grober Posted February 7, 2007 Share #1 Â Posted February 7, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) The problem, of course, in hand coding any LTM adapter is getting the black marks in EXACTLY the right location on the surface of the ring. Â I have the appropriate Leica-made screwmount-to-M adapter but I can't create those shallow but precisely positioned depressions which one could then darken with the necessary magic ink marks. Â Please PM me if you have the necessary skills and access to an appropriate device able to solve this dilemma. (I'm surely not the only Leicaphile to have thought of this, yes?) Â -g Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstotler Posted February 7, 2007 Share #2  Posted February 7, 2007 Know you're seeking to make the depressions in the ring, but this is helpful, maybe, since your issue is also directly related to alignment?  Template: http://www.digital-leica.com/lens_codes/template.jpg  Page about the issue: Leica M8 Lens Codes  Thanks, Will Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted February 7, 2007 Share #3 Â Posted February 7, 2007 The template is apparently a little off in one direction. Is there someone here with the skills to update it to be more exact? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephengilbert Posted February 7, 2007 Share #4 Â Posted February 7, 2007 SK Grimes (S.K. Grimes Services for Large Format Photographers, CNC Photographer's Machinist) does various kinds of custom camera machining. (I spoke to them today about making a lens hood for the WA-TE that would mount on the filter.) They might be worth talking to. If what you want is something that would likely result in repeat business for them, maybe you can get a good price. Â I can vouch for their work. I've bought various camera bits from them over the years, and have always been satisfied. Â Steve Gilbert Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted February 8, 2007 Share #5 Â Posted February 8, 2007 John Milich, who is a member of this forum, recently milled a set of adapters for me with the needed indentations. This isn't something he's selling, just part of some experiments he's been doing for his own purposes. Milling the Leitz adapters reveals the brass underneath which is, apparently, not close enough to white to be acceptable to the coding sensor. So, for that reason, simply filling in some of the wells with black ink doesn't work. John painted his adapter (white and black in the recesses as needed) and I'll start experimenting tomorrow with painting mine. I believe that the recesses are in the correct position but I won't know for sure until I've painted these and see how they work. If they do work, they obviously could solve the problem of marker lines wearing off. Â Naturally, this is not something that a person could sell to others until he or she understood Leica's patent interests and rights and could precede without infringing upon those. John is a machinist and set up a routine on a CNC machine to do this purely for his own use. It's mostly just proof of concept at this point. Again, it's important that Leica's patent (which I have not yet read) is not infringed upon. I am discussing this issue with them to get clarification on what might or might not infringe upon their (active or pending) patent for the 6-bit code system. Â Cheers, Â Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
finkaudio Posted February 8, 2007 Share #6  Posted February 8, 2007 Hi,  I hand modified my adapter and will set up a CNC routine asap for other adapters.  A Corel drawing with the 6 markings allows me to print out different codes within minutes. I must say that I never got any Sharpie marking working , but get very good results using the code "paper".   For most cases, the paper also works with the newer adapter type.    Hope CV ore somebody else will come up with a new generation of adapters that got a nice litte recessed area, so everybody can print a code and stick it on. I cannot see that such a solution would touch the LEICA patent (if there is any).  Best regards  Karl-Heinz  P.S. Here is the drawing : Leica Code Template Corel 10. Just mark one of the dots, change colour - ready Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted February 8, 2007 Share #7 Â Posted February 8, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) OK...just got the first adapter working. At the recommendation of an art store owner, I'm using black and white nail polish as paint and, at John's suggestion, using a toothpick as the "brush". Just successfully painted an adapter to trigger the Summicron 28/2.0 Asph code. Â This is cool... Â Cheers, Â Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
finkaudio Posted February 8, 2007 Share #8 Â Posted February 8, 2007 Hi Sean, Â what's about a picture ??? Â Â ATB Â KH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grober Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share #9  Posted February 8, 2007 Sean,  We all understand Leica's need to keep a revenue stream going. Everyone wants them to return to fiscal health and stay there for years to come.  But they must know that lots of their M8 users are dinkin around, trying "mickey mouse" solutions -- oops did I just violate a copyright law? -- attempting to come up with a workable coding solution for those non-Leica screwmount lenses we cherish and want to effectively use on the new camera. Heck, one lens I'll always want to use is a 1937 model Summar with it's front element so burnished from knocking around in a drawer over the years it's as good as looking through a Zeiss Softar portrait filter! And now with the 1.33x boost that the M8 provides, it's a viable portrait lens.  