DIY fix for hotshoe micro-switch problem

janshim · 26th February 2009

It all began when I tried put on the notorious Speedlite 580EX-II on the EOS 20D and it wouldn’t fire. My first reaction, Oh, here we go again. The hotshoe screws on the camera probably needed tightening.” Careless me, after I removed the whole metal assembly, I fiddled with the plastic micro-switch and the whole piece fell inside. There is no way to recover it and since it’s plastic I am not at all concerned about the possibility of shorting the circuits. This is when I came across a fantastic resource by wedding photographer in Philadelphia, Conrad Erb. While the idea of using something so readily available such as a paper clip sounds so inviting and practical, I’m concerned about it getting lost (again) so I looked around the house and found a hairbrush bristle made of strong plastic and it fitted perfectly as a replacement to the original item.

more information and additional pictures on my blog.

Ninja23XX · 26th February 2009

Originally Posted by janshim

It all began when I tried put on the notorious Speedlite 580EX-II on the EOS 20D and it wouldn’t fire. My first reaction, Oh, here we go again. The hotshoe screws on the camera probably needed tightening.” Careless me, after I removed the whole metal assembly, I fiddled with the plastic micro-switch and the whole piece fell inside. There is no way to recover it and since it’s plastic I am not at all concerned about the possibility of shorting the circuits. This is when I came across a fantastic resource by wedding photographer in Philadelphia, Conrad Erb. While the idea of using something so readily available such as a paper clip sounds so inviting and practical, I’m concerned about it getting lost (again) so I looked around the house and found a hairbrush bristle made of strong plastic and it fitted perfectly as a replacement to the original item.

more information and additional pictures on my blog.

Great DIY Technique. Thanks for the Tip!

GMAN

denniskee · 27th February 2009

thanks for sharing.

good news for 50d users who wants to have a black hot shoe, just go find a user who want to change their hot shoe mount to steel color, than dismantle and exchange.

26th February 2009	#1
janshim Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 196	DIY fix for hotshoe micro-switch problem It all began when I tried put on the notorious Speedlite 580EX-II on the EOS 20D and it wouldn’t fire. My first reaction, Oh, here we go again. The hotshoe screws on the camera probably needed tightening.” Careless me, after I removed the whole metal assembly, I fiddled with the plastic micro-switch and the whole piece fell inside. There is no way to recover it and since it’s plastic I am not at all concerned about the possibility of shorting the circuits. This is when I came across a fantastic resource by wedding photographer in Philadelphia, Conrad Erb. While the idea of using something so readily available such as a paper clip sounds so inviting and practical, I’m concerned about it getting lost (again) so I looked around the house and found a hairbrush bristle made of strong plastic and it fitted perfectly as a replacement to the original item. more information and additional pictures on my blog. __________________ JAN SHIM PHOTOGRAPHY www.shimworld.com

27th February 2009	#3
denniskee Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: bukit batok Posts: 4,210	Re: DIY fix for hotshoe micro-switch problem thanks for sharing. good news for 50d users who wants to have a black hot shoe, just go find a user who want to change their hot shoe mount to steel color, than dismantle and exchange. __________________ photography makes one sees things from all angles. Last edited by denniskee; 27th February 2009 at 12:11 AM.