THE METZ 45 SERIES: HISTORY
I DO NOT WORK ON THESE ANY MORE, ONLY SUGGESTIONS AND ADVISE.
I will as always, offer support, and compassion, for those who are willing to venture on. With the advent of digital and the demise of the medium format, things have shrunk. Your paycheck, your retirement, savings and camera values.
That Hasselblad, Mamiya, Bronica system you owned and invested that was worth more than your car one day might get you a bike today. And you found flashes went too. Well a couple are resurrected. The Vivitar and the METZ 45 hold the record for the longest living flashes on the planet.
Metz talks about quality of light and I agree, I believe it to be true The secret, is simpler a wider more powerful head that gave continuity to the scene. It shows more as a whiter white. I used all of the Metz "Potato mashers", the most popular being the 45 CL-CT, the 60 CL-CT series for 90% of my wedding work and they were excellent on film based medium format cameras. Potato Masher? What else do you call a flash made in Germany that looks like a German WWII hand grenade, thus the phrase "Potato Masher".
THEY WORKED WELL, NO, GREAT!
They were reliable, dead on exposures and color perfect for slow films like VPS professional and the FUJI line of PRO films. That was another era, with slow films, slower brides, we controlled them, fewer Bridezilla wannabes, clones, drama queens and plain old "didn't you get any last night" misery makers.
We also didn't have too many wimps, unsure of themselves doing the shooting complaining a pack weighs 2 pounds and its heavy. So they carry twenty AA cells in their pockets missing shots, filling landfills. WIMPS… a different era, in this case film guys rule. they had to make it work and the METZ 45 was a crucial tool. ASA 50 will do that to you.
The main reason many dumped their Metz strobes is because their weak link was power. Its simple, they are more powerful strobes and need more power. METZ batteries and power supplies were very expensive and proprietary and they still are.
ISSUES - I DO NOT WORK ON THEM ANYMORE ...
• The costs to me of the oddball 8-9 Volt configuration of the Metz 45 Black Box escalated, actually tripled. The old joke about loosing money and we'll make it up in volume applies here. The specific charger went to 60.00 my cost.
• The current batteries from Power Sonic were acid mat, not liquid gel and not as good as the German Sonnenshine's which were costly if you could find a fresh one.
• For me, too little or no volume and the higher costs of the components where I have to buy in bulk to keep prices down is a bad mix.
• Several of the last great deals on eBay, METZ 45's bought on eBay arrived in need of the $179.00 trauma room at Metz. The circular sliders are prone to corrosion and wear, and the hot circuits shorted in many simply due to age. This was discouraging.
• Synch voltage, another flag. You have to manually check the voltage on your unit. You are forewarned that, all METZ - CANON - NIKON products and others are voltage and amperage sensitive and nothing any of them builds or sells is inexpensive either as a replacement or repair. Think before you do something that might go wrong as the smell is sometimes the first clue as to something might be wrong.
• Lousy Ni-Cad packs great for film, but their small Ni-Cad packs if they work at all, are useless. They have really horrid capacity, 50 full power flashes on Ni-Cad Packs were OK in the days of film weddings when you carried two and only shot 120 pictures. Saving grace: There is an old Quantum Cable and also one by PC-CORDS sometimes on eBay. Not the one for the AC port.
• There is a downside. Some of these modules are old, very old and made of components that click together and then a couple screws lock things together.
• When dismantling them, they snap apart sometimes into more pieces than you thought you wanted to have.The term brittle and weak comes to mind. These modules I used to be able to modify into a cable similar to the Quantum factory one on the left and save you money.
• In some cases the contacts will have to be resized and soldered to work. If not, that popping sound might be a meltdown. There are screws, some hidden, wiring, and drilling with step bits, and a diode to contend with. I do not do this for nothing, I charge for this. Call me.
CLIPS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL
There are three versions of the clip. (Battery Holders) Look inside the handle. You see three pins but your module only has two. Compare a rechargeable module with an Alkali module and the contacts are in different places. Because they have a resistor to compensate for both a 7.2 module and a 9.6 module. The major heads-up here is that the one you need might be covered over as a knockout. They are fixed welded Ni-Cad, loose Alkali, and fixed welded Ni-MH.
The first is the welded factory AA older Ni-Cad filled packs from METZ and they are 7.2 -7.4V when you can find one that still works. Generally most are dead now, they will light up and fail after a few shots. Looks identical to the 54557 below except battery cells can be several colors and are Ni-CAD not NI-MH.
MODEL 5312
The second, type is unfilled and is an empty holder you fill, with Alkali, the one that holds the loose batteries, it is designed to work with the ground and PIN A which is in a different location from the the Ni-Cad pack.
It is the 9.6 volt version. It was designed voltage wise to handle Alkali not NiMH. Six (6) times 1.5 Volts equals 9 Volts.
Do not sub rechargeable's, another wrong move if you wish to get optimum performance or any at all. It was designed for Alkali, get it? So don't stuff it with six rechargeable's. Six (6) times 1.2 volts equals 7.2 Volts. About once a month I get a geek who tell me how great it worked. I'm not that stupid. It will stall out as soon as the NiMH hit 94%.
Again, the Metz 45-39 Battery Holder also should be exclusively used with "AA" alkaline batteries-it does not work well with NiCad, NiMh or other battery types. Many subbed Ni-MH into the Alkali pack which have a different algorithm and weren't invented yet when these systems were designed. I love wannabe plans where "If it fits it works". Maybe in sheep farming, thats true.
