At 03:05 PM 12/9/2009, you wrote:
Not all versions of the 283 have high trigger voltages.
What category would you put 256 volts, just measured right now? As I said, this unit is at least 30 years old and I remember waiting anxiously for it to arrive from New York. I think I paid $80 something for it and thought it was pretty hot at the time.
I think it's in the high voltage category and the current drawn when you connect the contacts externally makes a pretty significant spark.
The 283 replaced a high-voltage DC battery unit I bought in Panama in 1953. I think that unit used a 67.5 volt, (perhaps even higher) battery and it was the first strobe I had ever seen.
In reflection I think the battery was higher than 67.5 volts but only Richard K will remember the voltages that were available in batteries in that era. I should know but my mind is dropping old things like that to make room for new things. I do remember that the flash head was separate from the battery pack and that it worked quite well once I ground the cam and added a set of contacts synchronized for X delay, X being zero in my nomenclature.) When you think about it F and M flash settings were advances, not delays, no? That would really mean that "delay" relates to the time for the flash bulb to be at or near it's peak light output.
One more comment- I always used M5 and other small bulbs with my Rolleimarin, even though strobes were becoming available. The bulbs always had more light output than small strobes of those days.
DAW
Eric Goldstein On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 4:01 PM, Don Williams <dwilli10@xxxxxxx> wrote: > At 10:34 AM 12/9/2009, Eric wrote: > > I agree with this. The 285 was bulky and overblown with an emphasis on > useless features rather than sleek performance. A low voltage trigger > 283 is still very much a great ally in the camera bag... > > > Eric Goldstein > > I've had a 283 for 30 years or more and like it's features. In addition to > the wide and narrow beam lenses, it has a remote sensor for off-camera > sensing, the ability to use AC power, and some other features I don't > remember because the accessories are out of sight. > > The only downside is that it has a high voltage trigger which I assume is > not good for my cameras. I understand the later models had a low voltage > sync signal and there is also available, somewhere, an adapter that deals > with this high voltage, high current trigger problem, protecting the sync > contacts. I used it for many years on several cameras before learning that > there was a lower sync current version. > > DAW
