NOTE: BASIC INFORMATION
There are as many cables in photography as stars in the sky. And to say they all danced to the same drummer is foolish. Proprietary interests and availability gave us an assortment of styles lengths and materials, made into synch cords, then power for flash, power for camera, power for static lights, transceivers, and this is basically why wireless became so popular. I know of no one who actually hanged himself with flash cables but a few attempts were made.
Even before the Canon Film AE-1, obscure names like the PETRI and CONTAX used cables for flash and motor drives. They were mainly made for synch connections, not power supplies. The oldest, the household style, the PC style and the locking PC are still around added to the modern proprietary designs on studio units and transceivers like the 1/4 and 1/8 inch audio jacks (monaural), and the fall-out when needed, sometimes called the "where did the lubricated condom go" useless barrel connector. SEE LUMAPRO on the WEB.
Two of the last companies predominant in this market are PC-CORDS and QUANTUM. I will be dealing with PC CORDS later in the year, we are just talking at this point. There have been others, but they were junk, no market, or they just died. They are gone. Either product specifications changed too fast or imports killed off the rest. However, I have seen with my own eyes boxes containing thousands and thousands of these older cords with no bride in sight as the end fittings are useless. Thats why I don't stock them.
POWER CORDS TO THE FLASH
There are two kinds of cords. For my unit this is the wrong one. Why post it then? Because this is the most common cord I get sent or asked about. Time after time. The sample shown is called a Nikon, CKE, fits the acceleration port and does not work with my pack. Similar ones I see are for the METZ 45's.
This is one that plugs into the hot port or AC port, AKA test terminal and has either one pinout in a barrel connector or a three pin that looks like (000) this. Another type is a two pin that fits the Vivitar 283-5 (0--0) and that one too is no good. I do make extension cords from these if they are not corroded, often they are so old they are, can't tell till I cut. So I will either make you an extension (very handy) one or give you a credit. I am a nice guy.
Boris Numb-Nuts, my favorite customer can't understand this. OK Boris, reason one, it does not fit. Reason two, the wire internally is smaller and thats because of the higher voltage. Maybe and I have seen it, the cable shorts before the strobe. I have seen both scenarios, blown strobes, and horribly burnt cables and to this day do not understand it. But 320s shorted volts has an acrid really bad smell and a split second and you look like an idiot.
DISCLAIMER: I do not endorse nor make accelerated packs because they tend to ruin what they get plugged into. Overheated , shutdowns, burn-outs, I hear all the feedback. Accelerated units promising great speed do it at a sacrifice to your other gear. And your credit card. Nikon Canon and metz know what to look for.
NEW SCOURGE
A new scourge comes from the land of dangerous chemicals, cheap workmanship and unsafe drywall. The infamous Chinese knockoffs offered are at your risk. Depends on how much you value the gear. If you are not smart enough to keep your $400.00 investment out of a direct connection to a really questionable piece of gear from a country that has a 25% failure rate, you need to get on the 12 step Boris Numb-Nuts program.
The only advantage I have in the industry is being basically a one man company. I get all the feedback since it comes through me. I am a Cisco 7606S router in information systems compared to the printed matter you get from retailers extolling the virtues of what their product will do to their bank account based on a transfer from your bank account.
ACCELERATED UNITS
Some packs offer accelerated performance. Those cables bypass the safety and control function and permit high voltage direct to the capacitor. They are faster, can be problematic and you still need four batteries in the hopper. What did you gain? They are very expensive and possibly hurt your gear. Does it make sense. You pay for risk.
Makes no sense to me. When you only paid 80 dollars for a strobe that was one thing. On these 400.00 - 500.00 strobes thats another story because minimum repair costs on these things are 179.00.
THE GOOD GUYS and the RIGHT STUFF
The GOOD ONES, the other type of strobe cable is the kind that looks like four batteries on one end and an RCA male on the other. This is the kind we use. The MBA MB5, MB2 and the MKZ3 are the most popular styles and models. This list is ever changing.
If you do not see your brand on our chart, we have access to over one hundred other models and some may be modified. Email me for the correct fit. The MKZ3 shown on the left is the most popular and we call it an inline. Four fake batteries in line. Review, you need a cable to go from the battery pack to your battery compartment of your particular flash unit. The cables are all different depending on the battery layout of the flash itself.
The module which looks like four batteries together fits the battery compartment. Most common layouts are either inline (above) square, trapezoidal or "drunk rectangle".
