We can all lament the pain of struggling with the crowds and our collective annoyance of backpackers and tourists on Australia.
Fireworks down at Darling Harbour..
Australia Day
Author Archives: gerry
Local Coffee, plus green source
Nikkor Helicoid Grease
In my quest for grease for my recent lens rebuild, I got this response from Nikon Aus:
Thank you for your enquiry. We are unable to supply lubricating materials outside of Nikon service centres. We are also unable to provide advice on do it your self repairs.
Subject: Helicoid grease for a 105mm micro Ais
I have an old lens (105mm micro Ais) that works well but has a particularly stiff focus ring, it is not economical for me to send it to Nikon for repair due to the actual low value of the lens, however I have established the problem to be the hardening of the grease on the Helicoid, removing this and applying new grease would appear to solve the problem, however I do not have any of the grease, before taking a guess as what to use I thought it may be possible to purchase this off Nikon Australia or get advice on an acceptable alternative.
So, onto some alternatives, the following sites have discussions detailing the grease used for older Nikkors:
and a Telescope Mob
The main thing I guess is the following seem to be acceptable:
- White Lithium Grease
- Silicon Grease
Adjusting the Thermostat on the La Pavoni Lever Handle
It always seems to run a bit hot, hence the requirement to reduce the thermostat pressure.
Remove the Torx screw under the drip tray, remove lower cover and locate thermostat, this is identified by the unit that has a wire going in, then to the boiler element. Also easily identified by the ‘geared’ wheel which permits adjustment.
This geared wheel is typically glued in place, however a bit of tweaking can get it released and adjusting the pressure.
Clockwise for increased pressure – anti-clockwise for decreased pressure.
Diamond Head
Sharpening & Progressive Sharpening
Resizing images for whatever reason, whether it be for the web or for printing, sharpening is typically required. Depending on the lens used I will typically sharpen for the web and for print, some lens required more sharpening than other.
Additionally, when resizing images for the web it is critical to sharpen progressively as the image is downsized, this will get you a crisp image rather than a soft blurred version. Basically progressive sharpening means reducing the image dimensions whilst sharpening at different dimensions, ie sharpen image @ full size, resize to 50% then sharpen again, reduce image size to desired size and sharpen again.
As a rough guide here are some basic settings for sharpening when using Capture NX2, however they concept and qualitative values are applicable across most programs.
Heavy Sharpening
Typical for soft lens image, combined HDR image, image taken at slightly lower shutter speed then needed.
Unsharp Mask: Intensity 5-10, Radius 50-70, Threshold 0
followed by:
Unsharp Mask: Intensity 50-75, Radius 2, Threshold 0
Image Downsizing and Progressive Sharpening
Example for resizing to a typical web size of 800x800pixels, this is a fairly light sharpening, including a another step with a larger radius like on the above example may be required for some images…
Size/Resolution to 50%
Unsharp Mask: Intensity 15, Radius 3, Threshold 0
Fit image to 800×800 pixels
Unsharp Mask: Intensity 25, Radius 3, Threshold 0
2010 Roasts (Ethiopian Harrar Longberry and Colombian Volcan Galeras Supremo)
First Roast of 2010 was a second run of the Ethiopian Harrar Longberry and Colombian Volcan Galeras Supremo. Initial impressions of the Harrar Longberry were quite poor, nothing like the finished products I have tasted in the past from the likes of Campos. The first roast of the Harrar was, I believe, quite inadequate, the beans are quite small but vary in size, this results in alot of beans browning quickly which surprised me and probably resulted in the unroasting of this first batch.
The first roast of the Colombian was also rough as! high amibent temperatures (37 degrees) caused havoc with the DIY equipment, the beans were unroasted however produced very nice coffee nonetheless!
So, onto 2010, 2 batchs were done of each bean, the aim was to do a slower roast with a greater quantity (400gms) The Colombian bean took quite some time ot reach the first crack, at this point the bean was pretty close to the right colour in my opinion, so just beyond the first crack is a good area to aim for the future.
The Harrar bean started off very varied in colour, however when pushed past the first crack things seemed to settle down and there was a nice consistent colour developing, with a little extra intense heat set the very quiet 2nd crack off at which point all heat as removed and the it contined under its own steam for some time.
