the picture and resolution is pretty good (at f/4)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwC6fbtIurWTdz4wDEVtP25xZSgZaG4knMby9Z73iwheROfOrtgkYK0uMPK7lKmT0lyAYsMOSq9oRwer5NGqGxMv_v74a5_gESXn2Qc1cw350IbuwVhsGKNSWuONuwvsDrGsvL/s1600/DSC04652_DxO.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwC6fbtIurWTdz4wDEVtP25xZSgZaG4knMby9Z73iwheROfOrtgkYK0uMPK7lKmT0lyAYsMOSq9oRwer5NGqGxMv_v74a5_gESXn2Qc1cw350IbuwVhsGKNSWuONuwvsDrGsvL/s640/DSC04652_DxO.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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We cannot comment the colour accuracy by digital camera</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzdqcdiLnMQ3UD8A_-5Qyr3h9-632N7GplYVoKSWH0x-sU495O8CtvG8woSFCdY1zA4egYDzH7QYAWwDZ4fnfn6ihtMGCtmWXzg15CsrVGwcoBxJv123SU_WixeUFZuN17umT/s1600/DSC04656_DxO.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzdqcdiLnMQ3UD8A_-5Qyr3h9-632N7GplYVoKSWH0x-sU495O8CtvG8woSFCdY1zA4egYDzH7QYAWwDZ4fnfn6ihtMGCtmWXzg15CsrVGwcoBxJv123SU_WixeUFZuN17umT/s640/DSC04656_DxO.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyPVDf-0p6vVZiqdjUiqGJD5yDL9kNR0MHSBFJYmfugmzTiJXkJ3Y872nKdBcRH7d4qjl2xyYUEERrc-3aVTOyuqDDV1m5oLHs9xTzQjt4GJ8DTIiiVP-2lH7wUUE7KUnImhH/s1600/DSC04655_DxO.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyPVDf-0p6vVZiqdjUiqGJD5yDL9kNR0MHSBFJYmfugmzTiJXkJ3Y872nKdBcRH7d4qjl2xyYUEERrc-3aVTOyuqDDV1m5oLHs9xTzQjt4GJ8DTIiiVP-2lH7wUUE7KUnImhH/s640/DSC04655_DxO.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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All pictures were taken by Sony A7II with LM-EA7 Autofocus adapter. (Yes, it became an auto focus lens! ). Aperture were set at f/4. Corner performance is really good. Please be noted that this lens is a retrofocus wide angle lens and not a traditional symmetrical lens design. And it is the reason why this lens work so well with digital camera.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnAOXqMO391NGWSP6ZpNMbPu6CYrfF85qNI8SAzIKpzTCgMW9cMEoEVtVHR2jwqNlZo7QdM5XOFcBg8J5caAi0sQwjva-mY9R5-1R8Ui-o8jw2WGs2HlwlNr7tDfG9BYj4R_q/s1600/M-Rokkor_28_2.8_Schnitt.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnAOXqMO391NGWSP6ZpNMbPu6CYrfF85qNI8SAzIKpzTCgMW9cMEoEVtVHR2jwqNlZo7QdM5XOFcBg8J5caAi0sQwjva-mY9R5-1R8Ui-o8jw2WGs2HlwlNr7tDfG9BYj4R_q/s400/M-Rokkor_28_2.8_Schnitt.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Remarks: </b> In the second attend to repaint the black paint on the side of the lens element, all the haze was successfully removed and now the lens is in crystal clean condition. I found the water base matt black paint for model kit is the best for repainting the lens element. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB80FmtQJZQOTWGcHFnoFelzp_ZuEGwai3QMp6LOsn_pQUxMTZF0rpTo2uXz7_CsSjbGOdf1j1pbJrQbE0sAj_pcRQ5nWIbuSc_eIBhuh1fW38ACPw139F6vEygZ5CgV45BgGa/s1600/DR209602.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1068" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB80FmtQJZQOTWGcHFnoFelzp_ZuEGwai3QMp6LOsn_pQUxMTZF0rpTo2uXz7_CsSjbGOdf1j1pbJrQbE0sAj_pcRQ5nWIbuSc_eIBhuh1fW38ACPw139F6vEygZ5CgV45BgGa/s400/DR209602.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-uijDaKGWNC2iVCrETv_Y01J7w85Jc2YhFARJpnZYa-WquxV5Rdao5FXmQXT_XlcQoo-ogiZs9pZ0opbxImCAaCalyQOuOtYjHLza5d1cEBxQatYPzHL6ZsgbbKwVfhmWnvo/s1600/DR209605.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_-uijDaKGWNC2iVCrETv_Y01J7w85Jc2YhFARJpnZYa-WquxV5Rdao5FXmQXT_XlcQoo-ogiZs9pZ0opbxImCAaCalyQOuOtYjHLza5d1cEBxQatYPzHL6ZsgbbKwVfhmWnvo/s400/DR209605.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-20211885126828263302016-11-04T08:04:00.008-07:002022-12-07T17:47:34.081-08:00LS3/5A DIY Challenge Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuFxLyCNnijEGTi4YE-uyJJyoYm4rY-rCVlrxtZaho7rm5viByMsjpIt73HQiV2UwCdqE6_otaw4X1pHjwDHD_DgosCna0jUjkmBaGfwysVVBgacgcowjHJnDtAxBV1TPO4bG/s1600/ls354a_final.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJuFxLyCNnijEGTi4YE-uyJJyoYm4rY-rCVlrxtZaho7rm5viByMsjpIt73HQiV2UwCdqE6_otaw4X1pHjwDHD_DgosCna0jUjkmBaGfwysVVBgacgcowjHJnDtAxBV1TPO4bG/s400/ls354a_final.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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After the prototype, here is the final version. The changes includes<br />
1. Acoustic foam was used as original specification<br />
2. Smaller brass screw were used<br />
3. Matt black paint was applied as original specification (solvent base mat black paint)<br />
4. Better plywood stock and the thickness as original specification (not from Homedepot)<br />
5. Oak veneer applied (original LS35A don't have this and very difficult to find a good Teak veneer)<br />
6. Better binding post<br />
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I am now waiting for the coming spring so I can start to build a 9in version cabinet according to the specification from Falcon Acoustic,.<br />
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The sound of this pair of speakers is so lovely and it is better matching with tube amp as many people suggested.<br />
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My next project is to refurbish a pair of KEF Chorale (original) which have a bad cabinet and crossover.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGzIjxznm6d5fDUS9U8IoKBjpQaOKE5qIz3dZ2HdKKh89kMf5phGzpvE_kk33VtALTJD0TO6uCSqE95zKwQl0v0LLmwBwgk1HbpX4cAMuPJ15Du3zdyUgcmfdHTy-2KXStZh9/s1600/IMG_2281+%25281%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGzIjxznm6d5fDUS9U8IoKBjpQaOKE5qIz3dZ2HdKKh89kMf5phGzpvE_kk33VtALTJD0TO6uCSqE95zKwQl0v0LLmwBwgk1HbpX4cAMuPJ15Du3zdyUgcmfdHTy-2KXStZh9/s400/IMG_2281+%25281%2529.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birch plywood from local wood mill</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaPUIhWzJSAlW1mLrsTE5MbGXl51xq3OHuJQs4h6F3qzsoy1WB8lihjJhNdkOiWdSXqFpOG4x_X2xWaRd_RwM7eS2BeeNsbzrGUlksOVJbWIY8XPE0ZmupkU_Sa7uOpuWyJ-a/s1600/beech_wood.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdaPUIhWzJSAlW1mLrsTE5MbGXl51xq3OHuJQs4h6F3qzsoy1WB8lihjJhNdkOiWdSXqFpOG4x_X2xWaRd_RwM7eS2BeeNsbzrGUlksOVJbWIY8XPE0ZmupkU_Sa7uOpuWyJ-a/s400/beech_wood.jpg" width="382" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steamed beech wood to make batten</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsw9u8f3SjKR4w6YJgnLN_hhPYGsGTtr_R6qSAbQgmpPOs8WQOqavBTkXUr-1pe62EiTrou-ApFQALnW9K-AFhoiSEg_CJQPCaBXfmEBDjZum0pBku92Zgrudrus8QB-tdUDgG/s1600/veneer_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsw9u8f3SjKR4w6YJgnLN_hhPYGsGTtr_R6qSAbQgmpPOs8WQOqavBTkXUr-1pe62EiTrou-ApFQALnW9K-AFhoiSEg_CJQPCaBXfmEBDjZum0pBku92Zgrudrus8QB-tdUDgG/s400/veneer_.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final touch - oak veneer </td></tr>
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<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-21327396376070480712016-11-04T08:04:00.002-07:002019-04-03T05:40:16.756-07:00LS3/5A DIY Challenge Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCTq-t72fwPAxYDooza8lro7_NE1bjqunlbUZO-2IuP4JaedgjSksMBvmE7PJJND9ex5Hth2w2ifV092GP0C6P-HR8pv3kQCTpm_uL3mc3a1mXen2asOxJLMhpituG_bSXqbX/s1600/IMG_2231+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCTq-t72fwPAxYDooza8lro7_NE1bjqunlbUZO-2IuP4JaedgjSksMBvmE7PJJND9ex5Hth2w2ifV092GP0C6P-HR8pv3kQCTpm_uL3mc3a1mXen2asOxJLMhpituG_bSXqbX/s400/IMG_2231+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I choose brass screws and nuts (#10 for HF units/crossover stands/cabinet faceplate. #9 for LF unit) since they are non-magnetic and cause less problem when you assemble the cabinet where the very strong magnets are nearby. It doesn't mean it will sound better and indeed the golden colour of the screws are very match with the cabinet. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJDMWPzd-Q5mr0q6jMXZF7UwMdg5bX82r1lYGjdPP9ZVkw863rOo_4XIe4UY4aNV9JSdNUt-m6ZyHBY7pxF6Hk8JHI_uJKu6kjrROzgsEK_fkVAkKvV_MkC35zMX-XE1o8BFe/s1600/IMG_2219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxJDMWPzd-Q5mr0q6jMXZF7UwMdg5bX82r1lYGjdPP9ZVkw863rOo_4XIe4UY4aNV9JSdNUt-m6ZyHBY7pxF6Hk8JHI_uJKu6kjrROzgsEK_fkVAkKvV_MkC35zMX-XE1o8BFe/s200/IMG_2219.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bY8oyNfw3HFBlS2cJScEFy6nNKddmV9ACw-FJENSJg1UbgaT8_AM4gHAQGDB7cd9h0eGNb7rMU_MaUrF_qZ4q8cxXFhDVEJBcTqSYOs1vEywVQOZi_dA3NfzqnRhP7lbMkCV/s1600/IMG_2220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9bY8oyNfw3HFBlS2cJScEFy6nNKddmV9ACw-FJENSJg1UbgaT8_AM4gHAQGDB7cd9h0eGNb7rMU_MaUrF_qZ4q8cxXFhDVEJBcTqSYOs1vEywVQOZi_dA3NfzqnRhP7lbMkCV/s320/IMG_2220.JPG" width="238" /></a></div>
