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Re: [OM] ( OM ) The saga of the "broken" eBay Stylus Epic - continued

Subject: Re: [OM] ( OM ) The saga of the "broken" eBay Stylus Epic - continued
From: clintonr@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 07 Nov 2003 16:29:24 -0600
It's not easy to open an Epic.  There is a circuit in the back cover that's 
attached to
the body via a flexible circuit.  Disconnecting it and removing it safely 
without tearing
is somewhat difficult.  The back frame usually sticks to some tape on the main 
cap making
it rather risky to pry loose.  Then there's the back latch, which is loose and 
usually
flies away when the back frame is removed.  Replacing the back frame after 
you've gotten
it off is another chore since the film loading tape is attached and has to be 
threaded
through the take-up spool and loading spring.  In short, I wouldn't suggest you 
try it.
Try covering the cracks with tape and see if that corrects the problem.  If so, 
cover the
area with JBWeld or somesuch.

Fractured front covers are rather common on the early versions of the Epic 
before they
improved the front cover.

Brian Swale wrote:

> Hi folks,
>
> Well, the joke's on me.  It  looks as though the Epic is indeed broken, but
> it's not easy to see where.
>
> After putting two 24 exp rolls through it, I can say it actually takes quite 
> good
> photos - if you are prepared to live with limitations of DOF. There's very 
> little
> vignetting - practically none (compare the XA). It's difficult to hold still. 
> It's so
> small.
>
> However, mine produces light leaks in certain circumstances, and it was
> through analysis of the circumstances that revealed the "broke".
>
> I was able to figure out that the light leak was contaminating each frame
> when the next shot was in the frame window. The leak is actually on the front
> side of the take-up spool chamber - on the side away from the seal to the
> back that is so visible.
>
> The front of the camera is fastened to the middle section of the body (the
> rear section being the file door) by long machine screws at each corner.
> ("Long" is a relative term in such a small camera). There is probably a
> gasket in that joint. I could see that there was a variable amount of
> movement between front and middle, and I thought that probably the screws
> had worked loose over time. So I began tightening them. And I found that the
> bottom left screw didn't tighten no matter how much it was turned.
>
> On very close examination, I found that what look like small scratches in the
> "paint" finish, are actually small cracks, and there is a tiny segment that is
> broken free (but is still there). So it seems to me that the camera has been
> dropped and landed on the left bottom front corner. And even though I cannot
> see it if  I try shining light through, there is some light getting into the 
> take-up
> film chamber.
>
> I wonder if anyone can tell me what traps there are for the unwary, if the 4
> screws holding body front to body middle are removed? What spring-loaded
> things will pop out; what fiddly bits move to create huge re-assembly
> problems, etc.
>
> I am trying to decide whether I should disassemble the body and glue the
> broken bits with Araldite, or just squeeze the body parts together (no pun
> intended ;-)   ) and hold together with a dark self-adhesive tape on the
> outside?
>
> Brian
>
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