Please tell me about my flash. Elicar ring-flash

[stu_the_flat]

I don't know any thing about flash guns. I have recently acquired an ancient ring flash. Its an "Elicar auto macro-8" and its probably older than me.

I haven't been brave enough to mount it to my camera (D60) so far I put batteries in it and turned it on. A modelling lamp turns on but when I turn the main unit on its starts making a high pitched noise as the voltage builds up. The voltage just seems to keep building and building with out it being ready and it doesn't respond to the test fire button, I've only left it on for about 20 seconds then I turn it off for fear of colossal voltages.

How long should the thing take to charge?

More importantly how safe are these ancient flash guns?

Cheers Stuart

 

[classcams]

Battery flashguns do oscillate you know. It does sound like the storage capacitor is faulty as it fails to store a charge. You can leave it on, it may reform. I wonder why it was called "Macro"

 

[stu_the_flat]

Cheers I will be brave and have a fiddle tonight. I'm not being dyslexic it is spelt Marco.

 

[mmcp42]

the other worry is that the trigger voltage may be high enough to fry the camera!:rules:

 

[Bluetooth]

A quick search on google says the trigger voltage is 5.5volts, so it shouldn't fry your camera.

 

[stu_the_flat]

Cheers. I'm thinking "slave flash" far away from camera and people at the moment!

"this is a photo before the flash bulb blew up in the models face."

( am joking I'm just abit nervous of it at the moment.)

 

[david1701]

macro means its for really close stuff so might not be too powerful
also no piccy for me?

 

[knighthawk]

How did you go on with the flash Stuart...I was thinking of getting one myself...