Blending these two together at 50/50 and grinding at about 7 on the rocky produced a very nice blend even without letting the bean settle. Individually the Colombian shines as a very smooth roast with alot of la creme that holds well. It is a very nice mellow coffee great for after dinner! The jury is still out on the harrar, but initial tastes are good with a strong distinct flavour, I am thinking of blending 70/30 (Harrar/Colombian) once things have settled.
Grindwise, the Columbian is typically at the 5 mark whilst the Harrar needs a 8 with a tight pack.
Coogee Rock Pool (Northern Side)
Well it was meant to be Sunrise over the rocks, however it turned out to much more ominous then that..
This was the location of the Gentlemens Bathing end of the coogee beach, the women used to bathe at the southern end, ther is also still a womens only swim clud there, just inboard of Wiley Baths!
Laurieton Sunset
Looking out over the Camden Haven River towards North Brother
Oily Aperture Blades – Nikkor 28mm AF f2.8
Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AFD – great lens, perfect for that ‘normal’ FOV on DX in my opinion.
The image gallery with all the following images and more is located here – also includes larger res images.
Several months (probably closer to a year) after purchasing a secondhand Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AF for quite a reasonable price off fleabay I noticed some quite random stuff going on with the exposure, I finally tracked it down when peering through the rear element and playing with the stop down lever. Each blade, at the contact point with the next mating blade had a fine dark coating which could only be described as an oil problem! Some internet related research did not yield a huge amount of info but did lead me to believe that oil on the aperture blades was fairly common for this lens, one interesting piece of information I found was that one should store this lens face/ass down to prevent oil from flowing onto blades, at this point I thought wtf.. that ‘ain’t good enough.
I found that giving the stop down lever a good workout before using the lens made it quite usable and the blades fairly responsive, this finally died in the rear when the blades finally stuck in the open position (f2.
and only stopped down to f22 over a period of a few hours… So, what to do, flog it off on fleabay again? Take it to Nikon Australia? well I would not do the dodgy and pass it off to fleabay and the thought of paying more for a clean and quote fee from Nikon Australia then what I paid for the lens to start off with lead me to the only reasonable conclusion (jilted logic ya gotta understand!) – pull it apart and have a look! Whats the worst that could happen, I am left with a paperweight…I can live with that.
So a bit of research on the web for info on this aperture oil problem and also the option of a self clean yielded quite a number of resources dedicated to the old skool Ai lens but very few for the AF series lens. There was even a few flickr sets on a guy who had re-greased the helicoid on a 50 f1.4 AI. A couple of worthy sites came to the forefront and are deserving of a mention (excluding flickr):
Microtools! – I did not buy anything from here, however they seem to have all the goodies for the hobby camera/watch DIY.
Lens-inc – Lots of manuals and Exploded Parts Drawings
Besides the obvious concerns of damaging something during the disassemble or not being able to re-assemble the primary concern was what to use to clean the aperture blades and re-lube them (if they needed it, graphite maybe?) I did track down a parts manual from the Lens Inc site above for the 28mm and for 6 bucks aussie it was well spent in my opinion. However it does not have any details on lubes or procedures. It does have however, a very tidy selection of section views of the lens – these are great to see how it looks when assembled. A word of warning though, if you have never looked and understood a proper section view then its just gonna look like a whole bunch of useless lines on a page to you 
So onto what I did:
Tools used:
Decent set of screw drivers, none of this 2 dollar shop sh$t, you need a good sturdy Cr-V steel tip set. Stainless steel tweezer set which is very essential (keep those grubby hands off the important bits). Surgical razor blade – many uses including cutting sticky tape 
Consumables: Isopropyl Alcohol, Pec Pads, cotton wool buds, double sided tape, sticky tape (probably should have some of that 3M non residue stuff and a small bottle of scotch or jager.
Words of Caution – This is purely a record of what I did and my experience, I do not any any way condone or recommend this to anyone. Also expect no warranty to these steps, do it at your own risk.
More words of caution:
– if you ’round’ a screw head on these things it’s good night. Most of the screws have a thread locker of sorts, not a true thread locker like Loctite but more of a tamper seal (clear red adhesive) placed on the head of the screw. Firm, perpendicular force is required to remove each screw.
– Protect the exposed lens elements where ever possible, a slip of the screw drive and thats a big scratch, a pec-pad may not prevent this but will help in any case.
