E.L.. Shapiro wrote:
Thye male connector on you Flashmaster power supply is made by Cinch-Jones. There are hundreds of configurations and they are all carried by the following:
www.electronicsurplus.comwww.newark.comContact one of theses suppliers with a picture of the connector or the model number (sometimes it appears on the plastic part that retains the pins) and I am sure you can locate the part.
They are easy enough to wire up and there is no high voltage at the synch socket so you will be able to find which 2 pins are the ones to connect to. Ordinary lamp cord with a standard household female at the other end will connect to a standard synch cord. You will be making one just like the discontinued model in the B&H ad.
I have repaired dozens of those units and the are virtually indestructible. It is not advisable to get into the innards of that power pack unless you have experience with them. Depending on the model year, it coud be very difficult to remove the old socket- they are attached with rivets, not screws and are very close to some high voltage connections. Some of them had a safety switch/wire wound resistor circuit that automatically drains and discharges the capacitors when the chassis is lifted from the case. Problem is, it is sometimes difficult to put back and reset if it is disturbed- it could jam or break off and that part would be difficult to find and replace.
The trigger voltage is under 10 Volts- mine reads 8.5
Also, sometimes some of the fiber spacers between the chassis and the cabinet dry up and consequently flake off if lifted. Again, they are difficult to find and replace and if the are removed the unit will buzz each time it recycles. The circuit predates solid state voltage multipliers and uses a transformer- thus the buzz. Not to be confused with the buzzer alarm that sound if one of the lamp heads misfires- each outlet has a switch to turn that feature on or off.
The lamp you replaced is a telltale light- it lights up as the unit recycles and extinguishes when it is up to power.
Those connector avera about $8.00.
I wonder of the unit came with additional power buttons- those little metal caps with the ratio indications. There are dozens of various power distribution options.
The umbrella head is great! It has a 250 watt modeling lamp and you can see you lighting patterns. The modeling lamps in the othere lamp heads are 12 volt tail light lamps- easily replaceable. If you find the a bit dim, there is an aircraft lamp that fits those sockets that are significantly brighter.
You got a good deal at that price. If the unit needs flash tube replacements or major repairs contact Holly Enterprises at- hollyflas.com or 800-988-7111) The are the folks to see about vintage Photogenic gear.If the aforementioned suppliers don't have that plug, Holly will probably have it. BTW- If you unit came with a synch cord, there is no need to replace it unless it is damaged or missing. The plugs hardly ever break and the don't carbonize or arc because there is no high voltage.
Thye male connector on you Flashmaster power suppl... (
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That photo looks identical to my unit!
Cinch-Jones was the clue I needed on the connector. Thanks!
Incredibly, Cinch is still in business and the plug is still in production:
Jones P-304-CCT (with 180 degree cable clamp)
This Model AA01 unit is so old it has a vacuum tube trigger! A 2D21 gas thyratron.
So not surprisingly, the trigger is high voltage. I measured 407 VDC between
two of the pins and 387 VDC between the other two. Sure wish I new why
there are
two circuits in the trigger connector.
Apparently the later model AA01-A had a solid state trigger: a Silicon Control Rectifier.
As you said, it was lower voltage.
So far, I haven't been able to locate documentation on the trigger jack pinouts or a
schematic diagram for this unit. I did find the User's Manual and Parts List, which
originally contained the schematic, but the schematic is missing from the the scan:
https://www.butkus.org/chinon/flashes_meters/photogenic_machine_company/electronic_flashmaster/electronic_flashmaster.htmAnyway, looks like I'll need something like a Paramount voltage limiter cord
or Wein SafeSync. I have a SafeSync, but need it for old HV speedlites. (After
all these years, synch voltage still isn't standardized. High voltage is gone, but
anything from 5 to 12 VDC is common.)
I may just wire up a relay with 4 AA batteries (for 6 volts). That will operate a
Wein L-8 optical trigger. I'll just need a diode to damp the self-inductance on the
relay coil. A relay really does give better isolation than a solid state circuit.
It only came with one "power button": four x 100 W-s or four x 50 W-s.
Interesting that the ready lamp is an "unready" lamp! But I guess that means
it's not on as much, saving the bulb. It sure charges fast!
I cleaned it up and it looks new. Funny how stuff made of metal lasts.
It was made in Youngstown, OH. The power supply and umbrella light
rolls around on the casters quite easily--I'm not used to so much convenience!
The voltage regulation is really nice, since we're on a generator here
much of the time.
The later models added a solid-state SCR trigger, more power (600 W-s)
and a few new features (5th head, test button, plug-in optical trigger), but
are otherwise similar. They also went to a square power plug: the one I
have is round, like a vacuum tube base.
Whenever I get a new piece of equipment, I always write up my own "cheat
sheet" with what I need to remember to use it, and serial numbers. I'm working
on that now.