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Original design of LS3/5A uses rubber gasket to seal the LF unit with the faceplate and the faceplate to the cabinet. I choose to use the cork sheet to serve these purposes. I stick 1mm cork sheet to the back of the faceplate and it's not only seal all the air gaps but also reduce the reflection of the sound wave from the faceplate.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgru42d9qMTtP8xrn4lCKfRYfEQRiyGQU2y6Ocb6tbn5PJnZWqpSbnRRdnE-2CcFd8xTlbtUJnZygem3YP8RoFfTNK6rsSOT0VhMXOHSLUTD80wewA0nA1Gmo3es1wRzfYzoNLI/s1600/IMG_2221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgru42d9qMTtP8xrn4lCKfRYfEQRiyGQU2y6Ocb6tbn5PJnZWqpSbnRRdnE-2CcFd8xTlbtUJnZygem3YP8RoFfTNK6rsSOT0VhMXOHSLUTD80wewA0nA1Gmo3es1wRzfYzoNLI/s320/IMG_2221.JPG" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work in progress </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJT3KRFSvlGKXuU4RwUK4MEQbWpaxA3-aNhBItdcTIMcvEf2bqbm_Vs_IMmqQQCd_f5FJPGKWOYPo5dgrfcB-89HUhSiu4dPwiZxoXo7yNbj8dSWlyNjZEECCgDp9ZbwIBtyBI/s1600/IMG_2218.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJT3KRFSvlGKXuU4RwUK4MEQbWpaxA3-aNhBItdcTIMcvEf2bqbm_Vs_IMmqQQCd_f5FJPGKWOYPo5dgrfcB-89HUhSiu4dPwiZxoXo7yNbj8dSWlyNjZEECCgDp9ZbwIBtyBI/s320/IMG_2218.JPG" width="239" /></a><br />
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The most difficult part in making the cabinet is the countersink of the faceplate. I need to tailor-make a circle guide for my router so I can make a perfect circle.<br />
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For the sake of convenience, I choose to use Pink Fiberglas Insulation as the acoustic material in cabinet. It also doesn't mean it sounds better ether. However, many people say, and fiberglass insulation is better. If you have the LS3/5A, you can try by yourself. May be one day I can find the wool insulation in Canada and try it out. It is the premium stuff for heritage house and were used in some old loudspeakers during 1940s. <br />
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Assembling the units are very straight forward and easy except your metal tools may always stick to the big magnets. Just one suggestion, using tape to cover the spider of the LF unit before soldering the wire. The hot solder will jump into the spider and melt the cone. Be careful.<br />
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First thing to do after the assembling is check the resistance of the output and make sure there is no short circuit. Before any further measurement, I connect the LS3/5A to my Roberts amp (aka Akai M7) and listen to my favourite music. What a surprise! The 7W little amp can actually handle the LS3/5A very very well. ...................<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5K-3IQVHSfkienbo4_PlvR-a5dTnqEaW_65oJNbAXyegs4KdF67Ds1cZVkBcQYfD2LclunSIXFLOyqLmvWza-0gTry0NN4gtjDSXpl4G3bK0r0PF98SGgMXVKDofM9BDYzDb/s1600/take5cover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG5K-3IQVHSfkienbo4_PlvR-a5dTnqEaW_65oJNbAXyegs4KdF67Ds1cZVkBcQYfD2LclunSIXFLOyqLmvWza-0gTry0NN4gtjDSXpl4G3bK0r0PF98SGgMXVKDofM9BDYzDb/s320/take5cover1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The soundtrack was a live recording and recorded by Tascam IM2 in my listening room.<br />
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The below is the measurement of the frequency responses between two speakers see if they are well matched.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRn9OLYtmBiY6Oax_fL_MK2vYGuAA39sQphWnpyA7IHEXfiNTnHyaAlCjt9Ui5Vto782WkgUkVO1pHBN5g2omf0AlyImk7tduJbhDcYEun7Mx_1AvQzLLshARJpMFvPC_KkSEu/s1600/matching.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRn9OLYtmBiY6Oax_fL_MK2vYGuAA39sQphWnpyA7IHEXfiNTnHyaAlCjt9Ui5Vto782WkgUkVO1pHBN5g2omf0AlyImk7tduJbhDcYEun7Mx_1AvQzLLshARJpMFvPC_KkSEu/s400/matching.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div>
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And here is the comparison between Celestion SL6s and the DIY LS35A. The peak in the graph is caused by the source (the test disc) and I may use my signal generator to test the speaker again in later time. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrT8fTHhWs57Ed1rfPs2_bCgeirRAJCL4uidMzP2If35mEjxF8JTnrclMkbP8wYgzh3xd_Oe__oRQ8JTJMAxblvsmQdWuLlEVPdpVvmjGGUKpHT6mCyVNz_51VTxahP115Cx_/s1600/ls35a_SL6s.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrT8fTHhWs57Ed1rfPs2_bCgeirRAJCL4uidMzP2If35mEjxF8JTnrclMkbP8wYgzh3xd_Oe__oRQ8JTJMAxblvsmQdWuLlEVPdpVvmjGGUKpHT6mCyVNz_51VTxahP115Cx_/s400/ls35a_SL6s.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-58544621728476809712016-11-04T08:04:00.001-07:002019-08-23T07:38:30.458-07:00LS3/5A DIY Challenge Part 1BBC LS3/5A is a pair of legendary speakers. Since 1970s more than 60,000 pairs were being built and sold (most of the speakers were sold in Asia !). You still can buy a new pair of LS3/5A today (as of 2016) from Falcon Acoustic (Falcon Acoustic has a long history with LS3/5A and once they provided crossover to Goodmans.). Founded by Malcolm Jones, the father of T27 and B110 driver units, FA was sold to Jerry when Malcolm was fully retired in 2009. Recently, FA started to reissue the T27 and B110 with original recipes and specification. The brass grille for the treble unit is from the original brass sheets which were found in a warehouse of a Denmark factory.<br />
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After I moved to Canada, I started to learn woodworking, building all kinds of furniture and renovating the house so I have all kinds of tools. Instead of buying a new LS3/5A, why not to build one. So I got all driver units and crossovers from FA. Thanks Jerry! The only thing I need to do is to build the speaker cabinets.<br />
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First of all, I need a plan. No problem, here is the LS3/5A cabinet drawings (click here http://www.g4dcv.co.uk/ls35a/lsdrgs.html). Second, to find a right materials. No problem, 12mm Baltic birch plywood* can be found in selected Homedepot (but it is a BB/CP grade plywood with many voids. only size 2x4 feet is in-stock. I will get a better plywood from the local woodmill for my production run). I got a beech wood from a chop board and used it to make battens. If you cannot find the beech wood. Try use red oak since it has the similar density and stiffness/strength (see below table). The original LS3/5A uses bitumen pad as damping material. You can get a better performance damping material by using 3M Sound Reduction Mat which is used for car audio application.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVvNUKeHUuIOg1GGcKDlZsirOlhcK_cW3fbg2MXk_210hxbYQ13jLptvoA_lF32Go-in9zJLIxvznUAlzkhb3gkaWPeAHI6QXvyq46GLZ5WrPJPrjgz9WvQoR2lAV4SwJO-eh/s1600/IMG_2164.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRVvNUKeHUuIOg1GGcKDlZsirOlhcK_cW3fbg2MXk_210hxbYQ13jLptvoA_lF32Go-in9zJLIxvznUAlzkhb3gkaWPeAHI6QXvyq46GLZ5WrPJPrjgz9WvQoR2lAV4SwJO-eh/s400/IMG_2164.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angle-joint with batten support, the most simple form of box making.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-eIFaE0laKBW8NkBbhrW15RMeqKLcwIkvACd5Nm-Ya_0T-9EWHOEO7GWDve_N9Mc03zgzvLi4R5xaC8iWmRu_lbvtwadPTuF9fm80DW_CYUpJQEPNyF6u3NaE2TJ0Vuvq6CBL/s1600/IMG_2166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-eIFaE0laKBW8NkBbhrW15RMeqKLcwIkvACd5Nm-Ya_0T-9EWHOEO7GWDve_N9Mc03zgzvLi4R5xaC8iWmRu_lbvtwadPTuF9fm80DW_CYUpJQEPNyF6u3NaE2TJ0Vuvq6CBL/s400/IMG_2166.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the damping pad (3M Sound Reduction Mat)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7zzPxu4OW29jNx7mc7QLkFB_WYl-v_WtYQB4f_OYmYBTO-VOpiwnVQxmhjieB7Q8qemhzetYCw9Sj6upX7xX_bz8Q211KfW82OGJ7C3ZWtl2LCLRpEra6Tc1cUW6WyVtR_Z3/s1600/IMG_2167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7zzPxu4OW29jNx7mc7QLkFB_WYl-v_WtYQB4f_OYmYBTO-VOpiwnVQxmhjieB7Q8qemhzetYCw9Sj6upX7xX_bz8Q211KfW82OGJ7C3ZWtl2LCLRpEra6Tc1cUW6WyVtR_Z3/s400/IMG_2167.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Since I treated it as a prototype so no exotic wood veneer was used. The birch wood itself is beautiful enough so I just use Tung Oil and wax to protect the box.