Anatomy of the Leica M8

[guywalder]

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Mark,

the various boards are laquered after soldering, arn't they?? cant really see from the pictures...

[JohnM]

That was even better than the D2! A great bit of work and very informative.It gives us all a better understanding of the M8's complexity. Thankyou!

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[erl]

It will be interesting see pictures taken with it, after you do the "Humpty Dumpty" act.

 

So far so good (brilliant!) Mark.

[george +]

Many thanks Mark; and congratulations on your competence and courage. By the way, how long did it take?

[ho_co]

Mark--

I'm curious whether the rangefinder seems any different from previous units.

 

I know the length is the same and the linkages seem to be the same; and you didn't mention any obvious differences. But with the changed magnification I wonder if the assembly comes out looking noticeably different.

 

Thanks!

 

--HC

 

Oh, and if you pulled out the battery, is there room for a roll of Kodachrome?

[blakley]

Like everyone else I'm impressed and grateful. I think the hardest part is going to be re-aligning the sensor; the shims are great but I've been told by a dealer that there are very fine adjustments to the sensor plane, checked using laser positioning guides, which are performed in the cleanroom at the time of assembly. Did you see any evidence of adjustability of the sensor plane when you were taking it apart? I'll be fascinated to see how you fare doing this by hand! I presume you'll post some pictures taken with the reassembled camera?

[Ben Marks]

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If you hear an odd sound, it's just me pulling my jaw all the way off the floor and ratcheting it back into place. I am just astounded. Fantastic piece or work; both the camera and the disassembly. Me hat's off to the Duke.

 

Ben Marks

[Michael Jones]

Mark, your place in Leica forum history is secured! A true "hardware guy."

 

I spend my working day teaching in the SMT inspection industry and it was very interesting to see the flex circuits, component selection, component placement and solder joints.

 

You have contributed much to an understanding of the camera architecture and it should, as has already been noted, increase our appreciation for the engineering task which Leica had to manage. Bravo Mark, and bravo Leica project management team!

 

Regards,

 

Michael

[jrc]

Mark, thanks. I don't know a ****ing thing about electronics, but it was fascinating.

 

The missing screw/plate thing worries me. What could that possibly be about?

 

Is there any possible way to fit a hard switch to that backup battery?

 

JC

[Bob Ross]

Bless your brave heart, adventurous soul and insane curiosity, Mark! Oh, what a difference from the way the D2 was put together, simply amazing. I think you have added value to the mystique of the M8 in showing how Leica crammed all the essentials into a confined traditional space. They should be smiling along with us, knowing that we got some insight into what they do to give us this product.

Thank you very much.

Bob

[Jamie Roberts]

Wow.

 

That was Amazing. And Very, Very Cool!

 

Thanks!

[BillBrittain]

I think this is what is meant by "taking one for the team". Fantastic work, well explained so that even a layman can understand it, and very entertaining too. Thanks!

[AlanG]

Very interesting. When I was a little kid, my parents used to give me broken clocks to take apart and put back together. It would keep me busy for hours and I guess they were very happy that it kept me entertained for so long.

 

I'd like to suggest a Ferrari Enzo for your next project.

 

Your post reminded me of a story my brother told me years ago. He used to restore airplanes at the Smithsonian Institution and once had to completely disassmble and re-build an Italian WWII Macchi fighter. (Including performing a total engine overhaul.) This was not a plane that any of them was familiar with and they had no plans or instructions. (Although the engine was made by Alfa Romeo under license from Daimler Benz so maybe they that helped.) They photographed it every step of the way so they could try to figure it out and reassemble it into what is supposed to be original (and potentially working) form. I think it took about a year or two for completion if I recall.

[colorflow]

Mark:

Incredible courage, competence, and confidence!!!

 

Seems there are a lot of connectors. Any potential problems that you can see? How do you think the power is monitored and communicated to the various processors? Any potential communications issue from the hardware standpoint that would cause some processors to think the battery is too low, while others think it is ok?

 

Alan

[newyorkone]

cool...

[xrogers]

A tour de force. Thank you.

 

--clyde

[Guest sirvine]

all of that costs $5000? i can't help thinking that the innards look cheap.

 

very cool project, though. that takes guts.

 

Yeah that shutter assembly sure looks 'cheap'...

[fjmcsu]

Stupendous!!!!!!!!! And nice macro shots too.Thanks so much for sharing.I know it took time to disassemble it but also to type, explain & post.Many, many thanks for the time taken to present this to the forum.

[alastair]

Well done you!!!. I have to say, that I feel a lot happier about the cost now that I've seen the innards and the cramped living conditions ;-)

 

Cheers

 

Alastair

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[marknorton]

Well, it looks as if we got our money's worth , there's a lot of engineering in that product! I wonder if any location other than Solms will ever be able to service them.

 

Mark from the work you've done have you been able to acertain why there seemed to be such a high impedance between various parts of the body shell components? If I remember correctly some time ago you measured about 100 Ohms between some items.

 

Bob.

 

Bob, I think it's simply down to the painted castings. I can see a few places where they have scraped paint away to make a good connection. Ideally the painting process would leave the "lands" they require unpainted.