Be prepared to disassemble and re-assemble more than, say twice (3 times in my case), I forgot to put the little aperture lock switch spring back in on the first go, the second go I got it horribly wrong and the internal lens was half a revolution out which resulted in the lens not focusing at infinity (good one toolie), third time lucky and it was all good.
I basically went hell-for-leather and started at the back and removed what ever screw i could get too, some thought and access to the IPC (Illustrated Parts Catalogue) would have been smart here. Prior to going hard at all the screws I attached a pec-pad to the rear element for some protection. It does get fairly self explanation once you get the rear mount off and the aperture ring, I also made sure I remembered what screws went where and how many, they are typically all different sizes and lengths, so not interchangeable. If you are planning to do it over a period time (ie days) use sticky tape to group screws to their locations – I found this very useful, probably would have worked it all out anyway but it saves time.
In hindsight, the order of disassembly and also the amount required would be different, but since this was a first crack I was not particularly fussed. The whole lens does not need to be disassembled to get the len element assembly out. Basically once you get the ‘L’ brackets (2 off) out the lens element will rotate out.
1) Remove the electrical connector/plug screws (qty 2), rotate the aperture ring around to get easier access to these tiny screws. These are the smallest screws used in this lens, make sure your screwdriver is appropriately sized. Remove the 3 screws holding the black plastic (matte finish) shroud that surrounds the rear lens element.
2) Remove the 3 screws holding the metal adapter that interfaces with the camera.
3) Now one can remove the black shroud (leaving the electrical connector in place) and the mounting adapter, things should be looking like this…
4) Remove Aperture ring and spacer plate, this plate is quite important since it engages the aperture ring with the aperture lever, if it is not correctly placed your aperture ring rotates without moving the aperture!
Spacer plate, aperture ring and mount;
5) Remove screw drive sprocket now cause it will fall out otherwise, also during this the aperture ring lock switch falls out, remove that too. There is also a little bent piece of spring steel which sits behind the switch, do not lose this bit – I almost did.
6) Release the two ‘L’ shaped brackets which basically keep the lens aligned when moving forward and aft in the lens body, after these are removed the front/aft lens assembly will be able to be unscrewed out of the lens, but wait until the next step is complete before trying this. Remember the position of the lens before taking these brackets out, it is possible (i did it) to not screw the lens all the way back in and hence the whole lens is out by half a revolution.
Righto, so things should be looking like this, arrange things as the come out, especially if you have a memory like a fish…
7) Remove the lens (front and rear assembly) from the body of the lens.
8) Remove the lens cap and apply double sided tape (small 1/4″ bits) to the bezel (with the AF Nikkor logo), apply them all the way around the bezel. Using the rear lens cap reversed, place this on the bezel (and tape) and ensure its adhered. This will then permit one to rotate the bezel (anti-clockwise) off. This is essential since it then gives one access to the three screws that hold the front element in. Only a exploded parts view and section view will tell you this since that bezel hides all
9) Remove the three screws that hold the front element in and take that baby out. protect suitably with pec pads etc. This leaves the aperture assembly visible, woohoo.
10) The gold coloured retaining ring is held in with 3 screws, remove those and then the ring. The ring is also bonded in place (on the outer two tabs).
Note: This is where it becomes evident where the oil is coming from, the retaining ring sits in two slots (where the outer tabs mate) in the body of the lens assembly case, these slots pass right through to where the helicoid is. The oil, or rather grease has wicked down through this slot. In hindsight one should use adhesive to fill this slot (its only 0.005″ wide) to prevent this problem from occuring again (possibly this is the Nikon permanent fix I have heard about). Really the design should have not permitted that slot to pass all the way through the plastic body, rather just a small recess, just enough for the tabs, thus, making the lens element area completely closed from the aperture blade area. But, its always easy in hindsight and manufacturing limitations may have dictated this.
Grease on the Helicoid and location of oil entry into the aperture blade location
11) Remove the Aperture assembly, there is a little spring that holds the aperture closed, this needs to be released, there is then a plate on the aft side of the assembly that links all the blades together, this will probably fall off and copious cursing will follow – it did for me.
Little spring:
12) Clean all blades gently in isopropyl, also the body as well and the retaining ring and the inside of the body. Also the area where the grease was seeping in! I used multiple cotton wool buds.
