Speedotron Blackline Cable Pin Out Designations

Regarding Speedotron Blackline Cable Pin Out Designations

 

Speedotron Blackline heads such as the 102, 103, and 202 have an 8-

pin connection where they plug into the power pack. I need to know

the designation of each of the pins (voltage, function, etc).

 

Two of these pins go to the AC modeling light, two must be the high

voltage DC source for the flash tube, and at least one must be to

trigger the strobe. The other connectors must serve as grounds or

shielding.

 

The 8-pin connections are labeled A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H. A

through G are along the perimeter and H is in the center of the

plug. A specific designation by this letter code would be most

helpful, as I am considering construction my own special purpose

flash heads.

 

There are also a 9-pin Speedotron Blackline heads for the high power

4800 W/s 106 and 206 heads. Knowing the pin outs on these 9-pin

heads would also be helpful, but the 8-pin info is more pressing

 

Enjoy! Lon

Why do you need to know?

Lon, with all due respect, if you are qualified to construct your own flash heads I would think that it would be a no-brainer for you to determine this information on your own and not have to ask here. <p>

Sorry, but I don't think we at PN should be aiding and abetting your foolish endeavor.

I think you are in over your head. I have never seen a Blackline head and I can tell you that you have an AC line for the fan motors and another that is switched for the modeling lights. Not all the Blackline heads have fans but that's why they have more pins in the connectors than the Browline. If you didn't see that when you opened up the heads you are clearly in over your head trying to build one yourself. If you doubt the danger in messing with this stuff let me tell you about the disposable camera that almost killed me. A crack in the case from being dropped during a wedding didn't seem like a problem. Until the 100 volts DC and I got together. The speedotrons use 900 volts DC.

Lon, with all due respect, if you are qualified to construct your own flash heads I would think that it would be a no-brainer for you to determine this information on your own and not have to ask here. <p>

Sorry, but I don't think we at PN should be aiding and abetting your foolish endeavor.

I signed up here, just to support Lon in this ancient posting.

 

I find the comments here derogatory and demeaning. If you know something Lon doesn't know, why not just explain it, instead of calling it a "foolish endeavor" or "in over your head." (The latter from someone who had "never seen a Blackline head.")

 

Notice that Lon didn't participate much longer. Too bad. Y'all might have learned something from him. Perhaps he was an electrical engineer or a ham radio operator. (Hams routinely work with much higher voltages and currents than EEs do.)

 

I'm in the process of re-wiring a different manufacturer's ring light to a Blackline connector, and was seeking helpful information. I was intending to share what I learned here — along with certain DANGER! THIS CAN KILL YOU! caveats. But I don't think I will do that, now.

 

(Please note: I am both an electrical engineer and a ham radio operator. I've built kilowatt linear amplifiers that had 1,350 volts on the plate at well over an amp. But you'd never have known that if I had just asked for a pinout, and then been shouted down.)

I'm sure Lon appreciates being defended 13 years after his posting. Assuming he hasn't since killed himself poking around in a flash power pack.

 

"lon_coleman was last seen: Jan 10, 2005"

 

Had Lon been an electrical engineer or had similar electrical/electronics knowledge, then surely buzzing out the pins on a strobe head would have been a simple procedure for him? I took no part in the original thread, but I think what was said wasn't far out of order.

 

Reviving 13 year old threads is totally pointless though. Unless to add hard information on the subject.

 

Edited March 16, 2017 by rodeo_joe|1

Old stuff, replying to which, I am certain to be beat-up by self-appointed "old thread police" who don't have a life other than telling people who want to learn something that they are "foolish."

 

Here is the pinout for Speedotron Blacklinke plugs (specifically, a 102):

 

A: (thin white wire) trigger pulse

B: (heavy black wire) flash tube anode (WARNING: 900+ VOLTS!)

C: (thin brown wire) fan hot wire (WARNING: 120 VAC!)

