Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/02/11
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Richard Clompus wrote: >I have an older Vivitar 283 and would like to determine the voltage of >the of the flash synch. Do I connect up a volt meter to the hot shoe >and then trigger the flash to make the measurement? I guess if its one >of the higher voltage units, it would be safer to just throw it out and >get a new one for about $ 75-80. Just turn on the flashgun and wait for the light to come on indicating that it is ready to fire. Set your voltmeter to measure at least 300 Volts DC and measure the voltage between the center and ground contacts on the foot. (The ground contact is on the side of the foot.) You don't have to mount the flashgun on the camera to make this measurement, and you don't have to trigger the flash, either. I have an older Vivitar unit and measure 238 Volts -- obviously not appropriate for TTL cameras but it works fine on my M4-P for the rare occasions that I use flash. A modern flash unit suitable for use with electronic cameras should measure just a few Volts across the contacts. A Metz 40MZ-3 measures 4.4 Volts; a Nikon SB-15, 3 Volts. - -- Pieter Bras