Can you open up GE (Electric) Flash cubes?

I have a couple 3 quarter used GE Flash cubes, and I plan on using the last two quarters. But after that I plan on installing LED's in at least one of them to use my flash handle as a light for focusing on the ground glass at night. I have the Honeywell Bayonet to Flash cube adapter and a Medium base to Bayonet adapter. So is it possible to open one up to install LED's in, or though the casing, and to contain the connections?

Sorry Bob, but why would you go to all that trouble when a little LED keyring light can be bought for peanuts, or a CREE flashlight for slightly more than the bare high power LED chip would cost you?

Sorry Bob, but why would you go to all that trouble when a little LED keyring light can be bought for peanuts, or a CREE flashlight for slightly more than the bare high power LED chip would cost you?

I meant open it up to use based bulbs. It's a three D cell Flash Handle that attaches to the side of the Busch Pressman Model C with a track, and is about 4.5V at the socket.

Edited May 29, 2017 by bobpeters

I got a Harbor Freight battery powered 27 LED Worklight, that I'm going to attach to an E10 Base I have.

I recall taking a couple of these apart once--about 40 years ago... o_O

 

The outside clear plastic was separated away from the cube body with an Exacto knife and jeweler's screwdriver by slicing open one of the corner seams and prising it away from the base and reflector insert . It peeled right away with a bit of effort--not pretty, but you are not building a piano here. The contacts on the bottom ring were nothing more than long, bare wires leading from the bulb envelope and turned up and looped to make contact surfaces on the ring. I straightened out the wires and pulled the bulbs out.

 

Re-insertion should not be an issue--but breakage of the wires at the folding points due to metal fatigue when you make the contact loops again might be.

I’m still not understanding what you’re trying to do. Fit an LED in place of the flashbulb, fit a new flashbulb or what?

 

White LEDs need around 5 volts minimum to deliver any useful amount of light. Flashbulb firing circuits usually put a charged capacitor across the bulb to ensure reliable firing, with a resistor in series. So i’m not sure the flash circuit will light an LED without modification and without making it unsuitable for its original purpose.

 

Besides, how are you going to hold the firing button down and be at the camera position, as well as having a hand free to focus all at the same time?

I’m still not understanding what you’re trying to do. Fit an LED in place of the flashbulb, fit a new flashbulb or what?

 

White LEDs need around 5 volts minimum to deliver any useful amount of light. Flashbulb firing circuits usually put a charged capacitor across the bulb to ensure reliable firing, with a resistor in series. So i’m not sure the flash circuit will light an LED without modification and without making it unsuitable for its original purpose.

 

Besides, how are you going to hold the firing button down and be at the camera position, as well as having a hand free to focus all at the same time?

 

Fit an LED for use as a flashlight that is attached to the camera. I have made a cord from a old lamp cord that I installed a toggle switch on that goes into the remote socket of the flash unit. I had to grind down one blade of the plug as one of the blades is narrower than a standard blade, and grind down part of the body to clear the ejector "button", as it was a no strip plug. It's a Heiland Flash Handle with 3 D Cells inside. Making it light was the 1st thing I figured out, getting a way to mount a light is another problem.

Gee, I really think you’re making this too complicated Bob. I can now see you’re trying to make the flash handle do double duty, but to what purpose?

 

I don’t think the 4.5 volt batteries in the flash will adequately light a white LED enough to light up a subject more than a couple of feet away.

 

Why not just strap a ready_made flashlight to the camera in some way? Maybe using Velcro or attaching a hotshoe slide onto the flashlight; that’s if the camera has a hot/coldshoe.

Yes it is.

The clear cover clips into the black base. There's a little protrusion that if prized the right way on all 4 sides will release the clear "cube" allowing access the the foil reflector & bulbs. Its best seen from below. Invert the cube & look for a little clear tab on all 4 sides.