Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: Steve Weldon on September 03, 2014, 01:46:08 am
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Hello - I have a couple B1's that get very stiff, one so stiff it feels locked. But if you take either and wap the bottom of the base plate with a 1 pound nylon mallet the head totally drops a fraction and it totally free.. until you tighten it up with the friction knob.. it tightens, but doesn't untighten all the way. One is worse than the other.
What I'm looking for is pictures, diagrams, instructions, anything that would a help me disassemble them and fix whatever is going on with them.
I've read you can undo the three base screws which reveals three more screws, and then there's a allen under the friction knob plate.. a youtube on how to do this sure would be nice, but I'll take any bits and pieces I can get.
I know I can send them off for repairs but I'm not interested in spending much money to fix these.. if I can fix and keep using them, then great. If not they'll be replaced.
Thank you
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Hello - I have a couple B1's that get very stiff, one so stiff it feels locked. But if you take either and wap the bottom of the base plate with a 1 pound nylon mallet the head totally drops a fraction and it totally free.. until you tighten it up with the friction knob.. it tightens, but doesn't untighten all the way. One is worse than the other.
What I'm looking for is pictures, diagrams, instructions, anything that would a help me disassemble them and fix whatever is going on with them.
I've read you can undo the three base screws which reveals three more screws, and then there's a allen under the friction knob plate.. a youtube on how to do this sure would be nice, but I'll take any bits and pieces I can get.
I know I can send them off for repairs but I'm not interested in spending much money to fix these.. if I can fix and keep using them, then great. If not they'll be replaced.
Thank you
I would contact the manufacturer.
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I had one I bought off ebay and it was really stiff, I tried to take it apart and failed, so I sent it in for repair and it was fixed under a recall warranty for free. Their service is excellent. Sorry could not be more help.
Alan
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Send it to Bob Watkins at the Arca repair facility- they are first class.
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Some helpful info...
http://www.earthboundlight.com/phototips/arca-swiss-lockup-fix.html
http://www.tripodhead.com/faqs-ballhead-arca-swiss.cfm
and some excellent info from Bob Watkins of Precision Camera works...
http://www.precisioncameraworks.com/Pages/monoball_core.html
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Thank you everyone. And Sheldon, thanks for the links.
I understand the natural inclination for most people is to send it off for repair.. but the natural inclination.. and my default inclination.. is to fix it myself. I was hoping someone had a description of disassembly or some helpful information to that end.
I'll look around a bit more before throwing in the towel..
Thanks guys
Steve
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I understand your desire to fix it yourself, but if parts need replacing where are you going to source them or can you machine them yourself?
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Mr Weldon,
Precision Camera Works is the authorized repair station for Arca-Swiss in North America.
They would also be probably the only source for parts. These heads are not user serviceable.
However when Precision finishes with your head it should give you many more years of service.
[email protected]
They will give you an estimate after seeing the head and before commencing the work.
Best regards,
Rod Klukas
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I also understand the motivation. I like to repair things myself. I also like to build things and do woodwork and some light metalwork. But I've come to understand that making some things and repairing others are sometimes best left to others and I can make better use of my time doing what I do best.
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Hello - I have a couple B1's that get very stiff, one so stiff it feels locked. But if you take either and wap the bottom of the base plate with a 1 pound nylon mallet the head totally drops a fraction and it totally free.. until you tighten it up with the friction knob.. it tightens, but doesn't untighten all the way. One is worse than the other.
What I'm looking for is pictures, diagrams, instructions, anything that would a help me disassemble them and fix whatever is going on with them.
I use a B1 that will experience lockup. Doesn't happen often, but there is a technique to unlock it. I haven't expereienced it in so long I forget how, but google it.
As to getting diagrams and such, good luck! Arca Swiss is really tight with information including just specifications. This from a major NY Photo Retailer: "I have written extensively on the p0 since it's one of my favorite heads but Arca Swiss is infuriating to deal with, provide little detail on their heads (or anything else). It's a great head,. You're just not allowed to know anything about it. "
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Here is some P0 info attached :
But you are correct. We do not hand out diagrams given how many people copy our designs...
