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Hasselblad Ring Flash

Box open
IMG_4325.JPG
  • Canon - Canon EOS Kiss X2
  • 50.0 mm
  • ƒ/3.5
  • 1/60 sec
  • Auto exposure
  • -0.3
  • ISO 200

2 wires: one blue, one braun.
 

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Thank you. Do you know which of those wires might attach to the Metz 60 cable? That one has three wires. Take care.
 
The "Philips plug" seams to have 3 pins, in fact only 2 are used in the ring flash.
I use an old Regula variant 40 as generator to test (360V). But had no time to finish. In fact I wanted to contrôle the power level but it's not so simple to discover how it works and to care with high voltage.
 
Hi, new member here :)

I am curious to know the outcome of this post especially with regard to getting the unit to work.

Also does anyone know the voltage (350V ??) generated by the Metz 60 unit.

best, John
 
I have not had time to work on it, too many other projects. Not sure why it won't work so I need to check all the parts in the stream. Could be the battery pack is bad, so I will try another one, battery may be bad, so will try another one and so forth.

Eventually I will determine that the flash is bad if all else fails.

Will post when I finish.
 
john barlow said:
Hi, new member here :)

Also does anyone know the voltage (350V ??) generated by the Metz 60 unit.

best, John
Click to expand...

I guess 350 is on the save side meaning it would surprise me if the Metz gives a higher output voltage.

It is not only the voltage but the charge in the capacitors that is responsable for the amount of light from the ring flash.
I just found all my cables and other items that were still packed after I moved.
More news on the ringflash subject in a little while.
 
I expected to give more info about my ringflash.
I succed to use an old variant flash 40m to have a "350V power". The red light work but if I wand to fire ...no flash.
Hard to know if the ringflash was really working before I began the work on the power source.
 
I am glad this thread has sparked back to life :)

Perhaps my understanding of how flash works is not complete, but the Metz 60 generator only provides a HV voltage and will charge the storage capacitor in the Metz 60 torch in c. 5 sec. Once charged and after triggering, the storage capacitor will raise the voltage on the trigger plate of the Xenon tube to many thousands of volts and the (say 350v) will conduct between anode and cathode giving the flash.

Now applying this to the ring flash photo above there are two things to consider;

1 The tube only has two contacts, which means the trigger plate must be separate and hidden somewhere behind the reflector.

2 I cannot see a storage capacitor of any decent size within the ring itself - a storage capacitor for say GN25 would be typically 330v 660uF and maybe 25mm dia and 75mm long. So the puzzle is where is the storage capacitor to make the unit work?

Of course the ring flash may not work as I have envisaged and there is a gap in my understanding.


Searching the web for Hassleblad ring flash, there is someone who claimed to have the unit working with a lumedyne power pack at 50Ws, 100Ws and 200Ws.

I would sure like to understand this a little better.
 
No capacitor in the ring flash ! Extrenal one only.
In fact there are a blue /braun wire for 350V and there is a PC flash wire to trigger.
 
john barlow said:
I am glad this thread has sparked back to life :)



Of course the ring flash may not work as I have envisaged and there is a gap in my understanding.


Searching the web for Hassleblad ring flash, there is someone who claimed to have the unit working with a lumedyne power pack at 50Ws, 100Ws and 200Ws.

I would sure like to understand this a little better.
Click to expand...

I guess the ring flash only needs the HT voltage generated by the Metz CT 60 or the old 402 unit.
It is being fired by a seperate electrode in the tube.

A more sofisticated generator like a Lumedyne gives the option to control power and output of the ring flash.

The good news is the batteries for my 402 and CT 60 generator are fully charged now.
This will give me a chance to do some more testing and try to find the GN for the original Hasselblad ring flash and the one for the smaller unit.
 
blowupster said:
No capacitor in the ring flash ! Extrenal one only.
In fact there are a blue /braun wire for 350V and there is a PC flash wire to trigger.
Click to expand...

The ignition transformer/coil is with the tube in de ringflash. Not surprising, same as with (say) a 60CT Metz flash head.

Wilko
 
polypal said:
I guess the ring flash only needs the HT voltage generated by the Metz CT 60 or the old 402 unit.
It is being fired by a seperate electrode in the tube.
Click to expand...

If the user guide says that it will work with a Metz 60 power pack then perhaps there is no need for a storage capacitor. If that is the case then keeping the trigger circuit closed will make it act like a continuous light perhaps?

I read another web source that the polarity of the input power will not affect its ability to function, however there are cameras which do not like reverse pc connection.
 
john barlow said:
If the user guide says that it will work with a Metz 60 power pack then perhaps there is no need for a storage capacitor. If that is the case then keeping the trigger circuit closed will make it act like a continuous light perhaps?

I read another web source that the polarity of the input power will not affect its ability to function, however there are cameras which do not like reverse pc connection.
Click to expand...

A 60CT powerpack has the capacitor in the powerpack, a big freaking one too by the way.

You cannot make a flash tube emit continous light, forget that part.

The PC sync is nothing more fancy than a mechanical switch triggered by the shutter (I am assuming a C[FB] lens here).

For digital cameras you have to be careful with the sync voltage older flash units use. That can be 100s of Volts, whereas a considerable number of DSLRs do not like anything above (say) 6V. Older cameras with the simple shutter controlled mechanical switch do not care about that.

Wilko
 
john barlow said:
If that is the case then keeping the trigger circuit closed will make it act like a continuous light perhaps?
Click to expand...

You are pointing in the direction of HMI spots as used by television and motion picture industry.
These units generate continuous light of about 6000° Kelvin and are to be used for situatons where daylight is present.

The tube in a flash unit can not be used continously because of heat built up.
A fast series of flashes at full power or strobe use is only allowed when sufficient time is reserved for the units to cool off.
 
The 402 generator is fitted with a fully charged battery and is performing well with the ring flash.
It turned out I had adapted a cable for the 402 generator to go with the ring flash.
The generators for the CT60 are reserved for my TTL units.

Amazing that a few times charging and discharging of dry fit batteries restores them to about full capacity.
I did not charge those batteries for two years.

The ring flash is mounted on a 120 mm S-Planar lens.
An excellent combination for table shots.
 
No I did not do that.

I have a fixed set up to take pictures from camera gear and always keep the same exposure value.
My guess is the GN is about 20 metric or 60 for Imperial scale.
 
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