The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

11 pin contact block- source?

V

Vivek

Guest
I have been searching for the 11 pin contact blocks (if that would even be the correct name for it)- both the camera side and the lens side of the m4/3rds camera/lenses.

If by any chance, anyone would point out to a source, it would be very useful.

Many thanks in advance!
 

kevinparis

Member
short of buying a lens and a body and dismantling them I wouldn't think these are readily available... Its not like its a standard industry component.

But I may be wrong

good luck

K
 
V

Vivek

Guest
I am sure someone makes them in PRC. ;)

Is there any other camera system (lens/body) that has this 11 pin electrical contacts arrangement?


What I need the most is the camera side contact block.

The lens side is covered (for now) from the Pana 14-45 kitzoom. :D
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Thanks, mabelsound.

No luck there.

Yes, it has to be a custom fabricated one.
 

f6cvalkyrie

Well-known member
Vivek,

if you could find a µ4/3 body otherwise damaged, you could dismount this contact block.
I did take a look @ evilbay, but, there are none "for pieces" right now :mad:

C U,
Rafael
 

kwalsh

New member
I think your best and probably only bet, sadly, is going to be to wait for someone to make an m43 extension tube and take it apart :(

Ages ago, when Foveon made their own cameras (as opposed to Sigma making them) they used EOS lenses and the only way they could get camera side mounts was to take apart extension tubes!

Ken
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Rafael,

The first G1 I took apart (and damaged the sd card slot), unfortunately, I damaged the contact pins earlier. So, no use there (650 Euros and no contact block!). :eek:

Ken,

I am trying to make an extension tube! :D

Anyway, I will have a an extension soon without the contacts.
 

Jonas

Active member
(...)
I am trying to make an extension tube!
The temporary solution is probably to make the connector yourself (common PCB technique, as seen in some cheap adapters).

But, I get curious; Thinking of all excellent macro solutions available I can't think of any 4/3 or µ4/3 lens deserving all that job.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Jonas, Educate me about the PCB techniques and how I can fashion the contact block of the body. The lens side is fairly straight forward.
 

kwalsh

New member
I am trying to make an extension tube! :D
Whoops! Not such a brilliant idea from my end then :).

I see what you mean on the camera side. Yep, the lens side could easily just be a PCB but the camera side is more trouble. I have, in the past, seen spring loaded contacts like that available for PCB mount (though they may have been press-fit). Given the small number of contacts though - and I assume you are doing this for yourself as opposed to mass production - you might find wire termination versions of the spring contacts and then just mount them in acrylic or something else easy to machine. Every time I or someone else has searched for this kind of spring loaded contact it seems a nightmare - I know mouser or digi-key has them, the question is finding the magic search terms that find them. They are great for many types of test and probing setups and years back my office mate was using them for electrical connections to a micromachined (MEMS) micro-fluidic pump.

Good luck! You've got way more motivation than I would to ever get this done!

Ken
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Ken, I am doing it for myself and if I say anything here that would be (meant) for the information of everyone. I don't make adapters or any gizmos for sale.

Had that been the intention, I should have made a few bucks through Leica and other adapters in the past year.

Yes, the key is to find the right search term! That is why I posted it here.

If anyone hits that magic word or term and let me know, that would do it (or else I will have start planning my own MEMS fabrication facility :D).

On Jonas' question (wondering), why? That is a tough one to answer.

What could possibly be more necessary than having a couple of Olympus Pen F Macro 38/3.5 with proper adapters, extension tubes, etc to use on the m4/3rds?

Why bother when I have a bellows with all the movements (front and rear standards) with a dozens of high end macro lenses?

I can't answer that.
 

Audii-Dudii

Active member
If by any chance, anyone would point out to a source, it would be very useful.
Have you tried Panasonic? Unfortunately, I can't log into it while here at work, but I've bought spare parts from their online parts store several times now for various of my Panasonic and Leica cameras: www.pasc.panasonic.com/

Barring that, couldn't you harvest the parts you need from a DMW-MA1 adapter? If you're serious about this, they're not that expensive these days. For that matter, couldn't you just convert an MA1 adapter into an extension tube?
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Thanks for the tip Audii-Dudii. I will check out that avenue.

The DMW-MA1 (or the Olympus equivalent) still has only the 9 pin contact block of the 4/3rds cameras, unfortunately.
 

Jonas

Active member
Jonas, Educate me about the PCB techniques and how I can fashion the contact block of the body. The lens side is fairly straight forward.
I'm sorry for the late reply, and also for the fact it turned out I can't help you. I have spoken to a an old friend and co-worker who is the right guy on this matter and it turned out that he doesn't know of suitable contacts this small.

Back in the 80's and beginning of the 90's I worked part time as a cinema technician. The job included traditional projection both maintenance but also a good deal of "invention" and making of technical solutions to odd problems. I think every cinema and projection both have their share of unique solutions to different problems. Anyway, back then we constructed and built amplifiers and electro-mechanic equipment for cinemas. Among all small things we made some devices for automatic steering of screen masks (positioning of masks depending on what lens the projectionist used).

There were small spring loaded pin connectors involved which would have been suitable for this application - but they showed to be too big. I'm sorry for that.


Audii-Dudii's link is interesting. There are not less 19 connectors (USD 1 - USD 15) for the G1 listed. Some of them are obviously wrong. I wonder if there is a part diagram available somewhere?

And I won't ask why again, I guess because is a valid answer... ;)
 
Top