HPX500 screws for base plate

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Icarus2005

Well-known member
I actaully love the camera, my problem is that they have VERY CHEAP screws holding it together!

When I tried to remove the plate to mount my rods, one of the screws stripped! And this happened to the only other person I know with the camera! That tells me the problem is systemic, not an anomally.

I need pana to send me a new screw to replace the stripped one.

I understand them using cheaper screws in places no one is going to take apart, but changing to rails on one place most professionals ARE going to take apart. So they use only the very best screws.
 
It's not a matter of cheap screws. Those screws are also kind of "glued" in with a locktite type substance. They should be sprayed with some kind of solvent first to loosen them up. AbelCine also uses a special phillips tool to remove them. I discovered this after nearly stripping same screws myself.
Other users here have successfully removed those screws. At least one person has stripped a screw.
 
Well, industry often uses quite "soft" screws - fitted with locktite sometimes as well.

Having the right Screwdriver is the only magic...

I wanted to open a digital mixer for easy service reasons and stripped 5 out of ~30 screws - boooh....

In your case, simply look into "official" Philips Screwdrivers - Philips SC2 is often used an its VERY sharp.

NEVER use battery driven screwer - you need "manual" sense to not strip the screws - and this happens too easily with a motor drive.

ULI
 
Depending on which Loctite they use[d], removable or permanent, the only way to losen it might be with something like this (although in this particular case it may NOT be advisable):

image004.jpg


You could try and EVER SO SLIGHTLY tap on the head of the screw with an appropriately sized flat-bottom punch, but alas, if they used permanent Loctite, and at the small size screw we're talking about, it probably will have little effect.
 
Pretty sure it was not permanent loctite ! just something to keep the screws from loosening out. some kind of solvent - would a drop of Goo B Gone on each screw head help?
 
Well, if it's NOT the permanent kind, you should be fine with using simple hand tools.
You could try Acetone, as that should soften Loctite threadlocker, but I doubt it would actually penetrate the threads suffciently in order to be effective.
Once disassembled though, you could use Acetone as a cleaning aid in removing the Loctite left-over.
 
It is possible to get the screws out eventually, but I would call a dealer to ask them what they use (like AbleCineTech where they rent and thus are also attaching matteboxes)..

I've said this before numerous times... The problem with those screws - which are M3s, (metric) by the way, available at any hardware store - is that those four tiny, "soft" screws are literally the only thing holding that heavy camera to a tripod when you use the baseplate... Sure, it's fitted into the pin at the back, but that doesn't provide much lateral support...

I don't know about you, but I slam the camera in (out of old habit) to be sure it locks to the tripod - and those screws are taking all that abuse...

When you get them out, throw them away and buy four stainless- -or Grade 8 if you can find them - M3 screws that are 1/4" longer (the matte box plate is thicker and you're left with only 4 or 5 threads with the stock screws).. I didn't LockTite mine, I just check them regularly (in case one does break and I need to get it out later)...

I have also made two simple rectangles of aluminum and screwed them to the matte box plate to reduce lateral stress..

This is THE weakness of this camera....
 
They really are not cheap screws. Actually the reason they strip in the process of trying to get them out is that they use a lock-tite product to keep them in and so there is more resistance to the turning than one might expect. The fact is that it is the very same mechanism that has held our cameras onto tripods for the last 12 years and for those 18 years not a single camera has fallen off the tripod. To me that is a good thing. I would say that if you are trying to rmove these then have a dealer do it for you, one that has done it before as they can be undone, just carefully.

Best,

Jan
 
What Jan said....
Several months ago at AbelCine/NY , I saw the special screwdriver theyused to remove those same screws. They also referred to some kind of solvent to loosen the loctite-like substance. Not sure if it was specifically loctite or something similar.
I bought some "better " phillips screwdrivers and lubricant but made no headway.
I don't want to bring it back to NY just to loosen 4 screws. Guess I'll find a local shop in the Wash. DC area.
 
You could try Specialized Communications or Washington Professional Systems. These both have good service facilities that should be able to help you. They prbably will charge you if you didn't buy the camera from them however.

Best,

Jan
 
Jan: The problem, as I understand it, is that we (HPX500 owners) are attaching a mini-rod base plate that was originally designed for the Varicam - It works, but when attached to the Varicam it also uses three larger (10/32 size but metric) screws in the "V" of the plate (where the tripod plate attaches)...

The HPX500 depends on only those four little M3s - which are too short for the Chrosziel plate, which is thicker.

Additionally, the stock plate from the HPX500 has two (if memory serves) registration pins that fit into depressions on the bottom of the camera... that setup keeps the camera from shearing the M3 screws by preventing lateral movement when on a tripod.

As I've said several times on this and another forum, I have tried to replicate the support that those pins provide by making two simple rectangle plates that are drilled and tapped into the sides of the mini-rod plate (by the way, they have to be carefully fitted if you are using the Panasonic tripod adapter - I use the Sony, so there's more room for slop).

Remember, people often carry a camera around over their shoulder, attached to the tripod - It is scary to think of that relatively heavy camera hanging on a tripod, attached only by four soft (I agree, not cheap) M3 screws..
 
Hi,

I won't argue that you may have seen the Varicam with Stainless screws, but those were not the original screws. The mounting of the little plate that needs to be removed for a rail system is the exact same as the HPX500. The reason people are stripping the screws is the screws are LOC-tited in and that has to be dealt with before attempting to remove the screws. I have more faith in these little screws not giving way than I have of that tripod quick release plate not giving way.

Best,

Jan
 
Jan: I won't dispute the fact that the screws may not fail - but as someone who has built hotrods for much of his life, I am a person who knows what can happen when a tiny, seemingly irrelevent part fails... lots of not very complimentary language focused at the manufacturer of the part...
 
Mac said:
Jan: I won't dispute the fact that the screws may not fail - but as someone who has built hotrods for much of his life, I am a person who knows what can happen when a tiny, seemingly irrelevent part fails... lots of not very complimentary language focused at the manufacturer of the part...
Click to expand...

Hi,

Thanks for your input. I would like to say that while indeed there are people that have said some uncomplimentary things about these parts, the reality is that we have been using this same setup for the last 11 years or so and haven't lost a camera to the system yet. Where it seems to run into the bugaboo is where people want to take this piece off and set up a different setup for the rail system. So the point of my post is that people should know that they need to resolve the loc-tite and then proceed to loosen the screws. This issue is not an issue for a failing part it is an issue when they want to change out the part and frankly that is a far cry from what you paint as the potential situation.

Thanks,

Jan
 
Jan: Don't get me wrong, I really like this camera.. other than these screws and the 5600d preset (another thread), both of which are fixable, it is an excellent piece of professional equipment, not even considering it's affordability... this is meant as feedback from a working professional with too many years experience - for R&D - and not as a condemnation.

In this case it is Chrosziel that needs, in my opinion, to redesign their plate so that it reproduces the little bumps that register into the bottom of this camera, becaue it's not the same as the Varicam.. it is the "shearing" effect that concerns me, not the tensile strength of the screws per se...

In my case I have made the aforementioned simple plates to try and reproduce that support - but I would buy an improved Chrosziel when available...
 
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