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoYqbWhjAjhHK3eHIMGQly56b80ZXebRhMzht1m2RqOIjS31M3MRc4o7Z3FlEj_r6Te3FCVVOsNmoSvVqToT0fKnMsFt2wii2JdKSztTY7Mkb0MFERs7ekrslJ7rURd0Kg9b3/s1600/IMG_2171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinoYqbWhjAjhHK3eHIMGQly56b80ZXebRhMzht1m2RqOIjS31M3MRc4o7Z3FlEj_r6Te3FCVVOsNmoSvVqToT0fKnMsFt2wii2JdKSztTY7Mkb0MFERs7ekrslJ7rURd0Kg9b3/s400/IMG_2171.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apply Tung oil after sanding with 140/400 sand paper. Wax and polish with Finishing wax</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Each cabinet will has its own resonance frequency and it will "Colour" the sound of the speaker. So, it is very important to match the cabinets even you have a matched pair of driver units. The resonance frequency is a combined effects with case volume, material density, weight, shape and the variants of workmanship such as the tidiness of the joints and the amount of wood glue used. It is better to make several and match afterwards. But in reality, home brew project cannot afford to do so. Therefore, a carefully selecting the panels and batten (weight the panels one by one and match) for each cabinet is very important. The weight different between these two prototypes is 3g (out of 2250g). The most easiest way to check if they are closely match is to knock on their back panels and listen if there are any different. To have a better measurement, it needs to measure the working speaker.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh364sUAXQUq-3I-_ddzb-mirM05opc_yowsZEw2P_J1do7AlVzwpGvzDvdNB8hxhvDdvPG9A6LHcxph7pSzNwy_uRUTh-pYPEfkPlHa9G6oQpGx-6JG970Map2J5rs_2SzKCkY/s1600/wood_property.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh364sUAXQUq-3I-_ddzb-mirM05opc_yowsZEw2P_J1do7AlVzwpGvzDvdNB8hxhvDdvPG9A6LHcxph7pSzNwy_uRUTh-pYPEfkPlHa9G6oQpGx-6JG970Map2J5rs_2SzKCkY/s400/wood_property.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is the table from BBC research paper "Factors in the design of loudspeaker cabinets" showing oak can be used instead of beech </td></tr>
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Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-84743130523269558752016-07-06T07:55:00.001-07:002016-09-11T17:03:21.979-07:00Hollywood 28mm: Distagon vs Distagon Zeiss Distagon 2/28 was named as Hollywood lens for decades. And originally, this lens was designed for movie. Having a floating elements design, the distortion and lens breathing were minimized. Even today, Distagon 2/28 is still widely used in movie industry. (note: Super 35mm movie format is 22x16mm so 28mm lens, indeed, is a standard lens.)<br />
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I have the Contax Distagon 2/28 for more than two decades. This is a AE version and can be used on most Canon SLR body. It is a big and heavy lens. The appearance of this lens is not like a wide-angled lens. It's good for snapshooting. This lens is sharp, really sharp. And the nearest focusing distance is 24mm! When I use Contax AX, Distagon 2/28 becomes a macro lens.<br />
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Recently, I had a chance to get a Zeiss ZF 28/2, a new version of the old design. It is a better choice than the ZE since this version has the aperture ring so I can use this lens on other brand cameras with suitable adapters. The Canon EF version has the electronic aperture control so we cannot control the aperture without the aid of electronic circuit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbKxneioRhTlRYRY3uvYjJCuwlOu0QoyZGCzfmFMT8c0UjjYmJrf7NZq7p8qnuMXTGCQIfK2l1hC97AH0okmJRotICyXwueDAJ3UsxQGCncz9ep1EnBNy5wLYAn1-XaiIMr_A/s1600/distagon28_compare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsbKxneioRhTlRYRY3uvYjJCuwlOu0QoyZGCzfmFMT8c0UjjYmJrf7NZq7p8qnuMXTGCQIfK2l1hC97AH0okmJRotICyXwueDAJ3UsxQGCncz9ep1EnBNy5wLYAn1-XaiIMr_A/s640/distagon28_compare.jpg" width="312" /></a></td></tr>
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The above are the MTF charts for both lenses. It is the ACTUAL measurement from a real lens and not a theoretical number, From the lens construction diagram, you can see how similar they are. Having with new glass types the new lens has a better overall performance at f/2. But look closer, the old 28mm has much closer Sagital/Meridonial lines. What does that mean? It means less coma/astigma.<br />
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<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-914523661682721712016-04-14T04:57:00.001-07:002017-03-11T05:42:08.898-08:00Turning budget CD player to audiophilic gear<br />
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Thrift stores are the good places to get some old electronic parts for projects.<br />
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A week ago I took my wife to a hair salon. Before taking her back, I had spare time to kill so I visited a thrift store nearby. Minutes in the shop and I spot a very nice Philips CD player CD482. I test it and it was nothing wrong except the tray belt. This machine has a CDM4/19 laser head and only the head itself is worth the price tag.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepMGLtCQMHvb-cLcD_NO5iqeqsiiIgMBof-PUUfyCM0w68RB7h5ekygzr4kZp3ndL_pU7O1e60Ob7o2rgLWA7adPhZimw1fPuEm-yV9TYDbWS357hyBo8v4k00fZuE5FKAwpy/s1600/DSC04013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjepMGLtCQMHvb-cLcD_NO5iqeqsiiIgMBof-PUUfyCM0w68RB7h5ekygzr4kZp3ndL_pU7O1e60Ob7o2rgLWA7adPhZimw1fPuEm-yV9TYDbWS357hyBo8v4k00fZuE5FKAwpy/s320/DSC04013.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the interior of the CD482 with the tray</td></tr>
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There were several versions of CD482 with the same outlook but with different DAC configurations. It is a standard CDM4 decoder with SAA7210 ( aka chip A) connecting to<br />
1. SAA7220 - TDA1541 (The best CD482, made in Netherlands) <br />
2. SAA7220 - TDA1543 (A cheaper version with over-sampling)<br />
3. NOS- TDA1543 (The cheapest solution in Non-oversampling configuration)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7cAuauPSwBPstYsIX39rwYpFZUAKP7hpw_8XXIHvkosPhY2aRejloDXzUyKQCd3rAPuDqLlGgxlamN8jr24yqj_44BubiLw7oQyf1Tb-1sRB7PD0qXRRNzNBzXMYtVBfKQFY/s1600/DSC04011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-7cAuauPSwBPstYsIX39rwYpFZUAKP7hpw_8XXIHvkosPhY2aRejloDXzUyKQCd3rAPuDqLlGgxlamN8jr24yqj_44BubiLw7oQyf1Tb-1sRB7PD0qXRRNzNBzXMYtVBfKQFY/s320/DSC04011.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remove the highlighted parts and install the sockets</td></tr>
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The datasheet of SAA7210 stated that the SAA7210 can directly link to TDA1543 and provide the most economic solution, My machine, having the code CD482 01R, is the most basic one and only has one TDA1543. It was good since I had no burden to think about preserving the existing configure. To me, TDA1543 is a so-so DAC chip. But indeed, one Japanese Audio designer won a competition by using a vintage TDA1543. Amazing! <br />
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I do have the DF1 (TDA1307+ TDA1547) DAC board which can be used to convert this CD player. This is a very flexible DAC board which can provide 11.8688MHz system clock signal for SAA7210 so I can upgrade the clock as well.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAy0zWtP6CkkIM_ollumoUXWCKV5lS2iB_0eH913Jj0giseqSYSXGkOY1xRpoNTFZ7_TRgxsy2MOwf7nU0hcnCLnfK2IPnn0e_1c95HJXUxvfmjlvvhW1NVzBAdQz0aaXCYqB/s1600/DSC04016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEAy0zWtP6CkkIM_ollumoUXWCKV5lS2iB_0eH913Jj0giseqSYSXGkOY1xRpoNTFZ7_TRgxsy2MOwf7nU0hcnCLnfK2IPnn0e_1c95HJXUxvfmjlvvhW1NVzBAdQz0aaXCYqB/s320/DSC04016.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here is the work list:<br />
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1. Clean all parts and board<br />
2. remove the TDA1543, three LM833 (for IV conversion), install the IC sockets so the I2S signal can be taken out (pin1 to 3 and pin 4 of TDA1543 as I2S and digital ground)<br />
3. remove the coupling output capacitors, install the socket so the output can be connected back to the main board. <br />
