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Abbey Photo Corp Flash Gun

 
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Stilagrrl



Joined: 16 May 2004
Posts: 51
Location: SF Bay Area

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 7:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just purchased an Abbey Photo Corp 3 Cell flash gun with a 7" reflector. The gun takes screw base bulbs and luckily it came with a small supply of bulbs and a bayonet adapter. I've tested the unit by pressing the little button at the top and it fired the bulb just fine.

However, after taking a peek inside, it appears that the two female bi-post sockets on the unit are for output to either a solenoid or another flash gun. In other words, there doesn't appear to be a sync input socket on the unit anywhere. Since I don't have a solenoid on my camera, I was thinking I could convert one of the sockets to be sync input. I don't think it would be that hard to do, but I will need to find/make a male bi-post to PC sync cable for it. Has anyone done this and if so, is there anything I should watch out for?

Thanks,
Rachel
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RichS



Joined: 18 Oct 2001
Posts: 1468
Location: South of Rochester, NY

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 8:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I find it hard to believe that a flash has no synch connection? Are you sure? I hope someone else knows about this flash?

I have a method to make pin connectors rather easy. I find pins that fit the socket (usually at Radio Shack). Solder the wires to them and insert them into the socket. Then I coat the part sticking out along with the solder connections with silicon rubber. If you put a thin piece of paper on top of the socket and insert the pins _through_ the paper, the silicon won't stick to the socket. You have plenty of time to smooth it out and make it pretty After it dries (24 hours), you've got a pin (male) connector that will fit perfectly and last as long as any commercially made one...

Male connectors are available, but I don't know for sure which one and from where...


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[ This Message was edited by: RichS on 2004-06-09 13:17 ]

[ This Message was edited by: RichS on 2004-06-09 13:18 ]
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Henry



Joined: 09 May 2001
Posts: 1636
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 8:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's a neat method, Rich! Thanks for sharing it.

The Abbey Photo I know was on Melon St. in N. Philadelphia, a short block west of Broad. Unfortunately, it went belly up about a year or two ago. Didn't know they made/marketed their own brand of flash gun.
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RichS



Joined: 18 Oct 2001
Posts: 1468
Location: South of Rochester, NY

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 8:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't know who made the Abbeys, but I've seen a couple around and almost bought one myself... Maybe now I'm glad I didn't

The connector making works fine for sockets too, BUT, you have to put someting like thin electrical tape around the socket connectors _before_ using the silicon or else the stuff will ooze into the connectors and make it hard to use But I've been making connectors like this for longer than I'd care to remember. I always seem to need one at the wrong time, and years after they stop making them


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Top



Joined: 06 Apr 2002
Posts: 198
Location: Northern New England USA

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 9:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I just bought one of these for my Contax kit. The unit I'm awaiting seems to have some sort of mechanicial synch built into the camera bracket. As soon as it gets here I'll let you know.
Top

[ This Message was edited by: Top on 2004-06-09 14:47 ]
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Stilagrrl



Joined: 16 May 2004
Posts: 51
Location: SF Bay Area

PostPosted: Wed Jun 09, 2004 11:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks everyone for your input. Rich, I'm pretty sure both sockets are output. The lower leads of the two bi-post sockets are wired together and to the + terminal coming from the battery. The positive terminal also goes up into the bulb socket and touches the center tip of the bulb itself.

The upper bi-post leads are connected to the (-) screw part of the bulb socket. With a bulb inserted into the socket, I have continuity between the upper and lowers holes of the bi-post socket. When the button on the flash gun is pressed, it completes the circuit between the negative terminal on the battery (the battery case itself) and the (-) screw part of the bulb and the bulb fires. It also completes the circuit between the upper hole of the bi-post socket and the negative terminal on the batteries. With the button pressed, I get 4.7V or so coming out of the bi-post sockets.

What I was thinking of doing is cutting the connector between the two lower bi-post leads so that only one of them is still connected the + terminal of the battery. I can then connect the other one to the wall of the battery case. This way when the shutter is fired, it will complete the circuit between the negative terminal on the battery and the negative part of the bulb, which should then fire the bulb.

BTW, thank you also for the tip on making a male bi-post plug, I'll stop by Radio Shack and see if they have the 1/8" pins I need for the socket. That silicone stuff is pretty messy, I wonder if I can find a little plastic connector cover at Radio Shack that I can use as a form to keep the silicone from getting on everything.

