Covering Micro Four Thirds Cameras & Lenses

In this article, I delve into the repair process for a damaged Olympus 12mm f2.0 lens. The issue stemmed from a metal fragment inside the lens, which later snowballed into a full-blown flat flex ribbon cable repair, a common challenge with modern-day lens designs. Facing the difficulty of sourcing a replacement cable, I chose to design a flex PCB (Printed Circuit Board) using KiCad. The repair involved soldering a new flex PCB to the lens mount contact block, a delicate process requiring precision and tremendous patience. I touched upon the availability of camera equipment service manuals and the historical lack of access to such crucial documentation. I discussed my experiences contacting well-established independent camera shops, revealing the very restrictive and secretive nature of service manuals even from around the height of the film era. The lack of uniform access to service documentation truly highlights the need for Right to Repair legislation such as those spearheaded in New York, Massachusetts, and California.

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