Best regards,
Rod
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Here is some P0 info attached :
But you are correct. We do not hand out diagrams given how many people copy our designs...
Best regards,
Rod
Sorry for getting this off topic, but...
LMAO...like the guy said, "great head, you're just not allowed to know anything about them!"
With respect to the attached document, there was ZERO information in the PDF concerning the specifications for the P0 head. Might you have a specification sheet or something? And I understand the frustration seeing the Photo Clam Multiflex knockoff of the Cube.
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I understand your desire to fix it yourself, but if parts need replacing where are you going to source them or can you machine them yourself?
Parts may or may not be needed, sometimes even a small burr or imperfection could be the culprit in which case it's something I could handle. If the part only required a 3 axis mill or lathe I might take the time to machine them myself (so many parts today require a 5 axis mill), but chances are the internal parts are some type of injection molded synthetic.. might give me a reason to buy one of those new 3D printers.. :) Who hasn't been wanting one of those..
But good news.. Thanks to the link provided by Sheldon (one of which was Camera Precision Works) I got in touch with someone who said my mallet symptom was indicative of the defective calotte issue that is repaired free under warranty.. so I'll forgo my natural inclination towards self-reliance, not to mention the fun of taking something new a part in pieces and discovering it's secrets, and send it in. Looks like I'm out the $8.62 shipping though..
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I also understand the motivation. I like to repair things myself. I also like to build things and do woodwork and some light metalwork. But I've come to understand that making some things and repairing others are sometimes best left to others and I can make better use of my time doing what I do best.
Yep, sometimes this is the case. For instance I'm not fond of crawling under the house.. best left to others. For some reason I just hate that. But a reasonably skilled person should be able to at least get to the point of making that decision through the examination of the internal workings. A diagram might have given me enough information to make this decision, after all it's not one of those maddening Chinese boxes.. I do understand the factories "not user serviceable" policy, as this thread has shown many have given up their screwdrivers in exchange for USPS flat rate boxes long ago..
I have a parrot who is quite good at taking things apart, unlocking locks, etc.. better than most humans I know. If he can do it.. Still, I've never seen him put anything back together.. ::)
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Thank you Rod. This is the route I'm taking. Much appreciated.
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I use a B1 that will experience lockup. Doesn't happen often, but there is a technique to unlock it. I haven't expereienced it in so long I forget how, but google it.
As to getting diagrams and such, good luck! Arca Swiss is really tight with information including just specifications. This from a major NY Photo Retailer: "I have written extensively on the p0 since it's one of my favorite heads but Arca Swiss is infuriating to deal with, provide little detail on their heads (or anything else). It's a great head,. You're just not allowed to know anything about it. "
I have a new definition of infuriating. You buy two very expensive ball heads from a company with a reputation for excellence. You then fill out your warranty cards and mail them in. 14-15 very frustrating years of use later you've finally had enough and scour the internet for information/fixes. It turns out there was a batch of defective calottes (a synthetic internal piece) that made it past their Quality Control guys and into the marketplace in 2000-2001.. and they might have sat on shelves for some years afterwards before finding their way into a consumers excited hands.
Did Arca Swiss notify those who sent in their warranty cards with SERIAL NUMBERS? No. Did they advertise in any of the magazines or websites they advertise on? Not that I've seen. Nope, nothing you'd expect. Instead, if you sent it back and haven't managed to otherwise harm the head in your (what turns out for me) decade+ of frustration.. and some repair tech catches that it's a bad calotte, you might get a pleasant surprise by not being charged.
Or in my case you all and mention to the helpful tech that if you turn the locked head upside down and gently wap the bottom with a nylon mallet the head breaks totally free.. you can actually hear it drop a tad to freedom.
So, that's my definition this week. Next week who knows.. I'll probably do my quarterly check of Canon's website only to find out they're in their tenth year of NOT updating their professional series of cameras. ;D
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Glad to hear they're taking care of you, despite the hurdles.
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But you are correct. We do not hand out diagrams given how many people copy our designs...
I completely understand the rationale - but we live in an age where a kid with a sub-$400 laser scanner (http://www.cubify.com/Products/Sense) and a copy of SolidWorks / Inventor etc. can copy a design and have it ready for machining in a few hours.