4. remove the 11.8388MHz crystal and all related components, install the socket so the external clock signal can be injected to pin 19 of the SAA7210<br />
5. install the transformer and the new DAC board <br />
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note: Don't remove the opamp for the headphone and the headphone on CD player is still functional. <br />
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It is not that difficult to modify this player since there is plenty of room in it. <br />
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I haven't changed any capacitors in this player right now and the caps in this player are pretty good in quality. However, for the sake of safety, I will replace them later.<br />
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Reading disc is quick and snappy showing that the laser is good.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUqi-e3K7tONX4KBx92_HpnCxX5QthHLSi5MrdTHvvHMNkdKiI-_DYDopkjcK0wiNOtwKbDV-oUUs8W0vDhYeenp7guXknMXKkBj0dyP_Jlqbh_NTkHPUxEPaBFsdg0PgVFOE/s1600/tda1547_board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUqi-e3K7tONX4KBx92_HpnCxX5QthHLSi5MrdTHvvHMNkdKiI-_DYDopkjcK0wiNOtwKbDV-oUUs8W0vDhYeenp7guXknMXKkBj0dyP_Jlqbh_NTkHPUxEPaBFsdg0PgVFOE/s320/tda1547_board.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVf7gOWmIi4ho86xswecJxGUj0H67bMUIUJFK8wLLbGCrRfZS3kYpH1qxKryNOl1J1rhNn6spLpTNO_owwkYJqsjzPrwCBwhAaivdUt0a5rsKXygomCq5paltdvX4gcjCEnwMn/s1600/tda1547_IV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVf7gOWmIi4ho86xswecJxGUj0H67bMUIUJFK8wLLbGCrRfZS3kYpH1qxKryNOl1J1rhNn6spLpTNO_owwkYJqsjzPrwCBwhAaivdUt0a5rsKXygomCq5paltdvX4gcjCEnwMn/s320/tda1547_IV.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWhcB2OEi56oDp0YeOnbHsqRD93kg2sox-fgzPvkZ7tcYJPbyO0raTHYgrwY9XnYcc0X23slMTR4W3OvGxa_Wq8poSSKvPxGgchRSxPhM09DxpEvUZiRhiBhwp0KZGnwc48ga/s1600/TDA1307_1547.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiWhcB2OEi56oDp0YeOnbHsqRD93kg2sox-fgzPvkZ7tcYJPbyO0raTHYgrwY9XnYcc0X23slMTR4W3OvGxa_Wq8poSSKvPxGgchRSxPhM09DxpEvUZiRhiBhwp0KZGnwc48ga/s320/TDA1307_1547.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
The TDA1547 DAC board had been modified and the internal IV opamp had been bypassed and replaced by LM6172. The design of this board was nothing fancy but following the suggested design from Philips, using two NE5534 in each channel. Two OS-con caps were used for output coupling.<br />
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Let talk about the DAC board, a MCU (micro-control unit) was needed to control the TDA1307 and not many manufacturers were using this chip with the TDA1547.The first Marantz Super Audio CD/CD player, the SA-1, is one of this. TDA1307+1547 is the last ultimate High-end DAC from Philips. Sound is great, at least from the measurement. Feeling is very subjective and some old chips with proper configuration can beat the new. Who know?<br />
<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-50877072317322492152015-10-10T05:22:00.000-07:002017-03-11T14:33:23.960-08:00Time to fix the oldies... the Pioneer SM-B200A Stereo Amp with Tunner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW03ANyYcwIAsMzme72HpxdmIMW7oeM7W2ECWemGH_ZMUer9J_zrlbmBG1n_DZ4xu-SSBhq-KMTWNRjftwTIYIS85ESqz62yyDRnWD-t_9gpxCSGfEsr-lggGdGd_SSWn3TwNv/s1600/b200a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="331" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW03ANyYcwIAsMzme72HpxdmIMW7oeM7W2ECWemGH_ZMUer9J_zrlbmBG1n_DZ4xu-SSBhq-KMTWNRjftwTIYIS85ESqz62yyDRnWD-t_9gpxCSGfEsr-lggGdGd_SSWn3TwNv/s640/b200a.jpg" title="" width="640" /></a></div>
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I got this amp many years ago. But I hadn't touched it until recently. The previous owner told me it had some problems and because of these I bought it cheap. I hadn't check what went wrong and the only things I knew was the output and power transformers were good.<br />
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It is a 60s tube amp, having two radio tuners. You can hear the news from AM broadcasting on the left speaker while you enjoy the music on the right channel. It is a very distinctive feature of this kind of tuners. The design is for the country having a stereo broadcasting during the 60s by sending stereo signal through AM and FM.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zilS-x0udHJ7qT9H5ytDbifuocqtYZM5RCzeIOwGDYihE6kL02Ev4gmN5qaHW2qMlDPazw-Hnot3v5sUhLS4TSUvuGUAaIiKYOw7MLGDSlbCAyG7QTHxRAPXBn3kifmDnBWf/s1600/Pioneer_SMB-200-A_schematic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="441" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4zilS-x0udHJ7qT9H5ytDbifuocqtYZM5RCzeIOwGDYihE6kL02Ev4gmN5qaHW2qMlDPazw-Hnot3v5sUhLS4TSUvuGUAaIiKYOw7MLGDSlbCAyG7QTHxRAPXBn3kifmDnBWf/s640/Pioneer_SMB-200-A_schematic.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It is the SM-B200A circuit</td></tr>
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One of the problems of this amp is that it can play music normally for the first 15 minutes and after that, the power tubes turn red hot. By looking at the circuit diagram, this amp is biased by -ve voltage and it is not a self-biased design. And the bias voltage is rectified by a selenium diode. This diode is a highly suspect to cause the problem. Selenium diode is not that stable after 50 years and the stack of the selenium wafer will loose due to the thermal expansion/contraction cycle. And it explains why amp works perfectly for first few minutes but fails after heating up. After the diode gets warm, it gets expanded and increases its reversal voltage. In the end, the bias voltage turns to more positive and the current increases gradually. After changing this diode with modern silicon diode, the amp runs normally and backs to life again. But....it is just the beginning.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVTzffu3obHoFHDqugqt5f3qsbb1k60iPVgvmwzfY_pVobFqy5DqxVx5hyOR315L3ncjCdE2mvMYixnAQFzvXExvW5fV0JdnWJ2SSDSRi1dHNKioS_4NgS3GLWs-7NImiP3BJ/s1600/sel_diode.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuVTzffu3obHoFHDqugqt5f3qsbb1k60iPVgvmwzfY_pVobFqy5DqxVx5hyOR315L3ncjCdE2mvMYixnAQFzvXExvW5fV0JdnWJ2SSDSRi1dHNKioS_4NgS3GLWs-7NImiP3BJ/s400/sel_diode.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Red Selenium Diode - loosen screw causes the malfunction</td></tr>
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During the 1960s, most of the amp were made with carbon composition resistors or wire resistors. Wire resistors should be ok and they are pretty reliable. However, carbon composition resistors (CCR) are not. The value of this kind resistors will draft along with time. The moisture will get into the package and heat generated will promote the value drafting. Measuring the value of the CCRs near to the power amplifying section and I found most of the CCRs were going bad. However, the CCRs in other section are still OK. It is a rule of thumb to check the CCR in old equipment if it's running hot before. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcX_Hs8clCHftF1H2uT8olLM0T50PsCKH_YnK4pUpEQJ__pCJ0_S7nu7UGK0-gLd2sjZqjOt0PbjrDC_1z0vKWfJrl45Rs4DNNyFqoMxR-OAbYqX9Tx892KcfNWTOj4Ml3iQZ/s1600/powersupply_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcX_Hs8clCHftF1H2uT8olLM0T50PsCKH_YnK4pUpEQJ__pCJ0_S7nu7UGK0-gLd2sjZqjOt0PbjrDC_1z0vKWfJrl45Rs4DNNyFqoMxR-OAbYqX9Tx892KcfNWTOj4Ml3iQZ/s640/powersupply_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The value of the CCRs changed from 4.7k to 5.2K</td></tr>
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The hum level of this amp is acceptable but still high. This is a sign of deterioration of power capacitors. However, the 20ufx3 and 20-20-40uf multi-section cap are too expensive and so I create a printed circuit board to hold the capacitors which can be fitted to the original mounting hole.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2xGexnpGSzWoNBv3c9BbC1SO1bSbCzM7tTwsKEfPaYO1koUskCGapJia3yQKYkxbbOK4aAZa_KMF9upj5ip1rY-mQFBHWuC3nYOFuONmEFg3s7bx5TUYJ2IGW_Ff4ZAVCs4d/s1600/powersupply.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ2xGexnpGSzWoNBv3c9BbC1SO1bSbCzM7tTwsKEfPaYO1koUskCGapJia3yQKYkxbbOK4aAZa_KMF9upj5ip1rY-mQFBHWuC3nYOFuONmEFg3s7bx5TUYJ2IGW_Ff4ZAVCs4d/s400/powersupply.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Not only replacing the old components, I was also trying to improve the wiring. Originally, the filament wires were not twisted or twisted not enough. After I rewired the filament wires and I can hear/measure the different before and after. <br />