You're right: the best thing Leica can do is to open their system and burn a selection device into their firmware so we can manually select at least a focal length if not specific optics by name. Whether they will or not probably won't keep us trying to figure out an interim solution anyway. I hope your knowledgeable interaction with them sheds some light in both New Jersey and Solms  For my Leica optics, I'm slowly sending them to Leica Sevice for official 6-bit coding. It's obvious from looking at the first one to come back that they paint on little dabs of both the black and the white "spots," of course, all in exactly the right places. We're just trying to figure a "guerilla way" to effectively do the same for our non-Leica glass.  -g Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted February 8, 2007 Share #10 Â Posted February 8, 2007 Hi g, Â You know that you're preaching to the choir, right? I've been advocating for an open system with the M8 for months now. What individuals cook up in the privacy of their own homes and shops is one thing (he typed with lens coding paint still drying on his fingers) but a business actually providing this service or selling coded lens rings is another. My point is that anyone who might want to provide this service, sell rings with the indents, etc. would need to clear the patent hurdles first. There are several precision machinists on this list and, no doubt, some of them would be happy to help produce these for us if there were a legit way to do that. Â I want to see the benefits of lens coding become as widely available for as many different lenses as possible. All of the M8 lens reviews have looked at how hand-coded lenses perform. But....I do respect intellectual property and most others do as well and so there are questions to be answered before someone (speaking generally) could start selling adapters with coding wells. Â Â Photos tomorrow. John's the expert on these. Â Cheers, Â Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvaubel Posted February 8, 2007 Share #11  Posted February 8, 2007 Hi g, You know that you're preaching to the choir, right? I've been advocating for an open system with the M8 for months now. What individuals cook up in the privacy of their own homes and shops is one thing (he typed with lens coding paint still drying on his fingers) but a business actually providing this service or selling coded lens rings is another. My point is that anyone who might want to provide this service, sell rings with the indents, etc. would need to clear the patent hurdles first. There are several precision machinists on this list and, no doubt, some of them would be happy to help produce these for us if there were a legit way to do that.  I want to see the benefits of lens coding become as widely available for as many different lenses as possible. All of the M8 lens reviews have looked at how hand-coded lenses perform. But....I do respect intellectual property and most others do as well and so there are questions to be answered before someone (speaking generally) could start selling adapters with coding wells.   Photos tomorrow. John's the expert on these.  Cheers,  Sean  Sean  In order to avoid any possible patent infringement, a simple arc shaped well could be milled in lens or adapter. An adhesive paper strip with the code could then be applied. A little clear urethane and you are good to go. Anyone could print the adhesive paper template once someone post them on the internet.  For that matter why arent we printing the code on address stickers now? What's with this sharpie sh*t ? Is the paper to thick?  Rex Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robsteve Posted February 8, 2007 Share #12  Posted February 8, 2007 Hi, Karl-Heinz  P.S. Here is the drawing : Leica Code Template Corel 10. Just mark one of the dots, change colour - ready  Is there another format that you can save the template in, such as PDF? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted February 8, 2007 Share #13  Posted February 8, 2007 Sean In order to avoid any possible patent infringement, a simple arc shaped well could be milled in lens or adapter. An adhesive paper strip with the code could then be applied. A little clear urethane and you are good to go. Anyone could print the adhesive paper template once someone post them on the internet.  For that matter why arent we printing the code on address stickers now? What's with this sharpie sh*t ? Is the paper to thick?  Rex  Hi Rex,  That's an interesting idea about the well.  I've got two adapters painted and working now: coded for 21/2.8 Asph and 28/2.0 Asph.  Cheers,  Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted February 8, 2007 Share #14  Posted February 8, 2007 Here's a quick and dirty picture of a test adapter that John milled. This is a Leitz 13.5 cm.  Cheers,  Sean Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/15584-leica-m8-user-who-is-a-machinist/?do=findComment&comment=165401'>More sharing options...
finkaudio Posted February 8, 2007 Share #15  Posted February 8, 2007 Hi,  I did some search on the Internet about a possible patent for the coding and found something. It is called "Gebrauchtsmusterschutz" and is something like a patent "light", means only the way of making is protected more or less. That would stop companies like Zeiss making it I guess. .  More important, it was all a bout a coded lens and how to do it - not one word about an adapter. As a possible adapter would not be a lens, I think it could be safe. And with a "paper" code solution that everybody can make himself - why should that touch the "Gebrauchsmusterschutz"? It's only some private play :-)  Just my 2c...  Best regards  KH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
finkaudio Posted February 8, 2007 Share #16  Posted February 8, 2007 Is there another format that you can save the template in, such as PDF?   Hi,  sure, I can, but the trick is that in Corel you can "code" your paper withing a few seconds, so you can print it out.  But I can also do a PDF version after adding a few modifications that I want to do anyway.  Best regards  KHF Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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