Pentax User Since 1990

I have owned SLRs since 1969, and have been a Pentax user since 1990. I bought my K-70 in 2018, and developed solenoid problems about 2022. I easily replaced the solenoid myself, but owning a good set of jeweler's screwdrives, and having the correct soldering station (along with decades of experience in soldering fine wires) meant that I was well suited for the repair.

My favorite photographic subjects are old water-powered mills and covered bridges.

Dale, welcome to the forum. I don’t have the skills (courage) to tackle my K30 solenoid so it lives as a body for manual only lenses.

It is not a difficult repair, but it does require certain skills and tools. I have read posts from people who thought they could do it, but have botched it. Your conservative appraisal of your skill level is wise.

Ah. Is this the thing that operates the stop-down lever on K lenses? Welcome to a wonderful forum Dale. As you can see, you have contributed right from the start!

Yes - it operates the f-stop lever. When it fails the exposures are all black or close to it because the iris is completely closed when a much wider aperture is needed. My K-70 was manufactured during the ABF (Aperture Block Failure) years - after Ricoh introduced the China-made green solenoid ca. 2012, and before they solved the problem with a better solenoid in 2021. My replacement was an original Japan-made (pre-2010) white solenoid. I made the repair early enough that the white solenoids were not difficult to find.

Welcome Dale to the site.
I read on your site regarding Steganographic copyright, never heard of it, but always interested in new stuff. So I have quickly found, outguess, a tool freely available for Linux, when time allows I will have a play. Thanks for that.

A thumbs up for the tool 'outguess' have it loaded and working, now I can go to a court and sue....

Trying to guard one's rights to one's content on the internet may be more-or-less futile, but nonetheless I still try to guard my content.

I have always avoided buying a K70 due to the risk of solenoid failure. M42 lenses won't be affected by it so I might get one now for that specific, dedicated use. Thank you. ... There is always something to learn.

A K-70 manufactured after Jan-2021 will have the new solenoid and will not have ABF.