13) Reassemble aperture assembly, this is tricky, Make sure the blades are placed one on top of each other, with the final one the placed back over the first – a bit like when you fold the 4 flaps of a box lid up! This is important, the blades will not operate correctly and will probably crash and fall out when you try turn the whole upside down if the blades are not arranged correctly. Also do not operate the aperture until its back in the body, opening it up may mean it all falls apart…again.. It took me a few goes to get it right and learn the process.
14) Reassemble the whole thing Cleaning and removing dust as you go!
Clean aperture blade..oh sooo snappy!
Reassembled:
OK some images – before the clean:
After the clean and partial re-assemble:
oh yeah, by the way, it works like a bloody charm now…
OK some images – before the clean:
After the clean and partial re-assemble:
oh yeah, by the way, it works like a bloody charm now…
Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AFD – great lens, perfect for that ‘normal’ FOV on DX in my opinion.
[img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/large/377_nm2wm/DSC_7227.jpg[/img]
The image gallery with all the following images and more is located [url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/slideshow/5_nU3qZ]here[/url] – also includes larger res images.
Several months (probably closer to a year) after purchasing a secondhand Nikkor 28mm f2.8 AF for quite a reasonable price off fleabay I noticed some quite random stuff going on with the exposure, I finally tracked it down when peering through the rear element and playing with the stop down lever. Each blade, at the contact point with the next mating blade had a fine dark coating which could only be described as an oil problem! Some internet related research did not yield a huge amount of info but did lead me to believe that oil on the aperture blades was fairly common for this lens, one interesting piece of information I found was that one should store this lens face/ass down to prevent oil from flowing onto blades, at this point I thought wtf.. that ‘ain’t good enough.
I found that giving the stop down lever a good workout before using the lens made it quite usable and the blades fairly responsive, this finally died in the rear when the blades finally stuck in the open position (f2.8) and only stopped down to f22 over a period of a few hours… So, what to do, flog it off on fleabay again? Take it to Nikon Australia? well I would not do the dodgy and pass it off to fleabay and the thought of paying more for a clean and quote fee from Nikon Australia then what I paid for the lens to start off with lead me to the only reasonable conclusion (jilted logic ya gotta understand!) – pull it apart and have a look! Whats the worst that could happen, I am left with a paperweight…I can live with that.
So a bit of research on the web for info on this aperture oil problem and also the option of a self clean yielded quite a number of resources dedicated to the old skool Ai lens but very few for the AF series lens. There was even a few flickr sets on a guy who had re-greased the helicoid on a 50 f1.4 AI. A couple of worthy sites came to the forefront and are deserving of a mention (excluding flickr):
[url=http://www.micro-tools.com]Microtools![/url] – I did not buy anything from here, however they seem to have all the goodies for the hobby camera/watch DIY.
[url=http://www.lensinc.net/]Lens-inc[/url] – Lots of manuals and Exploded Parts Drawings
Besides the obvious concerns of damaging something during the disassemble or not being able to re-assemble the primary concern was what to use to clean the aperture blades and re-lube them (if they needed it, graphite maybe?) I did track down a parts manual from the Lens Inc site above for the 28mm and for 6 bucks aussie it was well spent in my opinion. However it does not have any details on lubes or procedures. It does have however, a very tidy selection of section views of the lens – these are great to see how it looks when assembled. A word of warning though, if you have never looked and understood a proper section view then its just gonna look like a whole bunch of useless lines on a page to you 🙂
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/379_heccn][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/379_heccn/exploded.png[/img][/url]
So onto what I did:
Tools used:
Decent set of screw drivers, none of this 2 dollar shop sh$t, you need a good sturdy Cr-V steel tip set. Stainless steel tweezer set which is very essential (keep those grubby hands off the important bits). Surgical razor blade – many uses including cutting sticky tape 😉
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/352_abh1o][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/352_abh1o/DSC_7173.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/353_svhvd][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/353_svhvd/DSC_7174.jpg[/img][/url]
Consumables: Isopropyl Alcohol, Pec Pads, cotton wool buds, double sided tape, sticky tape (probably should have some of that 3M non residue stuff and a small bottle of scotch or jager.
Words of Caution – This is purely a record of what I did and my experience, I do not any any way condone or recommend this to anyone. Also expect no warranty to these steps, do it at your own risk.
