Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
Today I thought I'd test my S2's top flash connector in case I buy a BC-4 or BC-5 rather than using a more modern flash with the S2's side PC connector.
Using a multimeter, I did a simple continuity check between the edge of the connector and the the central terminal. I first wound the shutter and tripped it (originally at 1 second, but other speeds work too).
So, when wound but not tripped, the circuit was not complete - exactly as I expected.
When I tripped the shutter, the meter indicated the circuit completed. (I tried this at both X and other delayed settings).
What puzzled me, however, is that the circuit was still complete even after the exposure - even after the second curtain closed. This means, based on the way I'm testing it, the circuit is complete whenever the shutter is unwound. That implies if I mounted a flash on an unwound camera and then put a bulb in, that it would fire immediately.
So that can't be correct. Perhaps I'm missing some aspect of the flash system by doing my test this way. Or, perhaps my S2 is faulty in not disconnecting the circuit when the curtain closes.
Would anyone be willing to duplicate my test, especially if they know their top connector works with bulb flash?
Using a multimeter, I did a simple continuity check between the edge of the connector and the the central terminal. I first wound the shutter and tripped it (originally at 1 second, but other speeds work too).
So, when wound but not tripped, the circuit was not complete - exactly as I expected.
When I tripped the shutter, the meter indicated the circuit completed. (I tried this at both X and other delayed settings).
What puzzled me, however, is that the circuit was still complete even after the exposure - even after the second curtain closed. This means, based on the way I'm testing it, the circuit is complete whenever the shutter is unwound. That implies if I mounted a flash on an unwound camera and then put a bulb in, that it would fire immediately.
So that can't be correct. Perhaps I'm missing some aspect of the flash system by doing my test this way. Or, perhaps my S2 is faulty in not disconnecting the circuit when the curtain closes.
Would anyone be willing to duplicate my test, especially if they know their top connector works with bulb flash?
Livesteamer
Well-known
I think this is normal in early S2's. Later in production they changed the circuit to a more modern design. I believe this is in Robert Rotoloni's book on Nikon rangefinders. Joe
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
OK, thanks - I'll just have to ensure the shutter is wound before inserting a flashbulb.