MODEL 54557 NiMH
The third version is the newer Ni-MH and more current so you might not want to kill it quite yet and use it as a backup, if it works. Many are just dead from lack of usage and some need the landfill. One bad cell in a Ni-MH and the whole clip is bad. Very common. Hooking the wrong pack to the wrong power supply will result in smell-o-vision, thus the following warning.
DO NOT USE 54557 WITH THE OLD CHARGER
This pack sells for 120.00. More than you paid for the Metz 45 Used. And there is a caveat. Pack and charger is $200.00 Like I said not cheap. they are very proud of their work. It's best to find an Alkali or old Ni-Cad to redo.
I make battery packs because many of the Metz holders are thirty years old now and useless for batteries but makes a nice module. (Maybe) worth of Ni-MH batteries used really makes this about a $39.95 unit. It does not work on the old charger, the new charger is 80 dollars.
COMPATIBILITY WITH NEW DIGITAL CAMERAS
Another issue to think about before you tear one apart is compatibility with newer products. That hurt the handle mounts even with the SCA system, just too much basically in cost and other parts needed. And like I said the Metz parts are not cheap. But, people don't know about them and if you can steal one, go for it. In my world they do work well enough to keep, if you use them to capacity and their best use is...
If your intent was as a stand or manual unit using into an umbrella, fine MANUAL mode works great. This is a stalwart 150 guide power head with great color. Thus most are using them today on stands. They make excellent portable location units for the budget minded shooter, no AC required and no cords for clients to trip over.
The Metz will now with the pack consistently turn good numbers with a Pocket Wizard or other flash trigger with an umbrella or other light modifier since they have a bigger head. With a guide number 148 at ISO 100, that's about as powerful as many of the smaller cheaper hyped up Chinese studio lights on AC, about 170 @ 320 watt seconds. (more like 120)
***NEW CHEAP DO IT YOURSELF SYSTEM ***
I re-designed a whole new system and chemistry, based on the availability of newer battery and charger components and found a decent source. I never leave any of my customers in the cold, but sales of the 45 are just too cold for me to support. The advantages of this work around is longer battery life, reduced cost savings, for the new version of this old workaround, If the METZ 45 you have, is in great working condition.
I will help you technically wise to custom build these things when asked nicely, they are a lot of work on the module and a little tricky at times. For those with electronic skills, being the nice guy that I am, help you to build yourself this package.
The plans are here in concept, free and so is my advise, but my work is not. I am too busy.
Stick with the program. I think these products shown below for the battery pack side are far better than the cheaper quality ones at Radio Shack. To be fair I tried both. I gave the RC car one away. Go with the ones I selected from where I selected them. That's how I maintain quality control and consistency and know what you are talking about with questions you pose.
I hate when I test everything, make sure they are good to go, and some buffoon writes me a fourteen page pen letter after spending two weeks building one and telling me how he did it. The wheel is still round. Your square version is questionable. I have to build things for the masses so they don't have messes.
THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS PROJECT
• A working Metz 45 flash unit in good condition with all the sliders working. use tuner cleaner if they stick judiciously.
• A Battery, as shown below, the specs might change slightly as the packs are constantly evolving. The vendor I recommend is All-Battery.com
• Charger or similar with specs as shown from All-Battery.com as it is variable and will work on a multitude of devices.
• Battery module - Alkaline , Nicad or Ni-MH to convert.
• Do not substitute! And don't ask me to make the 9.6 version, it's too hot and unstable with NiMH for older units and not a good idea.
• The parts below will be modified with new ends so you need my DIN plugs, a knowledge of soldering, electronics and patience.
This is a Smart Universal Charger for NiMH / NiCd Batteries and allows charging of all NIMH packs from 7.2V - 12V with charging current selection and temperature sensor built into the unit. Works great and I endorse it.
Generally they range fro 21.95 to 25.00 and they are a lifetime investment as they will power other projects. this is one reason why I did not go to Radio Shack. No variety.
TECHNICAL
- Rated output voltage: 17.8V ± 0.2V
- Output voltage: 7 V DC ~ 18.5V DC
- Battery capacity extend: 0.8Ah ~ 15Ah (1A current)
- Number of cells: 6-10 NiMH/NiCD cells in series
- Charge current: 3A ± 0.2A / 2A ± 0.1A / 1A ± 0.1A
- Max. delivered power: 54W input: 100~240VAC
- Rated AC
50/60Hz - Input voltage: 90~264VAC
- Rated input current: 0.55Arms (220VAC input and full load)
- Max. input power: 68W
- 1 Standard Tamiya Female connector.
- Alligator clips (red + black).
THE BATTERY
BATTERY SPECIFICATIONS MAY VARY
BASED ON THE MYRIAD OF SIZES AVAILABLE
Tenergy Sub C 4200mAh Propel Model--Beat or match IB Packs
Minimum Capacity: 4000mAh
Number of Cells: 6xSub C / 7.2V 4200mAh
Continuous Discharge Rate: 10C ( 42Amps)
Bust Rate: 20C (84Amps)
Suggested Charge Rate: 6 Amps
Actual Resistance: 1.5-1.7 mili-Ohm/cell
Dimension: 136mm x 47mm x 24mm
Weight: 420g
Discharge Rate: 30 Amps
Runtime:535+ Sec
Cut-off Voltage: .90
Average Voltage at 330Sec 1.22+