More words of caution:
– if you ’round’ a screw head on these things it’s good night. Most of the screws have a thread locker of sorts, not a true thread locker like Loctite but more of a tamper seal (clear red adhesive) placed on the head of the screw. Firm, perpendicular force is required to remove each screw.
– Protect the exposed lens elements where ever possible, a slip of the screw drive and thats a big scratch, a pec-pad may not prevent this but will help in any case.
Be prepared to disassemble and re-assemble more than, say twice (3 times in my case), I forgot to put the little aperture lock switch spring back in on the first go, the second go I got it horribly wrong and the internal lens was half a revolution out which resulted in the lens not focusing at infinity (good one toolie), third time lucky and it was all good.
I basically went hell-for-leather and started at the back and removed what ever screw i could get too, some thought and access to the IPC (Illustrated Parts Catalogue) would have been smart here. Prior to going hard at all the screws I attached a pec-pad to the rear element for some protection. It does get fairly self explanation once you get the rear mount off and the aperture ring, I also made sure I remembered what screws went where and how many, they are typically all different sizes and lengths, so not interchangeable. If you are planning to do it over a period time (ie days) use sticky tape to group screws to their locations – I found this very useful, probably would have worked it all out anyway but it saves time.
In hindsight, the order of disassembly and also the amount required would be different, but since this was a first crack I was not particularly fussed. The whole lens does not need to be disassembled to get the len element assembly out. Basically once you get the ‘L’ brackets (2 off) out the lens element will rotate out.
[size=150][b]1) [/b][/size]Remove the electrical connector/plug screws (qty 2), rotate the aperture ring around to get easier access to these tiny screws. These are the smallest screws used in this lens, make sure your screwdriver is appropriately sized. Remove the 3 screws holding the black plastic (matte finish) shroud that surrounds the rear lens element.
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/351_8b1bk][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/351_8b1bk/DSC_7168.jpg[/img][/url]
[size=150][b]2)[/b][/size] Remove the 3 screws holding the metal adapter that interfaces with the camera.
[size=150][b]3)[/b][/size] Now one can remove the black shroud (leaving the electrical connector in place) and the mounting adapter, things should be looking like this…
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/354_6imzq][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/354_6imzq/DSC_7180.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/355_e846b][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/355_e846b/DSC_7182.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/356_vsr0t][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/356_vsr0t/DSC_7183.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/357_xevma][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/357_xevma/DSC_7184.jpg[/img][/url]
[size=150][b]4)[/b][/size] Remove Aperture ring and spacer plate, this plate is quite important since it engages the aperture ring with the aperture lever, if it is not correctly placed your aperture ring rotates without moving the aperture!
Spacer plate, aperture ring and mount;
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/358_ljex0][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/358_ljex0/DSC_7185.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/371_9jojn][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/371_9jojn/DSC_7205.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/374_gisgv][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/374_gisgv/DSC_7219.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/375_uj2yb][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/375_uj2yb/DSC_7221.jpg[/img][/url]
[size=150][b]5)[/b][/size] Remove screw drive sprocket now cause it will fall out otherwise, also during this the aperture ring lock switch falls out, remove that too. There is also a little bent piece of spring steel which sits behind the switch, do not lose this bit – I almost did.
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/359_nkmar][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/359_nkmar/DSC_7186.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/369_gcgpa][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/369_gcgpa/DSC_7202.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/370_uarh8][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/370_uarh8/DSC_7204.jpg[/img][/url]
[size=150][b]6)[/b][/size] Release the two ‘L’ shaped brackets which basically keep the lens aligned when moving forward and aft in the lens body, after these are removed the front/aft lens assembly will be able to be unscrewed out of the lens, but wait until the next step is complete before trying this. Remember the position of the lens before taking these brackets out, it is possible (i did it) to not screw the lens all the way back in and hence the whole lens is out by half a revolution.
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/360_t2bqe][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/360_t2bqe/DSC_7187.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/361_q9g9j][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/361_q9g9j/DSC_7188.jpg[/img][/url]
Righto, so things should be looking like this, arrange things as the come out, especially if you have a memory like a fish…
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/362_kurpm][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/362_kurpm/DSC_7190.jpg[/img][/url]
[size=150][b]7)[/b][/size] Remove the lens (front and rear assembly) from the body of the lens.