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Spent a day and all the bugs were fixed. It is a time to test the amp with the most sophisticated testing equipment - my ears. (Sure I tested the amp with oscilloscope/signal generator before the listening test. I am the true believer that the good amp should have a good measurement result. But the amp with good measurement result doesn't mean it is a good amp!)<br />
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It is a really a good little amplifier even though it only has 11W per channel. The tuners are also good and sensitive even I haven't re-calibrated them. It provides a typical tube sound and good for jazz and vocal. The frequency response is about 30Hz to 19,000Hz -2dB.<br />
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Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-16466410060852966492015-04-21T14:19:00.002-07:002018-09-15T06:53:14.589-07:00Digital Contax T and Minox 35<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyVxt5cgoJWynXTOWj8dyRNhcIAtbZaKFgLkDkisOGoUOgE_epE7DhMav2uH14XJ8h6OlkFztFkacwNFxnXkW8yVEjjr5ecdHv9jjJt62z7Nsl1oy7wHkaro4PFubYk_f67o8/s1600/lens_pic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyVxt5cgoJWynXTOWj8dyRNhcIAtbZaKFgLkDkisOGoUOgE_epE7DhMav2uH14XJ8h6OlkFztFkacwNFxnXkW8yVEjjr5ecdHv9jjJt62z7Nsl1oy7wHkaro4PFubYk_f67o8/s1600/lens_pic.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These two lenses made the A7 more compact and good for street snap shooting.</td></tr>
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Compact film cameras are so fascinating. Started from Rollei 35 to the latest or the last generation of compact film camera Ricoh GR series, the images that they produced are so amazingly good when comparing to SLR lenses. The size of them is so small and just like a pack of playing cards. Take a look on Minolta TC-1, one motor does all the winding/rewinding/lens extension functions. They are not only the cameras but a master piece like Swiss watches. Nikon 28Ti and 35Ti have the retro watch dial and look really classic. I collected a lot before but they were all sold except few. The only compact cameras that I still have are Contax T and Minox.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jGc2pTCrVCsiDp7N78qE0PQhQIjoR-nMTvFhJTi3fuFrYP4kQt7izpDNv7v0uNBFOFFktYCBiorGtSS0YXT7mFgTGTD0FOGfDenZGG18c07Cu92uKc0nnkg4zswHMowRNitk/s1600/contax_T_on_A7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jGc2pTCrVCsiDp7N78qE0PQhQIjoR-nMTvFhJTi3fuFrYP4kQt7izpDNv7v0uNBFOFFktYCBiorGtSS0YXT7mFgTGTD0FOGfDenZGG18c07Cu92uKc0nnkg4zswHMowRNitk/s1600/contax_T_on_A7.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taken by Contax T 38mm f/8 on A7 . You can download this image and check the resolution of the centre/corners.</td></tr>
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Contax T is the first compact camera from Contax which was designed by Porsche, having the titanium top case with sapphire shutter release button. The Sonar 38mm f/2.8 lens is so good and it was still used in T2.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLt4g1qYYoabwt6ty54Y-rTDUYm7hOaD4ZPWLL9bBMbk46P_GocU4dBPUqdkciWxmpJcnGDlTY_ELaKp6s78ebECyo0bkSclguYMa1mxn12Wuvp5Wo73SMgxKUdim42oD004_f/s1600/contax_t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLt4g1qYYoabwt6ty54Y-rTDUYm7hOaD4ZPWLL9bBMbk46P_GocU4dBPUqdkciWxmpJcnGDlTY_ELaKp6s78ebECyo0bkSclguYMa1mxn12Wuvp5Wo73SMgxKUdim42oD004_f/s400/contax_t.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Minox 35 is a good performer without RF focusing mechanism. Having a very simple design doesn't mean the images it produced are not good. The basic Minotar's (the original lens used on Minox 35 series) design hasn't been changed for years. (Minoxar is multi-coated and Minotar is single-coated. Minox AF is a different lens ). </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81zH_N0TzZwRztVMCkxSvLWtYh3Iv6WOX9Iu90zgePIzyKXQX-2Cy5yk-hQgEFkG8sWFdWDNXCEbXOh3gXG-Qxal7BQJUsgoQf4x8pxJ6frD-XUsMfhiDWufTYfS8MEJcntDH/s1600/minox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh81zH_N0TzZwRztVMCkxSvLWtYh3Iv6WOX9Iu90zgePIzyKXQX-2Cy5yk-hQgEFkG8sWFdWDNXCEbXOh3gXG-Qxal7BQJUsgoQf4x8pxJ6frD-XUsMfhiDWufTYfS8MEJcntDH/s400/minox.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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On film, Contax T Sonnar 38mm is good even wide opened, soft at corner and here is the MTF of this lens. The MTF graph shows the drop in resolution near to the corner (18mm).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjP9uugWC1iWCQpFVJK2-eHLq2NveN3VIKINiwwE9pOPqkPYSXRPP9tJJ2v0LTORmqJTwyTLuNPOVPRYYfj3cNS71OV68HsIwGhPqyYO1XEXserm1tsqgA9seRxlBs5kRpiWVb/s1600/contax_lens_form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjP9uugWC1iWCQpFVJK2-eHLq2NveN3VIKINiwwE9pOPqkPYSXRPP9tJJ2v0LTORmqJTwyTLuNPOVPRYYfj3cNS71OV68HsIwGhPqyYO1XEXserm1tsqgA9seRxlBs5kRpiWVb/s1600/contax_lens_form.jpg" width="303" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIRKAbJJ0HWspCXqNh_54R9s6KA2waq3gHmh1ox9wC9yx4HvPRkgPc5rRCvJE4uZu8uv7I-N2W3A4TbG-k007rfvuIe0chRuDrxcxf5bRW6DhMo3f9KCNCtqZSTWXT9YkgSYh/s1600/img031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizIRKAbJJ0HWspCXqNh_54R9s6KA2waq3gHmh1ox9wC9yx4HvPRkgPc5rRCvJE4uZu8uv7I-N2W3A4TbG-k007rfvuIe0chRuDrxcxf5bRW6DhMo3f9KCNCtqZSTWXT9YkgSYh/s1600/img031.jpg" width="275" /></a></div>
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However, it reaches its excellence at f/8. Since it is a Sonnar type lens, the whole lens will be moved in and out when focusing. The lens distance between film plate and the lens is not that critical. But need to readjust the focus after it was implanted onto a camera cap of Sony A7.</div>
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On Sony A7, the image corner is not that great. It may be due to the thick filter stack in front of the imager and causing the image smashing. I may try to replace the filter stack one day. But at f/8, the lens is really good.<br />
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<b>** Contax T lens on newer Sony A7RII got better corner performance even at f/2.8. (2018_09_10)</b><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMB8tA4EHWwWpa9EkeFUmeEfojE0VRbI6VzD4rjVL2jCaP8QzH7gcHQEQabSgiUDzCIfNABrvJ7wtiAtyOOsQ7vuWGeU9gA0AOe9-hqkm_pZYHFOUrDsBKecQrt6Xy7T8qzwI9/s1600/zeiss_compare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMB8tA4EHWwWpa9EkeFUmeEfojE0VRbI6VzD4rjVL2jCaP8QzH7gcHQEQabSgiUDzCIfNABrvJ7wtiAtyOOsQ7vuWGeU9gA0AOe9-hqkm_pZYHFOUrDsBKecQrt6Xy7T8qzwI9/s1600/zeiss_compare.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contax T 38mm</td></tr>
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Minotar shows the same corner softness. Implanting Minotar needs more measurements and the distance between the lens and film plane must be accurate due to the fact that it is Tessar-type structure. Any deviation will cause the loss of resolution.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNkGEFzMizecQBDNQBMXyGu8nGuNyn2XGk0Vma2JmyXkc9jXUx1K4MjAWHDtM2m5wFyg4Dt0RZnRaAR2ZgzAAJa4TQT-Wkjftri7dJnAKzfOl8gmm1SRNHLuIY8B5RJzDtYCp/s1600/minotar_lens_form.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNkGEFzMizecQBDNQBMXyGu8nGuNyn2XGk0Vma2JmyXkc9jXUx1K4MjAWHDtM2m5wFyg4Dt0RZnRaAR2ZgzAAJa4TQT-Wkjftri7dJnAKzfOl8gmm1SRNHLuIY8B5RJzDtYCp/s1600/minotar_lens_form.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4ENHsjnHsSAKGdx0C02pwEmgQDPAbVKcrFxtSoK6UrEH5N3MchovM14ctqhOvtNVoMoxhvMbVfedAgNuCPJkRXjdknpKg3999UFn-dDMftafs6K3_ME1x5sFLVk_BSJ7FcY2/s1600/minotar_compare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX4ENHsjnHsSAKGdx0C02pwEmgQDPAbVKcrFxtSoK6UrEH5N3MchovM14ctqhOvtNVoMoxhvMbVfedAgNuCPJkRXjdknpKg3999UFn-dDMftafs6K3_ME1x5sFLVk_BSJ7FcY2/s1600/minotar_compare.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minotar 35mm</td></tr>
