Any other tricks for Letus Extreme Dirt Removal?

puredrifting

puredrifting

Major Contributor
Hi all:

Does anyone out there with a Letus Extreme have dirt/particulate issues that they cannot solve? I did do a search and came up with this thread which I thought would be helpful but I still am having dust/particulate problems that the solutions suggested here does not address. In the thread, it seems that most people have dirt/dust on the GG or condenser but my Extreme seems to have dirt/particles inside the unit, not on the outside where it can be cleaned manually http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=115923&highlight=Letus+Extreme+dust

The dirt/particulate does not go away when the GG vibrates and there are about 4-5 particles that are right in the middle of the picture. After removing the mount portion of the Extreme, I tried compressed air, A Giotto Rocket Blower and even Eclipse optical cleaning fluid with Chem Wipe foam tip cleaners that we use for cleaning our Nikon camera imager but no luck. I don't think that this dirt is on the condenser or the GG, it seems to be inside the unit. Has anyone had to send their unit back to Letus to get it cleaned? I am very frustrated as I was supposed to use the Letus for a shoot tomorrow but will not be able to. I shot some tests today and the particles are very visible.

Anyone have any advice other than what is in the thread above? I guess I will just call the Le Bros and see what they say to do?

Any other suggestions,

Dan
 
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if there are dots and particles that are visible when the motor is on, that means it is on either side of the condenser. It would be out of focus if it were on the camera mount or inside the prisms. I am not sure how to clean it if it is on the inside. But they say they create them in sealed and clean areas so no dust can enter.

Try giving it another clean. Q tips and compressed air, you can get it out of there i think.
 
PaPa said:
if there are dots and particles that are visible when the motor is on, that means it is on either side of the condenser. It would be out of focus if it were on the camera mount or inside the prisms. I am not sure how to clean it if it is on the inside. But they say they create them in sealed and clean areas so no dust can enter.

Try giving it another clean. Q tips and compressed air, you can get it out of there i think.
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Hi PaPa:

Just to confirm, the condenser is the glass beneath the GG. The GG is the white looking piece that is suspended on the three vibrating posts? Do I have this right?

I swabbed the condenser with the Eclipse fluid using a Kem Wipe foam tipped stick very carefully. As far as the particles, nothing moved or smeared whic leads me to believe that they may be on the inside of the condenser perhaps?

I'll give it another go but I don't think that the particles are on the outside.

Thanks,

Dan
 
you are correct.

if you cannot get it off, then i would venture to see that it is on the inside of the condenser. You should contact letus.
 
Hi PaPa:

Thanks, unfortuntely I think you are correct.

I have had this adapter since something like early November and so far, have never used it. Between work, ordering the Cavision setup, ordering the revised Cavision setup for the Letus Extreme being needed to be used with a follow focus and matte box, that setup breaking, ordering a new Letus mount, tweaking with it, buying the Nikon lens set, ordering three sets of different length rails to work with different setups and now this, I wonder if I will ever be able to use it? ;-)

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks for your help,

Dan
 
There is a dust trap built into the Extreme. A few shots of canned air in a couple of key locations should clean it right up for you. Here is the basic process:


1) Remove your 35mm
2) Loosen the set screws that hold the front tube on the adapter
3) Remove the front tube exposing the ground glass element
4) Use some canned air and gently blow both sides of the ground glass being careful not to touch or disturb the black plastic holder suspending it on the posts.
5) Take the nozzle of the canned air and bend it beneath the ground glass element around the perimeter of the condenser lens (glass lens located directly behind the ground glass)
6) Blow air into the edges all the way around the condenser lens. This will force any particles inside the adapter into the dust trap.
7) Look through the adapter and see if the dust has cleared from the view.
8) If it all looks good, carefully re-assemble and you will be good to go.
 
DeGrey said:
There is a dust trap built into the Extreme. A few shots of canned air in a couple of key locations should clean it right up for you. Here is the basic process:


1) Remove your 35mm
2) Loosen the set screws that hold the front tube on the adapter
3) Remove the front tube exposing the ground glass element
4) Use some canned air and gently blow both sides of the ground glass being careful not to touch or disturb the black plastic holder suspending it on the posts.
5) Take the nozzle of the canned air and bend it beneath the ground glass element around the perimeter of the condenser lens (glass lens located directly behind the ground glass)
6) Blow air into the edges all the way around the condenser lens. This will force any particles inside the adapter into the dust trap.
7) Look through the adapter and see if the dust has cleared from the view.
8) If it all looks good, carefully re-assemble and you will be good to go.
Click to expand...

Hi DeGrey:

I just spent about 20 minutes trying this. Unfortunately the dust specks are still there and there looks to be a tiny loop of lint and or hair at the top of the screen. The spots are dark, sharp and well-defined. What should I do now? I received the adapter in November. I even tried two different cans of compressed air. I am stumped.

Thanks,

Dan
 
DeGrey said:
There is a dust trap built into the Extreme. A few shots of canned air in a couple of key locations should clean it right up for you. Here is the basic process:


1) Remove your 35mm
2) Loosen the set screws that hold the front tube on the adapter
3) Remove the front tube exposing the ground glass element
4) Use some canned air and gently blow both sides of the ground glass being careful not to touch or disturb the black plastic holder suspending it on the posts.
5) Take the nozzle of the canned air and bend it beneath the ground glass element around the perimeter of the condenser lens (glass lens located directly behind the ground glass)
6) Blow air into the edges all the way around the condenser lens. This will force any particles inside the adapter into the dust trap.
7) Look through the adapter and see if the dust has cleared from the view.
8) If it all looks good, carefully re-assemble and you will be good to go.
Click to expand...

I gotta try this, I was having dust issues, got busy and then wasnt using the LEX.
Thats about to change...
Weve got a music vid coming up sooooo, must get to cleaning or sending back the LEX

Im hopeful it will come clean!
 
Dust is a real problem even when you work in a dust free area. it's almost impossible to avoid, when I build my adapters I work in a dust free area when working with the groundglass. My groundglass is sandwiched between glass and once we inspect the groundglass we seal the edges then cleaning simply means cleaning glass, but cleaning the groundglass with any solvent or lens cleaner will damge the groundglass. In the next production of my adapter I have placed 2 ports one in front and one in the rear of the groundglass compartment so you can stick a compressed air nozzle and blow the dust off. Even though we take extreme care in avoiding dust is the most difficult problem to solve, so the problems you're having is not unusual.

www.freewebs.com/wvargas
 
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Well Damn, I just cleaned the corner of my gg with solvent because there was a spot that didn't go away with air... now what.
 
I may be OK, I cleaned the gg with water and that seems to have taken away the oil stain I had from the solvent, but I still have spots on the gg that I can't get rid of...
 
Goldmond said:
Well Damn, I just cleaned the corner of my gg with solvent because there was a spot that didn't go away with air... now what.
Click to expand...

You probably ruined your GG and will have to get it replaced. You shouldn't touch your ground glass under any circumstances. Compressed air upright or a Air Rocket majigger is what you want to use.
 
Compressed air often shoots out bits of the pressure agent which could stain/damage the glass/censor. A rocket blower or something that you manually pressure is a lot safer.
 
I spoke to Hein at Letus and he said that you CAN clean the gg with cleaning solution, however, I don't know that I'll be doing it since I did get what looked like an oil stain from the stuff I used. It seemed to go away when I cleaned the rest of it with water, and everything looks fine, but I would suggest carfully using compressed air instead to clean it.
 
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