Serious question, I just spent 3 hours on what should have been a 20 minute shutter curtain replacement on an old Pentax. The ribbon cable was just... stuck. Anyone else have a simple fix turn into a marathon?

3 comments

3 Comments

graceblack1mo agoMost Upvoted

Yeah, I used to think those ribbon cables were no big deal. Then I spent an entire Saturday trying to free one on a Nikon FE. It felt glued in place. I learned the hard way that a tiny drop of lighter fluid on a toothpick can break that old adhesive loose without hurting anything. What did you end up doing to get yours out?

the_mia1mo ago

That "glued in place" feeling is exactly it. I was the same, thought they just popped out. Ruined a perfectly good cable on an old Pentax before I wised up. Now I keep a bottle of lighter fluid and some toothpicks right in my repair kit. Your trick about the tiny drop is key, too much and you're in trouble.

brown.gavin1mo ago

That lighter fluid trick is solid, but you have to be so careful with the plastic around the socket on that FE. I've seen three of them get cloudy from just a little too much. Isopropyl alcohol, like 91%, works almost as well on that old adhesive and evaporates faster without the risk. Graceblack, you're right about the toothpick being the perfect tool though. I keep a few wooden ones in my kit just for that.