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Personally, I love the Contax T 38mm having a rich colour reproduction and a very high centre resolution even at f/2.8. Distortion is low comparing with Minotar.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEE_edT3qUHmtWYbAhQJT2iveDkZTD_45VmE_5qn_awaiKWT-u3F7LwWsA9P_WZXZwhUGs9Myg-Fia8tmWS5PgrqP9KfJTcAtv9yUgwbYEoo-c4ee5vjmy-g72llK5t_r03euq/s1600/contax+T_image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEE_edT3qUHmtWYbAhQJT2iveDkZTD_45VmE_5qn_awaiKWT-u3F7LwWsA9P_WZXZwhUGs9Myg-Fia8tmWS5PgrqP9KfJTcAtv9yUgwbYEoo-c4ee5vjmy-g72llK5t_r03euq/s640/contax+T_image.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Set the aperture at f/8 and focus at 4m, now you have the free focus camera. Contax T 38mm</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-79550452795005087082015-02-25T08:31:00.005-08:002016-07-11T09:52:39.637-07:00It is the lens you may not have heard of<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsfCrAbGxAOiIyrT0OyrT8EXRq6FNzbgQL769-y85G0_KvJHVB1dieWuPjMU_S87VNIu5vi_UtVjyO72YxRU0HhKL7zhKsZoxezb8JMRVUXJis2Zw-pSLzq0hLRQc1M9C58A8/s1600/Pearl_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsfCrAbGxAOiIyrT0OyrT8EXRq6FNzbgQL769-y85G0_KvJHVB1dieWuPjMU_S87VNIu5vi_UtVjyO72YxRU0HhKL7zhKsZoxezb8JMRVUXJis2Zw-pSLzq0hLRQc1M9C58A8/s1600/Pearl_2.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
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It is the lens you may not have heard of</div>
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<b>Pearl River 35mm f/2.3 from China</b></div>
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It was the lens from the late 70s. At that time, China started to open to the outside world, I still remembered the China which I visited at 1980s. Some trains were still powered by steam engines. The people slept outside during summer without fearing about the robbery. Basically, the society was well organized but relatively poor in western standard. (on the other side of the world, we were too materialistic ) Without any help from another country, China started their camera manufacturing by learning from other manufacturers. The appearance and the workmanship are very close to Nikon but indeed it is the lens for Pearl River ST series camera in modified MD mount. The optical design of this lens is very tradition but not exact copy from other. And according to historic information, the glasses of this lens were made in China. It is a multi coated lens. Due to the material shortage at that time, the brass was coated with zinc and not nickel.</div>
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It was the lens I owned for many years. The lens has a little drawback and it has very strong yellow cast. May be due to the fact that most of the film used at that time was Black and White. Yellow tone indeed can make the black and white image sharper. Today, it is not a problem since we can correct the tone digitally by few clicks. </div>
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It is a very good performer. Won several awards in China at that time and it was manufactured by military factories. (During the country transformation, the military factories started to produce civilian products.) It is both rare and unheard by western. The lens was sold in Hong Kong for sometime during 1980. </div>
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I included the instruction sheets.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPQl2QeFRHF3V3VYp_CbKV9aTgj1oi81xxn6CD0GUOABAmmi4CcpHVOA6kIj-dOKysRbyxS8fO_CcpIDEKcOLevtJcXzBU3f1UJC2LJoZbWjvuoRMpmUW8J__SbnAHr3FP4ac/s1600/pearl+river_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPQl2QeFRHF3V3VYp_CbKV9aTgj1oi81xxn6CD0GUOABAmmi4CcpHVOA6kIj-dOKysRbyxS8fO_CcpIDEKcOLevtJcXzBU3f1UJC2LJoZbWjvuoRMpmUW8J__SbnAHr3FP4ac/s1600/pearl+river_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKa8rvHBBMuL4BVsfA9U-G4xTyOzrB2Q_PmnTNaAFmWLpN5sKRIaIHYQkXAFPMY_QR3o994sKseTHS3vcIDFDwTpUsCah_DngIKj1o7KQA3OVgk1fgUnLR7gNSIx0uiVsz8jw/s1600/Pearl_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKKa8rvHBBMuL4BVsfA9U-G4xTyOzrB2Q_PmnTNaAFmWLpN5sKRIaIHYQkXAFPMY_QR3o994sKseTHS3vcIDFDwTpUsCah_DngIKj1o7KQA3OVgk1fgUnLR7gNSIx0uiVsz8jw/s1600/Pearl_3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3ah01EkpIl6UqPBRuXBualxAiOFDUQ8OkKM90ul7x3uMcBRp9lO6ljusL0n2y9GgfY9RSsQCHFBcLoxHTHWMewbZXTixjnEPy1kTsnWQFEZFBclam3BiWLX2C_XK9C7Z06n0/s1600/Pearl_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS3ah01EkpIl6UqPBRuXBualxAiOFDUQ8OkKM90ul7x3uMcBRp9lO6ljusL0n2y9GgfY9RSsQCHFBcLoxHTHWMewbZXTixjnEPy1kTsnWQFEZFBclam3BiWLX2C_XK9C7Z06n0/s1600/Pearl_4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-25752309123607044142015-02-19T13:08:00.001-08:002018-11-18T05:02:57.025-08:00Kodak SLR/C and time to say good bye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsVQRIbW3SW-nkZrKzdu5EOdNtci6BM6w-BpxhyphenhyphenGAE5fgj6ZlAlpPEZfuHzObS7Z3yjr1t2w1XDuySWwrdytVxbWweesJgb2e8-DjdzdW2ap_xVQWNJZ4B7gNOaveFpN5_rF8/s1600/IMG_3979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzsVQRIbW3SW-nkZrKzdu5EOdNtci6BM6w-BpxhyphenhyphenGAE5fgj6ZlAlpPEZfuHzObS7Z3yjr1t2w1XDuySWwrdytVxbWweesJgb2e8-DjdzdW2ap_xVQWNJZ4B7gNOaveFpN5_rF8/s1600/IMG_3979.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I purchased my first digital SLR camera around 2007. It looks a bit late for a man taking pictures for three decades. Indeed, I have had chances to use professional digital cameras since 1990s due to the fact that I worked in Kodak. When I left the job, it was the time Kodak launches the newest full frame camera Kodak Pro 14. I am a bit picky in choosing a digital camera. First of all, it should be in Canon Mount. Does it mean Nikon has problems? No. Nikon is good, really good. But it is not my type.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWA1reEP2PGIpjhgxclU4AZDXTM7IInL658Q-9R6NSKKG5jcKODpd_tPXcOfpAztjO2zOC82QWWCe6ovBFEd4O-SkTyh9Iy134NvVHcbevwDlPe3AjwnKoqouRBomSsBGTD3QR/s1600/IMG_3982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWA1reEP2PGIpjhgxclU4AZDXTM7IInL658Q-9R6NSKKG5jcKODpd_tPXcOfpAztjO2zOC82QWWCe6ovBFEd4O-SkTyh9Iy134NvVHcbevwDlPe3AjwnKoqouRBomSsBGTD3QR/s1600/IMG_3982.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Minolta XD was my first camera and at that time no auto focus lens was available (yes, there were few such as Vivitar 200mm f/3.5 and Tamron 70-210 f/4 autofocus lens). Photographers needed to learn, not only how to but need to focus fast. You should adapt the way of turning the focusing barrel on lens and became a brain imprint. Minolta /Canon/Contax/Leica/Olympus has the same turning direction. But Nikon (and Pentax) is not. Up till now, I still have the reflex action to turn the lens barrel anticlockwise for infinity focus.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucJ7aMMRQY596WnbSUiueRhhULvzxaEnQ1GbW9YkWjaWJID1Y9ABLcuPD5W_n5jZZM6M1bAxndzOIiFg-wrNT2X-m_20AcMCg9S5YSSy9Zuhabtqe2zvqhMjt6nnfBoCuVnaf/s1600/IMG_3980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgucJ7aMMRQY596WnbSUiueRhhULvzxaEnQ1GbW9YkWjaWJID1Y9ABLcuPD5W_n5jZZM6M1bAxndzOIiFg-wrNT2X-m_20AcMCg9S5YSSy9Zuhabtqe2zvqhMjt6nnfBoCuVnaf/s1600/IMG_3980.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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After Minolta, I switched to use Canon T90 then F1n then EOS1N but in the end I settled in Contax camp. Luckily Contax CY lens can be used on Canon EOS. Naturally, Kodak SLR/C became my first choice.<br />
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I also owned the Canon 5D . I kept the SLR/C since it is the camera with great colour. SLR/C has better lens clearance than 5D so I can use most of my Contax lenses. SLR/C has no AA (aka burr filter). The image is so sharp and I can print the picture up to 30" without problem.<br />
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However, it is the time to say goodbye to my beloved camera. It is too heavy and I have no longer can carrying this camera around my neck. Most of my lenses are manually focused and my eyesight gets worst along my age. I need a good camera with an EVF so I can continue to use my old lenses.<br />
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Goodbye my Kodak camera.<br />