D: (thin yellow wire) model lamp (WARNING: 120 VAC!)

E: (thin blue wire) fan/model common (WARNING: 120 VAC!)

F: (heavy red wire) flash tube cathode (WARNING: 900+ VOLTS!)

G: not connected

H: not connected

I: (heavy green wire) chassis ground, trigger return

 

While I'm at it, here is the Brown Line pinout (specifically, a M11):

 

A: (heavy red wire) flash tube cathode (WARNING: 600+ VOLTS!)

B: (thin white wire) modeling lamp (WARNING: 120 VAC!)

C: (thin brown wire) modeling lamp (WARNING: 102 VAC!)

D: (heavy black wire) flash tube anode (WARNING: 600+ VOLTS!)

E: (thin green wire) trigger pulse

 

To repeat what others have mentioned: THE ENERGY AVAILABLE AT THESE PINS ON THE PACK CAN KILL YOU! EVEN WITH THE PACK TURNED OFF AND UNPLUGGED!

 

If a strobe head is unplugged, it should not be dangerous at all, unless you whack one of the old-posting-police up the side of the head with it. There is a small (0.33 µF) cap in there that can give you a poke, but it cannot hold life-theatening energy.

 

The original poster wanted to re-wire heads, which is not particularly dangerous, despite protestations from the fear-mongers. Here's some tips for re-wiring heads:

 

1. NEVER, EVER work on a head that is plugged into a pack!
   
2. Keep your solder joints smooth and round. "Pointy bits" can create discharge paths.
   
3. No smoking within 24 hours; no alcohol within 50 feet. :-)
   
4. Should be obvious, but don't work in explosive vapours. Tell your wife she has to apply toenail polish somewhere else.
   
5. When you plug in your re-wired head for the first time, make sure the pack has been unplugged for at least 24 hours. Wear safety goggles, and turn your head away. Repeat these precautions when powering the pack on. You're not likely to have an explosion, but should there be arcing, you don't want to be looking at it.
   
6. Needless to say, mis-wiring can damage or destroy your head, pack, or both.
   
7. If you aren't comfortable and experienced with electricity, pick an easier "first project." :-)
   

Happy hacking!

Thanks for the pinout information, but we can do without the attitude.

 

At least this old thread police-person (not sure whether the "old" refers to me or the thread) provoked you into providing some information, rather than just wasting bandwidth.

I actually found Bytesmith's attitude refreshing, honestly. The original poster, Lon, *did* get shouted down rudely and unnecessarily. Bytesmith has indeed added some hard information here, which is potentially useful to those of us troubleshooting Speedotron cables, who aren't intending to mess around with any part of the unit which might kill us.

 

This site is, I'd think, for sharing knowledge--if that includes a listing of the potential dangers, fine. Mocking the original poster, basically, and then getting panties in a wad when someone who can provide the sought after information takes a gentle potshot at *that* kind of attitude is the bit that's extra.

"hal_bissinger was last seen: Mar 11, 2014"

 

"dave_schneider was last seen: Sep 10, 2006"

 

While Ellis simply asked a straightforward question.

 

So who's being upbraided by reviving this old post?

And who has time to search these old threads on the off chance of being offended.... on some else's behalf?

Besides the fact that this is an old thread, I do sometimes want to know the pinout of things, even if I don't plan to work on them.

(And I do know how to work with high voltage.)

 

Sometimes old thread will come up in a Google search, when someone else wants to know the same thing.

 

One think Wikipedia has is called NOTHOWTO, that is isn't a "how to" manual, and this sometimes comes

out as not warning about the possible misuse of information. Readers are assumed to know not to stick

their hands into high voltage circuits, so that doesn't need to be said in every article.

I do sometimes want to know the pinout of things, even if I don't plan to work on them.

Well, yes. But the majority of this ancient thread - almost as old as the flash kit being asked about - is given over to whinging about previous responses. A total waste of bandwidth. To which I've now contributed further!