hasselblad ring flash power options

[s._c.]

I just received my hasselblad ring flash from keh. Now I am on the hunt for a good power source. I have the older

metal plug with 4 prongs. I have read about the norman or lumedyne conversions. I don't know if this plug will fit

directly into the metz ct 60 battery pack (and if it does, is it possible to vary the power output?). What is the

maximum power that could be put through the ring? If I could get up to at least 400, that would be great. Thanks for

all your constructive suggestions.

[paul_gardener]

You can use the CT 60 generator without problems. Find a spare connecting cord, cut of the plug that normally goes

to the torch do the same with the plug that is at the end of the cable from the ringflash get yourself a pair of good

connectors male and female. Attach the female one to the cable from the generator end the male one to the ringflash.

This is the fastest and safest way to get started.

 

You probably mean 400 Ws output. I think that is quite optimistic.

Output will be more like 150-200 Ws. There is no way to control the output. The old Braun generator did accept a

device that gave half power. Braun generators are extinct and cannot be trusted anymore due to bad capacitors.

[s._c.]

Sounds like a good option with that route. I intend to use this ring with portraits, so at 200ws, I imagine I may get around f11 at 3/4 length depending distance if I use my 80 or 150 sonnar. I would prefer to be able to vary the output so I can do some tabletop stuff occasionally. Any chance the round 4 pin plug will fit directly into a norman 200b or lumedyne and if not, are these plugs available anywhere? Thanks.

[paul_gardener]

Most plugs are round. There were two typical German plugs used with the ring flash.

The early one is a black anodised metal plug about an inch diameter.

These are well known as "Tuchel" plugs in Europe.

Pin arrangement is different compared to most of those Tuchel plugs that were used for professional

audio in the last century.

 

The smaller one is better know as "DIN" plug it has a plastic housing.

The same applies mostly used for audio but with a different pin lay out.

 

I would not bother to go this route of finding a female plug that fits as it will be time consuming and costly.

I got a pair of XLR plugs and fitted those to both ends of the cables.

What ever plug you choose keep in mind to use decent quality plugs.

The tension is a couple of hundred Volts and the capacitors store enough power to test your heart

condition.

 

Maybe a diffuser can help to decrease the light output of the ringflash.