Tripod receptacle ripped out--can I fix?
 

My now nearly 2-year-old EX1 (he grew up so fast!) took a nasty spill yesterday on a shoot. Letus and teleprompter attached, I thought it was balanced and stupidly walked away without locking the tilt. It tilted down hard and ripped out the tripod receptacle. Here's a photo (weren't we previously able to upload photos here?):

http://robcollins.net/640/ex1.jpg

Amazingly, this seems to be the only damage from the fall. Does this need to go to Sony, or can I order and install a new receptacle?

Thanks for any help--and lock down that tilt!

Rob

Some of the more experienced people on these forums have recommended installing a more robust plate right from the start due to concerns about this very thing, but I think at least some of them rely on the standard mount as an attaching point. Below is a link to what is supposed to be an excellent alternative mounting plate.

Philip Bloom Blog Archive An essential, albeit pricey, fix for the EX3 especially if using a 35mm adaptor.

Rob, am I sorry for you mate!

But looking at the picture, I've been thinking: perhaps you were using a mounting screw which proved to be a tad too long, or fastened too much? I've always thought it'd be the 4 little screws that would give first, not the plate itself!

PS. I now see that 3 out of the 4 screws indeed have been ripped off ...

If the screw holes are not damaged or stripped the replacement will be easy. If otherwise I'm advised that it is an expensive repair.

It looks like there might be a bit of screw stuck in the thread (top left) Other than getting that out, and replacing it, I would'nt have thought there would be much of a problem other than getting the replacement part.

Ben

the idea of the extra plate is great, but you will still fix your extra plate into the regular receptacle, so in that case it would not help.

perhaps, what you can do is to add a velcro tape to wrap around the camera.
I had no time yest , but i planned to mold the bottom of my EX1 to be able to make "shoe".

Not easy to see from the photo just what has been damaged. Obviously the plate was broken and it appears that 3 screws have stripped out. If that is so, the normal repair is to replace the camera body. However in an ad hoc repair you could retap the threads to a larger size and modify the replacement part to suit the new screws. You would have to use a vacuum to remove swath as you worked (to prevent it falling into the camera). You have to judge whether you have the necessary experience and if the saving is worth the risk of collateral damage.

1. Order the part.

2. I don't think you will have that much trouble removing the broken bottom plate. For the screw that is broken off in the one hole:

Put a piece of masking tape over the holes so junk doesn't get into the area where the bottom circuit board is.

3. Get a tiny hobby vice grip
Mini Vise Grip Style Locking Plier
..and carefully lock it onto the broken threads of the screw vertically and carefully turn it. Release it often and re-lock it so that you don't chew up the tiny broken screw thread. You may want to break off the bottom plate first to allow more room to grab the screw thread.

I put my tiny vice grip next to the bottom plate and it looks like it will work.

Do not use needle nose locking pliers. They are the most useless tool I have ever seen and will destroy it immediately.

4. If nothing works (which I doubt) you can use three screws and glue the corner that doesn't have the screw. If you have to have it serviced the camera can still be disassembled. If you brought it in to Sony for repair right now they would probably replace the case to repair it if they couldn't remove the screw so what's the difference? I am sure they don't have any better way of trying to remove the screw than I described so all of it depends upon how careful you or a service tech are when trying to remove the screw. I am sure you will be just as careful or even more careful than they will be.

John

Rob, Dave posted a link to your pic in my thread. You might be interested in my base plate when you have your camera fixed, and when I have the final production model ready.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/sony-xdc...late-like.html

I also make them for the Panasonic HVX200, HPX170 and HMC150.
Juice Designs

I originally made the HVX200 model because that is the camera I use and we mostly shoot in the desert in extreme conditions.

We had someone come into our shop today with a very similar problem. In his case the whole plate, in one piece, had come away from the camera. Nothing broken thankfully but the tapped holes in the camera seem stripped. In this case the problem seems to have been exacerbated by carrying the camera around over the shoulder while still on the tripod.

A good way of repairing stripped threads is to use a thread insert such as a "Helicoil" or a "Recoil". These require retapping with a special tap after which the insert is inserted. If done correctly they are stronger and more durable than the original thread. They are available in 2mm.

Both systems make chips, and that's a bit of a concern when tapping near electronics. I would consider upgrading the screws to 2.5mm diameter and using a roll forming tap, and use larger diameter screws. Either way, you'll want someone with a steady hand and some experience using taps.

A replacement tripod socket is about $27. I had to replace mine when bad timing on a bumpy boat ride caused my shoulder mount to pull away from the tripod socket and fracture it.

I now have a velcro strap holding down the back end of the camera on the shoulder mount.

The tripod socket isn't designed to tolerate a lot of tension. It's enough to hold a camera on a tripod but that's about it. If you're going to have the camera attached to a shoulder mount that holds a wireless receiver, external battery, etc, and if you ever lift the whole rig by the camera handle (happens even if you try to be careful), there's a risk of applying too much tension to the socket and the four tiny screws that hold it in.

Having a velcro strap hold the back of the camera down firmly to the shoulder mount greatly reduces the leverage that might otherwise be applied to the tripod socket, and save you from unnecessary repairs.

I don't think they come that small Alistair. I could be wrong.

John

Part Numbers for Tripod Bracket
 

Part Number for the small tripod plate as listed in service manual. The screws are below that.

2-178-793-02 s BRACKET (TRIPOD)

3-080-203-51 s SREW(M2), LOCK ACE, P2

The two JPEGs are screen grabs of the exploded view and the parts list. Looks like the that plate goes into the lower frame of the camera, but I can't be sure. I have not taken my EX-3 apart because it is still under warranty.

The plate as far as I can make out is the same one they used in the Z1U.. go figure. They should have beefed it up and made the camera bottom flat. Good news is that it makes fantastic pictures and that is what you take to your clients.

George