Speedotron/Norman connector

[Otto Radtke]

Hi there---





I have a Speedotron 2401c and the opportunity to buy a Norman Tri-lite at a good price. I've heard that you can adapt the Norman equipment for use on Speedotron power packs, but have not heard how one would go about accomplishing this.





Any ideas?





Thanks!

[John Cook]

I met Bill Norman almost forty years ago at his factory. Turned out we had both been Electronics Technicians in the Coast Guard a few years earlier.

Bill designed and custom- built a large unit for my boss, Sid Avery, which would sync directly to an Arri cine camera in order to shoot tv commercials with flash instead of hot lights. The extremely short flash duration (instead of the normal 1/50th sec shutter speed) allowed Sid to shoot water droplets bouncing off a model in a shower for Dial soap with amazing sparkle and clarity. Absolutely no blur. Sid also used it for wood chips flying off a chain saw, etc. Only problem was the effect it had on people with latent epilepsy. We had a few seizures in the studio from time to time.

My point is that Bill Norman operated out of a small factory in Burbank, staffed with a bunch of electronic geeks. Very informal and not unlike the way Apple Computer got started. Perhaps they have not grown too large to help customers over the years.

Sid passed away a couple of years ago. And I haven't talked to them in 35 years, now living on the other Coast. But I bet a telephone call to their customer service boys would proove productive.

By the way, say "hello" for me...

[Bob Salomon]

"By the way, say "hello" for me."

To whom? Bill is dead and Norman is now owned by Photo Control in Minneapolis.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I'm not sure where you are located, but Flash Clinic in New York can do this sort of thing.

http://www.flashclinic.com

[David du Busc]

Hey there,

This is a fairly basic modification that any strobe shop should be able to execute.

You're just swapping the male connector for the style that Speedotron uses.

The tri.lite is unique and lots of people wanted to use them with other systems.

Good luck.

[Kirk Gittings]

As I understand it, it is merely swithching the position of one wire and hooking up the appropriate connector. but needless to say it is real important which wire!

[John Cook]

Thanks, Bob Salomon. You are always good for a kind word and a smile.

But you're absolutely correct: I have become a photographic anachronism. Don't know why the hell I bother.

Should probably stop this internet foolishness and instead spend my golden years fooling with the Shopsmith.

Adios...

[JohnnyV]

As mentioned Flash Clinic in NYC can do this directly to the strobe's connector. The other option having FC make a pigtail adapter connector to attach to Speedo.

I'm sure it could be a DIY wiring project but I wouldn't chance it as those strobes could kill you...for real!

[nikonSUCKS]

"By the way, say "hello" for me."

To whom? Bill is dead and Norman is now owned by Photo Control in Minneapolis.

This is presumably the same Mr. Salomon I've heard mentioned many times, yes? Is everything they say true?

[Don Dudenbostel]

I also had speedo and Norman equipment including two trilites. The 2401 is 2400ws and if I rember correctly the trilite was designed for a max of 1600ws. I had Speedotron make pigtails to adapt the Norman heads to the Speedos. They would also rewire the plugs but then they would only work on the Speedos. I think the rewire consisted of switching two wires. It seems the fan wires were on the HV hot pins on the Speedo. I eventually sold all the Normans as I found the Speedos to be much more reliable. Speedotron is excellent.