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<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-79052464154640316102014-08-06T17:07:00.003-07:002023-05-30T17:03:43.250-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rU4XQOlC4dng61whONtVnUNZuV7fSmtTShfkrIw14tkCR7LjwsSJmoELYURWOhWjhEQgw2gElQ9PC-Jn8zVsDZmIR8BjhLHBoB1a3wVvNwf9UNP1Q5w4hvNGYU1ADMkz04Ds/s1600/final.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="622" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1rU4XQOlC4dng61whONtVnUNZuV7fSmtTShfkrIw14tkCR7LjwsSJmoELYURWOhWjhEQgw2gElQ9PC-Jn8zVsDZmIR8BjhLHBoB1a3wVvNwf9UNP1Q5w4hvNGYU1ADMkz04Ds/s640/final.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<u><b>Someone says it is garbage, I say it is a treasure.</b></u></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Last week, I attended a Hamfest in Malton, and since it was still early, there weren't many people around. I took my time browsing through the various stalls, hoping to find something interesting. Unfortunately, I didn't come across anything that caught my attention. Feeling a bit disappointed, I decided it was time to leave and head towards the cherry picking area.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">However, just as I was about to leave, a little gray box grabbed my attention. It turned out to be an old Reel to Reel Recorder, originally manufactured by Akai but re-branded as Roberts. The price tag displayed was 98, but I decided to try my luck and negotiate. After a brief conversation with the seller, they agreed to let go of the Akai recorder in its current condition for a mere two banknotes featuring a portrait of Queen Elizabeth.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">It was quite a surprising turn of events, and I couldn't resist taking advantage of such a deal. Now I have a vintage piece of audio equipment to tinker with, and I'm excited to explore its capabilities.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pNxAdKuxLE8ybT7W1idTX7ihvlrmbO8vJpCPYnDhUpJtr5Ed-LFRQdzfNQRP2FdXi_MZXGPaGrxrgCRbZ8hd3IulVa9BZQMZUoBVQNVtyWkJ4cquNjZt_Haf1mo5Ral9RoZW/s1600/720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-pNxAdKuxLE8ybT7W1idTX7ihvlrmbO8vJpCPYnDhUpJtr5Ed-LFRQdzfNQRP2FdXi_MZXGPaGrxrgCRbZ8hd3IulVa9BZQMZUoBVQNVtyWkJ4cquNjZt_Haf1mo5Ral9RoZW/s1600/720.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">This is a Roberts 720 R2R. Someone says Roberts 720 is Akai M7 but it is not. I am interested the old Akai/Roberts R2R not because of the tape playback but all about the little tube amplifiers. The condition of this little R2R is in fair condition. It seems that it had sat in a damp basement for decades. I pull out two little tube amps from the wooden box at once and sun-bathing them for a day hoping to remove the mildew smell. The smell was pretty strong and my wife wouldn't allow me to take them into the house.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimn14lAcPHH3nZUHi6kwlnERD6JqYTkdIN3bGmC__G6oQrFDYzWUTKGvXYpLq2-zaUKzkXepNJDfQHo5TKn9hdoErPltGslzX31BFic9_g2cuyJVC0qkxW2PcwftgVBd-R3Bb/s1600/gut_old.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimn14lAcPHH3nZUHi6kwlnERD6JqYTkdIN3bGmC__G6oQrFDYzWUTKGvXYpLq2-zaUKzkXepNJDfQHo5TKn9hdoErPltGslzX31BFic9_g2cuyJVC0qkxW2PcwftgVBd-R3Bb/s400/gut_old.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I took into consideration the age of these vintage tube amplifiers, realizing that they were over 50 years old. To ensure their optimal performance and longevity, I made the decision to replace all the electrolytic capacitors. Since I had no intention of using them as a tape recorder, I also removed the bias circuit and some network circuits that were specific to tape recording functionality.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In my exploration of the circuitry, I compared the actual circuit of the Roberts 720 with the service manuals of Akai M7, M8, and Roberts 990/997. Interestingly, I discovered that the Roberts 720 shared a closer resemblance with the Roberts 990, rather than the Akai M7. This correlation further confirmed my belief that the Roberts 720 was a unique model with its own distinct characteristics.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Note: R54 is 100K actually. The hum balance for the 6BQ5 is not connected to ground but to Pin 3 of 6BQ5.</i></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">I have made modifications to the Roberts 720 R2R to enhance its functionality for playing vinyl records. One of the modifications I made was the addition of a passive RIAA network between the 6267 and the 12AX7 tubes, replacing the original 12AD7 tube. This modification allows for proper equalization of the audio signal from the vinyl records.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_klGi05fCp5cqXLhk-IgsIJoOVDLnOdvqgiViLXkV8bByhoTbeGXY13ywsgjyaO6X2V36nYbSK6g7ZSps_hDfmnuT-1PYN4voqiJW7rKMXJWx1HN3Cri6n3U99Oni6BG8WMe/s1600/circuit_new.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR_klGi05fCp5cqXLhk-IgsIJoOVDLnOdvqgiViLXkV8bByhoTbeGXY13ywsgjyaO6X2V36nYbSK6g7ZSps_hDfmnuT-1PYN4voqiJW7rKMXJWx1HN3Cri6n3U99Oni6BG8WMe/s640/circuit_new.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I've made efforts to maintain the originality of the Roberts 720 R2R while identifying areas for improvement. Based on the observations, here are the modifications I've made:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Grounding: I have implemented a single-point grounding system to ensure that all input jacks are isolated from the case. This helps to minimize potential interference and improves overall signal integrity.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Filament Wiring: To reduce interference, I have twisted the filament wiring. This technique can help minimize noise pickup and ensure cleaner audio signals.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jack Replacement: I have replaced all the jacks with RCA sockets, except for the speaker out. This modification allows for easier connectivity with external devices using standard RCA cables.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Input Selector: I've added a selector switch that enables you to switch between Phono and Line inputs. This enhancement provides flexibility in choosing the input source and expands the usability of the R2R.</div></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Here is the arrangement of the RCA sockets on the face-plate.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Ay6Tbyoy6UjicdaJU0bo91UpQs6wfwxhp04yJjNbKl_kCsktB2GuceJNJiwj7707Rcg01qSh-vUMX78hyphenhyphenw2rpP52oGa8A0IHyv6eHcQ39pHvqtKNJOY3MGcqoWrkR0-PDh9T/s1600/IMG_0023.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Ay6Tbyoy6UjicdaJU0bo91UpQs6wfwxhp04yJjNbKl_kCsktB2GuceJNJiwj7707Rcg01qSh-vUMX78hyphenhyphenw2rpP52oGa8A0IHyv6eHcQ39pHvqtKNJOY3MGcqoWrkR0-PDh9T/s640/IMG_0023.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Top left switch: input select ; Top right : pre-out; Bottom left: Phono/Line In</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">My approach is to maintaining authenticity while making necessary modifications to the Roberts 720 R2R. Re-gutting the e-caps with modern capacitors allows you to preserve the appearance and value of the equipment while ensuring reliable performance.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Finding original e-caps for vintage equipment can indeed be challenging, and regutting them with modern capacitors provides a practical solution. This way, the equipment retains its visual authenticity while benefiting from the improved reliability and availability of modern components.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">As for sourcing bumble bee film caps, these can be difficult to find due to their vintage nature. However, there are alternatives available in the market that can provide similar sonic characteristics. Exploring reputable suppliers and discussing with fellow enthusiasts or specialized forums can help in finding suitable replacements or alternatives that maintain the desired sound quality.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My dedication to both the appearance and performance of vintage audio equipment is commendable. </div><div><br /></div></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgJ9eXSChm8rJNzMAEeGNMVLjwf0whMnkSZ8XIt3-ETY-ACTWgoedbRjPWSTrDe8obRN0sHvZ2ulqneCGGbRWpwTj7_NwoptgDpBsNh5bYV8chbVwBzXvT503Apxbpn4t3OQ1/s1600/IMG_0021.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgJ9eXSChm8rJNzMAEeGNMVLjwf0whMnkSZ8XIt3-ETY-ACTWgoedbRjPWSTrDe8obRN0sHvZ2ulqneCGGbRWpwTj7_NwoptgDpBsNh5bYV8chbVwBzXvT503Apxbpn4t3OQ1/s400/IMG_0021.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Two 18uf/400V caps were used. Please don't increase the value of these cap especially the one connected to 6X4 (max. 40uf). If not, the 6X4 will be damaged by high current in-flux when switching on</i> .</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Here is the finished look. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsujInYf05VB60bMSGry53XrKyIfaLZ7vtdZGhLB7i0aX1yEa5EQjD2hK-lj-LxJeH-9syHqjlWBk4VxsuQnqBAogblXBIQnaQtzD2Np6cYP_zqmg08ecRaQRuU6Zy-evAV1kr/s1600/finished.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="377" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsujInYf05VB60bMSGry53XrKyIfaLZ7vtdZGhLB7i0aX1yEa5EQjD2hK-lj-LxJeH-9syHqjlWBk4VxsuQnqBAogblXBIQnaQtzD2Np6cYP_zqmg08ecRaQRuU6Zy-evAV1kr/s640/finished.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I slightly increase the value of the cathode by-pass caps and the other two power caps due to the fact that I don't have the exact value.</i> <br /><br /></td></tr>
