The easiest way to remove the camera from the ConCam is to perform the following 2 steps:
1) Remove the three (3) small screws from around the side of the "D" shaped lens adaptor plate on the cover plate of the camera.
2) Using a small phillips screw driver bent at 90 degrees, remove the six (6) small #4-40 flat head screws holding the face plate to the camera. Space is limited and it will take some finesse. Make very sure that the phillips screw driver fits the screw head so as not to damage the screw in any way. Hold onto the camera very carefully since these are the only fasteners holding the camera to the unit. Place the cover plate being sent to you onto the camera for shipment back to SBIG along with a note that..." the cover on this camera is not the original cover plate and was installed for shipping purposes only". Be VERY careful not to damage the O-ring in any way.
NOTE:
Should the above procedure prove to be an impossible task, the following steps must be performed in the order given:
1) Remove the three (3) small screws from around the side of the black "D" shaped lens adaptor plate that sits upon the plain aluminum plate on the cover plate of the ST1001E.
2) Remove the set screws from the top plate lens ring on top of the ConCam unit. They may either be a single set screw about 3/8" long or doubled and locked (two shorter set screws atop each other). Replace with socket head cap screws. These screws will be used as 'jack screws' to lift and separate the ring from the sealant between the ring and the top plate. Mark the orientation of the set screw location on the ring and plate with a permanent marker.
3) Remove the eight ( 8 ) #8-32 phillips flat head screws from the top plate lens ring.
4) Very carefully begin to tighten the jack screws paying close attention to getting the plate to come straight up and not angle in the slightest. Once the seal has broken loose between the ring and the plate the entire ring, lens and lens holder and adaptors will come come up and out of the "D" plate on the camera.
5) It will be critical to place the ring back onto the plate at re-assembly in the orientation as it was removed in order to avoid having the ring sit upon any burr left by the jack screws at dis-assembly, so be absolutely certain that you've alligned the marks made during step 2.
6) With the top plate ring, lens and holder off of the ConCam unit, you can now access the eight ( 8 ) #10-32 phillips flat head screws. These screws hold the camera mounting plate, camera standoffs and ST1001E cmaera to the lid and top plate of the ConCam unit. Remove the nuts and lock washers from the bottom of the mounting plate and then remove the flat head screws while holding onto the camera to prevent dropping it.
7) Access to the screws holding the camera mounting plate to the camera standoffs is now visable. Removal of these screws will separate the plate from the camera and the #4-40 flat head screws holding the cover plate onto the camera can now be removed. Remove the camera face plate with standoffs attached and replace the cover with the one being sent to you, being very careful to not damage the O-ring in any way.
8 ) Place a note with the camera that... "the plate now on the camera is not the plate that belongs with this this unit and was used for shipping purposes only". The standoffs are loc-tited in place and removal of the standoffs from the camera face could be a real struggle, causing some inadvertant damage at best. Re-installation could be an larger nightmare - trying to prevent distortion of the camera plate.
9) Clean the white sealant from the top plate and top plate lens retaining ring - WD-40 and elbow grease works quite well.
10) Re-assmble everything in reverse order and be sure to place a film of calk on the bottom of the top plate ring and the bottom of the taper of the flat head screws. It is absolutely critical that these surfaces are well sealed to prevent moisture from entering the case. The ConCams are all sealed with Boat Life "Life Calk" manufactured by Life Industries Corp.
[-From David Cook, MTU's machinist who actually builds the CONCAMs.]
How to remove the camera from a CONCAM3
How to remove the camera from a CONCAM3
Dave Cook just sent Billie Chitwood an email that I was copied on that tells how to remove the SBIG ST-1001E camera from a CONCAM3. This is an important piece of information and so I copy here to the Asterisk so that it can enter the collective institutional memory of the NSL project: