D series lens as non-CPU lens?

So, i bought a 50mm 1.4D on EBay and it doesn't work.
It seems like some kind of electrical connection problem because if i twist it in some angles it sometimes picks up the connection and then it works for a few seconds before the angle changes again and i kinda have to wiggle it to make it work.

So i decided to open it up and try to find the problem, didn't find anything i can do, so i put it back together.
I now think i might just use it as a non-cpu lens, just cover up the cpu connection pins with some duct tape and it works.

So my quastion is this:
Can i somehow make the autofocus work with it being disconnected from the cpu?

I'm using a D610.

Hi, and welcome to the website,

We need a little more info, like what camera do you have.

D610

It should work. Does it autofocus? If not the pins are for auto focus so they wont need touching/taping.

Why not just return the lens and get one that works?

FredKingston said:

Why not just return the lens and get one that works?

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That sounds like the best idea, send a email to the eBay seller, explaining the problem.

The lens was fully refunded because it was faulty.
Dont worry about that, i just wanna try some experiments and i hope someone in this forum might tell me the solution.

If i mount it on the body now, i get the fEE error and i cannot shoot at all. But i taped off the cpu connections so the camera accepts it as a non-cpu lens and now i can just use it as a manual lens.
what i'm trying do find out is if there's a way to make the auto-focus work even though there's no cpu. after all, the auto-focus on a D series is controlled by the camera body.

Ohad Pearl said:

The lens was fully refunded because it was faulty.
Dont worry about that, i just wanna try some experiments and i hope someone in this forum might tell me the solution.

If i mount it on the body now, i get the fEE error and i cannot shoot at all. But i taped off the cpu connections so the camera accepts it as a non-cpu lens and now i can just use it as a manual lens.
what i'm trying do find out is if there's a way to make the auto-focus work even though there's no cpu. after all, the auto-focus on a D series is controlled by the camera body.

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Just out of curiosity. If the lens was refunded, didn't you have to send it back?

nope

So you want us to help you make a broken lens work?

I would like that very much :-D

Now out of all curiousity... did you place the lens locked in at F22 so that the camera can communicate with it?

This is getting a bit sticky... If you want to use the lens, then use it in full manual mode. If you want to have it repaired, go ahead and ask for an estimate. Otherwise, remember that we are not a Nikon repair service. We can for sure offer help sometimes, but for repairs... maybe try Nikon Service Department.

Of course i locked it on f16 (it only goes to f16)!.

I know i can go to the service department and try to get it fixed, but that would cost almost like buying a new one. Also, wheres the fun in that?!

I hoped i'd find some answers from people who know a little more about the functionality of a DSLR and it's focus motor capabilities.
Lets be clear, I am fully ready to do some experimentation on this lens. I hope some of you are as curious as i am about this. Don't you think a Full Frame DSLR should be able to spin that focus screw without knowing what lens it has on?

Don't you think a Full Frame DSLR should be able to spin that focus screw without knowing what lens it has on?

Read more: http://nikonites.com/general-lenses/33087-d-series-lens-non-cpu-lens.html#ixzz3nbvlblce

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No, actually. I would think exactly the opposite. If the len's chip isn't communicating with the body, the body doesn't know where to position the lens, and since some lens can be extended to make contact with the internals, and damage the lens and/or the body, I would guess that the focus motor would NOT spin up without knowing which lens was attached.

Although, since the lens is obviously broken, feel free to experiment to your heart's content, and keep us posted on how you make out...

Haha, i was hoping not to be the first to ever try something like this.
i'll gladly post the results in here, but a schematic of a D series lens cpu would be very helpful here. Does anyone know where to find one? (yes i tried google, nothing)

PDF-files to individual lenses

This should get you what you need.

D lenses just have a pre-programmed chip that doesn't connect to anything, similar to the chinese kit ones you can get for D conversions, right? Might just be a busted chip piece and if its build into the housing you'd have to figure a way to replace the innards and then re-program it. Looking at the service manual for 1.8D, it connects to either a plastic harness or some kind of ribbon, in which case one of the trace contacts may have gone bad with age/moisture damage and you'd have to re-connect it with a thin wire and solder.

Get a multimeter and test for resistance to find the contact points and see if one of them doesn't "ring" through.

Thanks Dude, that sounds like the right thing to do.
In the meantime i opened it up again and found this plastic thing that holds a piece of copper with 4 lips on ti to make contact with the rotating body. i thought "that must be it! theyre not bent enough to make contact" so i bent them gently do they would definitely would.
That didn't solve anything but ill include pictures so you guys can see.
I think i might just have to try what SkvLTD said, but i'm not sure i can pull off such a tiny soldering point, its very tight in there.