How to Tighten Fine Focus on Toyo 810G?

[tgtaylor]

This is the fine ("micro") focus on the front standard of a Toyo 810G. Below is a picture of it.

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There's a small hex screw that you can make out just past the knob. The smallest hex on my bicycle tool fit into it but it wouldn't turn. To the right of that is the lever for tightening the focus lock. The focus remains stiff but I'm sure that it's supposed to tighten firmly when the lever is fully engaged. Any experience with this part?

Thanks,
Thomas

[Dugan]

I have a Toyo/Omega 45D, and there are set-screws that put pressure on the silver trapezoidal-shaped silver-colored bars that run parallel to the focus movement.
The silver bar is on the other side, not the knob side on your camera.
I believe the hex screw on the knob just attaches the knob to the shaft.
Hope this helps!

[tgtaylor]

While there are several screws on that section of the standard, none are loose or can be tightened. The picture below is a close-up of the locking mechanism. I believe that the silver hexagonal screw just visible between the knob and the locking lever adjusts the torque on the lock. If I push the locking lever all the way forward with some force, the micro focus locks in place but it shouldn't take that much forward force. All the other locking levelers work normally.


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[Tomas]

Hi Mr. Taylor

There are many screws around this part of the standard. They can all be loosened and tightened. Most of them are sealed with thread locking fluid, and those three screws Dugan made reference to is even sealed with lacquer. These three screws are for aligning the hardened trapezoidal-shaped bar mentioned by Dugan. They can be loosened and tighten, but be careful, they are factory aligned to get even pressure all the way from front to back of the fine focus adjustment.

I have a suggestion for you, which you can try, and it is quite easy.
You need to remove the knob first, and then the nut (It is not for tightening the braking function, it's for holding the whole system together). Take off the two spacers, one ordinary steel spacer and one spring type black spacer.
Then you need to turn the focus lock knob out. On the inside you will find a plastic spacer. If you replace this spacer with a thicker one or add another spacer you will be able to add more pressure on the braking system with your focus lock knob.
You will have to experiment here with the thickness.

Please note! When looking at the pictures you will not see the ordinary focus lock knob, because it has been broken. Only the brass cylinder inside the knob have been left. So don't be tricked by the pictures.

Picture 1: Taken apart and showing the pieces lined up in sequence.
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Picture 2: I have mounted the parts together again and taken the ruler off. Behind the ruler is the brake. It's the black bar in the middle. It is making pressure on the silver colored piece behind it (yours is black). When the plastic spacer is thicker, it should make harder pressure.
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Picture 3: You can try this out without taking anything apart. It might be worth trying. Make some sort of spacer like the one in picture 3. Thin hard plastic or whatever suitable. Loosen the focus lock knob as much as possible. Insert the spacer, and
behind the plastic spacer on the inside of the focus lock knob. Try!
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Good luck
Tomas

[aphcl84]

There are three small set screws on the opposite site of the standard from the focus knob that hold pressure against the dovetail gib, that must be tightened.

First you will need a quality 1.5mm hex wrench, the screws are small so cheap hex wrenches often will not fit correctly.

Begin by loosening the fine focus lock so there is no tension on the dovetail from that side, unscrew the middle set screw about a half turn so the pressure is off of it, then carefully tighten the two ends making sure to keep the tension even between them.

Test the focus tension by turning the focus knob back and forth through the range of motion, it should be even through the full length, if there are any tight spots then the screws are not evenly tightened causing the dovetail to be out of parallel.

Once you have both front and rear tightened to the correct resistance, tighten the center while again turning the focus knob, when the resistance is higher in the center of travel it's too tight and should be backed off until resistance is even.

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[aphcl84]

I just reread through the thread and now I'm not sure if I answered the correct question, is the fine focus loose or is it the focus locking knob?

If it's just the focus locking knob then remove the focus knob by loosening the set screw on the focus knob and pull it off while being careful not to lose the washer on it, and tighten the nut underneath (with the knob unlocked, unless you want to break it) it won't need much of a turn.