Loose hotshoe on SC-17 cord? Do I need to replace?

[laughing buddha production]

Hi all,

 

Sorry if this is a repeat (could not find an answer in earlier threads).

 

My SC-17 hotshoe is coming loose on one side.

 

The actual metal plate of the hotshoe that holds the flash in place is lifting

away slightly from the plastic portion of the piece. Thus my SB-800 is wobbling

on top of my Stroboframe - not a great state of affairs in a rapid PJ event

shooting work environment. It feels like it's going to break loose completely

with a few more light G's of force. Right now the cord still functions as designed.

 

It does not look easily repaired (no screws or anything) for me to tighten.

 

So QUESTIONS:

 

- Is this metal plate just glued down or something like that?

- Can I fix it with a minimal amount of effort?

- Do I just need to replace this cord?

- I understand the SC-28 has a more sturdy build and grip on the SB units, true?

 

Thanks for the input in advance.

 

 

Michael

[nancy s.]

This is a problem with the SC 17 and may be why it was discontinued. Or one of the reasons.

 

Replacement is the answer, however, since the choice is replacement as opposed to repair, why not try to glue it down? You have nothing to lose if the other alternative is replacement anyway. with it loose like this it will eventually fail.

 

Been there and done that.

[Michael R Freeman]

I pretty certain the "hotshoe" is fastened with screws/fasteners from the inside of the SC-17. If you open the bottom of that end of the SC-17, you should be able to access the fasteners.

[wayne_f1]

Here is a <a href="http://aljacobs.com/shorten%20sc-17.htm">picture of opening the SC-17</a> which may be a help

[Michael R Freeman]

Unfortunately Wayne, that's the wrong end. :-)

[jay_miao1]

I have posted a response some time ago as one has asked the same question for SC-17 loosening hotshoe fix as it's happened to mine too and fixed myself easily. Remove the four little screws on the bottom of chassis to open/separate the housing which's holding the loosened hotshoe plate (may need to ?play? around with some force here as the housing might have been ?glued? a bit tight due to some adhesive applied for sealing purpose I guess, which's ok and normal, but not with a hammer ? just your figure and thumb:). After the housing opened properly, you may use a small screw driver to locate and tighten up those securing screws of hotshoe plate from inside. Well, if that sounds not easy for you, you may always send it to me .... ^_^ good luck.

[laughing buddha production]

Jay,

 

Great tip - it was fairly straightforward to open the bottom of the hotshoe. But it takes a bit of prying with a small Swiss Army Knife to separate the two halves and pull them apart. One twist of the pieces gives some room in the wiring to pull out the other sync ports and miscellaneous bits. There is a circuit board to unscrew from one side as well.

 

Anyway, after that, I noticed that two of the four screws holding the hot shoe metal plate down had come off. I found them and re-tightened the piece and it is good as new.

 

Takes about 5 min total. You need a small Phillips head screwdriver.

 

Michael