Have you ever wondered what was the cheapest and easiest way to fix a broken PocketWizard hot shoe mount? For a year I had two PocketWizard Plus II Transceiver’s with broken hot shoe mounts sitting around unable to be used in the hot shoe of my cameras.Not only was this an annoyance, but a waste of several hundred dollars worth of very useful equipment. Just recently I called up PocketWizard in New York and had them mail me four replacement hot shoe mounts so I could replace them on my own. Having never seen a tutorial like this on the web, and hearing many photographers complaining over broken hot shoe mounts (myself included), I decided to give you an illustrated how to tutorial about this very easy task that should take you less then 10 minutes to complete. Can you believe a company on ebay charges you over $45 plus shipping to do this? If you know how to use a screwdriver, then you my friend, are in luck. The next greatest thing is this fix will work on ANY PocketWizard that uses a hot shoe mount.

Here’s my step-by-step illustration on how to replace a broken PocketWizard hot shoe mount:
Broken

‘Here’s what a broken hot shoe mount looks like. Sorry, you can NOT just fix this with some glue. It will not work and you risk damaging your camera
Part # and contact info

This is the part number of the replacement shoe mount and ring assembly.

This is how you reach Pocket Wizard:

By telephone: 914-347-3300

By fax: 914-347-3309

By mail: PocketWizard Support8

Westchester Plaza

Westchester PlazaElmsford, NY 10523

By e-mail:info@PocketWizard.com

Price:

For as easily as these break, at least it doesn’t break the bank trying to fix them. This is the price per unit not including shipping (it’s cheap) to your favorite location.

Here’s the package they arrive in along with all the general info on the label.

This is the new replacement hot shoe mount part. Order as many as you think you might need. These work on ALL PocketWizards that have a hot shoe. I ordered (4) and fixed two.

What you need:

All you need is your PocketWizard and a Phillips head screwdriver.

Step #1: Removal of the back cover

Turn your PocketWizard over and locate the (5) holes that contain the screws.

Step #2: Remove the screws

Unscrew and remove all five (5) screws. The arrow that is colored gray indicates that this is the only screw that is different. It has a completely different threading and size and must be replaced exactly in that hole.

Step #3 Remove the front face plate

Turn your PocketWizard over and remove the front face plate.

The Guts

Nothing fancy. You can NOT just pull the shoe mount straight out. It requires you removing the entire circuit board,

Step #4: Remove the circuit board

Remove the entire circuit board assembly. As long as you removed all the screws, it will pop out with little force.

Hot shoe mount

This is what the hot shoe mount looks like attached to the circuit board. There are no screws holding it on.

Step #5 Removal of the hot shoe mount

Simply pull the hot shoe mount away from the circuit board to remove it.

Step #6: Installing the new hot shoe mount:

To install the new hot mount shoe, you will have to press both tabs into the enclosure and make sure the spring with the tip lines up and exits the hole at the end. If it doesn’t, remove and try it again. I used a screwdriver to help push the tabs in

.Step #7: Lining up the holes

Turn the circuit board over and line up the hot shoe mount with the holes that are in the circuit board. Again, making sure the tip is exposed at the end or else it will not work.

Step #8 Re-installing the circuit board

To install the circuit board, the best way I found was to line up the casing screw hole with the circuit board hole nearest the hot shoe mount, and then insert the others.

Push the circuit board into the casing.

As you can see, there is a groove on the hot shoe mount that slides into the edge of the case. If your PocketWizard looks like this, it’s correct.

Remember that pin I was talking about? Here’s what it’s supposed to look like. If you can’t see it, please repeat step #6 until it does.

Step #9: Re-Install the front face plate

Attach the front face plate to the front of the PocketWizard and install the (5) screws. This is the reverse process of Step #1 while remembering the screw that is a different size and location (Please refer to Step #1)

Finished!

Congratulations! 10 minutes or so later and your PocketWizard should now be repaired. Put in a fresh pair of AA batteries, attach it to your favorite camera’s hot shoe, and give it a test.

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