Disassembling a Cambo Wide shifting lens panel

[John Schneider]

I picked up another lens for my Cambo Wide, but unfortunately the crash bars are a bit loose. By sliding the shifting panel I can barely see four screw heads on the inside, which presumably are for attaching the bars.

However I don't have enough access to tighten the screws without removing the shifting panel entirely. Does someone know how to do so? There is a tiny setscrew on the housing for the knob shaft, loosening which may allow the panel to slide freely. Otherwise the inserts that say "Cambo Wide" are glued on, and maybe these hide the fasteners which limit the motion of the shifting panel. But I'd like to hear if anyone has disassembled their panel before hacking into mine.

[John Schneider]

With a little help from the factory I figured out how to do this, and I'm posting here for reference in case someone else encounters the same problem.

On the boss for the shifting knob there is a hole for a socket setscrew. Take a 1.5mm hex key and slightly loosen the screw. The knob assembly will now pull straight out; you can see the gear at the inside end of the shaft that engages a matching gear pattern machined into the edge of the panel. Now slide the panel fully out and tighten the offending screws.

When you do so, you'll also see that the raised box that mounts the helical mount is in fact removable with four screws, and thus that the shifting panel base is common for all lenses. This means that you could make a different size box for any lens you desire, regardless of which lens panel you have.