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<div>Utilizing Oscon capacitors in the cathode bypass is a great choice, as they are known for their excellent performance in that position.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Repurposing the tape speed tone selector as the on/off switch for the VU meter is a clever modification that adds functionality while maintaining the original aesthetic of the device.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Reusing the existing wires, as long as they are in good quality and condition, is a practical approach that helps preserve the authenticity of the equipment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Rescuing the handle, foot, back cover, and badge for the new case is a thoughtful touch that contributes to the overall authentic look of the modified equipment.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The measurement of the frequency response, ranging from 40Hz to 20,000Hz for the line-in signal, indicates a great performance in terms of sound reproduction. The fact that the tube amp delivers a sweet and musical sound is certainly a testament to the success of the modifications.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Overall, it sounds like I've achieved excellent results in both the functionality and sound quality of the modified Roberts 720 R2R.</div><div><br /></div>
Note: The passive RIAA network was replaced by active feedback network, much closer to theoretical numbers.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLodB45iVkiHbtbG7KM6BMi8MX8Z8GWm92nv4c9832KKwg3T-K4WO_fnEt02_mz8yVrFszzHKPdO5-t5BQP6QCPmihcGv2YodIKq6jSSxZ8OMM5fZHZ_esgHxfGCe0iE510ZV/s1600/newriaa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLodB45iVkiHbtbG7KM6BMi8MX8Z8GWm92nv4c9832KKwg3T-K4WO_fnEt02_mz8yVrFszzHKPdO5-t5BQP6QCPmihcGv2YodIKq6jSSxZ8OMM5fZHZ_esgHxfGCe0iE510ZV/s400/newriaa.jpg" width="188" /></a></div>
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<br />Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-29331564970600177602010-09-22T08:54:00.000-07:002016-07-11T10:02:12.034-07:00Mid-autumn Festival: Fire Dragon in Tai Hang<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJ_Ur-Bvy4DQmJbG0N2Na3GroyKRQ8tnEyNdcl6LrjDPqYiFtqqiamS3hAebNrvzxtkhqcKeVEK73em-iI8wpcAOS4MiW1HWcbWqPJsb4AkypDTzj6FsNnvzdAff5umdghJb1/s1600/2003_firedragon_4.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519771098706976338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUJ_Ur-Bvy4DQmJbG0N2Na3GroyKRQ8tnEyNdcl6LrjDPqYiFtqqiamS3hAebNrvzxtkhqcKeVEK73em-iI8wpcAOS4MiW1HWcbWqPJsb4AkypDTzj6FsNnvzdAff5umdghJb1/s320/2003_firedragon_4.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 242px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Smoke gets in her eyes</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHn5QigIOlkGNs85VRyi31tACsfulH4kk0sUzN2IquCbQ8uL2nu6duWFljXOeBmtiHOoDD2PR2YwaYW5AAW514onNkvi6uNWHcliIzP1J35fHP1mZHXRPUz1S27332Q3jbJ2QB/s1600/2003_firedragon_3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519771000311692578" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHn5QigIOlkGNs85VRyi31tACsfulH4kk0sUzN2IquCbQ8uL2nu6duWFljXOeBmtiHOoDD2PR2YwaYW5AAW514onNkvi6uNWHcliIzP1J35fHP1mZHXRPUz1S27332Q3jbJ2QB/s320/2003_firedragon_3.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 224px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Dragon Tail</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Dht9liAAp2Ye5ZWrfo93jpiSmKdRaETsZcdNgWC4ji5HN8C6GgTh3hspbaI4umKAXtTBZBumkRMqhiy5tOMGzIOM8-FYo2YJnjrDBUKZsLm5dx7pMpK5Q8yhQv1FbjfaUoaQ/s1600/2003_firedragon_2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519770911964190626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Dht9liAAp2Ye5ZWrfo93jpiSmKdRaETsZcdNgWC4ji5HN8C6GgTh3hspbaI4umKAXtTBZBumkRMqhiy5tOMGzIOM8-FYo2YJnjrDBUKZsLm5dx7pMpK5Q8yhQv1FbjfaUoaQ/s320/2003_firedragon_2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 222px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a>Dragon Ball</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQg0ogD5LyGUFL4bbxw2tCKb8GHlyQePSFiMaV8AJ1uovBHdtYFpz3nVRMMdc4bUW6LviM4t8RDHMwrliuN7XYPz91OfNgyLefnrD69H1RMBlI_YUwo9VBL6kkDz_t4lf4kma/s1600/2003_firedragon_1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519770771433758562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZQg0ogD5LyGUFL4bbxw2tCKb8GHlyQePSFiMaV8AJ1uovBHdtYFpz3nVRMMdc4bUW6LviM4t8RDHMwrliuN7XYPz91OfNgyLefnrD69H1RMBlI_YUwo9VBL6kkDz_t4lf4kma/s320/2003_firedragon_1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 232px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Wish all have a Happy Mid autumn Festival. It was my most favourite festival when I was a kid . I could "legally" play with fire during these few days. It is not the same today and the kids are so well protected and only allowed to carry a plastic lantern using a light bulb and it is not allowed to "boiling wax" in Hong Kong legally.<br />
Fire dragon dance has a long history in Hong Kong and there are two places having this tradition, Tai Hang and Pokfulam Village. I dig in my old photos and here are some pics of fire dragon dance in Tai Hang. They were the photo of 2003. People were still allowed to go near to the dragon and following the dragon running through the streets in Tai Hang. Due to the redevelopment of Tai Hang and safety reason, the dragon may not be dancing like before.Leohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04294729512837652089noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30369374.post-48920775845686907262010-07-14T12:31:00.000-07:002018-11-18T05:04:13.602-08:00Magic Lens<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1wRTS3-bFYa85PTUoOSJF2lvgcySzt9GvifRV28m7K9862oBP0fsg3kXbutygw1r1_ow-bhIvs7no_QClFqt7WI8AX878ql5m09lqp7sG5bPzGtvCgZ-d6sCzIieDfwDyAP8/s1600/F9LD0141.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493852062137434370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY1wRTS3-bFYa85PTUoOSJF2lvgcySzt9GvifRV28m7K9862oBP0fsg3kXbutygw1r1_ow-bhIvs7no_QClFqt7WI8AX878ql5m09lqp7sG5bPzGtvCgZ-d6sCzIieDfwDyAP8/s320/F9LD0141.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 214px;" /></a><br />
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Summer came early this year. Planted some wildflowers in a wooden bucket by just sprinkling the seeds randomly on the soil in early April. They all came out and looked beautiful. I brought out my Tamron 350mm and took some shots of them. This lens is a magic lens and it takes beautiful photos especially flowers are the subjects... Enjoy<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmASLt2xyuhgH6ykZsQ_vZzFBXcZfxMxwcHSnPv5ED-33qXYR81LuyRsumjky86aX5L2yT0EQVd3xofGkY4JJwgLLaHhjKcrDf4GYHhHxxwO0gSe1AljkYehvyKC4928piKTD7/s1600/F9LD0163.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493851611010858898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmASLt2xyuhgH6ykZsQ_vZzFBXcZfxMxwcHSnPv5ED-33qXYR81LuyRsumjky86aX5L2yT0EQVd3xofGkY4JJwgLLaHhjKcrDf4GYHhHxxwO0gSe1AljkYehvyKC4928piKTD7/s320/F9LD0163.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 214px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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