The only people that are affected by the lack of detailed info A/S are prepared to supply ... are genuine A/S customers.
Jim
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buckshot, "we live in an age where a kid with a sub-$400 laser scanner and a copy of SolidWorks / Inventor etc. can copy a design and have it ready for machining in a few hours."
That might be true, but they will still have to buy one and take it apart and analyse materials - as opposed to just being told "here are our secrets."
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True, but if someone intends to copy a product commercially, then buying one and reverse engineering it is a small overall cost.
Companies such as A/S shouldn't restrict information about their products in the hope of somehow protecting them - they have patent laws to do just that. If you can't afford to (or choose not to) defend your patent, there's little point having one, and there's little point complaining about people who (you claim) infringe it.
All they end up doing is hurting genuine customers who would like to know more about the relatively simple mechanical device they have bought (as opposed to the chemical formula of the proprietary nano-coating on the inside of a laser-guided thingamybob).
Jim
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"then buying one and reverse engineering it is a small overall cost."
But if they do that it proves willful intent to violate the patents.
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The P0 utilizes the asymmetrical ball that our Z head series first used. This protects or, at least cuts down the force of your camera/Lens combo striking a leg of your tripod if you fail to tighten down enough.
Weight of the is approximately 11 to 14 oz, depending on the quick release, used.
Capacity: 46lbs leverage weight. This is determined by hanging the weight 12 inches from the center of the head, on a rail.
A heavy lens with a Pro style body puts a considerably heavier stress on a head, than just the raw weight.
So one needs to keep this in mind.
Panoramic movement is at the top, making pano stitching a much simpler operation then dealing with a head with base pan only.
Rod
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Glad to hear they're taking care of you, despite the hurdles.
Thanks. Precision Camera is great. Arca on the other hand has really upset me.. but I can't think of a way of sharing my experience without also hurting Precision Camera.. so I won't.
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Ah, but then you have the Chinese who do not recognize almost any patents out there....
Rod
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Panoramic movement is at the top, making pano stitching a much simpler operation then dealing with a head with base pan only.
Rod
It's true, but... 1) during the panoramic movement the head of my P0 doesn't remain perfectly levelled;
2) the movement of the ball is not very fluid (less fluid than that of my other head, Gitzo GH2780 QR);
3) my P0 is not very precise (less precise than my other head Gitzo GH2780 QR)
4) the slidefix clamp of my P0 doesn't work well (doesn't tighten completely)
nevertheless I prefer to use it instead of the Gitzo...
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If you are moving the head with the ball loose, and no camera mounted, it will feel a bit rough.
Put it on a tripod and mount a camera and it should feel much smoother.
Also vis-a-vis leveling: The levels on any head are only as good as your eye. If you level the head using the head level, a tiny error is is greater 2,4 or 5, inches above
the platform. That is why using a level in or on the camera, at as close to the highest point possible, is always the most accurate.
The levels in ours, or any manufacturers, heads are to get you close to perfect, as I said above, are not the end all.
I always us my camera's level, when leveling to get the platform level for panning.
The plates for slidefix are polarized so must be mounted correctly. The lever for slide fix, is pulled out to seat plate. But then it should be pressed into center to finsh locking plate in place. It will sort of click to position. If this is not true then send it to precision for an adjustment.
5 year warranty.
Hope this helps,
Rod
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Maybe someday our government will actually enforce the Magnuson Moss Warranty act and addenda that requires mfgs to post schematics and make repair parts available.
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If you are moving the head with the ball loose, and no camera mounted, it will feel a bit rough.
Put it on a tripod and mount a camera and it should feel much smoother.
Also vis-a-vis leveling: The levels on any head are only as good as your eye. If you level the head using the head level, a tiny error is is greater 2,4 or 5, inches above
the platform. That is why using a level in or on the camera, at as close to the highest point possible, is always the most accurate.
The levels in ours, or any manufacturers, heads are to get you close to perfect, as I said above, are not the end all.
I always us my camera's level, when leveling to get the platform level for panning.
