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Pete Ganzel | profile | all galleries >> Tinkering >> Dissasembly and Repair of Minolta Maxxum AF 50mm f/1.7 and f/1.4 Lenses >> Maxxum 50mm Front Cell Disassembly tree view | thumbnails | slideshow

Maxxum 50mm Front Cell Disassembly

The Maxxum 50mm lens front cell uses a precision plastic lens spacer/retainer that is designed for machine assembly that required no hand centering. The elements are retained by heat fusion of this retainer. Recesses are cast into the retainer that provide the correct spacing without adjustment.
This part was not designed to be disassembled or repaired and is usually replaced as a unit.
Oil is a common contaminant between the three elements of this cell as are fungus and dust.
The cell is not sealed and must not be to provide ventilation of the air spaces.
The cell can be disassembled by cutting away the "bent over" portions of the plastic retainer. This is done in a lathe by turning the chuck by hand. The elements can then be removed and cleaned.
Elements are then replaced in the retainer and secured with three dabs of lacquer.

The service manual calls for rotation of the front cell to two other of the three possible positions if sharpness is not within specs. This is a fix for centering the front cell with the rest of the lens.
Oil Front Element7355.jpg
Oil Front Element7355.jpg
Cutting Cell 7357.jpg
Cutting Cell 7357.jpg
Cutting Cell Rear7347.jpg
Cutting Cell Rear7347.jpg
Front Cell Rear Elements 7362.jpg
Front Cell Rear Elements 7362.jpg
Front Element 7361.jpg
Front Element 7361.jpg
Lens spacer retainer 365.jpg
Lens spacer retainer 365.jpg
Front Cell Rear Replaced 7366.jpg
Front Cell Rear Replaced 7366.jpg