Electronic Flash Units

[henseman]

Can anyone identify the flash units in the picture I've uploaded? On each of the shafts below the reflector there is a large "V".

I'm trying to find a manual and determine how they are powered. One seems to be a master and the other one a slave that plugs into the cord on the master.

Any help at all in finding the name/model and possibly a manual would be appreciated.

Brian

[Bob Salomon]

Kind of looks like old Ultrablitz units or early Multiblitz Report units.

[Leigh]

They were probably powered by a 300-volt battery.

You shouldn't use these with modern equipment, The high voltage will likely destroy the trigger. It's OK to use them with mechanical shutters like the Copal or Compur. Their contacts will handle the voltage.

- Leigh

[henseman]

Who would have manufactured them?

[henseman]

Hi Leigh,

I was considering using them with my Century Graphics cameras. Where would one pick up such a battery? What would they look like? Does the large "V" below the reflector give a hint to the maker? I was thinking "V" for Victor.

Brian

They were probably powered by a 300-volt battery.

You shouldn't use these with modern equipment, The high voltage will likely destroy the trigger. It's OK to use them with mechanical shutters like the Copal or Compur. Their contacts will handle the voltage.

- Leigh

[Bob Salomon]

Who would have manufactured them?

Ultra blitz is no longer around. Multiblitz is on Porsche Strasse in Köln Germany.

[Bob Salomon]

Hi Leigh,

I was considering using them with my Century Graphics cameras. Where would one pick up such a battery? What would they look like? Does the large "V" below the reflector give a hint to the maker? I was thinking "V" for Victor.

Brian

I think the V is the lighting angle the reflector is set for. There may be a wider V around the tube that shows a different lighting angle.

[Leigh]

I checked the four main industrial electronics distributors and nobody has anything appropriate.

Mouser and Digi-Key show nothing at all.
Newark shows one 72-volt product, but it's $852 and you'd need four or five of them.
Allied has a lot of batteries, but the high-voltage ones all appear to be UPS replacements, and extremely expensive (~$14,000). Their search function is so bad that I was not able to narrow the 1500+ results.

Even if you found a suitable battery, you would need a connector that mates with the one on your flash.
Without knowing what configuration it expects, you could create a very hazardous situation.

As much as I would like to help, I think this is not doable.

- Leigh

[henseman]

Thanks for checking this out.....it was just a thought. They look very much like the Ultrablitz Jet II....I found a little bit on them at Butkus.

Brian

[Sevo]

Ultrablitz is less likely, even though they started up with similarly mainstream press flashes - they invented the transistor step-up circuit (when the competition still used mechanical inverters), and specialized in a bit smaller and more consumer oriented flashes, with somewhat more decorative design. I think Multiblitz are most likely, given the very utilitarian design, but many German makers offered quite similar flashes, Braun (the shaver company) being the most widespread. If yours are unbranded, they may even be a Japanese clone.

No need to hunt for esoteric batteries if they are German. These were not directly high voltage battery driven, but powered by a portable electronic generator that contained by a battery or set of batteries anywhere between 6V dry cells (Ultrablitz) and 12V/24V lead-acid (Braun, Multiblitz). If you are missing the generator, you will need that!