[Leica] Sunpak 444D (like the 383)

[pklein at threshinc.com (Peter Klein)]

I just obtained a lightly-used Sunpak 444D with a Contax TTL module, for a
very good price. I did a little surgery on the hot shoe and removed the
dedicated contacts, so now I have a generic, non TTL flash with manual and
auto-thyristor operation, essentially like the Sunpak 383 Super.

Questions:

1. I've measured the trigger voltage with a DVM, and it's 11.4 volts. Is
this safe to use on an M8?  On an Olympus E-510? Or do I need to buy a
Wein Safe Sync? I can't find a maximum safe trigger voltage for either
camera. I've read things ranging from "anything over 6v is suspect" to
"the ISO standard specs call for protection up to 24v."
(http://www.botzilla.com/photo/strobeVolts.html)

2. Sunpak made a generic hot shoe module, the STD-1D, which includes a
coiled sync cord. The flash's sensor is in this module. Does anyone know
(from experience, please) if this module and cord allows off-camera
operation WITH the module's sensor still controlling the flash, or can you
only use manual settings off-camera?

I'm usually an available light kinda guy, but sometimes ya gotta do what
ya gotta do...

Answers from actual experience especially appreciated. :-)

--Peter