The inline fits quite a large percentage of Nikon and METZ flashes.
These next two are very common on the Canons. The four-square is the MB2 used on the 580EX II, 430 EX and 430 EX II and the trapezoidal is used on the older first born 580 EX older series.
Cables may look the same but the Vivitar uses a cable called the MA2. It looks like an MB2 but they are not the same. The difference is the location of the hot (+) and cold (-) contact. The contacts are in different locations. In other words there are four battery shapes and 8 possible combinations of locations multiplied by 2 since plus's and minus's may be substituted. Trust me... I do this all day long. thats why I have you call me., because I may be able to modify some of these to fit other strobes or take in trade for other jobs.
THE END RUN
Not finished yet. At the other end of the coiled Quantum cables you will see an RCA jack to contend with and that involves making it better by replacing the RCA jack with a heavier jack called a DIN plug. WE DO IT FREE!
We do not like RCA Jacks because they have problems. We upgrade them FREE, you are allowed two per Black Box purchase. I am a realist, I understand new areas of the photo game are enough to confuse anyone.
I will gladly call you and discuss it with you if it is not clear. They tell me I'm the only one in the industry to do this. Real phone call, talk to the boss, in Brooklyn English. Don't understand Brooklyn? OK, then you wouldn't know a Nathan's Hotdog, from a pork filled Ball-Park special. I write a food column, I like the Nathan's. Trust me, I know Hotdogs and her comes a letter from someone in Chicago with all that salad on top.
Good cables, specifically the Quantum cables that start with an "M" and on occasion, the K Bantam Series Cables are easily available from the very reliable ABC's of mail order. Adorama, B & H, Calumet. Also look for them on eBay. You may call me to see if it is a good deal. Be in front of the computer with the page up you are looking at.
BETTER PORT
My packs come standard with two identical usable ports, both called DIN ports or plugs. As you can see from the photo on the left this is a very robust piece of metal.
They were selected for their highest reliability. The cables we use unfortunately come with RCA ends that are obsolete. As an engineer, I detest them. Almost 90% of the repairs I have worked on the past forty years are attributed to these RCA or correctly named "AUDIO JACKS".
They were not originally made for power. They were made for signal. They go back to the days of the record business, before the 8-Track. You see them on legacy TV's so tape players and split RGB signals can still be used. Please look at the picture below.
'WHY TWO BRUTE'
The second port on the black box allows two flashes to be used at the same time if they are of equal value in output and performance. It is called a matching DIN. The DIN is internal, stronger, more reliable, and more secure. It's wires (both positive and negative) are internal and the only thing the outside does is to connect stronger through a threaded collar that does not stress the cable itself or the relief strain.
For the best performance and bang for your buck, we use male and female DIN plugs from Taiwan, or Japan. Not the pot-metal cheapies from the China mainland.
DIN is an abbreviation for Deutsches Institut für Normung, or German Institute for Standardization, which is a German manufacturing industry standards group. DIN connectors are round, with pins arranged in a circular pattern.
This type of connector is a much larger heavier type with an external collared lock. Do not confuse these with mini-DIN's.
Ours, assures good contact, low failure rate and longevity. We have never had one fail, burn up or replace. If you already have a QUANTUM "M" series cable, with the collet that tightens, send me your cable and I will convert it (remove the end and upgrade it to the heavier DIN plug) for FREE with an order for the Black Box or Tuxedo. In fact with the 2010, we do two free. The first time you get a two free-be. After that they are fifteen dollars for additional cables and that includes fast shipping, the cost of the part and the labor.
TECHNICAL: Why We Upgrade:
If you look at the collet-type plug that comes on the M cable. unscrewing (1) the outside collet all the way exposes the hidden screw and the black or negative solder point (3). If this is screwed in too far it can cause a short and burn the cable. Notice the screw (4) is over the red or positive wire to the
tip ( 2) we have received burnt cables if the wire is stretched beyond certain limits, the screw penetrated the red making a short to the outside.
In other words, the screw has a flat shaped tip and can puncture the red wire on a pull. This completes the circuitry. The blades (5) will lose their spring after a while so it is well to not keep the collet screwed on too tight. They snap off if bent.
So some individuals had a tendency to lock the collet even tighter and then after a while went to remove the cable and it's locked up. So they get the pliers, spin out the RCA jack, and damaged the unit. That is why I removed all the RCA jacks for 2009-2010 at no additional increase in price.
Now you know why we do this, we want the unit to last five to six years in weekly use.