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/363_tfhxi][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/363_tfhxi/DSC_7194.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/364_itvuv][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/364_itvuv/DSC_7195.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/365_hsjjv][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/365_hsjjv/DSC_7196.jpg[/img][/url]
[size=150][b]8)[/b][/size] Remove the lens cap and apply double sided tape (small 1/4″ bits) to the bezel (with the AF Nikkor logo), apply them all the way around the bezel. Using the rear lens cap reversed, place this on the bezel (and tape) and ensure its adhered. This will then permit one to rotate the bezel (anti-clockwise) off. This is essential since it then gives one access to the three screws that hold the front element in. Only a exploded parts view and section view will tell you this since that bezel hides all 🙂
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/368_quspg][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/368_quspg/DSC_7200.jpg[/img][/url]
[size=150][b]9)[/b][/size] Remove the three screws that hold the front element in and take that baby out. protect suitably with pec pads etc. This leaves the aperture assembly visible, woohoo.
[size=150][b]10)[/b][/size] The gold coloured retaining ring is held in with 3 screws, remove those and then the ring. The ring is also bonded in place (on the outer two tabs).
Note: This is where it becomes evident where the oil is coming from, the retaining ring sits in two slots (where the outer tabs mate) in the body of the lens assembly case, these slots pass right through to where the helicoid is. The oil, or rather grease has wicked down through this slot. In hindsight one should use adhesive to fill this slot (its only 0.005″ wide) to prevent this problem from occuring again (possibly this is the Nikon permanent fix I have heard about). Really the design should have not permitted that slot to pass all the way through the plastic body, rather just a small recess, just enough for the tabs, thus, making the lens element area completely closed from the aperture blade area. But, its always easy in hindsight 🙂 and manufacturing limitations may have dictated this.
Grease on the Helicoid and location of oil entry into the aperture blade location
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/366_a1qu5][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/366_a1qu5/DSC_7198.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/367_e9zbj][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/367_e9zbj/DSC_7199.jpg[/img][/url]
[size=150][b]11)[/b][/size] Remove the Aperture assembly, there is a little spring that holds the aperture closed, this needs to be released, there is then a plate on the aft side of the assembly that links all the blades together, this will probably fall off and copious cursing will follow – it did for me.
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/349_zfqwv][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/349_zfqwv/DSC_7111.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/345_dobk9][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/345_dobk9/DSC_7098.jpg[/img][/url]
Little spring:
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/344_mxmgr][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/344_mxmgr/DSC_7094.jpg[/img][/url]
[size=150][b]12)[/b][/size] Clean all blades gently in isopropyl, also the body as well and the retaining ring and the inside of the body. Also the area where the grease was seeping in! I used multiple cotton wool buds.
[size=150][b]13)[/b][/size] Reassemble aperture assembly, this is tricky, Make sure the blades are placed one on top of each other, with the final one the placed back over the first – a bit like when you fold the 4 flaps of a box lid up! This is important, the blades will not operate correctly and will probably crash and fall out when you try turn the whole upside down if the blades are not arranged correctly. Also do not operate the aperture until its back in the body, opening it up may mean it all falls apart…again.. It took me a few goes to get it right and learn the process.
[size=150][b]14)[/b][/size] Reassemble the whole thing 🙂 Cleaning and removing dust as you go!
Clean aperture blade..oh sooo snappy!
[img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/large/378_gqaxb/DSC_7230.jpg[/img]
Reassembled:
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/376_sshwo][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/376_sshwo/DSC_7223.jpg[/img][/url]
OK some images – before the clean:
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/337_kaefh][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/337_kaefh/DSC_7082.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/340_d5jsw][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/340_d5jsw/DSC_7087.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/342_uu3hh][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/342_uu3hh/DSC_7091.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/341_94zjn][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/341_94zjn/DSC_7090.jpg[/img][/url]
After the clean and partial re-assemble:
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/347_zvzh1][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/347_zvzh1/DSC_7107.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/348_wvmxa][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/348_wvmxa/DSC_7108.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/349_zfqwv][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/349_zfqwv/DSC_7111.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/view/full/350_hhv57][img]http://gerry.avernus.com.au/slide/thumbs/small/350_hhv57/DSC_7112.jpg[/img][/url]
oh yeah, by the way, it works like a bloody charm now…
Kona Caldera
Finally got a replacement bike! Well a replacement for the loaner i had since christmas 🙂
A big plug for the chaps at Stanmore Cycles, I would definitely return to purchase another bike and bits, service is outstanding.