Thanks,
Rachel
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Les



Joined: 09 May 2001
Posts: 2682
Location: Detroit, MI

PostPosted: Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote



I have a two cell Abbey and one of the bi-post sockets has a white dot painted between the upper and lower pins

If you've taken yours apart and followed the wires then you know what you have, but I always believed my "white dotted" port was for sync'd shutters, but I haven't used it.


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45PSS



Joined: 28 Sep 2001
Posts: 4081
Location: Mid Peninsula, Ca.

PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 1:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



[ This Message was edited by: 45PSS on 2005-12-26 19:28 ]
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glennfromwy



Joined: 29 Nov 2001
Posts: 903
Location: S.W. Wyoming

PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 3:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OK, boys 'n girls, here's the straight scoop from 1939. The Abbey Press Flashgun (the one you have) used a magnetic shutter tripper which was triggered by the button on the flash gun. It was not generally made for use with in-shutter synchronization. There was one exception to this. For the 2X3 Mini Speed Graphic with back shutter sync, "the flashgun battery case is provided with an extra 'series' wired outlet without extra charge. This battery case has one outlet marked with a white dot." So, there you have it, folks. Straight from the horse's mouth. The sync was via a tripper (solenoid), with the noted exeption. Ya got a rare one, Les.

Edit: Top, the model for the Contax is Model M/M. If you need general instructions for setting it up, I have them.
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[ This Message was edited by: glennfromwy on 2004-06-10 20:39 ]
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Stilagrrl



Joined: 16 May 2004
Posts: 51
Location: SF Bay Area

PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 6:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Glenn,

You *are* da' man! So that confirms what I was seeing inside the flash head as far as wiring and not having a sync input.

Without cutting any wires inside, I've now tested the flash gun to see if it will work with sync input. Basically what I did was insert one of the sync leads coming the shutter into the upper hole of the flash gun's bi-post socket (the one that touches the screw part of the flash bulb). I taped the other lead to the body of the flash gun which is the common ground coming from the battery. I set my shutter to 1/60 at about f/18 using Polaroid Type 54 ISO 100 B&W film and the exposure was just about right. So, the next steps are to convert one of the sockets to sync input and then make a male bi-post cable to plug into it. I think from there, I'll have a working Abbey flash gun that will accept the large screw base bulbs and with adapters, bayonet bulbs (#5 and Press 25's) and the mini-bayonet bulbs (M3 and M5's). I'm so excited!

Rachel
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Stilagrrl



Joined: 16 May 2004
Posts: 51
Location: SF Bay Area

PostPosted: Fri Jun 11, 2004 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Charles,

I can fire a bulb, both from the bulb socket and from the bi-post socket using the little button on the side of the flash fun. But what I really want is an input sync socket so I can fire the bulb from the camera.

BTW, I see you live on the Peninsula, I'm in Menlo Park.

Take Care,
Rachel
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45PSS



Joined: 28 Sep 2001
Posts: 4081
Location: Mid Peninsula, Ca.

PostPosted: Sat Jun 12, 2004 1:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote



[ This Message was edited by: 45PSS on 2005-12-26 19:28 ]
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glennfromwy



Joined: 29 Nov 2001
Posts: 903
Location: S.W. Wyoming

PostPosted: Sat Jun 12, 2004 2:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the nice compliment, Rachel. If Abbey could wire those to use synchronized shutters, you should be able to. The guns with the white dot should also work with synchronized shutters. No reason why it wouldn't, other than the fact that they were very uncommon when these were made. Good luck -----

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Top



Joined: 06 Apr 2002
Posts: 198
Location: Northern New England USA

PostPosted: Mon Jun 14, 2004 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Edit: Top, the model for the Contax is Model M/M. If you need general instructions for setting it up, I have them.

Glenn;
Thanks for the offer.
The unit is susposed to be in the box with instructions, but if I can't figure it out (a 50-50 proposition) I'll surely get back to you.
Top
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Stilagrrl



Joined: 16 May 2004
Posts: 51
Location: SF Bay Area

PostPosted: Tue Jun 15, 2004 1:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's the latest...I modified the Abbey flash gun so one of the bi-post sockets is now sync input. I even put a little white dot on the input socket so I won't mix the two up. I also made a male bi-post sync cable using a couple of pins/posts and silicone as Rich described earlier. I used a couple of small pieces of plastic at the front and back of the bi-post plug to give it some internal strength. After the big blob of silicone dried for a couple of days, I trimmed it down to give it some shape, but it still looks pretty primitive. All in all, it works quite well, the pins could be a bit tighter in the hole, but they do stay in place.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all again for all of your help.

Take Care,
Rachel

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