Z1 Service Menus

[Carlos Manuel]

Does anyone know how to enter them, if possible ?

I'm having a problem with the focus sensor (E:61:00) and need to find if that reset can be made by "soft".

Carlos

[Bob Hart]

Carlos.

That reset function may be an automatic "zero set" servo calibration operation. Everytime you switch the camera on, the lens system might be checking itself.

Getting into a hidden menu may not help if there is a mechanical problem like a piece of dust or grease on an optically coupled "end-of-travel" sensor or a resistive joint on a ribbon cable.

Messing with the hidden menu may make it harder for the repair man to fix your camera later.


FOOTNOTE:

I have contacted the sole Sony Professional premium authorised dealership in Perth. Their technician I find to be on the ball and very helpful. I have not had to return any of three repair/services I have had done there. - Forum rules preclude me from mentioning names other than sponsors but Sony users in Perth will know who I am talking about. Their tech advises me that getting into the hidden menu will not be helpful.

A special controller which plugs in via the LANC port is required. This controller is used with special focus charts. The serviceman uses these to command the camera to make very fine lens internal focus adjustments. This same controller is used for the VTR section of the camera as well. Stay out of this because you may do much harm.


The E:61:00 error is likely to be caused by :-


a faulty sensor inside the lens.

a faulty connection where the ribbon cable attaches to the lens.


If the fault is inside the lens, this is an expensive problem because the lens is a sealed module and can not be dismantled. It has to be replaced. This costs about AU$1,500.

If the fault is in the ribbon cable connection, the fix may be as simple as disconnect and reconnect the ribbon cable which may polish off any resistive muck on the conductive joints.

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Bob Hart

A special controller which plugs in via the LANC port is required. This controller is used with special focus charts. The serviceman uses these to command the camera to make very fine lens internal focus adjustments.

I'm guessing they use an RM-95: http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/rm95.html

Too bad - a few years ago you could order these on Sony's site for $85, but now they appear to be discontinued...

[Bob Hart]

From the way the technician was describing it, the controller was a bit more sophisticated, but I am really only guessing.

With many appliances, there are boundaries which should not be crossed by owner-operators of average facility and this is probably one of them. The cautionary notes about not writing to non-volatile memory in the bealecorner article are enough have me running screaming and gibbering for the hills in fear of what damage I might otherwise do if I were to stay around pushing the buttons to see what happened.

[Boyd Ostroff]

I couldn't agree with you more Bob; I will leave that kind of thing to the pro's when my $5000 camera needs servicing. Happily, my 3 Sony cameras have been trouble free. Although I confess that I've gone into the double-secret service menus on my Panasonic Plasma TV and adjusted it to underscan :-)

[Carlos Manuel]

Bob Hart,

Many thanks for your attention.
I'm quite nervous

Since 5 days ago when I power ON the camera, I get the E:61:00 code.
The focus system does not work.

After a couple of PowerOFF + PowerON the E:61:00 goes away.
Then the camera works perfectly and I can also swap bateries, that it works fine after that.

Seems that is not a problem with any ribbon cable.
So seems to be a MAJOR problem. And I'm out of $$$$... ...

How much time can this situation stay in this position until the focus don't work at all? - can you ask that for me, PLEASE

Or do I have to live with this "for ever" (until a repair) ?

If you can help me with this info, I'l appreciate.

Carlos

[Bob Hart]

Carlos.


Not much else I can suggest.


If it is a lens internal fault there are four things which may be happening,

The end-of-travel sensor or its circuit may be faulty, including the ribbon cable fault.

The focus motor or its power source may be weak, in combination with dry lubrication, not moving the travelling part its full distance and stopping short of the end-of-travel sensor sometimes.

A loose piece of rubbish has gotten onto the sensor and sometimes gets in the way. If it is an optical type, this problem may go away on its own if the piece of rubbish moves. If it is a hall effect sensor (magnetic) rubbish in the sensor itself should not affect it unless it is a piece of steel or a chip of ferrite magnet out of an electric motor (not likely).

A loose piece of rubbish or wear debris has build up on the guide tracks in the lens itself and preventing the internal part from travelling its complete distance.

For the loose rubbish, maybe try pointing the front of camera towards the ground at angle of 70 degrees and hold camera upside down, then switch power on.

The loose rubbish may drop out to somewhere else inside the lens or weight bearing differently will allow lube to move around to dry points and ease the action in its normal operating position.

The downside of starting the camera in unusual positions is that the problem might be made worse if the piece of rubbish moves to a new place.

[Carlos Manuel]

Bob,

Thanks for your attention.
Please consider this e-mail NOT SCIENTIFIC !

Since the discover of this E:61:00 error, I power on the camera for around 1h during the morning and 1 or 1/2 hour during the evening.
The batteries also work a bit more...

Now, I always do the power on with the front cap OPEN, so the focus system has an image and not balck (I started to say NO SCIENCE...)

And until now I have no error at all.
I don't know.
Seems an intermitent error (the worst ones) but I feel that I have to use the camera more often...
If this can make sense to someone...

Tomorrow I will go shoot a couple of plans 300km away from my office.
The place there is COLD (Oporto in Portugal)

Tha camera will go inside the aluminium carrying case.
Let's see what will happend.

I've always heard that video cameras should work in a daily basis.
I've been shooting 1 day per 1.5 months, so....

I will report.

Carlos

[Boyd Ostroff]

Originally Posted by Carlos Manuel

I've always heard that video cameras should work in a daily basis.

This might be ideal, but I have never done it with my 3 Sony cameras and have not had any problems. My Z1 often sits around for several months between uses and still works perfectly after 2.5 years...

[Bob Hart]

Carlos.

If there is a resistive joint in the circuit somewhere, such as a ribbon cable junction, then powering up more often may keep any build-up burned through and the conductive path operative.

From your description of the symptoms I am inclined to suspect a resistive ribbon cable connection may be the problem.

However this is still really a fault which probably needs to be seen to or at least eliminated as a possibilty.

While it may keep the camera operating, all these unproductive powering on and off cycles will be wearing out other parts of the camera un-necessarily.

When you can afford it, I recommend you get the camera tech to check to be sure a cascade of damage through other related circuits is not provoked by this fault.

Dirty connectors can sometimes grow a conductive path across insulation between circuits. This is more commonly seen in high voltage mains power junctions where damp permits a current flow and heat to occur which breaks down insulation and converts it to a carbon bridge which grows across.

Camera power is not high voltage but there are power conductors to the lens and zoom servos from the camera body. Unregulated power leaking across into a sensitive logic circuit is not a nice thought. A crossover of power to another circuit might not do anything harmful if there is no path for it to go anywhere else.

A power leak across to a control circuit might latch a servomotor into continuous duty which would almost instantly become lock torque against an end stop if the stop sensor signal becomes by-passed by the power leak. Then the lens could be ruined very quickly if the motor burns out before the power supply circuit fails or a fuse blows. If such a latching due to power leak is happening already, this could be your problem as easily as a resistive joint which is why I would want to get it checked.