Graflex electronic shutter release selenoid polarity?

[karlmartini]

I have an electronic engineer friend of mine in the final stages of building a laser-beam shutter release mechanism for my Deardorf 8x10. He's on the home stretch but has no idea about the polarity of the charge in order to activate it. There's nothing on the selenoid to say where the + and - goes. I'm assuming if he gets it wrong it will destroy it. Can anyone help me? I'd trawled the internet with no luck.

Thanks

karl

[karlmartini]

I should mention that these electronic shutter releases are usually used on Crown Speed Graphic press cameras. I'm sure it would all make sense it I was using it with this configuration.

[BrianShaw]

I've plugged mine in both ways, willy nilly, and it always operates the correct way.

[BrianShaw]

p.s. I am not an electronics engineer but I would have expected one to know about polarity and solenoids.

[E. von Hoegh]

Reinds me of the guy I worked for, he converted his British car to negative ground with an American alternator. After a couple weeks of angst regarding the non availabilty of a negative ground starter, I told him it didn't matter, it's a series wound motor - always turns the same way, even on AC. Same for solenoids of the Graflex type.

[BrianShaw]

sometimes engineers "overthink" things.

[E. von Hoegh]

sometimes engineers "overthink" things.

True, but an engineer should know what a solenoid is and does. Edit - Although, such a thing might not be covered in an electronics degree. It isn't "electronics", really.

[BrianShaw]

Yes, of course.

[domaz]

Electronics engineers nowadays probably have never touched anything resembling an analog component.

[BrianShaw]

Yes, of course. But I always thought of a solenoid as a digital/binary device: up and down; on and off. ;)

[karlmartini]

Thanks lads for the feedback. I'll pass it onto him. My worry now is that he'll stumble on this thread when googling 'graflex selenoid polarity'. If you're reading this Eoin I think you're a fantastic electronic engineer and I have every confidence in you!

[BrianShaw]

No slur against your friend was intended and hopefully none is reflected in whats in this thread. My father was an electrical engineer and I grew up knowing that there were things he (1) knew, (2) could do... and then all the rest. If it wasn't microwave it was in the "all the rest" bin!