Shortening an SC-29 Flash Cord

[dan_brown4]

Anybody know who/where I can buy a short SC-29, or who I can send a new SC-29 to to get it

shortened?

 

Or, can I do this myself (eeek!)

 

Thanks...

 

I'm in DFW, by the way.

[frank_skomial]

Not questioning why you want to do that, since the coiled length is not that long.

 

I think you could do it yourself. The internal wires are color coded, to make it easy. I suggest using a universal Ohm/Volt meter to test all point connections on both ends, and writing it down, before you make the cut.

 

Just splice the wires together after you removed the length of wires that you do not need, before soldering, and test the shortenned cable.

 

I assume you know how to operate a soldering iron. However, I would advice getting it done at any local TV/VCR repair facility, and they could use some heat shrinking tubes for isolation of the reconnected wire joints, to make it look "professional".

[henryp]

The clever chaps at kirkphoto.com/ used to sell a shortened SC-17. They could probably do one for you. If you're near NYC, you might also try Armato's (1-800-628-6801). Back in the day they were justly famed among NYC wedding shooters for being able to cobble anything together.<p>-- <p>

Henry Posner<br>

<b>B&H Photo-Video, Inc.</b>

[don_cooper]

Here's a link to shortening the SC17. - http://aljacobs.com/shorten%20sc-17.htm - No need to (eeek), I found it easy to do.

[lex_jenkins]

Do a Google search for David Hartman's threads on shortening the SC-17. You might be able to apply those tips to the SC-29.

 

Here's one such thread. There are others:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DwXB

[joe_boyd]

Al Jacobs does not recommend shortening the SC-28 due to the complex (layered) components in the sending module of the cord. The AF Illumination circuitry in the SC-29 makes it that much more complex. I don't believe that he even attempts shorten the SC-28 himself.

 

Al's shortened SC-17 basically detachs the cord from the sender module, cuts off a length of the cord, and then attachs the shortened cord to the sender module. The complexity of the SC-28 sender module (compared to the SC-17), makes Al's process difficult.

 

Shortening from the receiver module is perilous due to the complex wiring for TTL cord connections (SC-18/SC-19).

 

As one of the other posts mentioned, you could cut the cord and splice the remains together. This would leave a cord that is more prone to severing in the future, compared to Al's method.

[michael_bass3]

I have been shortening this cord, as well as lengthening it using a fixed length cable, or a variable length extension cable as a service to others for some time now. I actually do these mods for the Canon as well as the Nikon cords, and unfortunately, the Nikon cord, especially the SC-29, is a bit fussier to do.

 

If you are good with very small space soldering...it is easy to do!

 

Michael

 

www.MichaelBassDesigns.com