The plates for slidefix are polarized so must be mounted correctly. The lever for slide fix, is pulled out to seat plate. But then it should be pressed into center to finsh locking plate in place. It will sort of click to position. If this is not true then send it to precision for an adjustment.
5 year warranty.
Hope this helps,
Rod
Thank you for the advice, Rod. I use the head on the tripod with the camera mounted and use indeed the electronic level in camera...
Certainly I press the lever etc, but there isn't any click and after a while it goes back and the clamp loosens, the clamp of the (Arca Swiss) L-bracket, on the contrary, works perfectly.
Even with this defect, the camera is sufficiently blocked and I don't lose shots, even with the 70-200 2.8 or in macro shots. Sending it probably would mean sending it to France (I think there is no assistance in Italy) and I can go on well enough so.
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Maybe someday our government will actually enforce the Magnuson Moss Warranty act and addenda that requires mfgs to post schematics and make repair parts available.
Wouldn't that be nice..
I'm old enough to remember how great Sears was because you could go in and find any part for any product on their microfiche and repair almost anything indefinitely. You could get factory new parts for decades..
And then things started to change. Factory new parts turned into factory warranty parts.. now you might have a car 7-8 years old with zero support on critical parts. I bought a 1999 Mustang Cobra new.. ordered it from the factory. Five years later most of the Cobra specific parts were permanently out of stock, and repairing this car in some areas and regards is the same as repairing a Model-T. Ford knows all the GT and even 6 banger owners will buy Cobra trim parts especially because they think it makes their car cool.. so why not produce them in enough numbers to serve their customers? I went on a quest to find out. Each car model is different, but after approximately 7-9 years Ford sells all their stock of parts from all their dealerships.. to an "old stock" dealer. This guy is centrally located and as long as the parts hold out the dealers can now order the parts through them. At 4-5 times the price. That's the only way this guy can make money.. so they say. Why not leave them at their respective dealerships and ship them where needed when ordered? It's a lot cheaper (for the dealership) to pack them all up once.. at the end of the 7-9 year period.. and ship them out to the old-stock dealer. Then, the customer pays for shipping on each individual part.. and the dealer doesn't need to pay for space for this inventory or be vested in it's worth. It's all about the dealer!
Anyway.. the ability to fix things is becoming a lost art. I learned to do it because I came from a family without much money and that's just what we did. We couldn't even consider paying someone to fix our car, or washing machine, toaster, etc.. And there used to be a fix it shop in town.. but we couldn't afford to go there either.. :( So the guy/gal in each family with the natural ability and desire became the families fix it guy.. which can keep a guy busy.
Now, despite two graduate degrees which no one in my family, or even on my block since my wife has no idea I have.. everyone in my neighbourhood thinks I'm a mechanic or a carpenter or a landscaper and one guy thinks I fix televisions. They actually knock on my door and think they're being nice by bringing me work. I stopped doing this for a while when I lived in Thailand.. but now my college age son is living with me so I'm teaching him stuff and we get to spend time together. They wonder how a 21 year old kid can drive a nice BMW.. easy, buy a broken one cheap from someone who can't afford BMW service prices and fix it yourself. Cheaper than a Honda that way. Seriously.
Boy have I digressed.. I could talk about this subject forever. In the car world, the guy who raced who had the power used to be the guy with the biggest collection of catalogues and knew where to get things. Now anyone can look up anything on their smart phone in 15-20 seconds. Televisions once out of warranty aren't repaired, they're replaced. Remodelling a kitchen used to cost a few grand, now you have to take out a second. And the city wisely (and infuriatingly) wants permits for even the smallest repair just to keep people from hurting themselves or sending blackwater into the fresh water supply..
If our country ever has the much talked about meltdown.. most people are going to starve. And walk. No wonder the number of preppers is growing exponentially..
Enough already.. sorry for the dribble..
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My B1 arrived via UPS today and it DOES NOT WORK LIKE NEW. Nope, it works about 1000% better than new. NOW it matches up to the way I read it was always supposed to work. Wow..
A big thank you to Precision Camera not just for good service.. but for their understanding.
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I sent my Z1 to Precision Camera about three years ago and my initial concerns of the high repair cost were put to rest when I received the ballhead back. Exactly the same reaction as you. 1000% better!