pentax spotmeter disassembly?

[h2oman]

Yep, I dropped my spotmeter in the drink yesterday. I now have lots of good ideas about how to prevent that, but they won't remove the water that's inside it!

I did a search of older posts, which helped console me when I found that Drew, Vaughn and others have done the same thing, and I got some ideas there. One person said to disassemble and dry it, but it is not clear to me how to do that. In particular, I'd like to remove the two lenses. Is that possible, and can anyone explain how to do it? Should I also remove the small metal plate at the bottom?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[gari beet]

A friend of mine did just this a few weeks ago while we were running a workshop on Skye. proper swim it took too!
He just put it on a radiator for a couple of days and all was well, removing the battery of course.

As they are solid state I think it isn't too much of an issue getting wet, it's more an issue as to what they get wet in, soda etc not being good.

Gari

[Drew Wiley]

I was clumsy enough to actually drop two meters in the creek in one summer! One
time the water temp was mild and I fished it out almost instantly. Once I left the mtns I put the meter on the dashboard while driving thru the hotter climate below,
and then into a dessicant box with fresh silica gel for a couple weeks. It seems to
work perfectly now. But the previous instance I dropped a different meter into
ice-water during a blizzard, which took awhile to fish out, and it horribly fogged. I figured it was not only wet inside but potentially had the calibration messed up too. So I sent it to Quality Light Metric; and he charged me barely more than a routine recalibration - so glad I took that route instead of tinkering with it myself. Now that
particular meter is working just fine also.

[h2oman]

Thanks guys. It is on the radiator now - I think I'll just leave it there a while for the time being, and see what happens. I felt like an idiot, so it was a bit comforting to know that others have done it too! The water was really cold, and I was just glad that it wasn't too deep and I could find it quickly. I couldn't see because it was amongst come concrete slabs and the water was murky.

[bobwysiwyg]

My Seconic is on a lanyard. After reading these, I'm off to find one for my Pentax spot meter as well. :)

[Preston]

So your screen name 'h20man' has a slightly different meaning now? :D

Just be careful that the meter doesn't get too hot during the drying process. Once it's dried out you may want to have a clean and calibrate done just to be sure.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I hope it works out for you.

--Preston

[h2oman]

Oh yeah, real funny Preston. ;)

Well, I deserve it and I can take it. By the way, I haven't told my wife. She's pretty sure I'm going to do something stupid every time I leave the house, and that's pretty much true. The previous outing it was doubly exposed negative.

[Vaughn]

...The previous outing it was doubly exposed negative.

BTDT, too -- even used one of those errors in a final portfolio in college!

[bvstaples]

My Seconic is on a lanyard. After reading these, I'm off to find one for my Pentax spot meter as well. :)

Years ago, when I was a kid, my Dad would not let me use any of his equipment - his binoculars, his cameras, his light meters, unless I had them strapped around my neck. Now it seems like everything is strapped around my neck, but nothing's been in the drink! He was a wise man...

Brian

[Vaughn]

Years ago, when I was a kid, my Dad would not let me use any of his equipment - his binoculars, his cameras, his light meters, unless I had them strapped around my neck. Now it seems like everything is strapped around my neck, but nothing's been in the drink! He was a wise man...

Brian


Unless you end up in the drink, too! I've come close to that a few times when walking up a creek (actually in the creek because there is no way to walk along the banks). Which is why I like my Ries pod -- strong enough to help me keep relatively stable while carrying the 8x10 on my back.

[mandoman7]

You can disassemble the analog meter without too much difficulty. I did so after a search on the forum. There is a screw underneath a small covering in the lower part of the handle that is the big hurdle if you don't know beforehand. Its under a label and wouldn't be a place to look normally.

Take pictures as you go along and you'll find your way back.

[h2oman]

Well, the meter has been on a board on the radiator the past couple days, and the moisture seems to be gone. I'm going to leave it there until the next time I need it, just for good measure. We'll see how it does.

One thing that did come out of this is that I discovered the eyepiece screws out a bit, to focus. I never knew that!