Ektar 203mm Flash Supermatic - intermittent flash

[bigeye]

First post here. I enjoy reading through all the info here. Thanks to all.

I have a problem (I think) with my Flash Supermatic. I spent an hour setting up a room with a couple of viv 285s w/ some pocket wizard clones (jet engines on a 50's View II!) for some kid shots. The practice shots all went off great. Then I loaded film and they didn't... I ohmeter'd the Bipost line and it's good and traced back to the shutter - no joy.

It now goes off ~3 out of 5 times. Playing with the flash sync lever sets it off more frequently; ~9 out of 10.

I'm about to send it off to Grimes, but I'm wondering if I'm doing something dumb and have the settings wrong for modern X flash? My version only has the slider for M -- F and I've tried it both ways with little difference. I had been setting it to "F" (without setting the flash sync lever). Any recommendations?

- Charlie

[John Koehrer]

Could be carbon on the valves, like Ferrari.

Or.........
The flash contacts in the shutter are weak, tarnished or burned.
You have 300V going through the switch & if they're not making a solid connection, there's arcing.
If you're good with stuff like this, the flash contact is directly connected to the bi-post
the front plate should be held on by a couple of screws if you're that curious.
There is also a plate with a cam or two in it that will be uncovered with the front plate removed. On reassembly the cam followers have to go in the proper slot. I usually mark the cam with an arrow indicating "up"

[domaz]

Are the contacts dirty? Try cleaning them with a pencil eraser. How about your cable? Perhaps it's old and isn't actually making contact with the contacts.

[Dave Loftus]

If you don't have X-synch on your shutter, then your shutter will lag the strobe. What I did was short-circuit one of the bi-posts to the little screw next to it with a bit of very thin copper wire. That would be the LEFT post as you're looking at the front of the lens. Now the shutter is in synch with electronic flash.

[Jim Noel]

If you don't have X-synch on your shutter, then your shutter will lag the strobe. What I did was short-circuit one of the bi-posts to the little screw next to it with a bit of very thin copper wire. That would be the LEFT post as you're looking at the front of the lens. Now the shutter is in synch with electronic flash.

A very innovative and interesting approach to the use of a shutter w/o X synch.Thanks for the idea.

[bigeye]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I only have a couple volts going through to the radio transmitter - the 285s are not involved (directly), so I don't think it's fried, by me anyway. Cable is new and I metered it to be sure.

Not to the point of timing, yet - need to get the flash regular. I like the idea of bypassing the sync mechanism, though. May need that.

It should be a 'contacts' type thing going on. I may open it up and have a look. - C

[Dan Fromm]

Um, er, ah, if a Flash Supermatic is fired with the sync delay uncocked it will give X-class sync.

[bigeye]

Well, I did take it off the board and simply cleaned the posts good and it works now. A little bit of tarnish was enough to make the flash intermittent.

Set it to F and it seems to be timed right, looking through the lens, anyway... We'll see how it develops.

Had a chance to admire it a bit while off the board; a nice little piece of machinery.

Besto,
- Charlie

[al olson]

The M and F flash sync are for the old style flash bulbs. There is a delay in the opening of the shutter to give the bulbs time to ignite.

With a strobe at these sync settings, the shutter will open after the strobe fires. Your shutter apparently does not have an X sync for strobe. Note the post from Dave Loftus, #4, for a fix to this problem.

[Jim Jones]

A previous owner internally modified my early Flash Supermatic for X sync. It appears to be a very easy modification.