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is it possible to have pc cable (camera) trigger a disposable camera's flash circuit
Hello, A strange request maybe but an answer would be great. I"m
looking to use the flash circuit inside of the disposable cameras (with flash) with an older camera I have. The camera uses whats called a "pc cable" as a trigger and i'm looking for some type of circuit which can close the disposable camera's flash circut from the signal coming from the pc cable. I'm not sure what the signal is though so that may be my biggest stumbling point. Thanks for any input. Ahh and i'm using a disposable camera flash because i'm trying to shoe horn it into another old flash housing to keep the old look of the camera. |
#2
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"krem" wrote in message
oups.com... Hello, A strange request maybe but an answer would be great. I"m looking to use the flash circuit inside of the disposable cameras (with flash) with an older camera I have. The camera uses whats called a "pc cable" as a trigger and i'm looking for some type of circuit which can close the disposable camera's flash circut from the signal coming from the pc cable. I'm not sure what the signal is though so that may be my biggest stumbling point. Thanks for any input. Ahh and i'm using a disposable camera flash because i'm trying to shoe horn it into another old flash housing to keep the old look of the camera. The PC connection is just a 'switch': it is open until you press the camera's shutter release, and then the switch closes just before the shutter opens (it opens again soon after, normally when the second curtain of the shutter starts to close.) So the 'signal' is simply completion of the circuit. Make sure your PC connection is X sync: if it is B of F the circuit will close too soon and your flash will fire before the shutter is fully open. (That's because flash bulbs, for which the B and F type sync.s are meant, take longer to reach maximum brightness than electronic flash tubes, so they have to be triggered sooner.) Then all you need to do is find the wires inside the disposable that represent the 'trigger' circuit and insert the cable from your PC socket as the 'switch' in place of the one from the disposable's shutter release. Two things to be aware of: 1. Electronic flash operates with very high voltages, and so you will have to be very careful when you take apart the disposable camera. Make absolutely sure you can disconnect its battery before you touch any other parts, and then be sure the capacitor for the flash is discharged before proceeding. ie., proceed with caution and at your own risk! 2: Normally a flash gun uses a (relatively) low voltage trigger circuit to fire the much higher voltage to the flash tube. (Some older electronic flashes do have high voltage trigger circuits as well.) High trigger voltages can fry modern electronic cameras, and if high enough can damage older cameras too by welding their flash contacts shut. I've no idea what the trigger voltage in a disposable is - maybe it's cheaper to use a low voltage so the trigger switch can be made less robust, or maybe it's cheaper to leave the voltage high and use a tougher switch but save on having a separate low voltage trigger circuit. I'm sure cost will be the deciding factor. So be careful in case you get a very high trigger voltage hitting your camera. HTH Peter |
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