Whether it’s a repair or the purchase of a bicycle, parts or accessories, if its worth doing its worth doing properly.
208 Parramatta Rd
Stanmore NSW 2048
(02) 9560 5842
| Specifications: | |
| Frame sizes | 22” |
| Frame tubing | Kona All-Mountain Aluminum Butted |
| Rear Shock | – |
| Fork | RockShox TORA 302 Coil 100mm |
| Headset | TH |
| Crankarms | FSA Alpha Drive ISIS |
| Chainrings | 44/32/22 |
| B/B | RPM ISIS |
| Pedals | Shimano M505 Clipless |
| Chain | Shimano HG53 |
| Freewheel | Shimano Deore (11-32, 9 Speed) |
| F/D | Shimano Deore |
| R/D | Shimano XT Shadow |
| Shifters | Shimano Deore |
| Handlebar | WTB CXC Riser |
| Stem | WTB CXC |
| Grips | Kona Jackshit |
| Brakes | Hayes Stroker Trail Hydraulic V6 |
| Brake Levers | Hayes Stroker Trail Hydraulic |
| Front Hub | KK Disc |
| Rear Hub | Shimano M475 Disc |
| Spokes | 15g front and 14g rear Stainless DT |
| Tires | Maxxis Ignitor 26 x 2.1 |
| Rims | Sun Black Eye |
| Saddle | WTB Laser V Comp |
| Seatpost | WTB CXC |
| Seat Clamp | Kona QR |
| Color | Red |
Review Sites here:
http://www.mtbr.com/cat/bikes/xc-hardtail/kona/caldera/PRD_363357_1527crx.aspx
Recursively counting files (linux)
I never realised ls was such a powerful little ‘ol command, need to know how many files in a directory and also sub directories, try this one on for size…
ls -laR | wc -l
Learning to Fly
Well Pink Floyd sung about, but this little Lorikeet was trying hard!
After days of sitting on the ground and struglling, he (could be a she i guess) finally clawed its way up a wall (which it had flown into several time previous trying to fly) to be greeted again by falmily/friends, from the height advantagous position and coaxing from its family/friends he was able to make the flight off into the distance (over the walls and fences). Whilst he was not heard or seen again, one would hope he managed to keep up with the family!
Indian Monsoon Malabar
Indian Monsoon Malabar is a typical dry-processed single-origin coffee from south India deliberately exposed to monsoon winds in open warehouses, with the aim of increasing body and reducing acidity
Monsooned coffees are stored in special warehouses until the Monsoon season comes around. The sides of the structure are opened and moist monsoon winds circulate around the coffee making it swell in size and take on a mellowed but aggressive, musty flavour. The monsooning process is labour-intensive: coffee is spread on the floor of the special monsooning warehouse, raked and turned around by hand to enable the green beans to soak in moisture of the humid winds. The monsooning process takes around 12 to 16 months, during which the beans swell to twice their original size and turn into pale golden colour. Then there are additional hand-sortings to remove any coffee that did not expand properly, and the coffee is prepared for export
http://www.stargardentowncafe.com.au
Hardrive Failure – Read/Write Head
Always the worst kind of failure in the box…
The top few common causes of Harddrive Failure:
1) Physical abuse failure – this can be from transportation, dropping or even normal wear and tear in a laptop environment, HDD’s are very delicate items and when you get the nust and bolts of it, its precision disk spinning bloddy fast with a needle on it, remember what happened when you bumped the record player?! Basically head crashes are the most common physical failure. So next time windoze drops the BSOD on ya, resist the urge to smack that bitch-ass computer around 🙂
2) Heat – I reckon this rates pretty high, plenty of times when transferring data from one drive to another outside of a case and its quite incredible how hot the casing can get, almost to the point of not being able to touch it! Keep those drives fan cooled at all times, at the very least ensure the primary drive is fan cooled.
3) Power malfunction – power surge, static, lightning strike, whatever…these are all ways to zap a drive, always use a surge protecter, don’t run around the house in your sunday best shoes on teh carpet then touch the hardrive 🙂 and well lighting…cross ya fingers…
Nonetheless, fun and games aside, lets look at that HDD head closely…
